Karakhergit

Karakhergit
Official Information
Faction	Khuzait
Leader	Randomized
Fiefs	None
Tier	?
Wealth	?

The Karakhergit are a minor clan of the Khuzait. They are nomads keeping to the old ways of the steppe - raiding, pillaging, and small clans - and refusing to settle down.

Official Description

The Karakhergit are a nomadic clan that has resisted all efforts by the centralizing Urkhunait khans to keep them in one place, give them farmlands and serfs, and force them to give over taxes and military levies. They are treated by the other clans with a combination of envy and contempt. They trade and sometimes even intermarry with their settled brethren, but they also do a limited amount of kidnapping for ransom and raiding of flocks, and scoff at those who would blame them for carrying on with the heroic old ways.

Background

Aside from herding cattle and raiding, the Karakhergit engage in trading by using an argot consisting of Calradic, Darshi, and extensive hand gesturing. In terms of food, they rely on meat - mainly mutton and horse - that they cut into chunks and cook over open coals. Bread, when available, is dipped in sheep fat. They also adopted a dish from the Darshi that consists of salted eggplants soaked in mustard oil. Melon is used as a desert.

According to the imperial scribe Asaios, the clan spends the warm summers in the north, on the higher mountain slopes where the grass is thick and lush, while in the winter they migrate south towards the grazing grounds there. Both Karakhergit men and women participate in herding sheep and horses, moving them between pastures - accordingly, many young Karakhergit women carry a bow, a sabre, and a lasso.

According to clan member Atun, in the old days when many more steppe tribes were nomadic, it was a lot easier for the clan to find spouses while, nowadays, few settled steppe peoples are willing to send their children to live the hard life on the grasslands. Likewise back in the day, a Karakhergit maiden would not even look at a man until he had slain his first enemy, but she herself nowadays would be willing to settle for a man who has at least injured someone, even though she expects such a marriage to be rocky because, having slain two Khuzait soldiers herself, her potential husband would probably feel inadequate by comparison and would therefore be quarrelsome and engage in excessive drinking.

When asked why the Karakhergit would not settle down like the other tribes, she drew the comparison with an eagle that flies across the skies freely and a rabbit that burrows in the ground, implying her people prefer freedom to farming. She also claims Karakhergit pride is insufferable to other Khuzait clans, bringing up an example of how many proud noyans would return from Monghug Khan's wars, laden with expensive loot, only to face the disappointed and pitying looks of skin-clad Karakhergit.

Members

Their leader and membership are randomly generated at the beginning of each game. The only named clan member is currently Atun, whose first and so far only appearance is in the "Travels in Calradia" segment of the Bannerlord Digital Companion.

Troop Tree

Karakhergit Troops
	Karakhergit Nomad
	Karakhergit Rider
	Karakhergit Elder

Trivia

• In older versions of classic Mount&Blade and Warband, there were two cut bandit-type troops - the Black Khergit Horseman and the Black Khergit Guard - which were also sometimes called "Karakhergit". Given the fact "kara" means "black" in Turkish, it's highly likely they were repurposed for Bannerlord and have continually existed in-universe even if they were ultimately cut in-game.
  • It is possible Nasugei Noyan of the Khergit Khanate in Mount&Blade: Warband is a Karakhergit clan member - his banner features the same bow and three arrows but they are facing upward instead of rightward.
• Karakhergit lore was slightly expanded upon in the Bannerlord Digital Companion.
• They were temporarily renamed "Karakhuzait" during development.