- For the clan in Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord, see Khergit (Bannerlord).
The Khergit Khanate is a faction in Mount&Blade and Mount&Blade: Warband.
Overview
In contrast to the lush heartlands of Calradia, the great steppes to the south are a vast region of dry grassland. With harsh weather and little resources, the one thing found in abundance here are the herds of horses that live both in the wild and domestically. It is in this arid waste that one can find the Khergits, a semi-nomadic group of hunters and horsemen who, much like their Steppe Horses, are lean, hardy, swift, and temperamental.
Starting in Khergit territory is not advised, as Steppe Bandits are numerous and dangerous foes for new players. It is better to begin in a more peaceful area and gather a secure, experienced party before moving into the steppes.
The Khergit national animal is either the grey wolf, depicted on their emblem, or the horse, depicted on Sanjar Khan's banner. He and Sultan Hakim are the two monarchs whose banner does not match their faction's emblem, and his banner and Akadan Noyan's are the only two that depict a person - both specifically depicting a horse archer.
History
The Khergits appear as a vassal clan of the Khuzait Khanate, led by Monchug Khan of the Urkhunait. At this point in time, the Khergits are the rulers of the city of Baltakhand. Led by Mesui, she ruthlessly leads the Khergit ever since rivaling noyans took a bid at their lands, given opportunity to do so by the disaster at the Battle of Pendraic. At this time, the Khergits bear resentment towards their Urkhunait overlords. It is possible they are someway related to the Karakhergit minor faction, given their name.
According to Baheshtur, the Khergits were originally from the cold steppes beyond the mountains, possibly to the east of Calradia. Although they had previously been involved in trading, raiding, settling, and hiring themselves as mercenaries to the Calradians, they did not move to their current region of the overland map in force until their original homeland was invaded by the Great Horde. This event drove the Khergits to move into the place they now call home, at the time held by the Kingdom of Vaegirs.
In Warrider (Mount&Blade version 0.202), the Khergits were an unjoinable minor faction: led by Barthai Khan, they were relative newcomers to Calradia. As mentioned by faction members, they were ruled by Gerai Khan (himself not actually present in-game) as part of a larger Khanate located east of the overland map.
Prior to 1352, Calradia was unified under the Kingdom of Swadia but, following the then-sitting King Harlaus' assassination, the Vaegirs launched a rebellion: under Prince Kurzak, they successfully established their own kingdom, which put them at odds with the rest of Swadia and, eventually, plunged both factions into an endless war. At one point during the hostilities, one of the factions, in order to win the war against the other, would employ Khergits as mercenaries. Despite never paying for the original contract, a second attempt would be made during the game's main quest, this time by enlisting the player's help.
Despite refusing further collaboration after having been cheated out of their pay, the Khergits would agree to fight for the faction the player allied with, but only after their conditions were fulfilled by the player completing a number of quests.
Nobles
Note that the vassals listed below, bearing the title of "Lord" (
)/"Noyan" (
), are only the ones present at the start of the game. Later on, other vassals may join or leave, and they may gain or lose fiefs. This is particularly common when, after an entire faction is conquered, all its vassals randomly defect to the remaining factions.
Territory
The Khergit capital is the town of Tulga. Note that, over the course of the game, other factions may besiege these fortifications and take over these fiefs, and the Khergits may gain more territory through conquest. These settlements, however, are the only places Khergit troops can be recruited from.
| Territory of the Khergits |
|---|
| Towns |
| Halmar • Ichamur • Narra • Tulga |
| Castles |
| Asugan Castle • Distar Castle • Malayurg Castle • Sungetche Castle • Tulbuk Castle • Uhhun Castle • Unuzdaq Castle |
| Villages |
| Ada Kulun • Amashke • Bhulaban () • Bulugur • Dashbigha • Dirigh Aban • Dugan • Dusturil • Kedelke • Peshmi • Tash Kulun • Tismirr ( ) • Tulbuk • Uhhun • Zagush
|
Troops
| Troops of the Khergits | ||
|---|---|---|
 Steppe Bandit
| ||
|
 Tribesman
| |
|
Skirmisher
| |
|
Horseman
| |
|
Horse Archer
|
 Lancer
|
|
Veteran Horse Archer
| |
Tactics
- Main article: Khergit Khanate Tactics
It is important to note that, apart from the Khergit Tribesman, the Khergits are completely focused on cavalry (there is a very small chance that even a Tribesman could have a horse). This not only makes for very quick battles against infantry-focused factions, such as the Kingdom of Nords, often resulting in the cavalry storming and surrounding the enemy spawn point, but will make Khergit-only parties travel much faster than other armies.
The Khergits are masters of the open field, so their troops should be used mostly with this purpose in mind. Their horses need even terrain to reach full speed and, due to lack of armor, they are easy to kill if they cannot use their speed and mobility advantage. When using the Khergits, the player should attempt to lure their enemies out of their fortification and ride them down in the open. When attacking Khergits, the player is best off fighting them either inside a fortification or besieging them. Do not forget to bring large, arrow-proof shields when facing Khergit archers. Once their main line in a fortification is broken, Khergits are easy to defeat and essentially powerless to stop heavy infantry from taking a castle or town.
- Strengths
- Almost-entirely mounted troops that are quick to train.
- Superb horse archers.
- Best strategic maneuverability out of all factions.
- Weaknesses
- Easily devastated when on defense, dismounted, or when unable to ride-and-maneuver.
Trivia
- One of the oldest in-game factions, the Khergits have been present since Warrider (Mount&Blade version 0.202). There were also Black Khergit Horsemen, a bandit type that would patrol the southern end of the overland map and attack any party they encountered.
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