Sturgia

Sturgia
Faction information
Capital	Revyl
Ruler	Prince Raganvad
Claimant	Unknown
Minor Factions	Skolderbrotva Forest People Lake Rats
Location
Sturgia in blue

The Principality of Sturgia is a kingdom in Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord. It is ruled by Prince Raganvad, and occupies the snowy northernmost mountain territories of the continent of Calradia.

The principality's history began when Nordic traders and adventurers migrated from the northeast territories seeking land and wealth, and eventually formed diplomatic and marriage alliances with the native tribes of the Sturgian region, merging the two cultures together into something new, with a violent, warlike but also mercantile mentality.

Heavily armoured infantry bearing thick shields to form a shieldwall is the core of Sturgian military, although cavalry and archer units are also employed prominently. When travelling through snowy regions on the overland map, Sturgians move 10% less slowly than other factions.

200 years later, in Mount&Blade: Warband, the Sturgian empire has extended its holdings southward to some of the Empire and Battania, but the Sturgians have experienced a cultural split, with the Nords living in the west and the Sturgian Vaegirs in the east.

Official Description

“

The confederation of small kingdoms that is now the Principality of Sturgia came into being only a century ago. As boomtowns sprung up along the great rivers of the north, the local tribal leaders forged marriage pacts with Nords and other adventurers, hiring their swords to subdue their neighbors. Under pressure from the empire, they elected a prince to lead them in war, and eventually the princes became a hereditary office. But the idea of a monarchy has never sat easily with the independence-minded boyars, and the potential for rebellion always lurks under the surface of Sturgian politics.

”

Lore

"The Sturgian forests are forbidding and cold, but great wealth lies within. Wild honey can be found, and bog iron, but the real prize has always been fur. For centuries, brave traders ventured there to buy the pelts of fox, rabbit and ermine from the tribes of the woods. As the empire expanded eastward, that trickle of traders became a flood. Great towns sprung up on the rivers. Fortune-seekers came from the coast, from the steppes, and most of all from the Nordlands. Tribal elders made alliances with the newcomers, sealed by wedding vows, and with their share of the trading profits hired mercenaries to subdue other tribes. Sturgia became a collection of principalities, then a kingdom, the great powerhouse of the north."

Ruler

Prince Raganvad Initial ruler

Tactics

Strengths

• Powerful heavy infantry options.
• Noble shock cavalry on par with other cavalry.
• Axes are commonplace among troops, giving them a significant edge in melee combat.
• Mounted skirmishers provide an effective counter to cavalry.

Weaknesses

• Mediocre archers.
• Lack of true mounted archers.
• Inconsistent troop progression.
• Sturgian territory is stretched across a wide border, which can result in multiple wars fought on far away fronts.

Economy:

• Medium.

7 cities, 8 fortresses and 32 villages. Main products: fur (main producer), flax (main producer), cattle (main producer) and fish.

Troop tree

Sturgia Troops
	Recruit
	Warrior			Woodsman		Warrior Son
	Soldier			Brigand	Hunter	Varyag
	Spearman		Line Breaker	Hardened Brigand	Archer	Varyag Veteran
	Heavy Spearman	Heavy Axeman	Heroic Line Breaker	Horse Raider	Veteran Bowman	Druzhinnik
						Druzhinnik Champion

Vassals

Tovir, Asta, Simir, Valla, Vidar, Young Tenir, Vyldur

Minor factions

The Lake Rats live by Shemyr of the Lake Rats - i.e. luring ships onto shoals with false lighthouses and beacons.	The Skolderbrotva are a mercenary brotherhood.	The Forest People are a semi-nomadic clan, burning clear, unclaimed forest parcels to farm away from the prying eyes of nobles and landlords.

Trivia

• The Sturgians are based on the Kievan Rus', a polity in medieval eastern Europe consisting of Slavic peoples and some Varangians, who were Norse and mixed Norse-Slavic traders, warriors, and adventurers. It was a loose federation of city states, most of whom were located in the area of modern Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
• They occupy the portion of the map that will become the lands of the Nords and the Vaegirs preceding the events of Mount & Blade/Warband.
• They appear to be the predecessors of the Kingdom of Vaegirs due to their cultural appearance and location, though they lack the Vaegir's excellent archers. This specialty might have developed in the intervening years from prolonged contact with the steppe factions. They do not appear to be significant ancestors of the Nords, due to the Nords migrating south from Nordland and Jumne.
• The chiefs of the Sturgians clans carry the title of Kniaz, a title of nobility originating in Eastern Europe, in particular employed in Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Hungary.

Gallery

sturgia civilians concept art

References

Factions