Kislev

Kislev

The frozen bulwark against the dark

Founding FoundedAncient (traditionally 1 IC, founding of the Gospodar migration) FounderKhan-Queen Miska the Slaughterer (Gospodar), later Tzar Boris Ursus Current LeaderTzarina Katarin the Ice Queen Geography CapitalKislev City Major CitiesPraag, Erengrad, Volstad RegionsThe Oblast, the northern steppe and taiga Biology Lifespan35–50 years (longer if you don’t freeze or get eaten by daemons) Height160–185 cm (5′3″ – 6′1″) Culture LanguageKislevarin (Slavic tongue) ReligionUrsun the Bear God, Tor, Dazh, ancient spirits; the Tzarina’s Ice Court Government GovernmentAbsolute monarchy under the Tzar/Tzarina, ruled by ice and blood Relations AlliesThe Empire, Dwarfs (grudging respect), Ungol tribes EnemiesChaos (eternal), Norsca, Beastmen, Greenskins, Troll Country horrors

Kislev is the frozen shield of the Old World. North of the Empire, south of the Chaos Wastes, it’s a land of endless blizzards, iron-hard winters, and people who laugh at the cold because the alternative is dying. Think medieval Russia and Poland after the Ruinous Powers turned the thermostat to “apocalypse.” Its folk have stared into the Polar Gates and spat in their eye for two thousand years. They ride bears, shoot fire from axes, and drink enough kvas to pickle a dragon. When Chaos comes south, Kislev bleeds first—and it bleeds hard—but it never breaks.

Overview

If you want to play someone who wakes up every morning knowing the world might literally end before supper, and still saddles up to go punch daemons in the face, Kislev is calling.

Appearance

Broad faces, high cheekbones, eyes the colour of winter skies. Hair is thick, beards are mandatory for warmth and status. Everyone wears furs—wolf, bear, snow-leopard—layered over wool and mail. Winged lancers look like avenging angels forged from steel and feathers. Streltsi march in long coats and tall fur hats, axes slung across their backs like they were born holding them. War bear riders are exactly what they sound like and twice as terrifying.

Culture & Society

• Regions: The endless northern steppe, the dark taiga, three great cities that somehow still stand.
• Culture: Survive first, ask questions never. Honour is important, but staying alive is more important.
• Names: Slavic and hard as nails—Boris, Katarin, Ivan, Zoya, Yuri, Natasha, Kostaltyn.
• Religion: Ursun the Great Bear, plus older gods of fire, sun, and thunder. The Ice Court answers to no one except the Tzarina.

Morality, Slavery, and Corruption

• Slavery: Slavery is largely rejected in Kislev. The people value personal strength and independence, and formal slave ownership is rare. Forced labor may occur in war camps or criminal punishments, but not as a structured institution.
• Non-consent sexual relationships: Strongly condemned. Kislevite culture prizes honor, family reputation, and communal cohesion; violations are harshly punished, especially in tight-knit rural communities.
• Vulnerability to Chaos corruption: Moderate to high due to proximity to the Chaos Wastes. Kislevites are hardy and culturally resistant, but constant exposure makes corruption an ever-present threat, particularly in remote oblasts and among frontier warriors.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Strengths: Tough, disciplined, and accustomed to harsh climates; fiercely loyal; strong cultural pride and deep spiritual resilience.
• Weaknesses: Stoic to a fault, slow to trust outsiders, often burdened by constant threats from Chaos, and shaped by a harsh, demanding society.

Relations with Other Races

Category	Faction	Relation
Humans	Empire	Friendly
	Bretonnia	Neutral
	Sartosa	Neutral
	Araby	Neutral
	Cathay	Neutral
	Norsca	Hostile
Elves	Asur (High Elves)	Neutral
	Asrai (Wood Elves)	Neutral
	Druchii (Dark Elves)	Hostile
Dwarfs	Dwarfs	Friendly
	Chaos Dwarfs	Hostile
Greenskins	Orcs	Hostile
	Goblins	Hostile
Monstrous	Ogre	Neutral
	Beastmen	Hostile
Affliction	Chaos	Hostile
	Vampire	Hostile

Playing a Kislevite

You were born cold, you’ll probably die cold, and you’ll take a dozen daemons with you when you go.

Speak short, drink deep, and never trust the weather. A winged lancer charges with a roar that rattles the steppe. A streltsi stands in the snow and fires until the barrel glows red. An Ice Witch doesn’t speak—she just looks at you until your breath freezes in your lungs. Superstition is common sense here: yes, the old woman in the woods is probably a hag, shoot first.

Your humour is black, your stories end in blood, and your songs are half battle cry, half funeral dirge. You don’t dream of glory; you dream of one more spring where the crops don’t fail and the Chaos moon doesn’t look bigger than last year.

Physical Appearance

Kislevites look like winter carved them out of granite. Pale or ruddy skin, scarred from cold and claw alike. Men braid their beards with rings taken from fallen enemies. Women braid their hair the same way. Everyone smells of horse, woodsmoke, and kvas. The wings on a lancer’s back aren’t decoration—they scream like banshees when the charge hits, and the enemy breaks before the lances even touch them.

Gender Roles and Sexuality

Gender Roles

• Kislevian society blends patriarchal and matriarchal elements, influenced by both Slavic-inspired traditions and harsh frontier life. Men dominate military leadership and governance, but women can hold significant power as warriors, seers, or rulers in certain regions.
• Royalty and Nobility: The ruling ice queen or tsarina can wield absolute power, and noblewomen sometimes lead armies or govern territories. Male nobles dominate traditional political roles, but female regents or queens are respected.
• Commoners: Women participate actively in family farms, trade, and household management. Frontier conditions require women to be hardy and capable of defending homesteads during raids, giving them more autonomy and influence than in many other human nations.

Sexuality

• Kislevian sexual norms are influenced by pragmatism and survival culture. Marriages are generally expected, but personal agency is greater than in strictly patriarchal societies. Warrior culture allows for consensual relationships among soldiers, and love or attraction can influence marriage choices.
• Taboos: Sodomy is frowned upon publicly, especially under the Orthodox-like influence of Kislevite religion. Adultery is morally condemned but occurs privately, particularly among the elite.
• Warrior Influence: Among soldier communities, casual relationships, temporary liaisons, and eroticized camaraderie are not uncommon, reflecting the harsh and communal life on the frontier.

Attitudes toward Other Races (Sexualized)

• Kislevians are generally wary and xenophobic toward non-human races, but sexualized perceptions exist, especially toward elves and dwarfs:
• Elves: High Elf or Dark Elf women are considered exotic and alluring, inspiring both fascination and caution. Male elves may be admired for grace or magical skill, sometimes framed in elite fantasies.
• Dwarfs: Dwarf women are viewed as strong and mysterious, occasionally eroticized in private tales, while male dwarfs are generally respected for craft and fortitude rather than sexual appeal.
• Greenskins: Orcs and goblins are primarily enemies, but some frontier legends and tavern stories exaggerate orcish virility or depict sexualized domination/submission scenarios, often in grotesque or humorous contexts.
• Chaos/Other Threats: Chaos-tainted individuals are feared and simultaneously eroticized in dark folklore, linking sexual corruption and supernatural danger.

Notable Cultural Nuances

• Frontier life in Kislev increases women's autonomy compared to more patriarchal human nations.
• Sexualized fascination with non-human races is mostly private, circulating in underground literature, soldiers’ tales, or elite fantasies.
• Warrior culture blurs lines between attraction, danger, and sexualized heroism, creating a unique interplay of fear and eroticism in Kislevian lore.

Notable Ranks & Careers

Ungol horse-archer → Kossar → Streltsi → Winged Lancer → Gryphon Legion Boyar → Ice Maiden → Ice Witch → Tzarina (good luck)