The Fortress of the Axe
Baltakhand is a town of the Khuzait Khanate ruled by Mesui Begum of Clan Khergit, standing at the edge of two worlds. It rises from cold ground near the Portages of Iltan, a tangled network of lakes, rivers, and frozen channels that divide the Sturgian lands from the eastern steppe. Where Akkalat is pale stone under open sky, Baltakhand is dark timber, iron, and frost.
The town was not founded by the Khuzaits. Long before the Khanate, it was settled by the Iltanlar, mountain-dwelling cousins of the Khuzaits who lived hard lives among snow, rock, and narrow passes. Their beys descended into the plains centuries ago and raised a fortress here to control the portages, guarding passage between north and east. Bitter winters and broken terrain shielded Baltakhand from imperial reach for generations.
That protection ended forty years ago.
No wind, no snow, and no frozen river was enough to halt the horsemen of Khan Urkhun, who forced Baltakhand to submit during the great eastern unification. The fortress fell not through siege engines, but through isolation. Supply lines were severed, portages controlled, and relief denied. When Baltakhand bent the knee, it did so to the steppe, not to empire.
Baltakhand is colder, harder, and more martial than most Khuzait towns. Winters are long and brutal. Snow piles against walls and freezes solid in shadowed streets. Even Khuzait riders accustomed to open plains find the cold biting here.
The population is mixed:
Khuzait settlers and administrators
Iltanlar descendants who never left
Traders and mercenaries moving between north and east
This has created a culture that values toughness and visible strength. Weakness is not mocked here — it is quietly excluded.
Baltakhand’s architecture reflects its origins. Thick timber halls, heavy stone foundations, and steep roofs dominate the skyline. Corrals are built close to walls, and storage cellars run deep to preserve food through winter.
Baltakhand controls the Portages of Iltan, making it one of the most strategically vital towns in the Khanate.
From here, Mesui Begum can:
Monitor Sturgian movement
Regulate trade through northern waterways
Launch raids or block incursions
Serve as first warning against northern invasion
If Baltakhand falls, the Khanate’s northern flank opens wide.
Baltakhand is one of the most openly martial towns in Khuzait lands.
Tournaments here are not pageantry. They are training.
Combat events emphasize:
Cavalry lance and shield
Mounted archery rounds
Mixed infantry bouts for cold-weather fighting
Roughly half of tournaments are fought mounted, half on foot — reflecting the reality that frozen ground and forests often deny cavalry their advantage. Riders who fight well dismounted earn special respect here.
Victory in Baltakhand tournaments carries weight beyond sport. Winners are often recruited directly into warbands, border patrols, or elite escorts.
Mesui Begum rules Baltakhand with a reputation for firmness and adaptability. She understands both steppe politics and northern realities. Where Hurunag Beg relies on discipline and stone, Mesui relies on people.
She has worked to integrate Iltanlar traditions into Khuzait rule rather than erase them, allowing local customs to persist so long as loyalty and tribute are maintained. This has kept Baltakhand stable despite its mixed population and constant pressure from the north.
Her authority is respected because she fights when needed and listens when it matters.
Fisnar – Cold-climate herding and winter fodder storage
Ulaan – River-watch settlement guarding portage crossings
Asalig – Timber and iron supply village feeding Baltakhand’s forges
Each village exists to keep Baltakhand alive through winter and war.
Baltakhand is not elegant.
It is not open.
It does not sing of freedom.
It endures.
To Khuzaits, it is a scar won by conquest.
To Iltanlar descendants, it is home taken but not erased.
To Sturgians, it is an axe edge pointed south.