Free Riders of the Old Steppe
Where most Khuzait clans bent knee to the Khanate and accepted towns, tariffs, and settled wealth, the Karakhergit refused. They remain fiercely nomadic, rejecting stone walls, tax rolls, and permanent governance. To them, the Khanate is strength bought at the price of freedom.
They herd sheep and horses across the northern summer slopes and ride south in winter when the grass dies back. Their migration patterns follow older routes than the Khanate itself. Imperial scribes once described them as relics of an earlier age. The Karakhergit would say they are the only ones who remembered what the steppe was meant to be.
Both men and women ride, herd, and fight. It is common for young women to carry bow, sabre, and lasso as naturally as any man. Among them, martial ability is not gendered. A Karakhergit maiden once would not consider a husband until he had slain his first enemy. Even now, strength in battle remains a core measure of worth, though modern realities have softened some expectations.
Their food reflects austerity. They live primarily on meat — mutton and horse — roasted over open coals. Bread is rare and dipped in sheep fat when found. They adopted certain dishes from southern traders, including salted eggplant preserved in mustard oil. Melon, when acquired through trade, is eaten as luxury rather than staple.
Trade itself is conducted on their own terms. The Karakhergit use a rough argot blending Calradic, Darshi, and elaborate hand signs. They distrust formal treaties and prefer face-to-face bargaining. Outsiders often find negotiations exhausting and opaque. This is intentional.
Marriage patterns have shifted with the times. As more steppe tribes settled under the Khanate, fewer families are willing to send sons or daughters into the harsh migratory life of the Karakhergit. This has tightened their marriage pool and increased their prideful isolation. They would rather remain few than become tame.
The Karakhergit acknowledge the Khan in name but resist central control. They rarely answer muster calls promptly. They conduct private raids when it suits them. They refuse to submit fully to the discipline Urkhun imposed.
Many Khuzait nobles view them as backward and reckless. The Karakhergit view those nobles as fattened by cities and weakened by comfort.
When Khuzait noyans return from campaigns bearing gold and silk, Karakhergit warriors may greet them with cold stares rather than celebration. Wealth gathered under another man’s banner is, to them, a lesser glory than freedom kept under open sky.
This tension is constant but rarely explodes outright. The Khanate tolerates them because:
– They are exceptional riders.
– They know remote grazing lands others have forgotten.
– Crushing them outright would fracture steppe unity.
They adhere more strictly to old steppe customs than the settled Khuzaits. Oaths are personal, not bureaucratic. Compensation is immediate. Insults are answered quickly. Disputes are settled by duel more often than by council.
Leadership within the Karakhergit is earned by riding skill, boldness, and the ability to provide for the clan. Their leader is not cloaked in court ritual but judged by how well he or she can keep the people fed and unbroken.
Their banner is simple. Their camps are sparse. Their pride is enormous.
The Karakhergit compare settled Khuzaits to rabbits who burrow into the earth and call it safety. They see themselves as eagles who ride the wind and answer to no wall.
In truth, they are both strength and liability to the Khanate. In war, they are devastating flankers and relentless raiders. In peace, they are unpredictable and politically volatile.
They represent the old steppe — raw, dangerous, and unwilling to kneel comfortably.