Shortly after the initial snowfall of the winter, Tugun Khagan, the ruler of the Sunshtasgus Khanate, sent a messenger to Inukudish seeking the Dragon Expedition. This messenger carried a request to have Erun Nassah join him at the mustering camp of his armies for a future campaign against Sumunshush Khagan, ruler of the Mumsassim Khanate, in celebration of the recent victory over the Sunfire Cult. This proposed campaign, intended for the early winter, was modest in scale, with only local tribes requested to join the khagan's warband, and the conflict would inevitably be halted for the winter solstice celebrations and the new year. The Kharal, being dutifully faithful to the Divines, are wise enough to avoid combat on the day the Lord of Death holds mastery. As such, the campaign had no great potential to achieve any real strategic gains, something Erun told me directly, and was best understood as serving political purposes; an effort to win prestige for the khagan, attain a quick victory over a rival, secure a modest store of loot, and then find an excuse to forestall additional conflict for the rest of the year. Such a policy, though in some sense lacking in valor, held considerable wisdom, for it would allow the khagan to call a hunt in the new year while also allowing his tribal chieftains the freedom to indulge their private feuds and vanities. Such minimized warmongering represents as close to peace as the nomads ever come.
Erun judged it wise to attend, recognizing that preserving the khagan's favor was nearly essential to the expedition's success. It also represented an opportunity to speak with tribes originating from the northern regions of the steppe and potentially acquire advice and knowledge regarding the location of the dragon. Unspoken was that observing the Kharal in combat would produce invaluable insights should the armies of the Sanid Empire ever find it necessary to oppose them. Though the dangers of winter travel remained a worry, this was much ameliorated by the khagan's provided escort, which was officially proclaimed an honor guard. This group, led by his youngest son Tadugun, a youth of no more than seventeen years, accompanied the chosen attendees on the ride north. The presence of one of the ruler's own offspring was generally taken as a good omen regarding potential outcomes of this meeting.
The pace set by these riders was swift indeed. They camped at night in small travel tents, triangular things held up by poles with every occupant shoved together to maximize warmth rather than the considerably more comfortable yurts, and made no fires beyond tiny blazes used for cooking. Though the expedition's horses, hardened by the long journey, held up in matching the pace demanded, even as we were led to believe that the Kharal could easily leave us behind at their least whim, it still made for hard days and miserable nights. Every morning it took some time to restore feeling to my toes. Subsisting as we did primarily on jerky, yogurt, and cheese left our bellies rumbling and our tempers short. However, the long hours in the saddle accomplished their purpose. I estimate that we crossed nearly two hundred kilometers in a mere five days. Bodies paid the price, aching as if travels had just begun entirely anew.
Arrival at the encampment, after five days crossing otherwise seemingly empty steppe with the only signs of life yurts in the distance marked by smoke, presented a jarring transition. Tugun Khagan had summoned up a half levy, meaning every other fighting man available, from two dozen tribes, a force totaling nearly twelve thousand fighting men. This was impressive enough on its own, as it represented the greatest concentration of humanity encountered since departure from Shnudidishgu. Far more imposing than the human component was the horse and camel train attached to it, perhaps as many as sixty thousand animals all moving at the direction of their masters and channeled towards war. While each Kharal warrior seeks to ride into battle on the back of the strongest horse he owns, he will lay his pack upon a lesser mount and bring two or three others as spares to spell his fighting horse or in case of illness or injury. Camels are primarily used to carry heavy supplies, such as the armor of elite warriors, but specially trained warriors, mostly members of the khagan's tribe or close allies who have considerably greater wealth than the common clans, train to ride the stubborn and obstinate humped animals into battle. These are formidable battle mounts, for while an adult camel may not be much larger than a heavy warhorse such as the Winged Cavalry ride, they are nearly twice the size of the smaller ponies that serve as common steppe horses and have an especially high vantage from the saddle.
The encampment of the khagan was therefore positively awash in animals, with all the sounds and smells attendant to that. Such vast concentrations mandate a certain continual mobility to keep sufficient pasture available to sustain the agglomeration, and the whole construct shuffled vaguely eastward day by day, spiraling about itself. I have been told that in certain wild places of the world there exist vast grassland herds of even greater size than this, untamed by human hands, but the mind struggles to conceive of such an immense collection of animal life in one place.
With upwards of fifty thousand horses in one place, a khagan's camp is necessarily widely dispersed, taking well over an hour to ride from one end to the other. The camp forms its center around a single massive yurt, one that has abandoned the definition of tent to become something closer to a pavilion. Supported by stout poles and huge quantities of strung felt wrapping, it can hold hundreds when fully packed. Such a construct requires a full day and the effort of dozens of workers to assemble, but despite such difficulties it is nevertheless relocated nearly weekly. This structure, which is more audience hall than residence, is inevitably surrounded by the smaller yurts used by the khagan's immediate family, including one for each of his three wives and others for favored concubines. The khagan generally spends his private time in these smaller tents rather than the oversized official one. At this time, Tugun Khagan had nine officially acknowledged partners and was considering a tenth. However, the primary point of female influence in the household was none of these companions but rather the Khagan's widowed mother. She pitched her yurt closest to that of the great central edifice, wore extremely fine robes with much gold brocade and sable trim, and stood closer to the ruler during audiences than even the paramount wife. Every respect was afforded to this formidable lady of some seventy years. The various women attached to the khagan conduct the business of his household alongside children and favored slaves. This includes informally controlling access to the ruler, as any private meeting with the khagan by anyone below the rank of tribal chieftain requires a sponsorship from a wife or child.
The yurts of the khagan's wives and relatives are very fine. They exclusively use black felt, which is a rare color indeed. Fewer than one in one hundred sheep in Shdustu have wool of the appropriate shade, and almost all other yurts will be gray or white accordingly. Long silk ribbons, usually in pale yellow or emerald green, made using dyes acquired from Nikkad scorpions at great expense, are used as ties for the felt coverings and to frame the entry doors. Compared to the yurts of common families they are quite large and sumptuously decorated. On the inside the floor is covered by fine carpets, numerous fur blankets and silk pillows are laid out for use, and metal tools and compact wooden furniture are featured prominently. Bronze braziers, far cleaner and nearly smokeless compared to the firepits used within most yurts, are notable items of prestige and feature prominently in all such royal tents. Luxuries such as exotic nuts, perfumes, and beeswax candles are also carefully displayed to demonstrate the wealth and far-ranging reach of the Kharal.
During the day these prominent women hold court in their yurts as part of their responsibility to administer the khagan's household affairs. As relationships among the Kharal are highly personalized and the tribal chieftains tend to be enmeshed through a web of marriages and offspring, this work entails a great deal of the administration of the entire khanate. No male visitor is allowed to be alone with any of these women, of course, and they are perpetually guarded, generally by the close companions of their sons. Should they lack male heirs, and most of the concubines present did, for the khagan had been seventeen years without a surviving son and his youngest daughter was nine, then chosen warriors from their fathers' families take up the task. Not that there was any real threat of impropriety, given the constant barrage of activity filling the camp, but adultery carries severe punishments among the Kharal, and for one of the khagan's station, even the suspicion of such violation is an affront sufficient to demand the death penalty.
Those who succeed in passing through this feminine filter, or who are graced with rank sufficient to bypass it, are allowed in to see the khagan without the pomp demanded of a formal audience. Such meetings may be held privately, in one of the wives' residences, or in the great yurt, depending on their purpose. This privilege may also be extended to those given direct invitations by the khagan's trusted messengers or subordinates, as General Kutumush did for the Dragon Expedition. Nikkad Princes, Bahab Chieftains, and master-level mystics with whom the khagan wishes to consult are most likely to be extended such honors. Further, the shamans of the Kharal, of any rank whatsoever, have the authority to approach the khagan directly if the business of the Divines demands it. However, such actions will be examined most closely by the whole community of shamans and any who are found to have falsely represented the Divines' intent for any reason are subject to extraordinary discipline for impinging upon the khagan's authority. After all, the Enlightened Revelation states that the role of the servants of the Divines is to guide humanity, not rule it, a wise rule that frees those burdened by the duty to spread the enlightened truth from the tiresome work of administration and governance.
The Dragon Expedition was brought before Tugun Khagan within the great yurt. This immense creation was supported by a double-ring of poles, many the size of a small ship's mast, and had a multi-layered and reinforced frame that utilized ropes enough to rig several seagoing vessels. Guards, who stand in full armor and with weapons bare, are posted both without and within at all times, regardless of whether anyone is present inside. Servants come and go using hidden bends and gaps concealed beneath the thick felt flaps and bring fuel, refreshments, and anything else the ruler requires upon command. The space within, though heated by braziers near the center, is too large to rely on such means alone and also features small heating fires burning in pits of stone near the edges. Extra light, when needed, is supplied using numerous tallow candles. The khagan sits in the center, flanked by his mother and his favored wife and daughter chosen for the day. He does not sit upon a throne or even a chair, but rather a raised mound of earth topped by an ornate saddle, one made from exotic and unrecognizable leather, painted with gold and silver in a repeating motif of falcons and eagles, and polished until it gleams. Though the Kharal ruler may sit their seat, which is designed in the style of a camel saddle rather than that of a horse and therefore is suited to the purpose, he usually does so only in formal context or when religious ceremony demands it. Other times he sits atop a great pile of blankets and cushions, mostly silk or sable. Chosen warriors and advisors, as well as any favored sons permitted attendance, form an honor guard extending on both sides of this earthen dais. Additional members of the court, including trusted advisors, healers, shamans, sorcerers, and visiting dignitaries will form a ring at his feet while he holds court, though they will not speak unless directly acknowledged.
The khagan, occupying the precise center of the yurt, directly below the main hole at the top that allows smoke to exit and, on sunny days is oriented such that the ruler is bathed in a stream of light, wears across his shoulders, above his luxurious robes and coats, in Tugun's case the main coat was entirely sable and embroidered with over one hundred silver falcons, a mantle of bones coated in gold. These bones are heavy, thick, and do not resemble those of any beast I have ever seen. The Kharal claim they belong to an ancient species of giants who once roamed the depths of the wilderness. Such creatures are accounted even more a feature of legend than dragons, but who can say what the endless forests of the far north may hide?
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Raised up behind the earthen dais to reach just above the khagan's shoulders are two perching posts, coated in silver, where the honored raptors of the day sit hooded and waiting. Traditionally, a peregrine falcon stands to the khagan's left and a steppe eagle to his right, but a wide range of birds are considered permissible in this role, and the mews of any khagan are liable to contain over one hundred birds. These are housed in special cages attached to the back of covered carts in summer and placed in a special guarded yurt entirely for the birds in winter. It has been claimed that the type of birds chosen to attend upon the khagan on any given day conveys a symbolic message, though I was unable to acquire any explanation as to what those messages might be and Tugun Khagan, specifically, rarely changed his birds from the common standard. Privately, I suspect he simply preferred to use animals that had proven their docile nature, for an unsettled falcon can easily disrupt any gathering most thoroughly.
The Kharal, as a people, have no chairs. The khagan's throne comes closest, but otherwise this article of furniture is simply not found among them. The reason for this is somewhat unclear, as I personally observed Kharal willingly use chairs in the presence of foreign merchants or in discussion with the Nikkad when they were provided. Nor do they have any aversion to sitting. Their women enjoy sitting on fine cushions and blankets and the men commonly take meals seated on saddles. Elite nobles and tribal leaders even possess specially made gilded saddles for use as seats during formal occasions, including when attending their ruler. These, based on camel saddle designs, are decidedly chair-like to an outsider's eyes when placed upon the ground, and function similarly. As such, the origin and purpose of this rule remains unclear.
Visitors presented to the khagan approach upon a long, wide, carpet blazoned in red, gold, and blue. These extraordinary pieces are masterworks of the carpet-maker's art. Tugun Khagan's was over twelve meters long and eight meters wide and covered everywhere with geometric motifs suggesting wings and feathers. I was told that this piece was made in the town of Shtudus and accounted, entirely by itself, for ten full years of tribute from that settlement. The techniques used to make such a rug combined both those of the Nikkad and the Sairn, and are utilized only in Shdustu. Shtudus, which the expedition did not reach, is known to represent the absolute pinnacle of the craft. This piece was certainly demonstrative of that, and it would not have shamed the palace of his Imperial Majesty in the least. A pity that such a large and bulky masterwork could never be transported over desert and mountain without suffering severe damage.
Guests and petitioners presented to the khagan do not prostrate themselves and crawl forward with their eyes down as is done in the presence of the Sanid Emperor, but instead fall to their knees and shuffle forward with their eyes directed at the khagan's feet. Once acknowledged, guests may leave this uncomfortable posture and sit upon the carpet. Unless specifically directed, it is considered a great insult for a guest to stand in the khagan's presence.
Curiously, weapons are permitted at such audiences, but must remain in cases or sheaths. Only the guards, who carry heavy spears, are allowed bare blades. The khagan keeps both sword and bow beside his dais, but pride of place next to Tugun Khagan was granted to a great, bejeweled, golden goblet the size of a man's head used to hold his wine. Plated in pure gold and featuring a ring of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds each the size of a child's eye, it was perhaps the most valuable single thing I have ever laid eyes upon, and likely also the most ridiculously gaudy. Though the Khagan was clean-shaven, as are all Kharal men, he was balding and covered his head with a thick round cap of sable fur that held flaps for his ears and neck. The fur was unadorned, but instead covered in ornate pins carved from gold and silver into the likeness of hunting birds.
Ostentation is the rule both among the khagan's retainers and all those presented before him. Golden gilding is ubiquitous, found on saddles, bow cases, and sword scabbards. Fine silk and brocade fabric is used for robes, coats, hats, gloves, belts, and even boots, with all bordered by sable or fox fur and finely oiled. Gold, silver, and precious stones decorate drinking goblets, bone ornaments, bangles, and necklaces. Women wear strong scents taken from refined musk and have their faces marked using artfully applied shadow and rouge. Though the men keep their hair simple, in a basic ring cropped just above the ears, the women grow it long and then arrange it into complex stacked braids, sometime even wrapping their hair around tall flat-topped conical hats with internal frames.
While the glittering and glamorous appearance of the khagan come as no surprise to anyone, for a ruler must portray the glory of his people in all ways from wealth to the birds of prey chosen as icons of the Kharal, the gaudy presentation of the various members of his court was less expected and less universal in concept. As any who have visited even provincial presentations in the Sanid Empire will know, official court uniform is formalized and regimented, with all clad in garb marked out by color and stripe according to their rank, and no personalized finery permitted. In the presence of the Emperor himself even ornate fabrics such as silk are forbidden as a show of respect to the sovereign and the laws of the Empire. Though the formal linen robes of court are, by the standards of the countryside or even some whole states that lack prosperity, very fine and certainly capable of shaming even wealthy merchants, they are of subdued hue and cut and completely lack any accessories or ornamentation beyond the identifying badges of office worn by each official. Even the Emperor's own family must follow this code, on pain of loss of status.
The Nikkad are somewhat more flexible, but their rule of formal dress is that none may appear in costume perceived as a challenge to the glory of the prince without inviting lethal retaliation for the perceived insult. As a result, while princes and trusted followers, wives, and concubines may dress very flamboyantly and often do, with their people favoring dark gemstones such as garnets and rubies, all others perform an elaborate dance of concealed costuming in order to display their wealth in the least obvious manner possible. The result presents a similarity to a single blooming flower surrounded by many closed buds.
Those presented to the khagan do not speak on their own behalf, but are announced by a messenger, wife, or whichever party invited them into the ruler's presence. At this point the khagan either waves his hand in acknowledgment and allows them to be seated, or clenches his fist in a demand that they be removed from his sight. The latter is a rare occurrence, generally something that unfolds only when the court is wracked by discord or a succession conflict in the making. Bringing anyone before the khagan, only to have them summarily removed, is grounds for severe punishment, and messengers have been killed in cases where they retrieved the wrong party or brought an impostor to court. However, if a rival brings someone to the court and is not punished when they are ordered removed, then the power of the ruler has been openly rebuked. Thankfully, Tugun Khagan's court was not, at this time, in any such disturbed state. Though he was gray-haired and stood slightly stooped due to a combination of age, bulk, and the impacts of a diet comprised almost exclusively of wine and meat, his mind remained clear and his command absolute. He had numerous sons, including six by his official wives who'd lived to adulthood, and though these warriors were fractious and in several cases openly hated each other, all were content to wait upon their father's demise before spilling blood and were careful to avoid openly posturing in court as it was widely known Tugun Khagan thought this childish.
It is customary among those being presented to the khagan for the first time, or after a long absence, to offer a gift. The Dragon Expedition carried a set of swords made by Tufen, the Master Swordsmith of Crisremon, to Shdustu for the purpose of granting official gifts. Several of these, including the blade presented to Tugun Khagan, were even gifts directly from the hand of the Emperor himself, for Husun the Fifth had handled each one during the Contest of Ten Thousand Blades. Though the polished steel blade handed by Erun Nassah to the master of Sunshtasgus was subdued compared to the glamorous weapons found elsewhere in the yurt, the qualities of steel are known to all warriors, and Tugun Khagan was a warrior still. The sword was well received and, if the reports are true, was carried into battle by General Tuntagut, the khagan's third son, for many years.
The many responsibilities of the court include ceremony, dispute resolution, and military planning. Tugun Khagan, and most of his peers, rarely speak in open court, preferring to allow wives and principal advisors, which among the Kharal may be one and the same, to discuss matters until a decision is presented before the ruler. Tugun Khagan's primary advisors were his elderly mother, his similarly aged cousin who served as the chieftain of the royal Dabatuh tribe, a shaman named Dugulumush, and a strange pale-skinned and dark-eyed foreign hunter from the far north whose name sounded meaningless to my ears but apparently translated as Snowblind. It seems that this hunter had met the Khagan when they were both youths, at the very edge of the northern forests, and formed a lifelong friendship. The short northerner tribesman rarely spoke, but when he did, the khagan listened.
The majority of the disputes brought before the court involved pasturage, water rights, or proposed marriage alliances and invoked complex and lengthy deliberations of many hours as each side unspooled precedent, favor, and grievance going back generations to support their case, the business represented by the Dragon Expedition was comparatively short. After being presented by the official messenger who had contacted us, we were addressed by the khagan's cousin. He granted us, on the khagan's behalf, forgiveness for failing to present ourselves previously and then thanked us for our services against the Sunfire Cult at Sun-Scourged Fortress. An offer was then extended to join the war council for the coming campaign against the Mumsassim Khanate. Erun wisely declined this offer, saying that he could not possibly offer advice of behalf of his Imperial Majesty so far removed from the guidance of the throne, but offered instead to stand as witness to the khagan's exploits so that his deeds might be recorded and later lodged in the archives of the Sanid Empire. This compromise was swiftly accepted and Tugun Khagan ordered a bow manufactured by the hand of his master fletcher granted to Husun the Fifth.
This weapon, like all Kharal bows a composite creation of wood, horn, and bone, with tremendous carry, was coated in silver inlay marking out falcons in diving flight, their vigor masterfully captured in simple strokes. Decorated with crane feathers and kept in a case ornately sewn with golden thread, it was a suitable gift for the Emperor and was duly accepted with all the grace the expedition could muster. Unfortunately, this implement would not survive the journey to reach the imperial treasury. Only the thumb ring, a small loop of carved bronze of the kind used by Kharal archers to loose their shafts, survives. This piece, carved to show an owl and a swallow joined together beak-to-tail with remarkable fine detail, was preserved and remains in Crisremon to this day.
After the audience concluded we were dismissed to join the rest of the assembled gallery and sat for much of the day while various chieftains presented their cases regarding who should have the honor of leading the vanguard in the coming battle. This process, which involved repeatedly naming valorous achievements by the warriors who planned to participate, appeared to bore everyone involved, including Tugun Khagan. In the end, apparently deciding that none had offered an argument worthy of the occasion, he left it to his shaman to seek the most auspicious person by consulting the Divines. This was done using numerological tables and a candidate chosen. With all business completed, a feast was declared, vast quantities of horse meat and mutton were served, and the Khagan got spectacularly drunk, though no one in the court made the least remark regarding this.