Variags of Khand feature

Welcome to Third Age Total War: Divide and Conquer submod! As the current writer on the DaC Council, I am proud to present you with some long anticipated information on the new factions of DaC and the major changes to the vanilla factions. This bio is of the Variags of Khand and their thunderous call to war. All campaigns start in the Third Age 2980, 39 years before the events of The War of the Ring.

Gameplay Bio: Very little is known of the Variags, their forays into the history of Middle-earth have been very few and far between. We know that men of Khand will eventually fight on the Pelennor Fields and that they attacked Gondor much earlier in her history, when they weren't too busy deciding if they were allies or enemies of the Easterlings that is, but now the face of the world has changed war rages anew in all the lands of Middle-earth and the Dark Lord calls all those to him who would see the decline of the loyal Valian Edain. It is into this arena that the mighty Khan Arkish and his son Warlord Orash step.

For too long Arkish has been bitter at the decision of his Councilmen not to ride to war but now that Sauron calls, he is empowered with a new wrath. Mustering all of his brethren, he prepares to ride across the wastes to claim lands ripe for the plundering! The world will come to fear the name Arkish and the Variags will cement their place in the downfall of Gondor! Coming from the barren steppes of the far east, the men of Khand have adapted to a life in the saddle; they boast some excellent cavalry and perhaps the finest cavalry archers in Middle-earth. However in order to overpower the Knights of the Silver Swan, Arkish has mobilized his battalions of the Warlord's Brotherhood, an elite sect of Khandish life, they take to the field in heavy black armour, spreading fear and dread before them. From horseback they form the Brotherhood's of the Bow and Lance and on the ground they are the Brotherhood's of the Axe and Sword. They take these names as they pledge themselves to a lifetime of practice with their chosen weapon, showing a warrior dedication scarcely seen in the east, and making them formidable warriors. On the battlefield they lead the forces of Khand to war and can rip through any enemy with ease all the while chanting the song of the Brotherhood: "Just as night falls on the Steppes, so to do we fall on our enemies; as the serpent devours all, so to do we devour our enemies; as the shadows spare none, so to do we spare no enemy. As a black tide we rise, in the name of Khand!" They number only few however and it falls to the ranks of Household Warriors to form the main arm of the Khand war machine. The men of Khand still remain loyal to their individual chieftains and as such these men fight for their households with undying loyalty, wielding large two-handed axes and riding to war on mighty steeds like many Khandish folk. For any faction, it takes a great deal of courage to stare at a Khandish force; the very ground shakes beneath your feet from the thunder of their hooves, the skies darken as their arrows whine overhead and the rivers run red with the blood of their fallen enemies. The rise of Khand is upon the West and who now will stop them?

Gameplay Tips: Expand, expand, expand. As Khand, every nation is a potential ally or threat and your homeland is possibly further away from any battle lines than anyone else, unless of course you choose to stab your allies in the back...

The french translation is alvailable on Mundus Bellicus