Legend says that after the collapse of the ancient empire that once ruled the world, eighteen principalities rose from the corpse of the Kislevite Empire.
These principalities became the ancestors of the modern Kislevite states. Every Kislevite prince and the nobles beneath them took immense pride in tracing their lineage back to those ancient domains, proudly claiming themselves as their rightful heirs.
However, not all Kislevite nations were content merely to inherit the legacy of the old empire. Some powerful lords had achieved feats no less grand than those of the High Tsars, claiming crowns of their own and establishing "Empires" that stood above the various Kislevite states.
Lehlia, a powerhouse known for its winged hussars and its culture of tolerance, was such an entity—one of the few nations that dared to look upon the ancient Kislevites as equals, or even with contempt.
When the Kislevite Empire fragmented, the ancestors of the Lehlia—the Lechs—were merely a vassal tribe. They served as mercenaries for the High Tsar in exchange for protection and sustenance; war was their trade.
Unlike the Kislevites, who preferred the shelter of the forests, the Lechs were a nomadic people who favored the plains and steppes better suited for grazing livestock. As they gradually mastered farming and various agricultural methods, their presence on the fertile plains allowed their population to flourish, laying the foundation for their eventual supremacy.
At the same time, the Lechs were adept learners. They adopted the script of the Kislevite missionaries and modified it to fit the phonetics of their own tongue.
Kislevite civilization pushed the Lechs toward a settled, agricultural lifestyle. Yet, their nomadic roots left them with a natural mastery over horses, ensuring their cavalry remained the finest among all the Kislevite nations.
Thus, the Lechs continued to serve the old Kislevite Empire as "submissive barbarians" while secretly accumulating the strength to strike when the world inevitably changed.
The opportunity arrived during the late stages of the empire's decay. For several generations, the High Tsars had been either decadent tyrants or incompetent "good men." The empire had grown senile, waiting only for a challenger to trigger its final collapse.
The Lechs decided to take the risk. Led by their chieftain, Wadisvav, the Lech cavalry rose in rebellion, determined to shatter Kislevite rule and secure a vast living space for their people.
Predictably, the High Tsar was enraged when he heard that the "submissive" Lechs had revolted. He personally led a grand army of a hundred thousand, intending to annihilate the tribe through the bloodiest means possible to terrify the other vassal principalities into submission.
But the Tsar was mistaken. His "Grand Army" was no longer the formidable legion that had once awed the world. After a century of peace and decadence, the Tsar's guard units had become useless gluttons, incapable of forming the backbone of a real army.
The rank-and-file infantry consisted of peasants pressed into service from villages and towns. In the eyes of the nobility, these commoners were merely livestock to be disposed of—the ultimate cannon fodder. Consequently, these soldiers were issued substandard weapons; their only value was to intercept enemy blows meant for the noble guards.
These commoners were not fools. They harbored no love for the nobles who oppressed them and had no intention of fighting to the death on their behalf. Had the noble guards not been stationed behind them to prevent desertion, they would have vanished from the battlefield at the first opportunity.
It was this army, riddled with internal strife, that the Tsar led forth to crush the Lechs.
As a chieftain who had studied in the Kislevite Empire in his youth, Wadisvav knew the empire was a hollow shell. He only needed to use his wits to win a glorious victory and sound the empire's death knell.
When the Tsar's army arrived, Wadisvav feigned weakness. He used his highly mobile cavalry to engage in brief skirmishes before staging retreats. This tricked the Tsar into believing the Lechs were weak, provoking him into a relentless pursuit. In the process, the Kislevite infantry were marched to exhaustion, their resentment boiling over.
Finally, Wadisvav deliberately left gold, silver, and high-value loot on the battlefield. The Tsar, unable to resist, led his guards in a disorganized scramble for the treasures. While the Kislevites were looting in total disarray, Wadisvav personally led the Lech cavalry out of the nearby woods.
Even disciplined infantry struggled to withstand a massed cavalry charge, let alone a disorganized mob of Kislevites scattered while fighting over trinkets.
The Kislevite guards were routed before they could form a defense. Countless high-ranking nobles fell on the spot, their heads claimed as trophies by the Lechs.
The arrogant High Tsar met his end at the hands of a young Lech cavalryman in the chaos. His identity was only confirmed by Wadisvav himself during the inspection of the severed heads after the battle. It remained a lifelong regret for Wadisvav that he had not captured the Tsar alive.
The news of the catastrophic defeat was carried away by the fleeing infantry. When word of the Tsar's death spread, the already unstable empire collapsed into organizational chaos.
In the year following the Battle of Kislev and Lehlia, more than a dozen Kislevite nobles claimed the title of Tsar. A brutal civil war tore the once-mighty empire into eighteen principalities—the ancestors of modern Kislev.
Following the victory, and amidst the cheers of his people and the coronation by the Archbishop, Wadisvav became the first King of the Lechs. Thus, the nation of Lehlia was born.
With the Kislevite Empire gone, Lehlia rose to become the strongest power in the region. Its cavalry became world-renowned under the title of "Winged Hussars." During its golden age, almost every Kislevite prince sent envoys to pay tribute to Lehlia.
Now, the Kislevite princes were once again sending envoys to Lehlia, begging the powerful kingdom to dispatch its winged hussars to defeat the new Tsar, Perturabo.