Kâhl

"A field full of foes isn't a problem, it's an opportunity to test the quality of your weapons."

—Kâhl Tȇjuk the Fierce before the Battle of Ashes

A kâhl of the Ymyr Conglomerate armed with a forgewrought Plasma Axe and a Rampart Crest on his bastium void armour prepares to lead his Oathband to war in the name of the Ancestors.

A kâhl is the title borne by the general officers of the Leagues of Votann who often command their Kindred's Oathbands and sometimes even entire Kinhosts in battle if they rise to the rank of high kâhl.

Most Kin Oathbands are commanded by a kâhl, whose strategic wisdom, determination and martial might are an inspiration to their warriors. Kâhls are often equipped with especially powerful weapons and potent force field or teleportation technologies, the better to lead the fight from the front and bring down the deadliest of foes.

Role

A kâhl of the Ymyr Conglomerate wielding a forgewrought Plasma Axe and an Autoch Pattern Combi-bolter and possessing a Teleport Crest.

If a Kin Hearthkyn soldier of the line shows particular drive and aptitude toward leadership and command, they will be nominated by their superiors or comrades to be promoted to the rank of "theyn" -- which roughly translates to squad leader. This is a great honour and responsibility both, which most theyns strive to live up to. Leading between 10 and 20 Hearthkyn Warriors into battle, theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants given to them for command and control purposes -- relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of their Oathband or Kinhost to their squads.

Theyns who truly excel at war may be selected to become members of the Leagues' elite Einhyr formations, or else to ascend to the rank of kâhl. Treading one of these paths does not preclude following the other at a later date, and some Kin have even belonged to both elite warrior circles at once. Most commonly, however, the kâhls stand apart as war leaders and generals, while the warriors of the Einhyr fulfil roles such as elite strike troops, bodyguards, voidship boarding parties and the like.

An "Oathband" is a Kin military unit of highly variable size that often comprises the fundamental military organisation of the Kinhosts. However large the mobilisation of forces that occurs for a Kindred, the available Kin soldiers, combat vehicles, voidcraft and any attached Hernkyn, Cthonians and the like are organised into one or more Oathbands. The size and tactical composition of an Oathband is almost endlessly flexible, from a handful of warriors under a single commander to an army of millions of Kin supported by all the machinery of interstellar warfare. Often, in the face of dire need, an Oathband will simply be drawn together from whatever Kin military forces are available at the time.

A kâhl of the Greater Thurian League armed with Volkanite Disintegrator and a Mass Gauntlet and with a Teleport Crest on his bastium void armour.

The one constant of an Oathband is that it has an ultimate commander -- most often, but not always, a kâhl -- to whom all its warriors swear an oath of service until such time as the Oathband's goals or military objectives are met or their leader releases them to fight elsewhere.

The use of so variable and seemingly ad hoc a military organisational structure would be unimaginable for most of the galaxy's other starfaring species. Thanks to their close subconscious bonds as clones and sense of shared purpose, however, the Kin are able to operate in this fashion with little if any confusion or difficulty once in the field.

Kâhls are appointed from the Leagues of Votann's most skilled and dependable warriors and they are subordinate only to their Kindred's Votannic Council, its military high command. In battle, their most important role is to cast the Eye of the Ancestors over the most dangerous foes their Oathbands are facing. By doing so, the kâhl ensures these enemies are marked out as priority targets and are the first to feel the wrath of the Kin.

Wargear

• Bastium Void Armour

• Rampart Crest

• Teleport Crest (As replacement for Rampart Crest)

• Autoch Pattern Combi-bolter

• Volkanite Disintegrator (As replacement for Autoch Pattern Combi-bolter)

• Forgewrought Plasma Axe

• Mass Gauntlet (As replacement for Plasma Axe)

• Eye of the Ancestors

Notable Kâhls

• Ûthar the Destined (Greater Thurian League)

• Yôht Grendok (Greater Thurian League)

• Kôrv Grudgekeeper (Greater Thurian League)

High Kâhl

The Votannic Council of a Kindred plots its strategies for an upcoming engagement.

The most skilled and experienced of a Kindred's kâhls may be promoted to the rank of high kâhl, which grants them a seat on their Kindred's Votannic Council, essentially a military high command, and the right to command the Kinhost, the collective military forces of the entire Kindred.

These old warriors have fought in countless wars, and have witnessed first-hand much of the worst the galaxy has to offer. They are able to appraise the battlefield situation at a glance, and from bitter experience can select priority targets with pragmatic efficiency while directing their Kin in war.

To be named the high kâhl of an entire Kindred is both a tremendous honour and an awesome responsibility. These heroes act as the supreme military commander of their Kinhost, instructing their subordinate kâhls as the final word in grand strategy and the figurehead leader of the Kindred's Votannic Council.

For their peers -- and the wider Hearthspake -- to elect a high kâhl, the incumbent must be more than just a tremendously capable warrior and indomitable battlefield leader. They must also demonstrate their cool head for strategic command over planet-wide -- or even system-wide -- theatres, and their merciless mastery of the often cruel calculus of war. It is said among the Kin that one should never expect compassion from the high kâhl, but always common sense and surety.

When a full Kinhost of the Leagues of Votann mobilises for war, it is commanded by its Kindred's Votannic Council. This military command council consists of the most senior and respected heroes of the Kindred. It often includes the high kâhl, the Brôkhyr Forge-master who leads all of the Kindred's Brôkhyr, the Kindred's Lord Grimnyr who leads all of their fellow Grimnyr in communicating with the Votann, and other senior figures of power and authority in the Kindred such as certain guildmasters, as well as their assembled advisors.

The Votannic Council is normally gathered only for the greatest conflicts, however -- usually when the entire Kindred or their hold face direct and potentially existential peril. At other times, portions of the Kinhost's forces may be led to war by smaller gatherings of leaders such as kâhls, Brôkhyr Iron-masters, Living Ancestors, or even by just a single one of these brave commanders.

While Leagues of Votann Oathbands are normally led by a kâhl, a high kâhl may also command one in certain circumstances, while also having another kâhl serving beneath them.

Sources

• Codex: Leagues of Votann (9th Edition), pp. 20, 62, 89
• Warhammer Community - Lead Your Kinhost From the Front With the Skill, Determination, and Giant Fist of a Leagues of Votann Kâhl
• Warhammer Community - The Latest Leagues of Votann Battle Report Shows Them at Their Most Dangerous