Winter's Horde
The people of the North send their mighty warriors south to the Kirinal Concordance Zone to honor their alliance with their former foes. The Defenders of Winter's Horde are known to be equally enthusiastic and bloodthirsty. They are the only army on the Pit Wall who actually look forward to Days of War.
I loved me days as a warrior in the good old Horde! Me ancestors could never imagine us orcs and the human barbarians fighting side-by-side. In times past you could always count on us to try killing each other. We were very good at it! Turns out we're actually better at killing extradimensional armies and invading beasties! I've kept my status as a reserve Horde member and they still call me up every now and then to join in on a friendly massacre!
The alliance known as Winter's Voice has been given the Northwestern Canton of the Kirinal Concordance Zone. Winter's Horde mans the Bastion of Borthakar and the Pit Wall in their slice with a loosely structured system of warbands.
The Horde is composed of dozens of warbands numbering anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of warriors led by a warleader. The warleaders choose one Khan from among them to command the Bastion. The current Khan is a female orc warrior named Shogzaf Ash the Fiend Hammer.
The warbands come and go between Mended Axe, the Bastion, and the Pit Wall as they please. Despite the seeming disorganization, the Bastion and Wall are never undermanned. At dawn, when the Manifest changes, Winter's Warriors are ready for war.
I was born Grokzaz Son of Martog. My parents fought with the Horde. I couldn't wait to follow 'em and bathe in the blood of my foes!
I earned my epithet as a stripling warleader right here on the Wall! I stupidly jumped on a nautiloid and I luckily landed right in front of their captain.
A few swings of my axe and I claimed the name "Kill Flayer"! Now I have that flayer's head on my mantel and that ship is my home!
The Horde Polloi
Despite their origin in the "barbaric" north, the people of Winter's Voice are just as civilized as the other folk of the KCZ. They dislike the "artificial sociological structures" utilized by other members of the Concordance. The Winter Folk prefer a flattened social structure with as little hierarchy as possible. Even so, they fully participate in the Maharlitech revolution taking place throughout the Zone.
The mobile, hard-striking warbands of the Horde rely on heavy weapons and light armor to accomplish their strategies. They prefer greatswords, battleaxes, and mauls with some magitech tricks included in them. The warbands differentiate themselves from each other with different styles of clothing. A culture of "war style" has sprung up among them where the bands compete with each other over who is the most fashionable. The Tophat Terrors currently lead the rankings with the Waistcoat Warriors just behind them!
Of course dah-ling, we may be barbarians. But that's no reason for us to be barbaric! Jeeves! Bring me a negroni sbagliato please!
No one ever called Ol' Sgt. Kill Flayer an antiquarian. But back in my day, we would never wear a three-piece suit to war! Suits're too expensive. Me tailor would've killed me for ruining one of his bespoke creations!
Old fashioned Air Force
The fighters of the Horde will be the first to tell you that they are ill-suited to field a flying force. However, the Mandates have stipulated, "Defend the Wall by Land, Air, and Water." They have had to come up with several imaginative ways to meet that mandate.
The wyvern-mounted Venom Knights of Ta-Arma were drafted into the Horde and have been based in the Zone since Borthakar and Alia joined the Concordance. They were notorious in pre-Concordance years as vicious terrors who raided the shores of Reaver's Deep. In the years since, they have lost none of their notoriety. Now they turn their bloodthirsty attention on invaders crawling out of the Kirinal Pit.
Other fighters mounted on large flying creatures, notably Wasteland Bats and manticores, have joined the Horde's aerial cavalry. They all see the Venom Knights as their leaders and role models.
To supplement the flying cavalry, the Horde has a small armada of war zeppelins armed with ballistae and cannons. Service on the zeppelins away from the front lines, is seen as safe. The warrior culture of the Horde deems "balloon duty" fit only for striplings, the elderly, or the injured. The zeppelin crews tend to come from the coastal cities who value melee combat less than their comrades fresh from the snows.
When we first get south, the Winter Folk love nothing more than putting ourselves right in the thick of the fight. After a bad Shatter or three most of us realize that the front lines are for the young and stupid. A lot of us with a few summers here in the south quickly realize that it's just as fun to kill enemies with a chain gun or galvanic crossbow!
Az knows that we couldn't hold our slice without our Fly-Boys. You can't fight air power without air power. With all the flying beasties and airborne machines that come out of the Pit, we've gotta have it. I love a good wyvern or me own trusty nautiloid. Makes it easier to jump on your enemies from above!
Horde Polloi, that's awesome! :D
"Wherever you go, there you are" - Buckaroo Banzai "Do or do not, there is no try" - Yoda "No plan survives contact with reality intact" - Me
Thanks!
For your consideration, my submissions for the WorldAnvil Worldbuilding Awards 2024. (I've also included some of my favorites other worldbuilders.)