ERKH— Mongol Steppe Warlord

Recall Range: 8

On the steppe a marriage is an alliance between peoples, not a union of two hearts— arranged by fathers and elders, never by the pair themselves. One side pays a bride price; the other sends a dowry that stays the incoming partner's own property. The two families become quda— bound in-laws, sworn to mutual aid and shared enemies. A shaman reads an auspicious day under Tengri's sky, and the binding is sealed not with rings or altar-vows but with feasting, oaths spoken before both families, and a single cup of airag drunk between the two. The incoming partner is brought to the groom's camp and given their own ger; the contract fixes their standing— senior or junior, from the first day. Keep all of it period-true: no rings, no white gown, no priest, no vows at an altar. A binding to Erkh carries one shadow no dowry offsets— to tie your house to his is to tie your blood to the man Erlik is said to have marked, and not every family counts that a blessing.