Bori Darqan

Overall strategy
While not as strong as genuine cataphract cavalry, the Turkic Bori Darqan (or "princely retinue", lit "champion wolves") is however sufficiently powerful as to be able to provide a punch when it comes to fighting in the field. the fact that it does not need to be trained from a Magistracy, but can be recruited from a Meeting House once level 4 Military has been reached means that for Turkic factions, it can be a very powerful heavy cavalry unit, coming into the game far earlier than anyone else's, giving the three major Turkic factions - the Bulgars, the Khazars and the Turks -  a strong early game cavalry advantage while others must first tech up.

Even when factions like the Khazars are capable of recruiting more heavily armoured Cataphracts, Bori Darqan's mobility and good offensive parameters, along with its cheaper cost, can sometimes make it a superior choice during the game. The speed, armour and sheer force of Bori Darqan - especially in the early game - can provide an offensive edge for any Turkic faction capable of recruiting this unit that other factions, such as the Visigoths or the Norse can often find hard to meet. Use this unit to swarm enemy melee cavalry whenever you see them - but take care not to fall foul of dedicated anti-cavalry weapons, such as Javelin Cavalry, or spearmen.

History
The pagan Turks believed that the ancestress of the Turkic peoples was a she-wolf. In addition, the wolf was a symbol of honour to the Turks (as opposed to in China where wolves had negative contonations). Other legends speak of the first leader of the Turkic tribes as being a wolf named "Asen" or "Asena".

For this reason, the honour guard of Turkic khagans was often referred to by the word "bori / bor&uuml;" (Old Turkic, "wolf").