Aban Steppe

The Aban Steppe (pronounced ah-BAHN) is a major steppe on Kishar.

Inhabitants

Though not a nation in any real sense, most of the people of the Aban collectively call the lands in which they live Abanir. Nomadic and settled tribes alike thrive on the open grasslands, each with their own long histories and unique cultures. The orcs of Druzda often migrate into the western edges of the steppe and have even established some permanent encampments, notably Oghad Kul and Idkir Kul, on the open plains. On the other side of the Aban, the settled peoples of Rovakhit have claimed parts of the eastern grazelands, sometimes coming into tension with the nomads of the region.

Geography

Geography and climate

The Aban Steppe stretches from near the Phiora Sea in the west to the more hilly lands of Rovakhit in the east, and from the foothills of the Zakros Range in the south to the Kuzal Mountains and alpine tundra in the north. Nearly the entire steppe is treeless. It is primarily a vast expanse of grasslands, though these plains turn to shrublands in the semi-arid regions of the southeast. Small forests can be found in the more northerly and westerly reaches of the steppe but elsewhere trees are limited to isolated small groves around local depressions where water collects.

The region is broadly quite flat, though with several major areas of uplands, notably the rolling terrain of the Arbuk Hills and the elevated plateau of the Wildsun Rise. Permanent rivers are uncommon in the Aban Steppe. Several begin in the Kuzal Mountains before flowing into the Iron Lake in the northwest, but elsewhere rivers, streams, and lakes are more ephemeral, carrying water only during the uncommon times of heavy rains.

Temperatures on the steppe can vary greatly, both seasonally and over the course of a day. Summers are usually quite hot, for the latitude at least, while winters are bitterly frigid.

Fauna

No animal is more closely associated with the Aban Steppe than the horse. Herds of these creatures wander the landscape, some tame and others wild. Other animals that can be commonly found on the steppe include eagles, kestrels, bears, foxes, giant aurochs, antelopes, and, in the more arid regions, camels.

Though far from the only dangerous creature to be found, wyverns are a particular threat on the open plains of the Aban. These aggressive draconic beasts have a particular fondness for hunting the livestock the peoples of the steppe rely upon, striking at herds kept by nomadic groups and city-dwellers alike. Most nest in the hilly regions of the steppe, potentially flying for quite a distance from their dens in search of prey. The wyverns are a persistent menace that all who live on the steppe know to always be on guard against.

Trade

See also: Year's Road

The Year's Road, a trade route that passes across the breadth of the steppe, is the most important and frequently traveled of the routes that connect Rovakhit and the nations of the Phiora and Chaska seas. The wealth that passes across the Aban poses many opportunities for the inhabitants of the steppe, some of whom engage in trade with the merchant caravans and others in raiding. The Road meanders across the steppe, mostly tracking as close to major cities as possible for safety. Despite its name the trade route is hardly a road in any real sense, merely a corridor of travel that might occasionally be marked by infrequent cairns.