Aban Steppe

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

Inhabitants

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. In the south, colonies established by Amshan grow along the coast. Various other peoples, such as the Urkhaim dwarves, Xuldorai giants, and more live on or around the steppe.

Geography

Geography and climate

The Aban Steppe covers a massive expanse of land, stretching over three and a half thousand miles from where its western end near the Phiora Sea to the peaks of the Cage to the east, broken only by the occasional smaller mountain range. Nearly the entire steppe is treeless. It is primarily a vast expanse of grasslands, but there is a great deal of variation in the landscape still. In the north the steppe turns into tundra before meeting the alpine biomes of the Northern Wall, while in the south the lands grow more temperate and verdant, especially around Tomb Lake. In the far east the steppe turns especially dry as it meets the Uxtamazata Desert, which is otherwise entirely enclosed by large mountains.

The region is broadly quite flat, though the monotony of the seemingly endless fields of grasses and shrubs is broken occasionally by several major areas of uplands. Most notable are the rolling Arbuk Hills and Four Kings Fells in the east, the rough and ragged Demon Hills and Broken Wheel Hills in the west and south, respectively, and the elevated plateaus of the Wildsun Rise in the central steppe. Permanent rivers are uncommon in the Aban Steppe. Some flow from the mountains into one of a few major lakes scattered across the steppe, 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, steppe lions, yaks, 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: Hundred Days Road

The Hundred Days 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 Kirnashal 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.