Steppenland
“A stark land where fugitive slaves should fear more than the retribution of their masters”
Government and Ruler: Steppenlanders are divided into several dozen tribes. A chieftain, chosen for strength and cunning, leads each tribe. Uthman Orgun (CN male human Barbarian/Fighter 5/6) leads the largest such tribe.
With the popular election of the “Council of Equals”, fugitive slaves sheltering in Steppenland’s river valley have formed a fledgling republic. Molly Greenshields (LN female human Druid 5), the “First among Equals” chairs the council.
Capital and Notable Settlements: A majority of Steppenlanders lives in wagon camps. The largest camp, named for its chieftain, is Uthman Orgun (5,000). In recent years, permanent trading posts, including Bald Rock (1,000) and Water’s Edge (2,000) have arisen on the steppe.
Shepherd’s Lake (450) is the capital of the river valley’s government. Though larger than most, it is representative of other small settlements in the region.
Alignment: Steppenlanders tend toward chaos, neutrality, and evil; the valley folk law, neutrality, and good.
Description: Steppenland is comprised of two socio-geographic regions: the steppe, a broad plain characterized by extremes of temperature, limited precipitation, and short grasses; and a steep-walled fertile river valley that courses along the country’s southwest border.
Steppenlanders are a semi-nomadic people. Each winter, tribes migrate north, following herds of buffalo that provide food and furs; each summer, they follow the beasts south. Steppenlander men are expert riders. In addition to hunting buffalo, they raid other tribes, foreign caravans, and even neighboring states in search of resources not otherwise available. Slaves, ore, and wood are prized. During migrations, Steppenlander women drive their tribes’ brightly painted wagons. Each woman practices a craft and helps oversee her tribe’s slaves. Slaves assist with crafts and menial tasks such as greasing wagon axles and gathering buffalo dung to fuel campfires. Exceptions to these generalities exist. Before founding Bald Rock, Mansur the Unhorsed (LE male human Wizard 6), a terrible rider, was relegated to mixing paints, a task normally performed by women and slaves. Arin Orgun (CN female human Barbarian/Fighter 4/4) rode in her father Uthman’s raiding parties before he placed her in command of Water’s Edge.
Steppenlanders recognize Kargas, a chaotic neutral god of war, but actual clerics are few. Steppenlanders say that it is enough that Kargas made them strong enough to prosper in their harsh land. The rare cleric of Kargas can choose from the Chaos, Destruction, Strength, and War domains. If the War domain is selected, the bonus feat(s) can be applied to any one of the traditional Steppenlander weapons (composite shortbow, dagger, lance, or scimitar).
Steppenlander holidays celebrate successful migrations. They are periods of feasting and violent sport; goat rodeo is the favorite. In this game, two teams of riders compete to carry a goat downfield toward a goal. The rider carrying the goat is beaten with clubs by the opposing team in an effort to make him drop the goat. The goat rarely lives through the game. Variations on this game see a slave, usually a human child, gnome, or halfling, substituted for the goat.
The fugitive slaves and their descendants who have settled in Steppenland’s river valley call their home Mother’s Embrace, and the rivers that flow through it Mother’s Arms. The river valley is rich in resources; men, women, and children fish, herd goats and sheep (which provide wool in addition to food), and grow rice, as well as hardy fruits (grapes, apples, pears) and vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes, and turnips). Wild bamboo, which is plentiful in the river valley, is used for building homes and crafting everything from tools and weapons to paper to hats and sandals.
The valley folk observe druidic traditions, closely intertwined with belief in a neutral mother goddess. Most of the druids are lawful neutral. The valley folk also worship Dorn, a neutral good god of freedom and self-defense. Dorn’s favored weapons are the quarterstaff and sling. Clerics of Dorn can choose from the Good, Protection, and Strength domains.
Six major holidays are celebrated. The first four, dedicated to the mother goddess, mark the equinoxes and solstices with song and dance. The fifth holiday, Worm Day, also loosely associated with the mother goddess, falls on a different day each year, but always during the spring. Throughout the winter, wagers are made regarding the day on which worms will crawl from the mud to blanket the ground. On this day, wagers are paid, everyone goes fishing, and children chase each other with worms in hand. The sixth holiday commemorates the day that Angus Greenshields, fleeing his Steppenlander masters, first discovered the river valley. The forty days prior to the celebration is a time of quiet self-denial, representing Angus’ flight across the steppe. On the day of the celebration, Angus Greenshields (LN male human Fighter 7) himself leads a prayer to Dorn; delivers a speech relevant to current events in the river valley; and declares the start of a day of contests of speed, stamina, and strength.
DM Secrets: Water’s Edge has grown into Steppenland’s most successful trading post because of Arin’s willingness to protect foreign merchants (Knowledge- Local DC 15). Uthman, unhappy with his daughter carousing with foreigners, is contemplating forcibly removing her from power (Knowledge- Local DC 20). Mansur, envious of the prosperity of Water’s Edge, has secretly influenced Uthman’s feelings.
Steppenland’s river valley is a cradle of civilization (Knowledge- History DC 10). The ancestors of modern Steppenlanders were its original inhabitants (Knowledge- History DC 15). Successive flooding forced them out of the valley thousands of years ago; they have never returned (Knowledge- History DC 20). It was not flooding, but a series of unexplained mass murders that drove them from the valley; the flooding followed several years later (Knowledge- History DC 30). A brood of aboleth, deep below Mother’s Embrace was responsible for the murders; they have become aware that humans again dwell in their valley.