Wyrm Steppes
Stretching out for miles in all directions, from the shore of the Malcont Ocean in the west and south to the foothills of the Dragons' Tears Mountains in the east and the Desolation of Hissh in the north, the Wyrm Steppes are an enormous expanse of grassland that is home to nomadic tribes, settled peoples and savage monstrosities alike.
Geography
The Wyrm Steppes is a vast landscape of undulating hillocks covered in lush grass that grows up to about two feet in height. The area of the steppe is frequently swept with strong winds that blow in from off the Malcont Ocean, which buffets the grass around to the point where it looks as if the whole landscape is undulating. It has even been noted that some people experience a form of motion sickness when travelling through the plains, due to the wave like movements of the grasses.
Another thing notable about the area is that is little standing water in the region. As the Wyrm Steppes’ soil is so sandy and porous, any rain that falls is quickly absorbed into the ground and the extensive root systems of the grasses below. This means, that despite the area looking green and lush, travellers have to be particularly vigilant with how much water they bring as whilst the animals that dwell in the region have adapted to extract most of their water from the grasses themselves, this is not the most practical solution for humanoids. There are plenty of stories of people dying of thirst in the Steppes, which has given rise to its nickname, the Green Desert.
Fauna & Flora
The flora in the Wyrm Steppes is dominated by various species of grasses. These grasses have adapted particularly well to the water poor conditions and sandy soil and they are hardy enough to be able to survive long periods of drought and to take advantage of whatever rain falls on them. As the grasses are naturally water retentive, herbivorous creatures are able to gain enough water to sustain themselves from consuming them.
The native fauna of the plains are equally hardy. Huge herds of bison and deer roam the plains and they are preyed upon by packs of wolves and other larger predators. In addition, the nomadic peoples native to the region shepherd huge herds of sheep and goats which also graze the plains.
Inhabitants
The original inhabitants of the Wyrm Steppes are the Taxidi, who developed a nomadic existence based around close-knit family groups and a herding lifestyle which they have maintained for millennia. The Taxidi are the masters of survival in the often deceptively habitable steppe, and know how to read the signs of the landscape and deal with its tribulations and dangers better than any other. Before the beginning of the Divine War there were many villages and towns across the steppe, some populated by family groups of the Taxidi who decided to turn away from their traditional lifestyle, but most formed by migrants who travelled from other lands, seeking to establish their own communities in what they regarded as unclaimed land. These settled communities, however, were ravaged by the Divine War as control of the area became hotly contested between Polephemites and the Astartians. Thankfully the depredations were not so bad as to turn the region into an area of desolation, but the settled communities could not evade the destruction as the Taxidi could. Now only a handful of fixed settlements and fortified inns remain in the Wyrm Steppe, the most notable being the City-State of Ristann and the Burg of Volhof to the north and Countship of Briolin to the south. Whilst the populations of these destroyed settlements were not eradicated, they were unused to surviving in the wilds of the steppe, so instead of remaining where they were, they fled, seeking shelter in the Dragons' Tears Mountains to the east and are now known as the Exiled Tribes.
Type
Plain
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