Shdustu is a land of grass, hills, and rivers. Vast it is, and vastness is its nature. Most of the land is open steppe, devoid of trees where the eye can see endlessly until blocked by some absurdly distant obstacle. Trees are found only in rare regions of hills and mountains where they can take shelter from constant winds and seasonal fires or clinging to the edge of riverbeds, protected from the hunger of beasts by human stewardship.

Though this region bears a single name, it is not truly united and sports many divisions, formal and otherwise. These range from the basic character of the grasslands, from clumpy to flowery to carpeted as one proceeds eastward, to the political fragmentation brought on by conflicts between those claiming dominion over the steppe and those seeking to hold the fertile territory carved out from it by the great rivers. It is both a place of great riches, noted for its production of fine horses, rare herbs, high quality felt, and a distinctive surplus of gold, and a region of terrible poverty with many resident nomads scrambling to hang on to the least scraps of pasturage, a continual scramble to secure limited metal products, and a desperate struggle to evade crushing famines when the cold snows kill vast herds of livestock to mark years of dearth.

This is a land of notable seasonality, with profound changes sweeping across its face as the calendar turns. Pleasant spring shifts to scorching summer followed by a drying, cool autumn that tumbles headlong into a frigid, merciless winter. Here, heat and cold alike can kill and both the weak and foolish rarely last long. Every bit of bounty is simultaneously encased in hardship. Despite this, Shdustu is notably accommodating when compared to surrounding territories. Desert borders the region to the east, south, and west. Though these parched realms all possess unique character according to the position of the compass, they are equally inimicable to human habitation. In the north the steppe fades into a seemingly endless forest, but one that is bitterly cold and where the soils resist the touch of grain. Bereft of agriculture, its residents are few and strange. These hostile landscapes are passable, with planning and effort, and Shdustu consequently serves as a crossroads for trade and travel. Wealth flows across the steppe from the distant east, far south, imperial west, and even the mysterious north. Merchants who cross this open expanse face hard journeys, brutal labors, and great risk, but if they are diligent and favored by the Divines may rise to levels of wealth unparalleled.

It makes sense to note at this point that the Divines are indeed worshiped here according to the precepts of the Enlightened Revelation. The names of the Divines are pronounced improperly due to linguistic drift, and there are flaws and distortions to practices and rites both, but the ancient efforts of the mendicant priests of the early dynasties brought the faith to this land and it has, in its truth, endured. Regrettably, time and the predilections of the land have bent proper worship to strange courses and bizarre heresies afflict the temples of all major peoples of this land. Most often this involves the elevation of some treasured animal form above their proper place among the many creatures of the world to a position adjacent to divinity, often exalted as messengers of the Divines. Such doctrines are absurd, but open denial of these beliefs or denigration of the blessed status of such animals is liable to bring forth terrible insults at best, and murderous violence in many cases. Worse than such minor heresies, which mostly spring from ignorance and the weakness of the clergy in enforcing orthodoxy, there are true distortions found in the more remote regions of Shdustu. Chief among these is the Sunfire Cult, which retains the strength to operate openly and rules settlements of its maddened faithful beyond the reach of proper authority rather than having been driven out of sight to struggle in desperate shadows as is enforced in imperial lands.

As an official matter, the entirety of Shdustu, or at least all major powers within, serves as a tributary to the Sanid Empire. However, this is dependent upon a series of treaties signed during the era of Grand Triumph, part of the reign of Tunan the First, which took place over two hundred and thirty years prior to the arrival of the Dragon Expedition. This long ago period was also the last time noted in the historical record that the empire dispatched troops to frontiers so distant from the Core Provinces. The armies of that age were potent indeed, and Tunan and his generals are recorded as great conquerors. It is not impossible that the feats of martial might mentioned in the imperial histories, including numerous impressive victories over Kharal and Nikkad leaders, are little exaggerated. The original documents are preserved in the imperial archives, and persons bearing titles that still hold weight in Shdustu did acknowledge imperial suzerainty. As an official matter, these agreements have never lapsed, and on rare occasion rulers in Shdustu have dispatched emissaries to the Sanid Court as part of various missions and exchanges, but the idea of these distant lands as tributary states is at best a polite fiction. Few of those who kowtowed before Tunan the First have left any stable dynasties behind, those who rule now may control cities or hordes with the same names, but all continuity is long-lost. Imperial coinage is valued here not for its stated price, but for its weight in metal. As this is mostly copper, it is largely useless and merchants utilize other goods to conduct their trades. Native coins manufactured of silver are the common coinage of this land.

The peoples of Shdustu are divided into four primary groups. This does not include the foreign born, most Sairns though also some from the far south, who though few in number form an important component of the merchant and scholar classes. Most widespread and numerous of these peoples are the Kharal, the broadly nomadic people who live off the bounty of endless grass by means of their livestock. They move about according to the needs of pasturage and make no permanent dwellings. They are challenged in strength only by the Nikkad, a series of peoples who live along the great rivers and besides lakes and oases. They are the main builders of Shdustu, constructing walled towns and fine cities amid densely packed irrigated fields. Less well-known are the mountain-dwelling tribes of the Bahab who dominate the hilly northwest where snow lingers and the marsh-dwelling tribes of the Rutar who live upon the edges of the salty seas found at the boundary of the region in the south and east where the rivers spread out amid a sea of reeds. These tribal peoples live simple lives and build no strong settlements, but know well the unique rhythm of their lands and are thereby able to resist outside aggression by their more powerful and numerous neighbors.

Each of these peoples speaks their own peculiar language, often deeply accented across sub-regional barriers. Literacy, regrettably, is lacking. The Bahab and Rutar completely lack any form of writing, and the Kharal make use of a script they derived from the writing system of their Nikkad neighbors. This is limited and used mostly only for official proclamations and by shamans. The Nikkad script, by contrast, is quite capable and expressive, though it utilizes an alphabet comprised of strange, jagged bent line symbols that take considerable practice to compose and discern. This script bears no resemblance to any other known to the empire and would seem to have originated within the confines of Shdustu. Certain ancient stone inscriptions found in the badlands and cliffs of this region share similar structures, so it is possible that the modern script is derived from such long ago sources.

In general, it is the Kharal who claim dominion over Shdustu. Their riders patrol the vast territory in the steppe, from grassland to mountain to river and more, with bow and spear at the ready and enforce the dictates of their rulers with swift violence. These masters hold the title of Khagan, a rank they claim seats them equal to the Sanid Emperor. This is a highly presumptive assumption. A single ruler over Shdustu would command territory greater in expanse, though not population, than that of the Emperor, but the Kharal rule is neither unchallenged nor united. Presently there are three separate Khagans: Mumsassim in the north; Kudustushgu in the east, and Sunshtasgus in the west. The leader of each of these divisions claims descent from a singular lineage who, centuries ago in the time before the Turan Dynasty, ruled all Shdustu beneath a single banner, but such united control is a distant legend, and the khanates have warred upon each other for ages.

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Each khagan treats the walled settlements of the Nikkad and the villages of the Bahab and Rutar as subordinate to their cavalry hordes and demands they be paid tribute. The Nikkad usually pay, as such gifts are cheaper than armed resistance, but it is not uncommon to refuse such payments, especially when the khanates are consumed by intense warfare among themselves, and the Nikkad are not unwilling to offer battle when they believe the moment is theirs, though results to such schemes are deeply mixed. The Bahab and Rutar are most likely to simply ignore regular demands, as the Kharal only press them for tribute when riders show up at the gates of their villages at rare intervals. They will choose to submit or fight depending on the circumstances of the moment.

Boundaries between the khanates are ever nebulous, a combination of the openness of the grasslands and the vacillating loyalties of clans living on the edges of each khagan's authority. Claims of pasturage and divisions may shift quite rapidly, especially if the khagan does not possess a strong hold over subordinate clan leaders. Changes in leadership, familial bonds, or personal preference can cause drastic and rapid shifts in distribution in a manner impossible among fully settled peoples. As the expedition cartographer, and acting within the traditions of the craft, I have drawn boundaries on the maps of Shdustu I produced, but these are more like loose ranges as wide in space as a full province, and even that is subject to considerable shifts over time. I have little confidence in their viability for future generations. One might imagine the course of Shdustu's great rivers would aid in sourcing boundaries, but this is rarely the case, especially as the Kharal are inclined to wage war across them when they freeze solid in the winters and represent no barrier whatsoever.

The Nikkad, by contrast, are closely tied to those same rivers, with the overwhelming majority of their settlements lying along the course of one of the three great waterways. Some few others are linked to rare lakes or oases, but this accounts for no more than one in ten of their people. In both cases it is the availability of water in order to irrigate croplands that sets the boundary of their territory. The Shgudulus and Shgutu rivers flow broadly from north to south across the region, both ultimately emptying into the grand Shumum Sea in the southeast of the region bounded against the great mountains that lie beyond it and is fed by the waters of their high peaks. The Mumum River and its great tributary the Tusis River flow from the center of Shdustu eastward to the Gisin Sea which lies amid a joining of desert rivers and streams to serve as their terminus as it slides slowly across the marsh-tinged sands of the eastern expanse beyond. Despite the arid nature and rare rains of Shdustu, these rivers are fed by truly vast regions and grow to substantial size in their lower reaches. Cold and lengthy winters tied to the accumulation of snow in hills and forests mean that each is subject to substantial flooding each year. This leads them to carve deep gorges across much of their length, and to run rough elsewhere. Travel by river ship is rare and difficult, though the use of barges is common and sources much trade between Nikkad city states, though this is only possible for short portions of the year. At other points where the land is flat and open these rivers may expand out into vast shallow, marshy lakes. Though by the standards of the empire these basins are small, they are important to the people of Shdustu. Most common in the south of the region, they form much of the homeland of the Rutar.

High mountains are found only in single great strip of land reaching from the far northwest toward the center of the region, and this is the true homeland of the Bahab people. However, lesser ranges of hills and badlands cut across much of central and eastern Shdustu, especially as one moves away from the courses of the great rivers. Even slight increases in elevation and shade mean these regions spend a great portion of the year covered in snow despite their inability to even compare with the mighty peaks of the Shdrast Range.

Overall, Shdustu is very much a wild land, and the presence of humans lies light and sparing upon it. The Kharal range everywhere, or so they proclaim, but in truth are mostly found with regularity only in regions of good pasture, hunting and raiding elsewhere only at irregular intervals. The Nikkad confine themselves to the small space they can irrigate surrounding their fortified settlements. Others are confined to the unusual environments suited to their specialized means of sustenance, and without true cultivation available are highly limited in overall number. Though I have estimated the total territory of Shdustu as perhaps as a vast as half again the size of the Sanid Empire under Husun the Fifth, I believe it hosts no more than one tenth of the population of the same. The capital province alone may surpass in residents all of Shdustu. Untamed grass is the true master of this land.

In the absence of human numbers, the wild has rallied accordingly. Huge flocks of birds and vast herds of grazing animals, dwarfing anything found within the Core Provinces, fill the open expanses of Shdustu, easily observed by the traveler. Once leaving the beaten path, even the meanest hunter can fill their pot easily, for game is abundant. As might be expected, this bounteous realm is also deeply invested with divine essence and considerable mysticism. That a dragon should emerge in their wild region rather than the long tamed provinces of the empire ceases to surprise once the bounty of the grassland becomes apparent to the eye. Additionally, there are numerous and varied mystic creatures ranging across the region. Though they remain rare, mostly, and are generally confined to the deep wild regions where the Kharal rarely ride such as gorges, dry canyons, salt flats, and fouled caverns, they are very much present. Most are guided by either fear or hatred of humans, and will generally avoid people, especially any traveling in strength, but if they sense vulnerability they have been known to attack. On rare occasions some of the more reasonable and aware of these beings have met in more peaceable manners and even engaged in trade. Shocking though it will surely be to the sensibilities of the Sairn reader, there are those in Shdustu who breed beasts of mystic heritage for labor or service, heedless of the spread of distorted divine essence this causes. Several are even considered as representation of the favor of the Divines. Heretical though such practices are, and hideous, they remain a palpable aspect of this region.

In the face of such foreign and forbidden mysticism it is beneficial to denote some familiar facets. The healing arts are known in this land, practiced by the Rose Opal Society. Beyond the difference in name and some variation in obscure medical practices, this path is unchanged from that found in the Core Provinces. Such divergences as I observed appeared to hinge upon esoteric aspects of medical philosophy not easily explained to outsiders. The Redbone Explorers and Coldmason Guild both possess similar Shdustu-based counterparts: the Greenstone Seekers and Stonesplitter Guild, though these specialists are comparatively rare in this wild region. Sorcerers, being universally members of the seemingly global network of the Chapter House, are no different in Shdustu than anywhere else, a rather disturbing constancy. Regrettably, it seems wizardry possesses a similar widespread nature. Their kind are found throughout the obscure and dark places of Shdustu, and without any equivalent to the Imperial Inspectorate to control their actions and punish their depredations they operate in greater numbers and openness. These cruel mystics are not, however, tolerated, and the dangers of wizardry are well known and the practitioners widely hunted and slain when discovered.

It is perhaps a strange thing to recognize, that while the common features of everyday life and even the profound truths of the Enlightened Revelation, should be obscured by the barriers of distance and communication, mystical practices appear much the same everywhere. Blessedly, the priestly credentials of Shdustu, Kharal, Nikkad, and otherwise, are broadly in line with the revelation, though it takes some effort to discern this and to comprehend the accommodations the faith must make to operate within the lives of nomads. Perhaps this is inevitable, after all, the act of channeling divine essence requires alignment with the will of the Divines. Why should such things accommodate the vast variance of humans? Is it not logical that our methods should instead conform to those greater than ourselves? A question without easy answer. Thankfully, such mystic mysteries are not mine to probe.

The search for the dragon swiftly carried the expedition deep into Shdustu. Matters pertaining to that land will be treated according to the path followed, for the wild land offers no better order.