From Gushdishgul it is a journey of twenty days to the city of Shnududishgu, one of the three great cities of the Nikkad. There is nothing resembling a true road anywhere in Shdustu, but aging tracks, the remnants marking the passage of heavy carts through thick mud, crisscross the grassland and offer a guide to the proper route. Though the grass grows short in the southwestern portion of the region, it is far from desolate. Sufficient fodder can be found to feed large numbers of animals, and while the Dragon Expedition utilized a greater number than most caravans, this was still far less than the livestock kept by the average Kharal clan. Admittedly our ranks held a surplus of camels and none of the sheep, goats, and cattle the herders prize. Nor did we possess any of the herding or guarding dogs universally utilized to manage flocks roaming the open steppe, for Shdustu has no fences.
Animals, of which sheep by far outnumber all other breeds, are dominant in the open lands of Shdustu. There are dozens of livestock for each human. As the brown, black, and white bodies of the animals stand out against the pale green backdrop of pasturage they can be observed from some distance, especially as the land is often very flat. The same status applies to the round-walled tents known as yurts covered in gray and black felt coverings that serve the Kharal as houses do settled peoples. It is therefore difficult to come up on another party unexpected, though in many areas the land is gently rolling and the folds can hide a great deal until it suddenly appears very close at hand. Nevertheless, through a combination of vigilance on the march and proper choice of campsite at night a party can generally avoid being surprised.
In addition to the mighty herds, which must number tens of millions of stock all told, the region harbors a significant number of large and wild animals. These include wild asses, gazelles, a bizarre bulbous-nosed antelope found in the north called saiga, powerfully built sheep with curling horns upon the elevated slopes, and musk deer and wild boar in such sheltered places as trees and shrubs take root. Horses, like camels, once roamed wild here, but these have seemingly been entirely tamed, and if truly wild herds – not simply escaped feral individuals – yet survive it is only in the most remote areas.
Livestock face depredation from several sources. In the forests and mountains a rare variety of lynx stalks between the trees and atop the snows, but the predominant predator is one well known across the world: the wolf. Shdustu's wolves are lean and slender compared to their kin of the forests, and possess light brown fur. They closely resemble their kindred seen in Nla-Shdrast, but their legs are longer for they are endlessly loping about the steppe trailing their prey for hours – something I observed personally – or even days – if the tales told by the Kharal are to be trusted. These animals, unlike some wolves elsewhere, are easily frightened and avoid conflict with humans but will take any chance to prey upon livestock they can. Kharal herdsmen will kill wolves in defense of their flock, but believe it is an offense against the Divines to deliberately hunt and eliminate them from the land, a doctrine in accord with the teachings of the Enlightened Revelation. They will seek the approval of their shamans before seeking to hunt a wolf, or forgiveness should they suddenly shoot one in the night. The Princess Romou witnessed such a ceremony and likened it very similar to the propitiation prayers given prior to any forest clearance or swamp drainage. A logical alteration for a landscape where it is flesh and not grain that serves as the primary crop.
The Dragon Expedition traveled without yurts, as Master Lam was adamant that our light desert tents would suffice until the weather turned in autumn. He also made it quite clear that while the Kharal can disassemble, move, and then assemble their felt-walled abodes at great speed when necessary this is both a skill learned from childhood not easily emulated by amateurs and, even among the herders, such rapid shifts are rare and demand extreme energy. Instead, each of us kept to our bedrolls as before and, as the nights gradually grew colder, chose to either cluster together or to bed down beside the camels and take advantage of the sheltering warmth they provided. A guard was kept nightly both to watch for wolves and to ward against the other dangers of the wild.
During the day, we walked. Though this was the common practice for merchant caravans, it was not the way of the Kharal. They never walked when they could ride. Even children too small to hold the saddle on their own were tied in place by their mothers. A man would mount his horse and then hop off simply to cross the yard, and should a horse be unavailable for some reason they would ride camels or even donkeys instead. The term 'long walker,' often applied to foreigners, was considered a deadly insult among their own number and would see weapons drawn whenever deployed.
It did not take long to understand this preference. Shdustu has no roads and the land, unlike even regions long abandoned in the empire, has never known the plow. Though the eye, cast into the distance, sees all before it as flatter than a planed board, this is an illusion. Churned by fire, ice, clomping hooves, and the scrabbling claws of burrowers, the ground has the consistency of rough wool rather than smooth silk. Feet and toes catch in divots, holes, and patches of soft soil. Falls are inevitable, turned ankles and broken toes common. During the course of that twenty day march only the Redbone Explorers, who seemed to flow across the ground through some inexplicably effortless profound stride perfectly in tune with their surroundings, avoided at least one day strapped to the saddle due to injury.
The plodding gait of a camel may serve to rest the leg, but it is punishing to the bowels. Few were eager to prolong the experience, nor were the humped beasts fond of carrying human cargo. The Kharal are accounted expert camel riders, even taking their beasts into battle at times in the manner of warhorses, but few could emulate them. It seems this too is a skill requiring a lifetime to acquire.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
The grass of the region sufficed to supply the expedition's animals, save for the warhorses of the Winged Cavalry, who relied on supplemental grain to maintain their physiques in battle-ready form. It was necessary to allot time each day to allow the animals to graze, for the grass was quite short and it was not a simple matter of merely consuming the surroundings of our camps. This was done in the mornings, when the morning dew allowed the animals to acquire additional water most days, especially as the season progressed toward autumn.
Food for the human contingent presented a somewhat more complex arrangement. Though Master Lam purchased supplies for the expedition at the fortress, these were not intended to sustain our company for the full twenty days. Other methods were needed to supplement our stores. Wild game, an obvious option, abounds in Shdustu, but as the wild herds are found only in specific remote regions and tend to be very wary, what remains available is generally quite small and requires careful skill to hunt. Marmots, a pudgy rodent common to rocky crevices, boulder shadows, and similar places, are found in Shdustu in vast numbers, far more common here than in the rocky portions of the Core Provinces, though the animals are very similar breeds. These creatures possess a perfectly satisfying flesh, once cooked thoroughly, but skilled archery is needed to take them, as a moving party has no time for snares. The superior accuracy of imperial crossbowmen is more than equal to this task, though it was necessary to shift to light, blunted bolts, for such small targets, they numbered only six among one hundred. Given the long marching days and limited time devoted to the stalk it was impossible for them to bring down enough targets to fill the cookpots.
Any traveler desiring to maintain a swift progression across the steppe cannot rely upon hunting but must instead enter into commerce with the local clans of Kharal herders. This is a process that demands considerable patience and forbearance, though at this point in the journey the expedition benefited from the season. In summer and early autumn the steppe is blessed with numerous young of year males who have no future as breeding stock and will inevitably be culled before winter comes. Meat is therefore plentiful and though the Kharal are loathe to part with their stock to outsiders at any price, the general plenty means that they are open to exchange for other foodstuffs. Though this includes certain wild greens and fruits harvested in the field both by women and men who find moments when hands are idle, in particular the relatively unpalatable but highly nourishing roots of the yellow dandelion flower which grows everywhere, the greater part is comprised of dairy products. There are seemingly endless varieties of butter, cheese, and yogurt made in Shdustu. I counted well over one hundred different names, though it was impossible to tell if these all referred to truly variant commodities for they all tasted much the same.
All encounters with the Kharal, even when reaching encampments where only women, children, and old men remain present, must be conducted from a position of strength. The Khagan posts an aging officer of great loyalty to Gudishgul Fortress and this man issues stamped eagle-feather sigils marking the right of free passage to merchants and dignitaries that proclaim they are under the protection of the ruler – a privilege the Dragon Expedition offered a generous gift to procure for itself – these will often be ignored if an ambitious Kharal warrior believes all warriors can be eliminated. After all, raiding parties from the other khanates can strike across great distances at any time, and therefore it is impossible to attribute fault locally should a caravan simply vanish into the emptiness of the steppe. The blatantly open manner in which many Kharal riders discuss whether they should fight or trade is frightfully tense to watch, but refreshing in its simple honesty.
In this the Dragon Expedition was comparatively well-armed and therefore received only minimal threat. In general, Shdustu tends towards large caravans to ward off Kharal aggression, which also offers protection against genuine bandits outcast from the major tribes and deadly mystic beasts, though the latter are not common on the well-trod route between fortress and city. Skirmishes between caravans and Kharal are not uncommon. Notably, bands of young riders may ride up to a caravan, and canter past while launching arrows at the extreme range of their bows. Should the target stand fast, they will simply ride off, but if the victim breaks and scatters, then they will turn to attack. Twice the Dragon Expedition faced this treatment, though no serious injuries resulted. Warned by Erun's order not to escalate matters and potentially offend the Khagan, the crossbowmen did not return fire at such provocations. We did, however, gather up the arrows spent in this way to keep an accounting of the right of safe conduct to present before the Khagan when the time came.
Even though we had strength sufficient to overcome and destroy such small bands of riders in battle, no effort was made to pursue. It would have been pointless. The horses used on the steppe are small, truly no more than ponies, but their endurance is immense and no one, not even the Winged Cavalry, can out-ride the Kharal on their own ground. Several of the Winged Cavalry put this to the test, only to fail to catch belligerent youths who yelled insults at a distance as they disappeared into the hills.
On those days when trading met with success, by contrast, all members of the party were welcomed within the circle of yurts to share in the protection of the warriors and, because at this time of year the mares were yet feeding their colts, to drink of the strangely pungent and lightly sweet concoction known as airag, which can be described to the imperial reader simply as fermented mare's milk. It is a mildly alcoholic substance, though weaker than even mild fruit wines and barely an intoxicant at all compared to the alchemically strengthened liquors served in Crisremon. Drunkenness can only be attained through the consumption of vast quantities of this beverage, far more than was ever shared with guests. Leaders of rich Kharal families were sometimes sufficiently supplied in this regard however, especially the frightfully thin old men, and they would wobble about until they vomited spectacularly upon the grass. This did not appear associated with any great shame, though they did observe a prohibition on drunkenness on service days.
Such pleasant nights offered welcome interludes of relaxation during the otherwise challenging and tiring journey.