Steppe Nomads

The Nomadic Steppe is a land of broken hills, amber lowlands, and storm-wracked golden plains with little vegetation and biodiversity. With these harsh living conditions, agriculture became impossible for the proto-humans that moved into this land. Most people who lived on the eastern continent for the this time in the Second Era, lived in the city states to the West of the Nomadic Steppe. The only people that decided to live in these harsh conditions we people fleeing the warring city states and slavery from their counterparts. These are the forerunners of the Steppe Nomads, preferring to live their lives as they wish and refusing submission to those in stone walls.

The life of a Steppe Nomad starts with being born into a clan of around 40 kinsmen. At the age of 3, the child is taught the ways herding sheep by their mothers and hunting the larger beast of the plains by their fathers. This creates the gender roles of the nomadic people to be rather equal compared to societies that are formed around more labor intensive work like agriculture and mining. When it comes to clan-to-clan interaction, eagles are used for long distance communication, but the most common interaction is when the clans migrate south for the summer for the more nutrient rich land. These migration paths are commonly known and use by the clans and will most likely run into each other on them. These more personal interaction are when daughters are exchanged as wives and a sporting game is held for bragging rights and renown. The most influential clan is the Nalbit Clan. The Nalbit Clan are the Keepers of the Steppe and Defender of Eagles. During invasions from the west by empires and city states, the Nalbit Clan will send their amber eagles to the clans of the steppe as a call to arms. The army that is formed is called Amber Talon (symbol above).

This army is known for its clever tactics and the use of whips. They are also known for using weather mages for sudden ambushes and changing the steppe weather to their advantage. They are famous for ruthlessness and for making clever use of terrain. They have a loose chain of command, with ranks based on seniority and family ties.