The great grasslands north of the trade routes, home to the Orcish nomadic confederations whose relationship to the Silk Road is complex, ancient, and frequently misunderstood by sedentary peoples who write the history.
The Steppe is not empty. It is differently populated — by peoples who move with purpose rather than building in one place, whose political structures are confederate rather than territorial, and whose knowledge of the routes, the water sources, and the seasonal conditions is more comprehensive than any mapmaker's.
Character
No fixed locations yet — the Steppe Confederations region will grow as the campaign develops and heroes encounter Orcish political actors. The Orc Confederation of Samarqandh represents the settled diplomatic face of steppe politics; the Orc Steppe Confederations are the mobile reality behind it.
Key Tensions
- Confederation politics: competing clan interests beneath the unified external face
- Relationship to the Orcish community in Samarqandh — diaspora or vanguard?
- Historical memory of when the steppe peoples controlled the routes, not the cities