Location: Central plains area, north and west of Rockhome, east of Glantri. OW
Area: 57,970 sq. mi. (150,140 sq. km.).
Population: 320,000 (population down from previous years due to war with Glantri in AC 1015). There is also an unknown number of goblinoids.
Languages: Ethengar.
Coinage: All referred to as tangs. Coins of platinum, gold, electrum, silver and copper come in 1x, 5x and 10x their normal value denominations.
Taxes: None; all property belongs to the khan. Each year, on Sviftmont 23 (the Day of Counting), all families' herds are returned to the main herd. On Flaurmont 15 (the Day of Blessings) the khan divides as he sees fit all herds and wealth among the families of the tribe.
Government Type: Nomadic tribes ruled by khans (chieftains). Until AC 1015, they were loosely united under a great khan.
Industries: Cattle, horse-breeding.
Important Figures: Batu (Khan of the Bortaks), Ghazan (Khan of the Taijits), Huaji (Khan of the Kaeruts), Hulagu (Khan of the Uighurs), Jemugu (Khan of the Yakkas), Manghai (Khan of the Murkits), Temur (Khan of the Yugatais).
Flora and Fauna: Grasses and small patches of short, wiry trees called tobai trees dominate the land. On the animal side, goats, yaks, deer, ibex, dogs, bears, boars, horses, lions, lynxes, panthers, lizards and spiders are commonly encountered. Dragons, wyverns, and griffons have also been spotted in the steppes. Finally, in the area known as the Land of Black Sand, various undead are said to be haunting the plains.
Further Reading: GAZ12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar, previous almanacs.
Description by Medu.
In the times before speaking, The Mischief Maker himself led the Yugatais to the great western edge of the Sea of Grass. The Great Destroyer desired that we should live in this windswept land, that we might temper our blades against the cowardly Gostai, and that we should be first to stand against the heathens from the highlands to the west!
The Land
We of the Yugatai Tribe call our home the westernmost lands of the steppes. The mighty Dol-Anur roars into our lands from the heights of the Colossus Mountains. During the four months of winter, its gelid waters may sometimes freeze solid. At this time, too, Great Cretia sends His mighty winds from the mountains, chilling us to the bone. The tribal clans must migrate towards the eastern edge of our lands, there to graze in the fertile Sea of Purple Grass. Others covet these grasslands, however-the Gostai and our neighbours, the Kaerut Tribe-and we are often forced to fight for grazing rights. Once Tubak the Lawgiver brings summer back to the steppes, we migrate back towards the west. Now, the cold river becomes a boon to our people. The grasses are green and lush, and the Great Destroyer's winds provide cool relief from the sun.
The People
Our dealings with the treacherous Glantrians and the snivelling Gostai have provided we of the Yugatai Tribe with a reserve of judgment not found elsewhere in the khanates. We choose to observe our friends and foes alike, evaluating their deeds and words closely. If engaged, however, we are just as quick to strike-and just as deadly when doing so-as any of the other tribes would be. The Lord of Chaos and Warfare directs our hand at such times. It is no secret that the greatest schools of brataks may be found among the clans of the Yugatai Tribe. Our khan, Temur, has his eyes and ears everywhere-he considers no information unimportant.
It is considered a mark of honour and strength among the Yugatais to wear wolf skins, the trappings of our foes the Gostai. A warrior may often be judged by the number and quality of the skins he wears, and that he provides for his family and clan. Some warriors even adorn themselves with mementos of their victories against goblin kind-finger bones, skulls, jawbones.
Recent History
Other tribes sometimes dismiss us for being the last to join with the Golden Khan, Moglai, when he unified the tribes. They are merely jealous of our influence and might, for did Moglai not find it necessary to have the backing of the other tribes before he could confront us?
We once enjoyed a close alliance with the Kaeruts, with whom we would share in the hunting of the Gostai goblins. Since the end of the recent war with the heathen principalities of the west, Huaji Khan seems far more interested in attacking the northern Heldanners. As such, ties with the Kaeruts have dwindled.
Messengers of all the tribes have come calling upon Temur Khan, but none more so than those of Ghazan, Khan of the Taijits. Well does my lord recall the treachery of Ghazan's father, Oktai, who had long been harbouring Glantrian spies in his camp. Before my lord will consider allying himself with the Taijits, he must assure himself of Ghazan's motives.
Temur Khan's hatred of the Glantrians runs deep, ever since his father and elder brother were murdered by one of their wizards many seasons ago. Like the Golden Khan before him, Temur realises that only by maintaining unity among the tribes, and fomenting discord among the princes, can Ethengar defeat our western enemies. For now, though, the tribes are once more involved in a war of succession, and so we must bide our time until we can strike against Glantri. In the meanwhile, we of the Yugatais trade with settlements along the western edge of the Dol-Anur, particularly Bramyra.
Don't Miss
The trading post of Chensi was founded a handful of years ago opposite the
Dol-Anur from Bramyra, and is one of the few settlements in Yugatai land that is
inhabited year round. Several wooden houses and stables stand along the banks of
the river, and during the summer months, anywhere from dozens to hundreds of yurts
may be encamped around Chensi. Noghai, a bratak and close friend of
Temur Khan, controls the distribution of goods through Chensi, and
handles information coming in from the west. The Glantrians in Bramyra seem not
quite like those elsewhere in the highlands. Many among them speak with distaste
about the ruling wizards of that land. Their prince, Urmahid Krinagar, is even
said to have earned the respect of my lord Temur Khan. Another trading
post-Urga, in the north near Estoniarsk-has not been quite as successful.