Steppe Peoples

Durju (humans)

Durju bear a superficial resemblance to the Gishmesh, but have a distinctive aquiline nose and wide-set eyes. They tend toward a muscular build, and most are farmers. Due to pressures from Gishmesh pirates and Skandik raiders, they do not have a significant sea presence. They have a ceremonial king in their ancestral village of Kimenta on the River of Pleasure. The king oversees a loose network of Durju, halfling, and gnomish traders that connect the “kingdom.”
The Durju sphere of influence is focused on the rich plains and hills to the west of the Steppes, and they are a significant force near the western edge, wherever notable resources are present. They consider the Steppes to be a vast wasteland, sparsely populated by bandits and savages. Thus it is their right to exploit the Steppes as they see fit. They have decent relations with the Utuni and ’Umarkka clans, with whom they trade herbs and medicines.
Racial Traits: Per standard Human, but Survival is always a class skill.
Utuni (cavemen)

The Utuni are druids and naturalists par excellence, and are widely believed to maintain several secret groves with exceptionally rare plants and plant creatures. Five clans of Utuni are spread across the western and southern reaches of the Steppes. Their distinctive headdresses and robes mark them as “bad luck” to disturb, and most other folk allow them to travel unmolested, so valuable are their services and their goods.
Utuni have heavier brows and less hair than most cavemen, and their skin is visibly discolored by the ochre shrouds in which they sleep. The men veil their faces and wear tall headdresses festooned with red and blue-iridescent feathers from rare birds. Their garments use distinctive zig-zag patterns and exceptional pigments in bright colors. They tend toward caramel-colored skin, brown or amber eyes, and long arms.
Racial Traits: Per standard Caveman, with +2 WIS, +2 to Survival checks, and +1 to Knowledge (Nature) checks. Favored class: Druid. Automatic Language: Utuni Caveman
’Umarkka (cavemen)

The ’Umarkka are javelin-tossing hunter-gatherers and leatherworkers. They consider nomadic peoples like themselves to be predators, and settled peoples to be prey. They raid settlements and caravans as readily as animals, and occasionally take women and children. Some plundered children grow up to become tribal leaders, even though they are not “full” ’Umarkka.
Racial Traits: Per standard Caveman, with +2 CON, and Tracking as a bonus feat. Favored class: each band has its own preferred Barbarian variant. Automatic Language: ’Umarkka Caveman
Nekhmarti (humans)

Dragon-worshiping people found along the northern boundary of the Steppes, the Nekhmarti benefit from contact with the people of the Valley of the Ancients. Their leaders tend to be dragon disciples and dragon shamans, and occasionally their children evince features reminiscent of Orichalan heritage. They have black hair, brown or amber eyes, and sometimes patches of scales mar their slightly lavendar-cast skin.
The Nekhmarti are mostly nomadic, and have tense relations with most of their neighbors. They do not possess swift horses, but they are dogged, rapacious, and more magically-inclined than most of their peers.
Racial Traits: Per Common Orichalan. Favored class: Sorceror.
Shkothani (kobolds)

Kobolds of the steppes, who stick to hilly areas and stone outcroppings. Other people of the steppes regularly “farm” Shkothani communities for slaves and stonework.
Shkothani are not as light-sensitive as common kobolds. While they avoid full sunlight and find it unpleasant, they suffer no penalties. Their hide ranges from rusty brown to rusty tan, lighter than the kobold norm.
Nekhmarti scholars occasionally travel among the Shkothani, studying their songs and stories for fragments of dragon lore. As a result, there are more sorcerers among the Shkothani than among other kobold tribes.
Racial Traits: Per kobold, without light sensitivity, and +2 to Crafts (stonework) instead of Crafts (trapmaking). Racial animosity: Kobolds are despised by other races, and receive a -1 Racial penalty to reaction rolls (except with Nekhmarti)
Nittarach (goblins)

There are no worgs in this part of the world, but the Nittarach tribe of goblins have adapted well to nomadic life on the backs ofligonae (wild dogs native to the steppes). The goblins and the dogs form strong personal bonds, the closest bonds in Nittarach society. The goblins do not farm, tend, or husband any other life, preferring to plunder what they can from others. They are more likely to take captives for food than for slaves, though most bands have a handful of kobold slaves for the most debasing of menial tasks.
Nittarach are short for goblins, averaging just over 3’ tall. Depending on the band, skin colors range from saffron to canary, tending toward the drab side. They typically dress in found clothing, rarely augmented with crafted leather or bone goods.
Bands of Nittarach are occasionally lured or pressed into service by brigands, and even more occasionally accept non-goblin members into their ranks. About twice a century, a non-goblin chief emerges among the Nittarach, which heralds a bloody reign of terror. Hobgoblins are thankfully rare in the Steppes. Otherwise, such occurrences would be far more common.
Racial Traits: Per goblin, but always accompanied by a riding dog. +2 racial bonus to Animal Handling or Ride when dealing with dogs, or a +4 with their bonded ligona. Favored class: Ranger