Fiction:The Firmament/Okran

"Okran's a gods-awful place. Why do you think all you hear from it is that people are trying to leave to better pastures?"

- Hald-Sleac Kraasteg, gnoll rogue

Okran is a territory situated at the eastern shore of the southern continent of Dryadala. Unclaimed by any true nation, it serves as the home of a number of tribal cultures, most famously the gnoll and centaur races.

History
Okran has no true documented history, as it was never home to a true nation. The gnolls, the most numerous of Okran's native races, are recorded to have existed in the region as early as the Great Eondrassana War, where the ancient elves noted the existence of primitive pack-tribes of humanoid hyenas beyond the Great Sea of Sands.

Due to the region being considered inhospitable, the nations of Arkhanset and Khalmartis have never truly considered the idea of expanding their borders into it, though the subterranean reaches of Okran have, over the course of the ages, become a haven for the rakash of Skitterfall and the site of many battles against the duergars of Grungirnur.

Geography
Okran is predominantly made up of badlands and rocky wastelands with very hilly terrain and sparse vegetation. It borders Arkhanset and the Great Sea of Sands to the north, Khalmartis to the west, the mountains of Grungirnur to the southwest and Kultaurus to the south.

Government
Okran has no unified government. The gnolls, the most prolific inhabitants of the region, live in loose pack-tribes who fight each other for dominance over territory and resources, with a similar case applying to the nomadic tribes of centaurs. Towns dot the landscape around the more hospitable points of the land, often ruled by powerful and cunning gnoll chieftains who impose their authority with iron fists. Because of the difficulty of passing through its terrain and its unsavory inhabitants, trading caravans from other nations are extremely rare in Okran.

Religion
Due to its unclaimed nature, the inhabitants of Okran do not favour civilized deities. Most tribes practice ancestor worship, while others pay no heed to religion, seeing it as useless to their day-to-day basis. Savage deities such as the forces of nature are the most worshipped in the region, with the most degenerate tribes falling to the corruption of certain demon lords.

Inhabitants
Okran is the homeland of a number of species, most notably the gnoll folk and the mighty centaurs. Beyond them, Okran is home to small tribes of ogres and a small number of harpy communities. Okran has a very large population of rock trolls, who thrive in the rocky wastes of the region and serve as constant foes to those they encounter. Rakash clans have thrived in the region as well, as their enemies find it difficult to discover them in such an unmapped region.

Relations
As Okran is unclaimed land, it has no true say in international affairs. Due to the influx of refugees which leave Okran to neighbouring lands regularly, the land's neighbours tend to have less than pleasant words to describe it.


 * Positive relations
 * N/A


 * Ambivalent relations
 * Arkhanset - The Arkhans are annoyed by Okran's existence, for their borders with that land provide no true benefit to them and it is considered too worthless to annex.
 * Khalmartis - The noble houses of Khalmartis see the badlands as beyond their interest.


 * Negative relations
 * Grungirnur - The duergars enjoy going into Okran to capture slaves.
 * Kultaurus - Minotaur invaders and raiders plague the southern border of Okran.
 * Skitterfall - The rakash have a strong presence in Okran and have terrorized its inhabitants for centuries.