A big part of an Akavan campaign would be traveling from place to place across hundreds of miles of grassy steppe. Since there are very few set landmarks in a world where most people live as nomads, I wanted to come up with some events to spice things up. I'd probably use one or two of these per trip, but maybe more if the party is traveling an especially long distance.

A caravan of missionaries from Gondwana stops for their daily prayer to the Sun God. The guards do not permit outsiders to look upon the blind priests.

Merchants carry rugs, gems and baubles, supposedly to furnish the estate of a wealthy landowner in Kypra.

A hunting party, consisting of two dozen warriors on horseback, tracks down a giant. Not only will giant meat feed the clan for months to come, it will be an accomplishment that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

Eight ragged, bloody hunters, their eyes stricken with grief, carry a giant’s corpse back to their camp. Several of their horses are used to carry the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Two girls in love are fleeing a search party. They belong to feuding clans, so their marriage is forbidden.

A shaman examines the palms of soldiers before they go off on a raid, divining their fate. Not everyone believes her readings.

A tiny farmstead sits by a small creek. The settled life is difficult and plagued by fear of raid, drought and poor soil, but a daring few press on.

Smoke rises from a hilltop. Crowds weep in grief. A woman has died, and her body is being burned on the hilltop so her spirit may ascend to a greater plane of existence.

The corpses of eight soldiers, all with gashes on their foreheads, lie abandoned in the grass.

A furious dispute between two herders, a man and a woman. The woman accuses the man of killing her sheep. The man says they were killed by wolves.

A hunting party returns from a successful hunt, carrying antelopes on the backs of their horses.

A gravely sick horse lies barely conscious in the grass. Three younglings plead for their mother not to kill it.

An archery contest: whoever can strike a bullseye 200 yards away the most times in ten shots wins a healthy black steed.

A woolly rhinoceros frees itself and lashes out at its handlers, who frantically try to regain control.

Two women fell in love with the same man, so they hold a wrestling contest to determine who can have him.

A warrior-monk from faraway Alurnon regales a group of young children of fantastical, albeit probably false, tales from his homeland. Their parents seem just as invested as they are.

A mother teaches her daughter, barely two years old, how to ride a horse. Born in the saddle, indeed.

A clan of nomads has set up camp on the hillside. They’re unfurling their tents and keeping watch for any attackers.

A battle between two rival warbands, each only a few dozen strong, rages on the steppe. Horses whine, arrows fly, and blood splatters.

Onlookers watch as wrestlers each try to take down a champion: a huge man, taller than any you have ever seen. He handles each of them with ease.

Through drumming and singing, a shaman brings a group of worshipers into spiritual trance. Nearby, a small shrine sits lavished with gifts to a spirit you cannot see.

Five people rush past, hauling a cart full of goods and an extra horse with them. Nearby, a lone Kypriot merchant sits on the ground bawling.

A raggedy, delirious old man approaches, begging for something strong to drink.

A group of hunters, huddled around a campfire, invites you to join them for some kumis.

Two falconers atop a hill wait patiently for their birds to return.

A dispute between two people devolves into violence. One’s head has been split open. The other limps away, bruised but victorious.

A dispute between two people devolves not into violence, but into a bout of wrestling to prove who is stronger.

Warriors commemorate another successful raid by tattooing a mark on their forearms.

A group of farmers accuse a group of herders of trampling over their crops. The herders accuse the farmers of killing two of their goats.

Poets from Goryor look ragged and grumpy, clearly not enjoying the wealth and fame they expected to gain here.

Three figures on horseback follow you from great distance before disappearing.

A man stands over the injured body of his wife, and begs you for help.

An abandoned farmhouse stands alone in the grass, its fields barren and empty. Everything of value is gone, and there are no signs of human life.

One man on horseback is ambushed by four attackers, who kill him, steal his horse and leave his body to rot in the sun.

A wealthy ethnographer from the Karaikal region has stopped to write in her journal. Her cart is full of various oddities meant to go on display back home in an exhibit entitled “the Strange and Exotic Curiosities of the People of the Varipennian Basin.” An Akavar guide sits impatiently nearby.

Two shamans, one from the nomadic steppe and one from Valahast, argue about obscure theological questions.

On the outskirts of a nomad camp, tanners are treating skins to make leather. The smell is noxious.

A giant, twenty feet tall and carrying a boulder, wanders by, completely ignoring the party.

A saber -toothed cat takes a bite out of the corpse of a bison. It eyes you warily, but does not act.

A group of nomads bathe in a creek, the children splashing and playing.

Two haggard drunks attempt to wrestle, but can barely stay on their feet long enough for a bout.

The skeleton of some ancient aquatic titan protrudes from the ground. A band of wanderers, convinced the thing is some kind of god, has constructed a totem in its honor.

A team of workers is building a tower out of stone. Nearby, a stern-looking Kypriot barks directions.

A few small puppies, their bellies small and their ribs exposed, beg you for food. No human is in sight to claim ownership.

A lone wanderer has stepped into a bear trap. He's helpless and bleeding badly, and will almost certainly die if you refuse to help.

Two sisters compete to see who gets to rule the clan. They're getting ready to wrestle, and the whole clan has gathered to watch, drink and shout smack talk.

A crowd has gathered to watch the beheading of an infamous criminal. The clan leader readies a sword while two others tie the criminal to a post.

A bear walks past, wearing a collar tied to a frayed rope. Its fur is matted with blood.

A stone circle, 50 feet in diameter. At the center is a circular altar lavished with offerings of food, gold and kumis.

Twelve carved wooden statues lay sprawled out on the grass, as if tossed away without care or concern.





A herd of mammoths passes by in the distance. Closer toward you, you see a band of hunters looking to see if one falls too far behind.

A group of travelers from Kypra offer to sell you a pet monkey. Their cart is full of them, locked in little cages. They look very poorly cared for.

A small group of Gondwanan mercenaries makes their way across the steppe.

A hermit, Akavar-speaking but without any tattoos, has set up a campsite at the bottom of a hill. He claims that he was once the king of a faraway land, and offers a piece of sage advice if you give him a few coins.

A badly injured soldier sits propped up against a tree. Ten mangled bodies lie nearby.

A small army numbering about 50 prepares to go to war. As they ready their horses and don their armor, shamans attempt to divine a good omen for the coming fight.

A small army, numbering a bit over 40, returns victorious from a battle. They carry loot from their defeated enemies, as well as the bodies of the few who fell. They speak excitedly about the tattoos they will wear when they come home.

A small army, numbering in their 20s, returns defeated from a battle. Their armor is torn and weathered, their weapons are dented and broken, and their dead are piled on a cart.

A rocky overhand has created a small point of shade. Some nomads have already set up camp here, and invite the party to join them for a friendly wrestling match.

A Dow priest is scolding a group of nomads over the supposed backwardness of their religion. The nomads do not look pleased.

A giant has fallen asleep at the bottom of a small cliff. Its snores can be heard for miles around.

A Qunguskan man is burying his fallen friend. Nearby, several Akavars look on in disgust at this strange practice.

Monks from Kypra are attempting to build a small monastery at the base of a hill. They’ve recruited some local nomads to haul stone blocks to the building site.

The weather suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Heavy rain barrages the steppes, causing a flash flood in low-lying areas.

A giant drum, ten feet in diameter, lies abandoned in the grass.

A horse with full saddlebags, three goats, and four sheep, but no people.

A dozen or so nomad children have formed a “warband” and want you to pay them “ransom.” They’re armed with wooden sticks.

A pack of wolves eyes you as a tasty meal, but finds you too big a threat to approach.

Young, star-crossed lovers ride away from their clan’s caravan, looking to find a secluded place to elope.

A caravan of merchants passes by. They carry spices, amber, silk, salt many other goods. They might be willing to barter.

Three friends are bathing in a stream. They laugh and tease each other. Someone else has stolen their clothes.

The coronation of a new ruler for a nomadic clan takes place. There is much singing, dancing and carousing.

A group of nomads are practicing their horse archery skills. They lean to their right, using their own horses as cover, before firing their bows to the left.

A lone hermit, thin and malnourished, sits in the open field, waiting patiently for enlightenment.

Mounted warriors approach a small hamlet. The farmers plead for their lives. The warriors demand tribute and wealth.

A wanderer, half-mad, approaches you. She begs for you to free her from “demons” and “ghosts.”

Soldiers lead a gang of bloodied, ashen-faced prisoners behind them.

The corpses of diseased sheep lie rotting in the grass, abandoned to save the rest of the flock.

A nomad clan hosts a wrestling tournament at their camp. Prospective champions come from all around Akavan to test their mettle. The grand prize: a healthy white steed.

An adult griffin, with a 20-foot wingspan, snatches a bear cub and hauls it into the sky.

An ambush! A snare lies hidden in the grass by a small tree. Highway robbers emerge to take your valuables.

An old senile shaman approaches you with a riddle. "I have two bodies, but both are joined as one. The stiller I stand, the quicker I run. What am I?" The answer: an hourglass. He gives you a flower if you get it right.

A large griffin flies overhead, its shadow sprinting across the grass.

A family of war refugees is hastily trying to repair a broken axle on their cart. They seem exhausted and defenseless.

A cartographer from the Dow Empire scribbles notes on one of his maps. He offers to sell you a map of Akavan.

A nomad and her wife are sitting by a stream. Suddenly, one of them falls in, and flails desperately due to her lack of ability to swim.

Some nomads have organized a horse race. The fastest rider among ten wins a healthy brown steed.

A pack of dogs chases after you, barking like mad. Behind them, a crotchety old man screams for them to stop barking at every passerby.

A wandering Gondwanan artist offers to paint a portrait of you in exchange for 50 gold coins.

Nomads unwind at their camp after a long day. They're drinking, smoking weed out of large pipes, and exchanging embarrassing yet funny stories.

A falconer asks if you have any water to spare; he lost his waterskin days ago and has been thirsty ever since.

A young, wounded griffin unsuccessfully attempts to take flight. Its mother is nowhere to be seen.

A shrine to the Holy Three sits alone in the grass, but it seems someone has taken all the offerings. That someone lies dead nearby, his head caved in by a blunt force.

Two bounty hunters approach their quarry. The target hesitates for a second, then runs toward you begging for help.

A crowd has surrounded the largest tent in a nomad camp, shouting obscenities and throwing rocks. Inside the tent is the clan leader, accused of cowardice by fleeing a battle before it even began.

Six spears protrude from the ground in a semicircle, each adorned with a severed head.

A young girl wearing a bone mask stokes a small campfire. She claims that she's a witch in training, and that her mentor told her to keep the fire lit for when she comes back.

A circular area with a 100-foot radius is cleared of all vegetation. In the center lies a 50-foot tall black obelisk. Entering the dirt circle causes crippling migraines, intense nausea, and an urgent need for sleep.

A woman is trying to fix her horse's saddle. The seat has somehow split cleanly in half. She has no idea how this could have happened.