Mongala

Mongala is the name for the Tu-Holo desert and parts of the Kunlun, Altai, Hanga and Khinghan ranges, a savage land thought to teem with dreadful monsters and unnamed dangers. Its only human inhabitants are the Mongalans, sallow-skinned nomads who hunt and herd goats, yak and wild ponies on the grassy plains at the desert's northern edge, always moving on because good pasture is scarce.

Mongalan men are expert trackers and archers with the short bow. Not aggressive by nature, they fight fiercely and are reputed to be the finest horsemen and mounted archers in all Jambu. In winter the tribes go up into the foothills and mountains to hunt, and a lack of game or a brutal winter sometimes drives desperate tribes to raid neighbors such as Himvati and Khitai.

Nowhere else in Mongala is safe for people. The Kunlun and parts of the other ranges swarm with snow leopards and yeti, and the desert belongs to great tribes of hideous ogres who live mainly on wild ponies but particularly relish human flesh; at least one tribe is said to keep human captives and breed them for food.