The lands under the rule of the awnshegh known as the Sphinx cover the eastern half of the northern steppe. To the north it is bordered by the Asarwe, to the west by Binsada, to the south by Zikala, and to the east lies the Tarvanian Hills and the Tarvan Waste. Irbouda it is a dry and inhospitable land, but numerous Khinasi tribes still call it home, abiding by millennia-old traditions and movement patterns. There is not much to distinguish them from tribesmen of other realms, except for one thing – they must heed the wishes of the Sphinx, lest they incur the monster’s wrath. Other inhabitants of the land include a large number of gnoll tribes, mostly located in and around the Tarvanian Hills. Although also subservient to the Sphinx they are not above preying on the tribesmen – and the tribesmen are quick to kill any gnoll they can find.
Once, the city of Irbouda was the shining jewel of the steppe. Built around the great oasis that lies at the gateway to the Tarvanian Hills, it was a masterpiece of Khinasi engineering. Designed by el-Arrasi himself it was meant to civilize the wild tribes of the interior and bind them closer to the rest of Khinasi. In this the city was successful. But around the turn of the millennium Irbouda was beset by misfortune – the waters of the oasis started to dry out, there were a series of poor rulers, and the great cats of the steppe started preying on the people. Slowly people began leaving Irbouda, until finally it was but a shadow of its former self. And then the Sphinx came – wielding fearsome magic and leading an army of felines and fanatical human followers he took the city and established his own rule somewhere around 1030 HC.
The Sphinx now lairs in the ruined city of Irbouda, where he holds a mockery of a court, attended by fearful tribesmen, vicious gnolls, felines of all kinds, and the mad cult that worship the Sphinx as a god. The waters of the oasis are back, but there has been no end to the hardship of Irbouda, for the Sphinx has proven to be a most unstable ruler. At times he promotes commerce, peace, and the magical arts. At other times he becomes a ravening monster that only desires to run the plains and feel the taste of blood in his mouth. Of late it seems there is much more of the later, though they say it is having a clear spell for the time being. Add to this the harshness of the land, the fractiousness of the nomads, the bloodthirst of the gnolls, and the reluctance of civilized kingdoms to deal with awnsheghlien –even a great ruler would be hard pressed to manage.
