The Western Oblast is the westernmost oblast region of Kislev. It is found between the River Lynsk and the Lesser Tobol, and includes the massive moorland known as the Blight. The Western Oblast is largely flat, steppe-like terrain and almost completely devoid of forest. Most of the region is composed of steppelands, but the southern regions and the area near the Empire’s border are farmed to a significant extent.
This region bore the brunt of the Great War Against Chaos in the 24th century IC, and the overwhelming majority of its settlements were sacked at that time, including the city of Erengrad. The people of the Western Oblast have spent much of the last two centuries rebuilding, but the land is till marked by the signs of old devastation everywhere.[1a]
In general, the Western Oblast has the warmest summers in Kislev. But the wind patterns over the Sea of Claws mean heavy blizzards occasionally fall even during the height of summer. The snow rarely lasts long, but it always throws life in the oblast into disarray.[1a]
The People[]
The population of the Western Oblast is largely comprised of ethnic Gospodars mixed with a sprinkling of Ungols. Most of the Ungols are relatively recent immigrants, as they were driven out of the region completely when the invading Gospodars arrived centuries ago.[1a]
In the past, the people of this region were the most open to outsiders, and had the most interactions with the merchants who came to Kislev. Isolated settlements were rarer here than elsewhere, though not unheard of, and most of the region's tirsas and stanitsas traded with one another freely.[1a]
The Chaos incursion two hundred years ago during the Great War Against Chaos utterly devastated the whole area, leaving very few settlements viable; many were completely destroyed, leaving nothing more than a tainted patch of earth. The remaining people are determined to continue the reconstruction efforts and reclaim their land, but the process has proved difficult.
Many long-established tirsas are now too small to be viable, and while their governing atamans recognise the need to amalgamate the settlements, they are often unwilling to relinquish their authority through such a combination. Some of the region's boyars are trying to impose unions on their villages whether theoir atamans agree or not, worried that the pride of their people may yet lead to the death of those whose ancestors survived the war.[1a]
Naturally, most people resent such heavy-handed control. The only reason the region has not descended into political anarchy is that people are too busy trying to survive to bother their neighbours.[1a]