Most of this region is wedged in between the Rockwood and Mislari mountain ranges, which are impassable to all except trolls, flying creatures and the occasional Hero. To reach the East Wilds you must therefore travel by one of five basic routes. The most common approaches are from the west; either by the Doskior River from Naskorion, through Vustria (with the intermittent Issaries caravans from Vesmonstran) or southwest from Maniria via Basim or Helby. A fourth alternative is to join one of the Argan Argar insect caravans between Halikiv and Guhan, the other troll queendom in Ralios. These are said to sometimes pass over (or under?) the mountains to reach Shadows Dance or the Shadow Plateau. The really, really adventurous might opt for joining Lunar traders going through Dorastor, but the dangers involved should be obvious.
Much of the terrain is covered by rolling hills and primeval forests, where undergrowth is sparse and deciduous trees predominate (roughly 90%); the exceptions being northern Delela, where you can find wide stretches of moorland, and Keanos, where the conifer-covered hills are rockier and more precipitous, leaving most of the rainfall to collect in pockets of swamp. The areas specifically marked as forest on the maps are only those completely untouched by cultivation - you can hardly go anywhere in Delela or Saug without having at least a copse of trees nearby.
The most fertile farmland is found in the river valleys, especially those formed by the Doskior and Allspring rivers. Being very old (they were once much larger, and drained into the sea that is now only Felster Lake), they have dug ravines through parts of the landscape - at points even actual canyons.
Most of the wildlife is unremarkable in type - apart from the elusive "flying dogs" and occasional strange beings from the Wonderwood. What is noticeable, however, is the high concentration of certain normal species: horses, deer and elk for instance. This is of course a result of the continued hsunchen presence. The grazer stock is kept from getting out of hand by hunting (both Orlanthi and rival hsunchen) and incursions of 'foreign' predators: wolves from Vustria, shadow cats from Keanos.
Most of the Orlanthi can count the original hsunchen natives as their ancestors. They have hair in various shades of brown or red, eyes ranging from brown to green, and skin that tans easily. Because there has been some immigration - colonists from Dragon Pass and Dorastor during the Dawn Age and a mixed bunch of refugees during the Age of Empires - the other hues possible in warerans sometimes show up. For some reason, unusual-looking people seem to congregate in the cities.
People in Delela, Saug and Keanos all speak Theyalan dialects, known as Delelan, Saugan and Keano. A speaker of any of these automatically has 2/3 his skill in the other two, 1/3 in the other Theyalan dialects of Ralios (such as Lankan or Naskori), and 1/10 in any Theyalan tongue. There is no real writing in use; a primitive form of Theyalan runes are used to make runestones and could theoretically be used on paper or parchment as well, but there is precious little of these materials in the Wilds. Storytellers sometimes use sticks carved with notches in a system of varying depth and width as a mnemonic aid, but this does not qualify as writing: you have to memorize the words (through oral instruction) at some point, the "storysticks" merely provide rhythm, metre and some hints as to the emotional content.
As noted previously, the most fertile farmland lies adjacent to the rivers - thus the population tends to concentrate there, mainly growing wheat (Ralia's grain). Pigs and poultry are raised on the farms, and higher ground is used as grazing for sheep. Cattle is kept by many clans, though far from all, and there is a certain rivalry between the clans that are predominantly farmers and those that rely heavily on cattle-herding. The second most common beast of burden (after the ox) is the native horse; a small, sturdy and agile breed. Only the brave or foolhardy use horses for riding: if you should happen to meet a band of Galanini, they will take exception to this treatment of their brethren. But hitching them to carts, wagons or chariots presents no problem. Dogs are used by shepherds for practical reasons, but cats are the preferred pet. Shadow cats are a special case: in Delela and Saug a smaller breed (SIZ 3-4; only kittens are SIZ 1 or 2) is found, and is rare enough to be reserved for the wealthy. Larger cats (adult SIZ 5-6) are common in Keanos, where they are both trained for the hunt and allowed to roam wild.
The typical Orlanthi extended family consists of 20-30 people, living in round timber houses (with conical thatched roofs) on a farmstead, and affiliated with a clan. The clan is usually centred on a village, built up of smaller houses (5-10 persons in each), where craftsmen and other specialists reside. At least, this is the norm in Delela. Saugian clans are as a rule smaller, and are often concentrated in a village-like clump of farms. In Keanos, a single stead can be home to an entire clan, since up to 80% of its members can be out hunting or herding at any given time (during the cold seasons, tents are pitched around the house for additional space). The cities are exceptional in having a good deal of rectangular buildings; this is in Kilwin mainly due to foreign influences, in the other two a result of refurbishing old ruins.
Most clans are self-sufficient in everything except salt and raw metals, so trade is rather sporadic. The aforementioned Issaries and Argan Argar caravans usually stop at Kilwin and Istakax, while the river trade from Safelster also reaches Dorflik. For the past four decades or so, foreign traders have appeared out of Karia once a year, claiming to worship the moon and to have crossed Dorastor and Kartolin Pass. This is an obvious hoax: they're just some northerners who for unfathomable reasons have chosen to travel through Ormsland (and possibly Telmoria as well).
Politics in the East Wilds is a complicated matter. While there does exist a formal organization on the tribal level, with various parties manoeuvring for power on the councils, getting clan leaders to pay attention is always a struggle. Real influence is more a matter of personal charisma than of having a place in the hierarchy. A combination of the two is of course a good way to entrench your position. Things get even more complex in the cities, where there are constant clashes between municipal and tribal authority, and "foreign affairs" becomes more than a question of who to raid this year.
The Lightbringers are all present, though only the Chalana Arroy cultists play their standard role. Eurmali tricksters are relatively common in Delela and Saug, and their outlaw status is usually only taken seriously if they commit an actual crime. Issaries is mainly the god of heralds and messengers; his trading aspects are only represented in the cities. Sages of Lhankor Mhy are lawspeakers, runecarvers and keepers of the oral tradition; there are no such things as libraries or 'research' in this region.
Many other deities of the Orlanth pantheon are worshipped by their normal adherents: Gustbran (smiths), Mastakos (charioteers), Minlister (brewers) and Odayla (hunters). Humakt was once popular in the Wilds but has been supplanted by Orlanth, and now only has temples in Kilwin and Dorflik. Storm Bull cultists haven't found this area very attractive - there's too little obvious chaos. But there are a good number of hopeful Uroxi in the tribes bordering Karia, from which the occasional monster does appear. And the recent influx of suspicious-looking types in red is encouraging.
There are a number of important local divinities, most obviously Ralia the Wheat Mother. Also in the fertility business is Pastoma, goddess of the Allspring river, and her numerous daughter-naiads (who are spirits of the various tributaries). Doskior, god of the river by the same name, is more inclined towards travel and commerce. Several local Heroes serve to personify aspects of Orlanth: Nikur of Blackburn (Thunderous), Aringor Darstalsson (Lightbringer), Alakoring Dragonbreaker (Rex) and Retter the Stalker (Adventurous).