Beastlands

Veldorn is home to many creatures: giants, ogres, orcs, goblinoids, gnolls, thri-kreen, kenku, yuan-ti, lizardfolk, lycanthropes, and minotaurs. Most of these groups are mere wandering tribes. However, some settle down and form city-states.

The Kingdom of Veldorn has long since been forgotten. Once standing as a proud nation alongside Durpar and Estagund, it was reduced to a monstrous wasteland well over a thousand years ago. Since then, various factions within it have struggled with each other for power, only uniting together when threatened by an outside force. 

Largely kept at bay by Durpar and Estagund, these monsters were left to contend with themselves. Things changed in the decades following the Spellplague, when the world seemed like a more dangerous place and much of civilization suffered to hold their own against monstrous threats. This caused the monsters of Veldorn to become more bold, seeing Estagund and especially Durpar as easy pickings. Raids against these nations increased, causing the Beastlands to become more prosperous, causing yet more monsters to flock to the bountiful lands, which only increased the attacks further. 

Recently, large numbers of monstrous tribes were swallowed into Durpar; became part of a new, monstrous nation. Suddenly the balance of power has shifted and it seems as though Durpar is preparing to expand and bring the “uncivilised” creatures of Veldorn under their control.

Nawab

A Nawab was the title of the leading, or most wealthy, merchant in a city or town within the Shining Lands. Nawabs served as a mayor of sorts. They were responsible for appointing judges, maintaining a security force, collecting taxes, and performing other various functions of local government.

The “monsters” of Veldorn are separated into competing tribes and city-states. Alliances between the various factions of Veldorn are constantly shifting and changing. Conflict between them is commonplace, and can vary between being relatively tame and incredibly intense. The monsters may unite against outside threats to their shared lands, but beyond that they have no loyalty to each other.

Because the creatures of Veldorn are so diverse, there's little that unites them. Most share an attitude of brutal aggression, will take what they can from outsiders, and assume outsiders are similarly motivated. Most tribes and city-states are simply ruled by whoever has the might or cunning to rise to the top. Fairness, justice and honour matter little to them. One thing that unites many of the factions with each other and the rest of the Shining Lands is a shared belief in the Adama. Unlike the rest of the Shining Lands, while they believe in an all encompassing essence that makes up everything, they don't believe its existence should govern their actions. Instead, they see the spiritual world as just another front to attack their foes on. Some tribes even employ “karmaturges”; shamans who are said to be skilled at manipulating the Adama, sending ripples of negative energy against their foes.

It's said to be beholders that reduced the Kingdom of Veldorn to a monstrous wasteland. Indeed, to this day, Veldorn is still occasionally threatened by beholders. This is because the Underdark beneath Veldorn is a place of untamed wilderness. It is filled with numerous aberrations and their humanoid slaves. Much like in Veldorn, these monsters compete with each other for domination. The most powerful of these factions is the hive mothers. Hive mothers are a form of beholder that are larger and more cunning than most of their kin. However, their most dangerous ability is their twisted charisma, which compels lesser beholderkin to follow and obey them. Occasionally a beholder will manage to defy a hive mother's strange charisma. Typically, these beholders are killed instantly. However, a small number of them manage to escape, typically making their way to the surface. It is usually these beholders that menace Veldorn. However, some hive mothers have been known to send a small contingent of beholders to the surface in the hopes of bringing Veldorn under their control.

Demonic Battleground. Recently, the gnoll and minotaur tribes of Veldorn have become increasingly aggressive, attacking and abducting anyone they can find. Rumour has it that both tribes are performing bloody sacrifices in their demon lord's name, (Yeenoghu for the gnolls, and Baphomet for the minotaurs). Supposedly, both tribes are engaged in a race, trying to summon their demon lord into the Material Plane before the other. Many dismiss all this as mere superstition on the part of both tribes, however others are preparing for the possibility that Veldorn might be the battleground for a demonic duel.