The Vasteripresh is a vast plain of scrubland between Cunabulum and Luxiterra, a dry and hostile land ill suited to agriculture and civilisation. It is dry, infertile and thinly populated land flanked by the Vasi Sea to the roundwards, the Palaan Sea to the counterroundwards, Genida darkwards, and the three lakes and Apjibar lightwards.
Following the collapse of the Empire, the larger towns and cities of the Vasteripresh quietly became independent, collecting tribute from the lands within a day or two's ride, but little further, and transporting none of it onwards. Several in the counterroundwards of the Vasteripresh converted to the Bookburner religion, and reduced (though didn't fully emancipate) their number of slaves. This was largely ignored by both the Empire and the Faith due to their remoteness and relatively poverty compared to the Imperial heartland. Skirmishes would break out between them, often fighting for slaves, gold or some other tribute, but rarely would one conquer another and usually not for long. Over a few decades, four cities stood out foremost - Virec on the Palaan coast, Casicur and Devuur at more fertile locations in the plain, and Vaster on the Vasi Sea (note Vastur is another city, much further darkwards, also on the Vasi Sea - both stem from the High Magnapuri word for roundwards at varying points were proclaimed the most easterly city of the Empire).
This relative status quo would change with the advent of the Beastlord, a mysterious goliath skinchanger who emerged in Virec in 1139 YM. Through his magics, whether subtle and deceitful, or powerful and ruinous, he overthrew the Thakur of the city and led it on a military campaign roundwards, conquering the Vasteripresh. Casicur fell in 1147, and Devuur in 1151. Eventually, he reached the Vasi Sea, and Vaster fell in 1160, after a protracted siege that ended with the Beastlord shapeshifting into one of the defenders and opening the gates for his own army. As the largest of the four cities, the Beastlord quickly declared Vaster his capital, much to the chagrin of the distant city of his origin.
Though he has attempted a few invasions of Apjibar, the Kandran Rajdom and once the Vintlesh Majanacy, the Beastlord failed to conquer any of them, stymied by revolts in Vasteripresh at the opposite end of his reign to where he was fighting. Though a powerful mage, he knows little of bureaucracy or delegation, and cities seem to either collapse into turmoil or rise in revolt as soon as he leaves them. His coarse manner has resulted in no allies, and many of the surrounding states would be very willing to invade the Vasteripresh while the Beastlord was looking the other way. Nevertheless, on a battlefield he represents a dangerous opponent, often willing to go to extreme lengths to secure victory.
In 1181 YM, the Vasteripresh is a state held together purely by the will of the Beastlord, surrounded by enemies, and riddled from within by separatist factions. Most of the region speaks Vasti, though some regions speak Jibari or Low Magnapuri, and many of the nobles still speak High Magnapuri. Despite being a member of the slave races, the Beastlord has never brought full emancipation or any other religion to the Vasteripresh, so the surviving masters of his cities continue to trade in slaves and worship the Gods of the Masters, even some of those that "converted" to the Bookburner faith, while the slave and peasant population worships the Gods of the Slaves or The Bookburners. By and large, the masters adhere to their internal rulings from before the Beastlord to restrict the population of slaves, so as to preserve a more compliant populace. However, in the counterroundwards areas of the Vasteripresh, especially Virec, Bookburner ideas of full emancipation are being spread by Palaan League merchants, and revolt may not be far off.