The Bloodlands

This vast steppe used to be home to a number of nomadic tribes, but ever since the 3rd Emperor sat down with the tribal leaders and portioned out the land into official nations with set borders, this region has been host to near-constant border wars. The building of the Great Crossroads was meant to create lasting peace by making travel easier through the region, but in the end it just became one more thing to fight over. The Great Crossroads are now considered so dangerous that almost no one dares to travel on them.