This is the supplement I've been waiting for for at least a decade. I have skimmed some of it and I am utterly enthralled. I've had a fantasy version of the Silk Road in my fantasy game for at least that long. Now I can file the serial numbers off and basically import this wholesale into my game. (I've used it for both DF and garden variety heroic fantasy.)
I'd like to recommend
Harold Lamb's work for inspiration. Although set in the 15th & 16th centuries, his Cossack Tales - most famously the Khlit the Cossack stories - are a gold mine of ideas. They were written for the pulps back in the 20s, but they're very well written and mostly historically accurate. There are some (including myself) who see his influence on Robert E. Howard's writing, in particular Conan. Enjoy!
__________________
Seven Kingdoms, MH (as yet unnamed), and my "pick-up" DF game war stories, characters, and other ruminations can be found
here.