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Sannath Khai is an anomaly in many ways. It is a vast plateau, ringed by some of the highest mountains in the Known World, rivaling even those of the nearby FarSpar Mountains to the west. Despite being located in the center of the Keller Lands, the inhabitants of Sannath Khai are not Keller at all. Sannath Khai is isolated by climate and elevation, ruled by a theocracy of monks and clerics, unapproachable and thus far unconquerable. Few people travel in and out of the cold plateau, and those who do tell wild and contradictory stories. Conventional magic is weak and unreliable there, and that the Keller and Pershamon gods do not seem to respond to prayers in Sannath Khai.The land is known as Sannath Khai, while the people are simply the Sannath. Sannath Khai is surrounded by several neighbors, including the Keller Empire to the east, and Durham, Pine March, and Mismallon in the west. Sannath Khai maintains no formal relations with any of its neighbors, though several minor Dwarven clans have trading privileges through the western mountain passes, and the Keller Empire maintains a small diplomatic legation in the "capital city". The Keller Empire has attempted to invade Sannath Khai three times in the past, but the difficulties presented by conditions, combined with fanatical resistance and negligible benefits to conquering it mean that it has never succeeded for more than a short time.
As mentioned previously, Sannath Khai is located near the center of the Keller Lands, yet is geographically and culturally isolated from it. Physically it is a plateau roughly the size of modern Poland, surrounded on all sides by high mountains with only a handful of navigable passes. In the southeast corner lies the Sanna Escarpment, a series of sheer cliffs dotted by small waterfalls that make up the only regularly passable approach to the region. Most of Sannath Khai is at high altitude, with air pressure so low that travelers to the region must acclimate before attempting physically strenuous activity. The plateau itself is fairly rough terrain, rolling hills and rocky areas interspersed with grasslands and numerous shallow rivers and small lakes, themselves fed from glacial and snow melt in the mountains. The plateau receives little rainfall, and is cool and windy most of the year.
Due to its isolation and low population, Sannath Khai has more trouble with dangerous creatures than one might expect in a region so close to the core of Keller civilization. The mountains around the plateau are infested with all of the usual sorts of creatures, but most significantly are a large population of Yetis that seem to be part of keeping Sannath Khai isolated. In the past, the mountains were home to giants and dragons, but few if any have been seen in living memory. Orcs and Ogres are established in significant numbers, inhabiting the wastelands in small roaming bands that occasionally come together to menace human communities. Goblinoids, on the other hand, seem to be almost nonexistent in Sannath Khai, though the reason for this is not known. Out on the plains, Bulettes and Ankhegs are a regular threat, as are such predators as Wyverns and Manticores.
Religion: It is impossible to understand the land of Sannath Khai without first understanding the religious tradition that its entire civilization is ordered around. The religion is simply known as "Satu", which is also the name of the universal single god of the Sevastin religion. The Sannath Khai definition of Satu is a very different one; there, the term refers to "ultimate reality". This is itself a vague term, easily confused or misinterpreted, but the entire religion can be very loosely thought of as similar to Buddhism. Unlike their Sevastin cousins, the Sannath believe that all mortal beings mistake parts of reality for the whole itself. The goal of Satu is to attain perfect understanding of ultimate reality, and either become one with it or transcend it, depending on the particular school in question. Satu is divided among several major "traditions", each subdivided into countless 'schools", all separated by seemingly trivial points of doctrine of dogma. These doctrines are derived from the myriad interpretations of a series of religious texts called the "Satu Canon", fourteen separate scriptures written or compiled by sages and scholars during the "Age of the First Kings" (two or three thousand years past). All traditions within the faith use the term "Satu" for both religion and reality, and all believe in some form of reincarnation. All of the traditions reject foreign gods as either demons bent on misdirection, or simply powerful spirits mistaken for gods by the ignorant. Even the Sevastin monotheistic understanding of Satu is regarded as foolish, primitive, and flawed - a subject of pity rather than contempt. There were originally three major schools, now represented by the three oldest temples. The three main schools include the "Holy Unchanging School", which emphasizes following ancient traditional methods; the "Ultimate Discerning Path", which focuses on scholarship and interpretation; and the "Evershining Light of Wisdom" which emphasizes meditation and rituals. Two thousand years of splits and succession disputes and doctrinal arguments have led to over a dozen currently in existence. In general, if the split is a fresh one, the temples do not get along. The three main schools have come to a comfortable accommodation with each other, but schismatic and reformist temples often do open battle with one another.
Society: Sannath Khai is a theocracy by most definitions, albeit not a particularly centralized one. Most of Sannath Khai is dominated by one of several religious orders, each of which has a major temple and town as its headquarters, as well as numerous minor branch temples scattered around. Each order is ruled by an "Enlightened Master", with individual temples ruled by abbots and other clergy, depending on the specific nature and structure of the order. The clergy of each temple includes members of various classes, mostly clerics and monks, but also a smattering of paladins and a few others. Ranks and status within the religious community varies wildly depending on the religious order in question, but most clergy refer to one another as "Brother" or "Sister". The majority of Sannath are peasants, illiterate, pious, and superstitious. They nearly always defer to religious authorities, in exchange for which they are well looked after by the healers and warriors of the priestly class. Most peasants are herders or farmers; herders tend to live out on the plains, while farming takes place anywhere there is water and shelter from the chill mountain winds. Most live in countless tiny villages and hamlets, some ruled by a wealthy land owners, others simply isolated and independent. This vestigial landed nobility is a remnant from ancient times when a king ruled the plateau with a large and powerful nobility. Following a bloody civil war and chaos, the religious authorities of the land assumed control, and have held it ever since. These nobles have comparatively little influence outside their domains.
Towns in Sannath Khai are either market towns, the scene of what little economy occurs here, or monastery towns, large settlements that have developed around the vast fortified religious centers of the region. Economic activity in temple towns tends to be aimed at supporting the temples.
The "capital" as recognized by the outside world is the trading town of Khaizern, a southern town noted as a gateway town to the Sanna Escarpment and the lands beyond. The Keller Empire maintains its legation here, as do a few other outside entities. The various major monasteries likewise maintain a presence in the town, representatives in a governing council called the Radiant Concordance. The Concordance has little authority over internal affairs of each of its members, but serves to coordinate inter-order and international actions. It generally only meets once a year near the lunar new year, or when the head of a major order calls for a meeting during some time of crisis. Commerce is extremely limited in Sannath Khai, mostly conducted in barter. Foreign coinage is rarely accepted outside of Khaizern; a noteworthy exception is that most temples will accept the currency of Durham, a result of generations of open trade between the monks of Sannath Khai and the Dwarves of the mountains.
Sannath Khai is a human-dominated region, ruled by an insular, ethnically distinct people. As a result, outsiders of any sort stand out clearly. Reactions to foreigners vary by region. In general, peasants will avoid interaction with foreigners, and will report their presence to the nearest authorities. Peaceful groups and individuals traveling either with escort or clear permission to be in Sannath Khai will be treated with a sort of benign neglect most of the time, mostly ignored. Nonhumans will not be singled out for their strangeness - an orc, elf, halfling, lizardman, or a foreign human will all be treated identically based on context. Dwarves are an exception - because they are the sole regular contact to the outside world, Dwarves will usually be invited to barter or trade, regardless of their actual profession. Hostile outsiders will be met with immediate and ferocious resistance by nearly every Sannath around - theirs is a holy land, and they do not fear death in defense of it. Such a death ensures reincarnation in a better position.
Magic: For outsiders, the most distinctive and difficult characteristic is the disruption of magic within Sannath Khai. Spellcasting ranges from difficult to impossible within Sannath Khai, and the severity can change by time, place, and circumstance - often randomly and without warning. Any time the issue comes up, roll on the following table to determine the hindrances on spellcasters. By waiting 1d6+1 hours or moving 1d6+1 miles, a spellcaster can roll again on the table.
These troublesome and dangerous conditions afflict all spellcasters regardless of class, with few exceptions. Religious classes who are followers of Satu are unaffected, as are Warlocks who have a "Great Old One" as their patron. It is rumored that there are rituals and specific disciplines that will allow a spellcaster to operate safely in Sannath Khai, but they are not widely known. Magic items are similarly affected by the magical disruptions, as all spell effects are treated as halved, at disadvantage, or do half damage as appropriate.
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