Sankhar has long been a melting pot of peoples, from its original Reet settlers to all the
Eastern nomads of the Western Khanate, not to mention the various southern peoples that settled
in the port of Tammarik. The ancestry of a Sankhat might even include travellers from far
Kandia. The bulk of the Sankhat in
Cambria, however, are refugees that fled from the first
incursions of the
Gnoll Horde in 622. A second smaller wave of
Sankhat immigrants occurred as a result of
Second Gnoll War in the early part
of the ninth century. Both waves of immigrants came mainly form the northern and eastern regions of Sankhar.
Many of the Sankhats who fled into the West were craftsmen and shopkeepers whose towns had been obliterated by the Gnolls. They therefore settled mainly in the large towns and cities
of Cambria. By and large they were welcomed by the Cambrians who appreciated that Sankhar was holding the line for the Western Kingdoms. As well as their own traditions and
customs the Sankhats brought with them many skills particularly with regard to weaving and tailoring. It had been the custom in Sankhar to wear more brightly coloured clothes often with elaborate embroidery and the skills of the Sankhats soon led to different fashions being created for the more wealthy inhabitants of Cambria.
The Sankhats also brought with them an order of monks, the
Order of the Golden Light who acted as arbiters and counsellors in their community
which reduced the level of crime. The Sankhats and Reets have intermarried extensively but the Sankhat culture has not died. Sankhat festivals are still celebrated enthusiastically in most large towns and cities
and those with Sankhat blood still like to wear the traditional dress for such occasions.