The Kenzin are the people of east central Sankhar and in many ways are the glue that holds the realm together.
The area they dwell in is atypical for the country with fertile vales, hills rich in mineral resources and of
course the huge inland sea of
Tangara Naji. They are not really a separate racial group but a blend of
all the surrounding tribes in Sankhar as well as the Urgath from the area that became the Western Khanate, east of the inland sea.
In origin they were, however, mainly a combination of
Marwhini and
Urgath. Later they absorbed
Logath, Sagath, Khazak, Kadian
and Southerner populations.
The Kenzin, being a peaceful settled people among warlike nomadic tribes, took great care to emphasise their
status as neutral territory and also to be seen as fair and honest traders and in particular establishing
that outsiders could trust any verbal promises they made. As a result they were frequently used as honest
brokers in tribal disputes and developed a code of justice for dealing with such matters.
The Kenzin League which was founded in -741 is often seen as the seed of the Sankhar realm but at the time
it was just a series of trade agreements between all the settlements surrounding the Tangara Naji and indeed
included the Urgath city of Kelepar (also known as Elgaer) on the eastern shores of the sea.
Throughout the next century enterprising Kenzin merchants established trade links with many parts of the world and
in -631 a trade delegation travelled the Silk Road to far
Kadia. The trade links were followed by cultural ones and in -577 Kadian monks came to the Kenzin capital of Shrel Kain and established
a temple there. In the next few centuries Kadian philosphy became much studied by the Kenzins and eventually
came to dominate their culture and to replace the old tribal religions they inherited.
When the
Eastern Horde invaded Sankhar the Kenzin had no choice
but to surrender their independence but the Great Khan was impressed with their diplomatic skills and when a
new imperial capital was built for the province at Riavod he set up a Civil Service there which was largely
composed of Kenzin officials.
The fact that both the Western Khanate (442-483) and
Reetland (514-572) failed to rule Sankhar well, having conquered it probably owes a lot to the fact
that they replaced Kenzin officials with their own countrymen who were both less competent and more corrupt
than the Kenzin as well as failing to understand the delicate balances that kept the country together.
The blocking of the Silk Road by the
Gnoll Horde led to the consolidation of the many Kadian founded
temples in Kenzin lands and the formation of the
Order of the Golden Light which remains the dominant religious
organisation in the region to this day. It should be noted that although a sizeable minority of Kenzin (perhaps 20%)
see themselves as
Peloreans their religion too has been much influenced by Kadian
thought and their Church is not recognised by the
Pelorean Church in Reetland.
The Kenzin wear colourful clothes but rarely ostentatious jewelry. They are famed for the pageantary of their festivals and the excellence of their winemaking. Their diplomacy is also famous and well respected by all the
other races and cultures within Sankhar. Their merchants tend to be widely travelled and today can be seen in all the major
cities around the Blue Sea as well as further afield both in the Far North and the Deep South.