Sagath

Originally from Serek in the East, the Sagath were one of the first tribes conquered by the Great Khan as he began the westward expansion of his empire. A nomadic people like their northern cousins the Logath they were uprooted from their homeland, incorporated into the Khan's armies and eventually resettled in the southern plains of Sankhar.

A crucial difference between the Sagath and the Logath and indeed also the Khazaks themselves is that the Sagath retained their ancient animistic religion and were uninfluenced by Kadian philosophy. Their outlook on life was therefore at odds with their conquerors and they bitterly resented being resettled so far from their holy sites, the veneration of which had formed an important part of their religious practices.

In -11 the arrest of a Sagath chieftain in Rhiavod led to the kidnapping of imperial officials in the south and after some ill-thought out responses from the Khan a wholesale rebellion on the southern plains. The rebellion was defeated by imperial troops aided by Kenzin and Marwhini levies. The aftermath was, however, brutal with many Sagath chieftains being executed along with the whole of their families. In order to keep the Sagath quiet a series of imperial forts was built across the southern plains. In 43, however, conflict between Khazak and Kadia led to the withdrawal of many imperial troops from Sankhar and these forts became undermanned. When political turmoil gripped both the Eastern and Western Khanates in 57 therefore the Sagath saw their chance for revenge and many of these forts went up in flames. This time, however, the whole of Sankhar rose in rebellion and the Khan was deposed and exiled.

The relationship between the Sagath and the other inhabitants of the newly independent Sankhar remained a difficult one, however, and in the fifth century the expansionist ambitions of the Western Khans led them to seduce the Sagath chieftains with promises that they would help them regain their ancient homeland. In 442 the army of the Western Khanate invaded Sankhar and thanks to the treachery of the Sagaths the Sankhats were defeated. In 483 the Sagath moved East across the Western Khanate to fight the troops of the Eastern Khanate who barred the way to their homeland.

The involvement of the Sagath in the conflict between the East and West Khanates did not go well, however, with the Sagath themselves suffering heavy casualties and the Eastern Khanate successfully defending its borders. Later that year the Sankhats reclaimed their independence leaving the Sagaths no way back even if they had wanted to return to Sankhar. After the war in the east was over the Western Khans allowed the Sagath to settle in Uglith near the borders with the Eastern Khanate thus acting as a buffer between the two realms. The Sagath are believed to have survived the collapse of the Western Khanate and have defended their new homeland against the depredations of the Gnoll Horde.

Not all the Sagath, however, answered the call to migrate east. Many had taking up farming and were relectant to be uprooted while some had moved to the cities. There are therefore many citizens of Sankhar of Sagath descent but their unique culture has been lost to the southern plains, only preserved by some minor tribes in the extreme south and east of the country.



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