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Khitani
Khitai is the mysterious land of the East,
home of powerful sorceries and ancient
mysteries. Khitai is nearly legendary to
the average Hyborian, although the more
easterly peoples (such as the Turanians
and Vendhyans) maintain considerable
commerce with the kingdoms of Khitai.
Khitai's borders are ill-defined, as no
other "kingdom" lies near it. The Khitans
themselves mark their western boundary
at the Great Wall and the mountains
upon which it is built. This mountain
range runs north to the trackless, icy
wastes, and south to the Southern Sea. Khitani Wizard
Over the centuries, the peoples of Khitai have merged into a homogeneous race: slender, of medium
height, with parchment-yellow skin, narrow eyes, sharp features, high foreheads, and oval faces. Some
regional variation exists (Southerners, for example, tend to be shorter and thicker about the waist), but the
distinctions are almost invisible to Westerners. (They are very visible to the Khitans.)
Khitan behavior is wrapped in complex ceremonies. Each member of Khitan society has a place in the
structure and codes of behavior which must be followed. These codes do not prevent personal initiative.
The Khitans believe that those who best obey the codes will be rewarded by the gods. From this, they
deduce that "the winner was right," and this success-oriented approach gives them a penchant for
treachery and double-dealing which would cause a Hyborian noble to blanch.
One confusing aspect of these codes is the extreme politeness of the Khitan demeanor. Most Western
traders find this unctuousness irritating, if harmless; successful traders recognize the traps concealed in this
veneer of respect and watch their backs.
Khitan law flows from the overlord of the city-state. The overlord makes the laws and often personally
judges major criminal cases, although most overlords appoint jurists to try and punish criminals. Fines are
common, although for serious crimes or those who upset the status quo, mutilation and death are the
usual punishments.
Unlike the Hyborian lands, where judges are often subject to financial influence, it is very difficult to
bribe a judge in Khitai. On the other hand, a judge is often subject to the political concerns of his clan or
faction, and may well ignore the law and the truth to accomplish some "higher" political purpose.
Just as Stygia has its Black Ring, and Hyperborea its White Hand, the sorcerers of Khitai are bound into
a brotherhood of power: the Scarlet Circle. The Circle, like its counterparts in the West, is a hierarchy of
dominance. Each wizard is served by those weaker, and in turn serves those more powerful in the
sorcerous arts. At the pinnacle of this pyramid stands the sorcerer Yah Chieng, ruler of the city-state of
Paikang, whose demons and sorceries are feared by all the East.
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