- Syrkarn is free. Though nominally a protectorate of Riedra, Syrkarn and its people owe no fealty to that land or its Inspired overlords. When occasional muttering chalks this fact up only to Riedra's apparent lack of interest in Syrkarn. a pint or two of ustah and a toast to the past will drown it out.
- In the past, greatness lingers. The eneko are descendants of ogres and half-giants, the latter thought to be the progeny of Sarlonan humans and giant explorers from ancient Xen'drik. From this lineage, the mongrel tribes believe that the blood of both the mighty titans of Xen'drik and the former sorcerer-kings of Sarlona flows in their veins.
- The yuan-ti once held this land in the iron grip of dark magic—and seek to do so again. The yuan-ti empire that rose in the ruins of Khunan is one of the few pieces of old Sarlonan history still predominant in the age of Riedra. Some speculate that this is so because Riedra wants it that way, and many Syrks question whether the yuan-ti are a force to be fought along with the Inspired, or a potential ally in the fight against Sarlona's masters.
- The giant-based faiths of the mongrel ogres hide dark secrets. The eneko tribes follow religious traditions drawn from the faith of ancient Xen'drik. However, it is said that dark cults among the mongrel ogres use the veneration of Karrak (thought to be an aspect of the Keeper) to conceal the practice of dark magic.
- Beneath the beauty of Syrkarn, dark things abide. No one who has ridden the Itzaina range or spent a night within sight of the Whitewater can deny the natural splendor that is Syrkarn. At the same time, whispered rumors speak of a nameless darkness in the desert, and of voices that call to those who walk the plains alone. Some who seek to define this darkness speak of connections between the fragmentary legends of the yuan-ti and the lore of the Age of Fiends. What the truth is, none can say.
Steppes, savannahs, and deserts punctuated by hills, mountains, and a few rivers and lakes make up the harsh terrain of Syrkarn. Unnatural weather and roving planar disturbances reinforce the inhospitable nature of the place. But life survives there nonetheless, in small villages and nomadic tribes. Most of the residents are ogres, goliaths, or humans descended from Riedran refugees. These races live and trade on the plains, in the mountains, and in permanent settlements, interrupted by intermittent intertribal wars usually fomented by the Inspired.
Four kingdoms of old Sarlona once claimed portions of Syrkarn, and Unknown ruled there before humans ever did. They named the land Syrkarn, and the remnants of their civilization linger among the ruins of the four kingdoms and those from the Age of Demons. Ancient lore suggests that a rakshasa rajah once escaped a prison in Syrkarn, only to be bound again. This legend, combined with the ruggedness of the land, explains why the Inspired never conquered Syrkarn.
Five thousand years before the arrival of the Inspired and the present age, the nations now known collectively as Syrkarn were the jewels in the imperial crown of old Sarlona. Today, only ancient stonework and half-forgotten legends mark the fall, passing, and rebirth of this land. Still, to those who have inherited this seemingly inhospitable kingdom, Syrkarn offers a gift denied to both the warring nations of the past and the Inspired-dominated lands of the present. To its people, Syrkarn is the promise of freedom.