Population: 10,256 (89% Goblinoids, 5% Humans, 5% Tieflings, 1% Other)
Government: An oligarchy known as the Sayid Alma runs the oasis. There are 4 Sayids that make up the Sayid Alma. They enforce their strict policies via the Ma'himat, the city guards. The Sayid Alma mostly deals with issues of trade and punishment. The capitol building of Kha'anj is called the Castle of Brass. It is in the middle of the oasis, overlooking the main body of water, the Water of Life (Ma' Alhaya).
Defense: The city has no structural defenses. The main roads into it are patrolled by guards (Ma'himat), and a contingent of Ma'himat also patrol the outer edges of the city. Within the city, each of the Sayids has a large, fortified estate. They all boast impressive walls, defensive siege weaponry, and dedicated private security forces.
Commerce: The Kha'anj Oasis suffers from its location in the middle of a desert, so most goods available in the city are not from local sources. Instead, the city thrives on exotic goods delivered via merchant caravans making a stop while on their journeys through the desert. Most common goods are readily available, but higher end exotic goods are usually in rare supply.
Organizations: The Sayid Alma controls all facets of life within the city, from trade to religion to education. There are people living in the Oasis today who were either around during the Wahatan Era, or wish to return to a Skrekin societal model. This group is called the Skrekin Traditionalists. The goal of their movement is to overthrow the Sayid Alma and reinstitute the Skrekin way of life in the Oasis.
Tales have been passed down through generations in the Scorch about the great oasis at its center. There are many different ideas about its origin, but the most prevalent theory is that thousands of years ago during the Battle of the Planes, the goddess Libai was engaged in battle with the Ancient Archmages, and her hand was separated from her arm by an assailant. The hand fell to the ground and from it, the Oasis blossomed. Many theorize that the Water of Life, or Ma'Alhaya to the locals, is the blood of Libai that then pooled from the dismembered hand.
The Oasis sat mostly untouched for over two millennia after the Scourge, with travelers only ever briefly stopping by on their way through the Scorch. Permanent settlement began in 2308 PS, when a small tribal alliance of goblinoids known as the Skrekin Alliance made their home around the Oasis and constructed a small village. The period in which the Skrekin people inhabited the Oasis is known as the Wahatan Era. "Wahatan" comes from the name given to the Oasis by the Skrekin people. These people were very open to outsiders and passing travelers and consequently, their culture evolved very rapidly. Science and technology thrived in the area, and a prosperous, open-minded society emerged.
This society lasted for around a century, until a much larger coalition of Scorch inhabitants besieged the settlement and claimed it as their own. This coalition was known as the Kha'anj, and it was made of the Scorch's most power-hungry, ruthless warlords. They renamed the Wahatan Oasis to the Kha'anj Oasis to serve as a constant reminder of their power over the Oasis and its water. The leaders of this coalition went on to establish the Sayid Alma, and their families became the first of the Water Children, the upper elite class in the Flow Caste System. Much of the architecture in the Kha'anj oasis today is inspired by that of the Wahatan Era, while some of the more grand buildings were left unchanged and instead were repurposed by the Sayid Alma.
Water is the most valuable resource in the Scorch. It is incredibly rare and heavily regulated and guarded. The majority of citizens get their water from small wells around the city. The only people who don't are the Water Children. This is the highest level of the Flow Caste System. The people in this level are the Sayid Alma and their families. These people live in walled off compounds within the city and have their own sources of water inside.
The Flow Caste System consists of 4 levels, each corresponding to the amount of water that people are allotted. The highest level is the Water Children. They are granted as much water as they would like. The next level down is the Respectables. This caste is larger than the Water Children and is made up of respected artisans, merchants, and guildsmen. These people are allotted 45 cups per day for their family, a healthy amount. The next level down is called the Commons and is the largest group. The people here are mostly general laborers. They are allotted 30 cups per day for their family. The lowest level is the Unmentionables. These people are the poorest in the city. They are persecuted by the Sayid Alma and are forced out of the public eye. They are only allotted 15 cups of water per day for their family. Visitors rarely see any members of the Unmentionables when traveling through the city because the Sayid Alma tries to sequester them to parts of the city where no one goes.
Everyone is forbidden from drinking from the Water of Life. It is the most heavily guarded part of the city. Only the 4 Sayid Alma, and the state-appointed cleric of Libai are allowed to interact with the water.
Worship of all gods is prohibited except for Maglubiyet and Libai (in a limited capacity). Worship of every kind was allowed during the Wahatan Era, and the Kha'anj banned worship of all gods to exert their power over the city. Maglubiyet remained because outlawing him would have driven most goblins away from the Oasis forever.
Worship of Libai is allowed but only in a limited capacity. Libai is regarded by most as the patron goddess of the Oasis, and most that live in Kha'anj feel some sense of reverence for her because she supplies them with water. However, no one is allowed to become a cleric of Libai, except for the single state-appointed cleric. This is because the Sayid Alma fear that clerics of Libai could create their own water and overthrow their government. This ban is enforced strictly and the punishment is death.
There are 4 Sayid Alma, each control a quarter of the city. The eastern Sayid is Rogdos Nugru. She is a very buff goblin who is known to be harsh but mostly fair. The northern Sayid is Zuzran the Coward. He is a skinny hobgoblin who no one ever sees much of and is a pushover when it comes to anything to do with politics. The western Sayid is Jerg Jag. He is a short obese goblin who shelters unmentionables within his walled off estate. The southern Sayid is Odrokos Maul. He is a very tall hobgoblin that is by far the most tyrannical of all the Sayids.