The Sendori are the second-most numerous single race in the Empire of Lirith Kai after the Adantri. They are found mostly near the central Han Torra Khang. They are generally somewhat shorter than the average Adantri--a six-foot Sendori is rare--and tend to be lean and wiry in build. They are darker in coloring, too, with coppery-dark skin and black hair and eyes; there is a faint suggestion of the earth-oriental in their features, mostly in the way their eyes are set.

The Sendori had a kingdom of their own which was formed at about the same time as the early Empire of Lirith Kai; throughout most of the long history of the Sendori and Adantri nations, they have been on terms of respect and frequent friendship with each other. The rulers of one nation frequently married the daughters of the rulers of the other, and at times the two countries were united into one. They have never had a serious war with each other, although there have been strained intervals... At two points in the history of Lirith Kai the Sendori supplied the ruling dynasty. About six hundred years ago the two nations were united again, and since that time the Sendori have been a loyal and valued part of the Empire.

Though accepted as full citizens of the Empire and readily adopting the outward appearance of following Adantri ways, the Sendori have retained much of their own culture and customs. As a race, they are felt to be somewhat less direct than the Adantri, more tolerant of cultural differences (and of the practice of magic), and more flexible in their social structure; most Adantri think of them as secretive, superstitious, and prone to obscure mystical attitudes. Although Sendori often belong to Adantri warrior clans, it is said that they have a whole group of clans of their own which the rest of the Empire never hears of. Whatever may be the truth of that, they are warriors fit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Adantri. (Of course, a few cynics offer that as the explanation of why the Adantri allied with the Sendori instead of conquering them--that they could not have conquered them if they'd tried...)

Though honoring Mantor, they have retained their own gods--a vast array of them at innumerable different levels of power; little shrines to this or that obscure deity are spotted all over the Sendori country (Sahala, Zamale, Hadarana, Daroja, and Shirah provinces, mostly, but in some parts of Simtakka, Sen Holang, Korulan, Jade Hills, and Nalzin provinces as well), and a passing Sendori will leave a worship token or light a candle at such a shrine whether he knows anything of the godling honored or not.

Sendori towns lack the flamboyant coloring of the towns in the An-Kiu Valley, but they are by no means plain. Rather than paint the outsides of their buildings in colorful detail as the Adantri do, the Sendori achieve visual interest by a mixture of plain, rich surfaces (such as polished woods) and intricate carving. Their clothing, too, appears plainer--to the casual glance; they make more use of cloth woven in tiny colored details (stripes and checks and plaids, twill and diamond and more complex weaves) than of embroidery.