Adar

Adar, a word in Riedran that means "refuge", is hidden deep within the mountains of southeastern Sarlona. Adar is only a nation in the loosest sense of the word, it is split between a handful of mountain monastery-fortresses, which are scattered throughout the mountain ranges. These monasteries have little contact with each other, the monks and psions that reside in them spend most of their time in quiet contemplation and meditation, honing their minds and bodies.
Adar is a land of extremes. Almost all of the land that makes up the region is mountaineous, and over half of those mountains are taller than 12,000 feet. Much of it is heavily forested with resilient evergreen conifer trees, well suited to survive the cold. The ocean off of Adar is deeper than usual, and the coast has none of the shelf that is common elsehwere, instead the water is toothed with undersea mountains, some of which breach the top of the water. Adar is home to Korrandar, the tallest mountain in Eberron, which stands 32,495 feet (or roughly 10 kilometres) tall at it's peak.
The weather in Adar is just as extreme as the environment itself. There is always a strong wind blowing in Adar, and it's raining or snowing more often than not. The strong wind means that it's never foggy, though at higher elevations the cloud cover can make it seem otherwise, and extreme weather such as dangerous storms, avalanches, and earthquakes are all fairly common. Adar is littered with manifest zones to Lamannia and Kythri, which perhaps explains some of the weather, and in some places it is possible to cross through the planar barrier to those planes.
Prior to the arrival of the Kalashtar in -802 YK, Adar had a small population mostly composed of spiritual hermits. When the Kalashtar came to Sarlona, they were pursued by the Inspired who sought to destroy them. As the Inspired and the Unity of Riedra spread across the continent, the Kalashtar were driven into hiding, and accepted into the mountains of Adar, alongside all the others who challenged the growing might of Riedra.
The Unity of Riedra have been laying siege to the mountains of Adar for over a thousand years in their war of persecution against the Kalashtar. Each monastery defends specific mountain passes against the Unity of Riedra and the forces of the Inspired. The psions watch the passes, and anybody passing through is tested to ensure their intentions. Those that mean the monasteries or their people harm are turned away if possible, and eradicated if not. The Inspired and their forces are always destroyed, without mercy. This, combined with the natural defenses and extreme weather have meant that Adar have been able to hold out against Riedra's siege for over a thousand years.
As a result of the siege and blockade of Adar by the Unity of Riedra, Adar is completely cut off from the outside world. They have no trade with any other nations, and essentially no contact with anybody outside of their isolated monasteries. There are very few smugglers that are willing to risk the consequences if they are caught aiding the Adarans by the Riedrans, but some are brave enough to make the journey. Most of the people in Adar are Human, though roughly half of those are Kalashtar. There are also a handful of half-giant families calling themselves the pathadrik ("drifting giants") who wander the mountains and occasionally visit the monasteries, bringing news and limited trade. There are also stories amongst the monasteries of a clan of blue dragons that reside in the mountain peaks, particularly around Korrandar, whose peak is always shrouded in a storm.
The following information is a secret known only to the Kalashtar.
View Secret

Adar is protected by a field of psionic force that the Adarans know as The Shroud. Created by the line of Taratai in -702 YK, The Shroud prevents any extradimensional movement or teleportation into or out of Adar, and also prevents divination effects from spying on the Adarans. Each of the eight fotress-monasteries in Adar has a shroud resonator, a large psionic crystal which projects the field and requires constant psionic energy to power it. Each monastery has a rota of psions who take turns to provide this psionic energy to the Shroud, which protects all of Adar from Riedra. The longer a shroud resonator is left without power, the more "bubbles" start to form within the shroud, until it eventually fails completely.

Demonym

Adaran

Population

320,000 (51% human, 45% kalashtar, 4% other)