The Kaaniral Hills (pronounced kah-AH-nih-rahl) are a rugged region within Langkha. Mostly covered by tropical forests, the Hills are largely uninhabited, though this was not always the case. Prior to Langkha's accession into the Sangiran Empire small towns and villages could be found throughout the Kaaniral Hills, but after the Eternal Suzerain ordered the construction of the Gardens of the Suzerain many of these communities were intentionally depopulated, their inhabitants moved to the newly constructed cities and garden-forts around the rivers of Langkha. In the centuries since the death of the last Suzerain in Y9606* some people have begun moving back into the Hills, mostly those who reject the culture centered on the Gardens, taking advantage of their relative isolation to build their own societies.