Soranni

The Soranni

Overview

The Soranni, or known internally as Sari, are an ethnic group located in central Nirann that have created a large cultural influence over their tenure as master of Empire. They have had a large connection to other regions such as Ischarra and the Anosfae, taking from and giving many aspects of culture to them.

Culture

Subcultures

The Soranni can largely be split into two groups known as the Yusun and the Kanin, the Yusun living in the south and the Kanin in the north. The Yusun group consists of the Iszari, Marsari, Ishunari; the Kanin consists of the Sangsari, Mizari, and Hanzari. The Kanin subcultures inhabit the northern part of Soranna along the Gendur and in Ischurrai; the Yusun live in southern Soranna and along the Soramari sea.

Sangsari

The Sangsari, along with the Ishunari, are one of the two leading cultures among the Soranni. The Sangsari, compared to the rest of the Soranni, have some unique traits. Sangsari clothing is unique among the Soranni due to the fact that they prefer to wear longer sleeves and robes compared to the rest of the Soranni, along with high collars.
The Sangsari are considered highly flamboyant and eccentric due to the fact that they wear incredibly long, decorative, and highly patterned clothing, often with motifs that are as outdated as the ancient bronze age still being found. This is largely due to their conservative nature, meanwhile those like the Ishunari have adopted the new fashionable geometric patterns and shorter robes.

Mizari

The Mizari, despite being Kanin, share many traits with the Yusun due to the region they settled. Mizari typically wear longer robes that go past the knees like Sangsari, but have shorter outer sleeves that end at the elbows like the Ishunari.
They are considered a practical people that have been the backbone of solving technological problems as it was the Mizari who began to produce a large amount of industry through their inventions.

Hanzari

Hanzari have a large amount of influence from living by the Ischurri but still fiercely identify as Soranni. In terms of fashion, they wear fur trimmings on their robes unlike the most of the rest of the Soranni.
The Hanzari are seen as bumpkins by the rest of the Soranni due to the fact they live in the alps by the Ischurri and alot of their language has been influenced by them.

Izari

The Izari, native to the isle of Sika, are perhaps one of the most unique of the Soranni due to the extensive influence from the Uzhilli peoples. Izari typically wear a robe with only one shoulder covered, with the length reaching just below the knee.
The Izari are seen as lazy but pious. They are known for their love of fine dining in the form of fresh seafood and their architecture uses many volcanic rocks causing them to be seen as overly extravagant.

Marsari

The Marsari are one of the stranger groups of the Soranni, although in terms of fashion they possess shorter Ishunari type robes. Their patterns typically include things such as fish, waves, sea dragons, corals, shells, etc.
The Marsari are seen as hard working and looked upon with a sense of nostalgia as many associate them with peaceful days fishing and enjoying the warm seas, although this could be the opposite due to the many pirates such as the Ataarad threatening them constantly.

Ishunari

Ishunari are one of the largest and influential groups tied only by the Sangsari; the Ishunari are seen as the center of modern Soranni culture due to the industry and importance of the region. They possess robes that are short, ending just below the knee; their outer sleeves also typically ended above the elbow but in recent years the long ones are becoming popular among men wishing to return to old imperial styles of long robes.
Ishunari are seen as the most annoying and stubborn of all the Soranni, rivaling only the Sangsari. They see themselves as superior due to the culture they inherit from living near the imperial capital as well as inventing many things like the Mizari.

Carving and Crafts

The Soranni are highly renowned for their stone carvings, it is said that they are a master of stone carvings and reliefs done in them. The Soranni work with bamboo is also admirable, as they often make decorative work from it such as kites and costume. Soranni are also known for their incredible glasswork, porcelain, and mosaics, with their glassware and china being found throughout the empire.

Candles

The Sorannni are highly superstitious and believe that candles help prevent evil spirits from entering. For this reason they tend to sleep with a candle by their window, this is similar to the Ischurri and Serrenese who do the same. This stems from the idea that candles and fire are inherently seen as purifying forces that keep negative energies at bay.

Diet

Soranni cuisine often features a variety of grains and spices, with various noodles and dumplings being especially common. They consume dairy and fish regularly, although typically abstain from using as much dairy as their Ischarri neighbors and instead use it mostly for sauces.
The Soranni particularly enjoy the consumption of fowl and cattle, with a taste for pig and seafood following closely.
Soranni alcohol varies by region as the river region prides themselves with their rice wines, while those along the lake make wines and ciders similar to the Ischarri.
In terms of spices, their proximity to the Anesari has led to a great amount of exchange of recipes in the region. Both places have enjoyed the trade of spices between them and the use of them.
Street food has begun taking off in the metropolitan areas such as Soranna and Ornemere. Although it is appreciated, the long laid-back restaurant culture of the region has proven quite a challenge in comparison to Ischarra.
Some examples of popular foods and drinks are: a flatbread sandwich with cheese and sometimes meat, called a Serra; dumplings made of meat and vegetables; various kinds of soups; noodles made from buckwheat, wheat, beans, or rice; rice wines; red and black teas; various kinds of breads.

Gestures

Soranni gestures have spread throughout Nirann due to their empire's cultural influence. The most common of these is a salute where one loosely extends their arm towards the sun, with their palm facing upwards. Like in Ischarra and the Serrenese lands, the pointing of a sword in the air is an expression of victory, although it is more common to raise a fist or free hand.
Kind expressions such as Iwerra are also common here.

Clothing

Soranni clothing is typically made of silk, hemp, and linen, with wool being reserved for winter clothing only. Many Tsennari robes often have a placket and collar that goes from the shoulder to the waist at a diagonal angle, the Soranni are one of the best examples of this. While robes are often much longer than their neighbors, the Soranni have shorter sleeves and a shorter skirt. Traditional Soranni robes used to be a longer robe underneath, with a toga-like upper robe above that. The main difference between the peoples is that the Soranni wear their longest garment underneath all others, while the Ischarri wear it on top.
The lower classes wear a loose fitting robe with short sleeves, with long baggy pants or a skirt. In ancient times this was more toga-like, but in the modern day it has become less togalike as now a very loose tunic is worn over a long robe for commoners.
Mask culture is prevalent among the Soranni, where they often make masks of wood to scare enemies in rituals like the Ischurri. Where the Soranni are unique is the fact that nobles will often wear them around anyone who isnt their close family or friends due to the intrigues of the warring states period. Commoners, of course, find the idea pompous and reserve them for festivals or when they arent working.
In terms of hats, there is a great diversity among the Soranni. Some people in the countryside, especially towards the south have adopted a hat similar to the Khăn vấn turban. This turban is said to have developed from the Sitalan and Anesari turbans, but turban wearing as a whole was popularized by Anesari settlers and traders in Soranna.

Item Reverence

The Soranni treat items they own with respect, especially items that were handed down to them. This is due to the belief that things owned have spirit imparted on them. The most revered items are Swords and Spears due to their ability to end lives; while they are associated with impurity, Soranni often draw their weapons quickly and are fast to duel. This gives them a reputation of being hot-headed.

Relationships

The Soranni are a people who practice polygamy among the middle and upper classes. They also tolerate same-sex relations. In Soranni literature and plays, there are often youthful same sex relations as well as opposite sex scandals as plot points. Art from the period often depicts loving relationships, sometimes erotic but usually in more wholesome scenes.

Music

Harps and lyres are especially common among the Soranni, as well as flutes and ocarinas. In years since the Empire rose, the Alsivai Banjo and the Ischarri Fiddle have made a scene in Soranni music.
In religious ceremony, the ocarina and drums are some of the most common instruments played.

Values

While the Soranni value honor and loyalty to a high degree, they often consider loyalty to their house the most honorable and not their lord; it is for this reason that the Soranni have been known to backstab others when their houses are in danger. The Niranni also value preservation and balance in general, the Soranni are no exception.

Nature and Outdoor Culture

The Soranni often eat outdoors, especially at night. The Soranni love to walk in oak groves, as these are one of the most holy places in the entire Soranni culture.

Poems and Death

Soranni poems often talk about future life and ambitions/dreams, this in contrast to other Niranni like the Ischarri as Ischarri poems often are about legacy and the afterlife, especially when one is about to die.
Due to the influence of Anesari culture, poems have begun to take a more religious sentiment as famous poems are used in worship or as prayers.

Dance

Most Niranni have dances that are communal to celebrate festivals, the Ischarri are no exception to this. Soranni dancing often features a group standing in a circle, while the center is reserved for musicians or left empty for gods. As for individual dances, they are often performed in order to cleanse an area as well as woo a potential lover.
One common ancient dance found in Soranna is that of the Amesaci (Raincutter) dance, which is where warriors dance with swords and commoners with staves to attempt to summon the rain. A variant of this, the Akhasaci (Flamecutter) has found itself even to Ischarra. In the Akhasaci dance, the movement of the dancers is said to represent flames, and their mock duels attempt to create a swaying motion similar to the way flames sway in the wind. These dances are said to come from old Ingharan ones.
Some Soranni era dances are puppet dancing, where people put on elaborate costumes and dance in a way to reenact a story similar to theatre, but the whole community is involved. These are done to please the ancestors. Another type of puppet dancing is a type of lion-dance, where people dress up in animal costumes and mimic their movements with common animals being wolves chasing deer or rams fighting for warfare, birds flying for victory, and koi swimming for peace. In terms of non puppet dances, a common dance is where people form a ring and dance in a circle while holding hands, especially around a couple or newborn. Outside of this, Soranni rarely dance in the circle.

Duels

Soranni peoples often engage in dueling as a way to hone their skills. Blunt weapons are typically the norm and the duels are watched over by a holyman as to prevent any accidents from occuring. The Soranni practice dueling with swords primarily, but often are known for allowing magic in their duels.

Games and Sports

Soranni sports vary by region with one of the most unique being called Muna'gaz meaning Boat-Striking; in Muna'gaz, two parties will be on rafts and armed with a long oar-pole, attempting to knock each other off similar to a joust.
Another common sport is a type of leaping called Cu'sula meaning Canal-Jumping. In this sport, the goal is to pole vault across a canal, of which the region has many due to the infrastructure projects of the old empire.
One last common sport is that of Lam'iwa, meaning Ball-Throwing. In this game, players set goals and attempt to throw a ball at the target, hitting it from the longest distance possible.
Kite flying is a popular pasttime among the affluent Soranni, Ischarri, and Kassae. Kites are seen as auspicious and are often flown in religious ceremonies along with lanterns. This is a passtime that passed on to those in Anosfae and even the Thadians. Special kites, seperate from the religious ones, are made to be dueled by some Soranni. These kites often depict things like demons or spirits, warriors, clan symbols, or animals.

Cleanliness and Hair

Among the Soranni, hair is often just put in a topknot for men while women just let it grow long and cut it shorter or bun it after marrying. Children in Soranni culture often wear the same hairstyles regardless of sex, elderly women usually cut their hair short while elderly men put theirs in a top knot and grow a beard. Full beards are seen as improper and barbaric, and so only a well trimmed or clean shaven face is permitted
The Soranni bathe very often due to the presence of many hot springs in the country. Coming in contact with things like blood or phlegm requires a bathing as they are impure.

Punishment for Crimes

Soranni culture was rather draconian and it has created a people afraid to break the law. As for the Soranni, Heart-Burning is a common execution method. In this method, a heated spike is driven into the guilty person's heart. This is said to punish the soul as well as the mortal body. Another common execution method was that of drowning, where a person is tied to a wooden pole against the shore and consumed by the tides. A variant of this is the wind crucifixion, where a person is crucified on a pole and left to die as the wind freezes them.

Architecture

Soranni architecture is often based on stone, with some wood being used as well. Soranni architecture places importance in open buildings that let the heat radiate out and for the wind to flow in. The Soranni buildings often have many arches and fine glass windows; in this regard, the Soranni are renowned as master glassmakers next to the Kassei. The Soranni often have rooves that are covered with clay tiles and often like the hip and gable shape. As for major structures, the dome is a common feature, although the bottom often has an overhang and platform that you can walk on.
Soranni architecture traditionally favored round and squared structures, but now they prefer more squared structures, although this is due to the influence of the Ischarri in the past few centuries. The development of the Pagoda in Soranna can trace its roots to the pavillion culture and the tower culture of the region, along with influence from Anosfae as the tiered structure is an adoption of their own religious mound-like architecture that was present in the ancient times.
Soranni castles are partially developments on earthen fortifications that occured in the ancient age and became strongholds in the Ingharan age. These stone strongholds at the centers of town were eventually abandoned as nobles built walled compounds in the countryside that got more and more elaborate, but had the same deadly features of Ingharan strongholds like killing fields that funnel the enemies up long and arduous routes. Soranni castles feature a large number of towers that arent too dissimilar to the old pagodas that popped up in the cities. There are many customs relating to architecture among the Niranni, with one of the most important being that of house placement. The presence of a White Night Blossom makes a site pristine due to their association with lucky spirits.
In terms of door placement, doors in a community should face each other. Having 2 houses with doors not facing each other is almost sacrilegious, as it decreases the likelihood of the houses being able to help each other out in an emergency. In addition to these superstitions, it is believed that the back of the property should always host a shrine to one's ancestors. These simple shrines may be a little shed with a table holding sacred items inside, to elaborate buildings in their own right.

Symbols and Motifs

Soranni symbols and motifs can be found all over, with the early imperial motifs being much more geometric in nature as a way to distinguish them from that of Ingharan ones. This changed as more ethnicities were integrated into the empire, such as the Ischurri who kept the wavy motifs of the Ingharans and expanded on them. By the 500s, Ischurri peoples who settled in the empire had begun to spread their style to the point that it began to compete and even overtake the geometric ones in popularity.
Some of the most popular motifs are that of: the Sursaira, a legendary bird that is comparable to a phoenix; the Sun and Moon, they are very sacred in Niranni cultures; vines, a holdover of the ingharan motifs.

History

The Soranni people descend from Ingharans who settled on the coast of the Soramari sea. In ancient days, the Ingharans waged a bloody war of extermination against the Uszinni people for some unknown reason, and the Uszinni mostly fled to the east while the Ingharans settled the empty land. This led to Ingharan culture supplanting Uszinni almost entirely with the exception of things that were not leaving with the migrants such as their arch architecture and highways.
The Ingharans would rule over their lower class and kept to their old ways while their people evolved, eventually a cultural rift grew so big that the Soranni and Kassei peoples overthrew the old Ingharan leadership, forcing them into the hills. These new Soranni developed independently with influence primarily from places like Anosfae. The Soramari peoples developed on their own amongst the rocky shores until Aremi came along, Aremi united much of the Niranni in the south and center of the continent. This empire led to a great spreading of Soranni culture all over the continent until it eventually would collapse years later. Things such as the court culture of the continent and the religion of much of the land descend primarily from the Soranni and their empire.
After the fall of the Empire, Soranna largely fell to encroachment from Ischarra, Anosfae, and the Kassei of which the Soranni still dislike all of them, seeing themselves as the true creators of civilization. Imperial Soranni culture has permeated the lands, greatly affecting the Thadians, Anesari, and Ischarri who often seek to emulate them. While the Soranni now no longer have an empire and are a feuding people, they still look to the past for their inspiration and guidance.

Adakai an Saagishe - A Soranni Ishtari from the 700s