Soridrand
From Almeopedia
| SORIDRAND • |
Soridrand [ˈso ɽi dɽand], located on the east side of the Gelihur peninsula, was a Skourene city-state; it's now a small town in the Uṭandal state of Ḍarai.
Contents |
Skourene state
| Soridrand | |
| 200-1377; 1545-1723 | |
| Native: | ancient Soridrand, modern Sulidran |
| Verdurian: | Súlidran |
| Characteristics | |
| Capital: | Soridrand |
| Government: | democracy (utampas) |
| Ruler’s title | asemop |
| Language: | Old Skourene |
| Religions: | Skourene paganism |
It was founded about 200, largely by settlers from Imuṭeli; but it was so remote that it was given its own senate, and after Epuneka’s war it was not even titularly under Imuṭelik sovereignty. It almost never participated in the wars of the Skourene heartland, and in literature the Soridrandiki are depicted as slow, peaceful, and easy to scam.
In 596 it adopted the new Kolatimandik invention, democracy (utampas)— election of the senate by all landowning households.
In 1377 Komand convinced the Soridrandiki to join them in an Eastern League (Dreşakom). Ḍeleli was invited but refused; this turned into a war which, somewhat to its surprise, the League won. For a time the League considered itself a major power, at least in Gelihur; it's credited with humbling the last remnant of Muḍureg. However, Ḍeleli successfully rebelled in 1490. In 1545 the League collapsed, leaving Soridrand again independent.
Under heavy preassure, Soridrand contributed arms and money to the fight against the Tžuro. No Tžuro came near— they still had no naval presence— and many Soridrandiki seemed to hope that the storm would pass them by, as so many others had before them. But once Skouras was taken, the Tžuro mopped up a number of minor states, taking Soridrand in 1723.
Jippirasti rule
Soridrand, now called Soridran, formed part of the Kurundasti Tej. It was ruled by Tžuro and fairly heavily garrisoned, as the peninsula remained a battleground between the Tžuro and the free Skourenes. However, there was no great attempt to convert the population to Jippirasti— though many did convert as a means of social advancement.
When the Buŋkavi Tej broke off in 2180, the northern Gelihur peninsula became a buffer zone, left to local governors. But by this time Soridran was a backwater, partly due to a disastrous landslide in 2021 which halved the size of its harbor. Ḍarai somewhat to the south was the leading city of the region, and it governed Soridran.
The Uṭandal city
The region was occupied, or liberated, by Čisra in the 2610s; henceforth it would remain in Uṭandal hands (as the free Skourenes are called after losing Skouras). Those who identified with the Tžuro were kicked out or persecuted. The town was now known by its Uṭandal name of Sulidran.
For its later history see Ḍarai.
See also
- For a comprehensive history of the Old Skourenes, see the Historical Atlas of Skouras.
Categories: Cities | Nations | Skouras | Ṭrota
