The history of the Sormanni as a unified people begins with the amalgamation of diverse tribes under the reign of King Sargonuos, marking the birth of a united Sormanni identity by opposition against the Beldanni migrations that took place circa 800 BA.
Origins and Unification[]
Originating from the southern coast of Lencenor, the proto-Sormanni resided between Mistspear and Wineport, extending inland to the source of the Lencesk River. The early Sormanni had favorable relations with the Dwarves, possibly linked to the introduction of metalworking knowledge. The Sardonni tribe rose in prominence following the migration of the Beldanni, with their tribal chief, Sargonuos, emerging as a pivotal figure, ultimately becoming the first King of the Sormanni after unifying various tribes under his rule and defeating the Beldanni in battle.
History[]
Like other Lencori peoples, the Sormanni were be strongly influenced by the dwarves of Rubyhold, resulting in the native Eidoueni religion that amalgamated Lencori and Dwarven deities. Due to their relative isolation from the plains of Beldanon/Enteben and the Bay of Wines, the Sormanni were refused to adopt Common and the Castanorian pantheon. A Sormanni chieftain, Crovan Spearsworn, would establish an offshoot of the tribe—the Crovanni—in 58 and introduce the Cult of Adean to Lencenor, which the Sormanni would reject for the rest of their history. Their religious differences would cause the Crovanni to ally more with the surrounding Entebics rather than their cousin tribe.
Despite coming under the Damerian Republic’s influence and its successor the Lencori Empire, the Sormanni Kingdom was only loosely-held, as much of its authority derived from the rulers of their traditional seven tribes, and the rule of the Sormanni kings would only solidify during the Lencori Warlord Period. Following Lencenor’s unification under Lorenan the Great, the Sormanni would quietly abandon the High Kingdom during the War of the Three Roses, as the descendants of Lorenan fought among themselves for 22 years. Resisting an attempt to conquer their kingdom by King Caylen III of Enteben, the Sormanni would remain strong and independent for centuries.
Tribal Composition[]
The Sormanni were a coalition of five primary tribes initially, expanding to seven after subsequent migrations and conquests:
Tormani (Storm People)[]
They lived around the mouth of the Sornroy, with their capital in a growing city to the southwest of modern Sornbay. The most open of the Sormanni, they had trade deals with the Gnomish Hierarchy and saw their ships trade with other populations all the way to Busilar, following the coast. They worshipped Turanos, and the cult of the Sea and Storm god only waned after the Day of Ashen Skies, when the great wave destroyed much of the Tormani lands and sunk their capital into the Sornbay itself (a catastrophe that made most of the Eidoueni faithful name Turanos an evil god).
The tribe was ruled for centuries by a council of traders, with the family that used to rule the tribe as kings being relegated to the symbolic role of Nemesegonos or “Temple King”, in a role limited to rituals and celebrations. Thrown into chaos as the Beldanni took over swathes of proto-Sormanni lands and trade collapsed along the coast, the daughter of the last Nemesegonos married chief Sargonuos of the Sardonni and, together with a faction of loyalists and proto-Sormanni refugees, invited him and his army to rule over them and end the trader council.
Sardonni (Iron People)[]
Known for their exceptional metalworking skills, the Sardonni inhabited the hills of Aelhill and Aishill. They united with the Tormani, halting the Beldanni at Cassolauna and leading the unification of the tribes. The Sardonni elected their chiefs from one single ruling clan, but gave no importance to the links between father and son, and thus any member of the clan, no matter how distant, was eligible. Once elected, they ruled for life. This practice faded after King Sargonuos adopted the tradition of direct inheritance with the title of Nemesegonos of the Tormani, ensuring his son's succession as king of the Sormanni.
Aremorni (People in Front of the Sea)[]
They resided along the southeastern coasts of modern Sorncóst, with their largest settlements being in Ebenuel. Fishing was their main occupation, and though they weren’t as rich as the Tormani, as prestigious as the Uidonni or Beruni or as industrious as the Sardonni, they were very numerous. A disunited people, they were instead divided in touta, small settlements with peoples originating from different Aremorni clans. Every clan present in a touta had the right to have their local leader vote in the local council, but the weight of such vote varied depending on the amount of fighting-age men the individual clan could muster.
Modern historians agree on the Aremorni sharing traits with the Old Fisherfolk who once inhabited the area, and the tribe itself could be the product of intermarrying between the ruling natives and the original Lencori migrants.
Beruni (People of the Fountain/Spring)[]
Occupying the middle to upper Sornroy valley, the Beruni tribe controlled the sacred Pools of Sorbodua, where the priestesses of the river goddess worshipped the patron deity of the Sormanni. Their chiefs were elected by family heads at the Pools, subject to the approval of the high priestess, who could veto their decision.
Uidonni (Wine People)[]
Located northeast of the Sormanni hills, they were tribe closest to the Rubenti and often intermarried with them, looking for allies in the Bay of Wines as often as they did in the hills. They were the first of their brethren to make wine, with modern winemakers from Coruan and Bottlepoint claiming to make the original Sorncósti wine, "just like their ancestors did". The city of Bottlepoint served as their capital, where the priests of Dercannos held much sway over the population and effectively ruled the Uidonni.
Bragerni (the Brave)[]
Formed by proto-Sormanni who fled Beldanni-controlled areas, the Bragerni had no traditional leaders and looked to the Sormanni kings for guidance.
Formed by proto-Sormanni from the plains who left the Beldanni-controlled areas, they were settled in the northern edges of the Sormanni hills by king Sargonuos and his descendants. Their main center of population was the city next to the great defensive wall at Cassolauna, yet the Bragerni had no traditional leaders and looked to the Sormanni kings for guidance instead.
Alvrói (the Strange)[]
Indigenous fisherfolk of the island of Ossinon (modern day Venaíl), annexed into the kingdom as the seventh tribe by King Sargonuos's grandson. Largely decentralized, their island had various Tormanni settlements prior to the unification of the Sormanni, which led to a war of conquest by the grandson of king Sargonuos. Thus annexed into the kingdom as the seventh tribe, the Alvrói (whose original name we have lost to the ages) suffered greatly due to the Day of Ashen Skies, which ravaged their island and killed a large portion of their population. Forced out of their homes by the wave and the feared mists that followed, what was left of the Alvrói survived in the Sormanni Kingdom as seasonal fishermen who returned to Ossinon when the mists receded, both to mourn their ancestors and partake in ancient rituals lost to us.
Legacy and Survival[]
The unification under King Sargonuos established a lasting legacy, creating a cohesive Sormanni identity. Despite enduring catastrophes like the Day of Ashen Skies and periods of chaos like the Lencori Wars, the Dragonwake or the Era of Black Ice, the Sormanni people endured, adapting and preserving their culture. With the arrival of the Elves in the year 1000 AA, the Sormanni began a light elvenization process by mandate of King Alcuin that brought them closer to the rest of Cannor and, in time, had them evolve into the modern Sorncósti culture.