“Our shackles are broken… we are free. But what does one who is free do? I’m not quite sure, but with my eyes set upon this horizon, it will be a joy to find out!”
– Lady Mi, Mother of the Sorya
The Confederation of One thousand Islands of Soryaban, or Soryaban for short is, despite the name, a country of potentially millions of islands located in Kopothokualassa. The confederation spans the entirety of the continent and almost the entire western hemisphere, leading to very different cultures and climates at both extremes, held together by the central Kualassic Assembly.
Contents
Confederation of Soryaban
Crest of the capital island of Ouanora and the Kualassic Assembly
Capital
Ouanora
Denonym
Sorya
Species
Sorrova (Sorya) (83%)
Okanuuq (10%)
Catoxl (4%)
Other (3%)
Government
Thalassic Confederation
Language
Kualassi
Religion
Spirit of the North
Currency
Blooms
Geography
The Kopothokualassic continent is mostly submerged beneath the water, with only various islands poking out from the surface. Most of the territory of the confederation resides within the vast network of reefs that span the entire continent, sometimes being referred to the Sorya as “The Scuttle”, as the network of routes to navigate them safely are unknown to potential invaders. The biodiversity of the massive expanse of reefs are also not to be understated, as another Sorya saying talks about how there are more discoveries to write about than parchment to write on.
The range of the confederation is also so vast that despite the connotation that Soryaban is a tropical place, the highest island chain of Nurtanao is farther north than many Gnomanyan and Qothic cities, and one could mistake the locals there for being Gnomanyan Sorrova.
Government
The government of the Confederation of Soryaban consists of a collection of independent island chains under the banner of the Kualassic Assembly. The Assembly maintains currency standards, foreign diplomacy, legal rights of citizens, and presides over a central navy.
The island chains in turn retain nearly full autonomy over their own domain, and are responsible for their own Tide Guard, a defensive army and coastal security. They select their ambassadors for the Assembly in the manner in which they see fit, whether through appointment or election.
Military
The Confederation of Soryaban’s military consists solely of a navy for foreign affairs, relying on allied nations, mercenary armies, or coastal raiding by Sorya Marines for offensive land capabilities. The Navy is a professional force that is seen as a career for those who join, as it seeks to keep a relative strength during peacetime by providing routine services and anti-piracy security efforts. Given the Sorya’s maritime culture, their sailors are considered easily the most capable in the world and their captains are known to act with a great amount of initiative in battle.
As the birthplace of explosive powder, rockets, guns, and firearms are the preferred weapons of choice for the Sorya. Handheld rockets in particular are infamous weapons that are used ubiquitously.
In melee, certain types of polearms and curved personal swords as well as axes are used, though the Sorya are not a particularly feared opponent in close combat, nor do they have the strongest resolve in a tough fight that they can reliably run away from.
Responsible for much of the stereotypes of the Sorya people, The Sorya Navy operates the most sophisticated intelligence network in the known world. Created in response to rampant pirate gangs in Kopothokualassa, the High Islands are an organization that successfully managed to cut deep into the underworld through subterfuge and carefully calculated raids. In response to the Three Gates War however, the organization expanded to reach across the ocean, managing to infiltrate so successfully into the Qothic Empire that it caused the Qoth to become extremely paranoid of Sorya spies, coining the term “Soryanoia”.
Culture
Dominated by the ideals of Lady Mi, the confederation, Soryaban is a culture dominated by curiosity. While not as widespread as the ancient Sorya, there still is a sizeable population of Sorya that are semi-nomadic in nature, living on board small ships with their family, hopping from island to island. Swimming is a skill that is learned from youth and learning how to sail through a squall is considered a rite of passage in Kualassic culture.
The Sorrova majority have also been known for their natural curiosity, aiding them in innovation in a few key fields. Chemistry and medicine are two in particular that benefitted from this trait, and when combined with the physical diversity and biodiversity of their home, this has led them to become pioneers in both fields.
Cultural Diversity and Development
Given the immense size of the kopothokualassic domain, the structure of Kualassic society can range from the modern Island cities of the east, all the way to remote tribes in the farthest reaches, some relatively unchanged from the initial migration long ago, as well as everything in-between. Oftentimes, these remote groups prefer their stronger bond to nature, their own culture, and the Whispering Serpent and elect to stay out of the central noise of the confederation outside of trading. In return, it is seen as valuable by the developed islands to safeguard these groups from foreign or underworld interference, blocking external mapping of the inner reefs and patrolling the remote waters to root out pirates seeking refuge or looking to exploit the locals. It is also common to see cultural trends that originate from the far islands to become popular in central Soryaban.
Fashion
Kualassic fashion varies greatly depending on the region, but the most recognizable vestment of a Sorya is a large straw or thatch hat topped with ferns and flowers. The flowers in particular represent the free nature of the Sorya and the guidance of the spirit. Along with this sentiment, it is taboo for the Sorya to wear metal jewelry as it evokes their dark history of their ancestor’s enslavement. And while the act of wearing jewels is not a major offense, Sorya often mock foreigners for wearing it, often “complimenting” them for how proudly they display their shackles.
Language
The official Language of the Confederation is Kualassi, an offshoot of Wulnic that has greatly changed over the centuries and consists of hundreds of unique dialects.
Compared to Wulnic, while many words and grammar are similar in concept, it would be hard to think the two are even related to an outsider. Kualassi is known to be a soft-spoken language with the flow of a sentence matching the rhythm of the waves and sounds much more poetic when directly translated.
And for the written form, as the majority of the first Sorya never learned to read due to their former enslavement, the attempt to teach the innumerable characters of the Wulnic script was abandoned in favor of developing a simple alphabet, which would evolve into the Kualassi script Kualuya.
Social Etiquette
The concept of trustworthiness has a different connotation within Kualassic society, and this tends to lead to much distrust from the outside world. To the Sorya, trust is a matter of outcome rather than moral character.
For example, to assume one would be honest in a deal, what matters more is whether it would be more advantageous for one to be honest, whether it’s improving social standing or avoiding consequence. If the clearly better option is to be honest, then trust will exist, and if it may be advantageous for one to be dishonest, then trust does not exist, regardless of belief in the moral standing of that individual. Typically, then, the party that is looking for trust would change the deal in such a way that they can guarantee honesty or abandon it altogether.
To be a morally good person in this regard then is to become one that goes out of their way to offer conditions that guarantees they can be trusted and allowing others to make themselves trustworthy without demanding so. It is also important to never ask someone for their trust in Soryaban, as that is considered extremely rude and will immediately worsen your position. Likewise, asking someone if you can trust them will most likely be met with an annoyed look, as they see you as being lazy and unserious.
