Siodan

Siodan (/ˈsjoʊdən - æn/ see-OH-den; Siodic: Sjóþengır [ˈsjoːθəngər ]), also called the Kingdom of Siodan (Siodic: Vársagır Sjóþengið), is a Siolethene country in Boréa. It technically does not border another country, however the people of Saane, east and slightly south of Siodan, inhabit a small part of the greater landmass of Aldyrvorn across the isthmus in the north. In its vicinity are the Enduring Winter (Siodic: Télır Itáratt) to the north, the Siodic Sea to the west, and the Sea of Aldyrvorn to the south. Siodan's capital is the city of Vátiden, and is the most populous city in the Kingdom.

Largest Cities (in order of decreasing population)

 * Vátiden
 * Órnvith
 * Kest
 * Æstigále
 * Ófanreið
 * Eng-ár-Skíþ
 * Dœrsenga

(followed by several small villages and settlements)

Etymology
The Boréan name Siodan is an adaptation of Yrisi Séodan, which was formed as a phonetic simplification of Sjóþengır, which itself came from an early name of the Siodes in their own tongue, Sjóþa, which became Sjóð. Sjóþa is derived from Proto-Éandrin tséhon meaning "sea".

History
The Siodic Peninsula has one of the richest histories of all the regions of Vériar, beginning during the late Arenda, and being a focal point for naval trade and warfare.

Arenda (Elskjár)
The first settlers of Siodan arrived in 2920 IE, crossing the frozen sea. As the First Winter had not completely subsided in the region, the winter season lasted more than half of the year, forcing the nomadic people to settle in the nearby caves. This society remained pastoral and cave-dwelling until approximately 1200 IE, when they began building around the ruins of what was soon called "Œlstafniis", Proto-Siodic for "old ruin".

Founding of Vátiden
In 1194 AE, a hunter named Édosjosen (called Édo) was in the fields of southern Eylag when he saw a large elk, larger than he had ever seen. He tracked the elk until he reached the mouth of a large cave. This cave was the entrance to a Sanctuary, a place where mankind took refuge during the First Winter. Édo descended into the Sanctuary, down several staircases hewn from the rock. Soon, he reached a large, circular chamber that housed a mysterious artifact. Around it were several corpses, showing varying signs of decay. Édo concluded that it was unsafe, but was interested in it. He began building a village there, with the help of his tribe.

After several years, Édo had established a very strong settlement, on the western bank of the great River Tsérn. In 1189 IE, the city was commonly known as "Tokvaarás", Proto-Siodic for "great city".

Bregenda (Lyskjár)
After the Division of Éander, the Siodic Peninsula was divided into twelve territories, based on ruling clans of the area. The land at the time was called "Sjóldeg"

Clans
There are twelve main clans that each control a certain territory in Siodan:
 * Clan Sjósen, of Eylag
 * Clan Svél, of Vestrón
 * Clan Fangstél, of Eidal i Bœdra
 * Clan Lærham, of Deraþ
 * Clan Fórav, of Órnviþ
 * Clan Svakór, of Ófanreit
 * Clan Þuris, of Antedal
 * Clan Ektrafn, of Eljerfell
 * Clan Akser, of Sjeppa
 * Clan Hrauþung, of Hjóreit
 * Clan Kjél, of Várteidal
 * Clan Intedne, of Eskenár

Location and Borders
Siodan is one of the only countries to have the majority of its land within the clime of Boréa (not to be confused with the continent of the same name), the other being Saane. These two countries are the only ruling forces of Aldyrvorn recognized by the Continent, as southern Varocyr civilizations interact very little with outside civilization.

Siodan occupies the entirety of the Siodic Peninsula, which is named after the country. Along with this, the kingdom has control over several surrounding islands. More than 75% of the population lives at a latitude south of Kest. Siodan traditionally controls the surrounding seas, especially in the south, as it established itself as very naval-based in late Arenda;, being a hub for naval trade, and thus building up to the foundation of the Siolethene Kingdom in 970 AE.

Within the kingdom are several clan territories, called "Értoma", which are primarily divided based on geographical obstructions such as mountains or rivers. Nearly a quarter of the population lives within the extent of Eylag, either inside the walls of Vátiden or in surrounding villages and agricultural settlements. Another quarter can be found in the inland river cities or towns such as Kest or Tréhe. The remaining half can be found in the several coastal cities, including Vatiden and Haseti

Topography
The Siodic peninsula is nearly entirely mountainous, with the highest mountains throughout the central region (between Estégol and Kest), especially the Rjód Ruvad. Other, smaller mountain ranges are branches of the Rjód Ruvad. There are a number of basins across the peninsula, such as the Valley of Kest (Kestetdettır), in the central Rjód Ruvad, which cradles that city.

Climate
Siodan maintains several climates, differing depending on proximity to the sea, altitude, and latitude. For example, Dœrsénge is at nearly the same latitude as Estégol, but Dœrsénge's coastal location gives it milder winters and warmer summers.

Throughout the Eske Rjód Ruvad is a more subpolar climate with frequent snows that rarely melt. In contrast, the southern coastal regions, such as Eylag or Delenyr, experience an oceanic climate, with frequent cloudy or overcast weather and rain. During the winter, almost all of Siodan sees frequent heavy snows, halting most travel and trade for weeks at a time.

Culture
The Siode people pride themselves on their traditional and unique style of several societal aspects, such as music, architecture, and literature. Throughout history, and persisting through enslavement and captivity, the Siodes have held true to their traditions.

Calendar
The Siodes, like many societies, made their calendar based on lunation, or as they referred to it, the Faces of Mála (Málet Branda). There are thus ten months (árega) in the calendar: The odd-numbered months, such as Mórhálege and Vársege, have 36 days, and even-numbered months, such as Ainjege and Hjantege, have 37 days, making a total of 365 days. There are seven days in the week, each dedicated to a certain god, much like other Boréan religions. The format for writing a date in Siodic is, ,. "Máldauð, 16 Skjóregır, 985 Elskjár" is an example.

Religion
"Main Article: Kórutir"The Siode people follow a religion called Kórutir, which is a form of the East Boréan Pantheon. There are twelve gods (istéligja) that are worshipped in this religion: There are other various deities that exist that are not worshipped (within orthodox sects of Kórut), such as Vangósir, who is Rúad's brother, and was exiled from Téligar.

Kórut is an integral part of everyday life for the Siodic people. There are several rituals throughout the day, either promoting devotion or celebration.

Languages
"Main Article: Siodic"Siodic is the language of Siodan and is spoken throughout the entire country, with a few dialects. It is a East Siolethene language, marked by its conjunction of the accusative and dative case, and the use of the dotless letter i "ı" as an epenthesis, especially in a common masculine nominative ending "-ır". For example "vársagır" means "a kingdom" or "the kingdom".

Music
The music of Siodan was first used for the pacing of rowers on the longships (hajsára). While on the hajsár, the sailors only use their voices and a drum, and occasionally a large horn called a lúþır. While at home, however, the breadth of styles and instruments was relatively much larger.

Instruments
Early in Arenda, the Siodes had developed wooden flutes (sólegja), and 4-stringed instruments called sirangja, similar to a lute, but different in tuning. Until the musical regulation of the late 7th century IP, there was no standard tuning and size for the ''sóleg. By 685 IP, there were 5 standard scales for sóleg'', which were (approximately): E Dorian (starting at E4), G major (starting at G4), A minor (starting at A4), C major (starting at C5), and D minor (starting at D5). The 8-holed sóleg could only play as part of one chord, and were thus only able to play a single-chord song.

The sirang, however, developed into a versatile and common instrument throughout Siodan by the early 700's IP. The standard tuning for the four strings of the sirang align approximately to (from lowest to highest) D2, A2, E3, and B3. This standard was established by Jírhan II in 685 IP.

Read in other languages
This page is in Boréan, but it is available in some other languages:
 * French
 * Siodic