The Sornele

The Sornele is a region in southern Orithea, centered on the Eredu and Balaur river valleys and the Plain of Szevak. It is bounded to the north by the mountains of the Uldau and the Redcrags, and to the south by the Aghai Massif. Its eastern edge is the Plain of Szevak’s long shore on the Emerald Ocean. 
The Sornele as a geographic region is the namesake of the Kingdom of the Sornele, which has ruled most or all of the area (its borders have varied over time) since ~800 CV. Prior to the Sornele’s unification under a single kingdom, it was divided into a number of smaller independent archonates whose borders shifted substantially several times; this chaotic time came after a period of Asgali dominance during the height of that empire’s power (ca. 400-550 CV). Asgali control, however, was limited to the coastal strip and the Plain of Szevak’s lowlands during most of this time, with the native Sornelenes retaining self-rule in the rugged country around the upper Eredu valley.
The people of the Sornele are mostly of Dranur stock, mixed to some degree with Suule and Brecai blood. Even after the establishment of a unified Kingdom of the Sornele, the area has been subject to Dranurian influence or outright domination during periods when strong Dranurian states existed and the Sornele’s own kings were weak. In some cases the Sornele’s king was compelled to swear vassalage to stronger Dranurian rulers or submit to unequal treaty terms. At other times, the Sornele has been able to assert itself and throw off tributary status.