Reverendship of Corinsfield

The Reverendship of Corinsfield, also known as the Iosahar of Corynnspoel, was a Human theocracy in the Veykoda region of the Ynn established by Escanni refugees fleeing abuse at the hands of the mage-lords of Esthíl. Currently, it is an Iosahar of the Ynnic Empire. Despite its capital and largest population center being the rebuilt city of Poppyspring, Corinsfield is a majority rural nation, with the majority of the population consisting of subsistence farmers.

History[]

Beginnings[]

"There is nothing left for us in Cannor— so to Aelantir we must go, free of witchery and maleficarum!"

―Actor Adelmo síl Snaptail, portraying Father Godwin in the 1811 Seinathíl production of “Men and Mages”, a fictionalized account of the departure of the Corinspilgrims

Led by Godwin of Escerton, a minor Corinite couter commonly referred to as Father Godwin, seen as a parental figure to the community, the original settlers of Corinsfield fled tyranny and alleged human experimentation at the hands of the absolutist mage lords of Esthíl. The majority would come from territory recently conquered from the Corintar Order; in particular, the former capital of Ionntrás. This group, colloquially referred to as Corinspilgrims, was majority Castellyrian, but many Corintari would make up this group as well.

After a tumultuous journey that left many dead due to poor health or drowning, the Corinspilgrims would arrive in Aelantir in 1561 at the city of Armocsport, owned by their fellow Corinites in Valorpoint. From there, the group would settle for a short time. However, a mounting dissatisfaction with Valorsmen culture as well as what they perceived as a glorification of mages pushed them away and towards the newly-discovered Ynn region. In 1564, the Corinspilgrims resumed their journey, taking the rail platforms up the Cliffs of Ruin en masse.

From here on out, the Corinspilgrims were subject to frequent Veykodan raids, further whittling down the population. These attacks, when coupled with the powerful rune magic of the Veykodans, caused more belief in the Corinsfielder attitude of mages being inherently evil.

The city of Poppysping would be settled in 1570. The common story is that Father Godwin was given directions by Corin herself in a dream, and those directions led to a picturesque meadow of red poppies, later dubbed Corinspoppies, by a river, later dubbed the Corynn.

The first witch trial held in Corinsfield would be shortly after settling. Anti-mage sentiment was still high as memories of Escann as well as frequent Veykodan raids were fresh in the minds of the Corinsfielders. Ricon síl Turnmarket, a friend of Father Godwin, was accused of over 28 counts of witchery. While none of it had been malicious— if anything, most of the charges had been magic necessary for the survival of the Corinspilgrims, such as growing food or hiding them from raiders, the paranoia that consumed the community led to Ricon síl Turnmarket being put on trial, judged by Father Godwin himself. After a conviction by his peers, Ricon síl Turnmarket was sentenced to death by fire. This would begin the roughly 200-year long campaign of paranoia and bloodshed against perceived mages within Corinsfield — the witch trials that the nation is now known for.

Isolationist Era[]

"If we shall deal falsely with Corin in this work of removing the fowl mages we have undertaken and so cause her to withdraw her present aid from us, we shall be smited to ashes, not entirely unlike that savage witch, Dookanson!"

―Crimson Reverend Joy-in-Sorrow in a speech defending the Corinsfield Inqusitors, 1683

The death of Father Godwin in 1582 would mark the end of the settling period of Corinsfield. From here, the nation would expand outwards.

The Red Sentries would be established in 1580 to protect from Veykodan raids. They quickly became an elite fighting force specialized in anti-mage warfare. However, they still struggled against the Veykodan tribes of the area, never being able to fully rout them from Corinsfielder territory. The most success that was had during these Veykodan Wars was when the neighboring bandit kingdom of New Havoral began their own deadly campaign against the Veykodans, the Ivory Wars. The ever-present Veykodan threat made the nation’s paranoia worse, as the Veykodans could strike anywhere at any time.

Also established around the same time as the Red Sentries were the Corinsfielder Inquisitors, who would serve as a specialized military force dedicated to hunting mages within the borders of Corinsfield. While their existence was initially celebrated for keeping the nation safe from witches, they would come to be feared by the civilian populace. If the Inquisitors arrived in your village, it was a guarantee that a good amount of your neighbors would “go missing”.

The Inquisitors often served as a thorn in the side of the Corinsfielder government, such as on two separate occasions where they slaughtered adventurers from foreign nations. The most well-known failure of the Corinsfielder Inquisition was when a farmer managed to sell the Inquisition a rooster he claimed could “detect witchery” for an exorbitant price. The Inquisition not only accepted the deal wholeheartedly, but also paid using the nation’s coffers. It’s estimated that this ‘witch-detecting chicken’ got up to forty people executed on charges of magery. The farmer was never seen again— however, there are theories linking him with a strange man with immense wealth and a strange accent who appeared in Port Isobel in roughly the same time period and became an infamous playwright.

During this time, Corinsfielder towns were often noted for being much more literate than those of surrounding nations. This can be attributed to the belief that reading and reciting Corinite hymns was tantamount to living a good life, and therefore schools were built commonly, sometimes as integrated parts of temples. This era of peace and education led to the rise of honorific titles applied between friends: for men, "Goodman", and for women, "Goodwife" (often shortened to "Goody").

In 1782, Corinsfield would make small incursions into the territory of Argezvale. The rune magic of the dwarves was no use against the specialized anti-mage Red Sentries led by the new general, Ichabod Roose, who would prove himself highly effective. The dwarves pleaded for intervention from Emperor Calrodiy VII of Arverynn, the emperor of Sarda. However, a Dolindhan rebellion within the Dragon Dominion was deemed a more pressing issue in need of Sarda support, and so no support was sent to cease the Corinsfielder attack. In contrast, the Corinsfielders were offered support from the neighboring bandit kingdom of New Havoral, who had no love lost for the dwarves, who had so often functioned as Sarda-backed enforcers over the Veykoda region. The support was declined due to the already poor relations between Corinsfield and New Havoral and the perception that it was unneeded. The conclusion of the war would end in a major amount of Argezvale’s southern border going to Corinsfield, as well as significant war reparations.

The Red Year[]

"I judge thee guilty."

―Ichabod Roose, shortly before the death of Lord Adrahel II of Fadhevych, 1787

See article: Red Year

The relative political neutrality of Corinsfield was broken by Lord Adrahel II of Fadhevych in 1787. Under the leadership of Ichabod Roose, the Red Sentries of Corinsfield would engage in a successful campaign against Calrodiy VII Vyrekynn of Arverynn. In the process, they would raze the holy city of Adbrabohvi.

The Red Year would end with large territorial gains for Corinsfield and an armistice with Arverynn. However, this great victory left the Reverendship of Corinsfield weak and overextended. Seeking to strike while their enemy was weak, the neighboring bandit kingdom of New Havoral, under the leadership of the newly crowned Jahanon síl Lethir would declare war in 1788.

The Decades of the Mountain[]

"No prisoners."

―Jahanon síl Lethir to his lieutenant, Kaldan síl Place, after the Battle of Brighthope, 1788

It only took one battle to totally destroy the short-lived Corinsfielder hegemony over the Ynn. The Battle of Brighthope, situated in the small Corinsfielder border city of Brighthope, saw a weakened force of Red Sentries, led by Ichabod Roose, attempt to fight the primary army of New Havoral, lead personally by Jahanon.

The battle resulted in a total defeat for Corinsfield, with the death of the majority of the Red Sentries. Ichabod Roose would vanish after the battle, but it is unknown whether he perished alongside his forces. From this point forwards, Corinsfield had no defenses as the armies of Jahanon invaded. Several smaller towns, such as Iontrace, Crimsonwall, and Chickenscoop would be razed to the ground, with only a single blinded survivor permitted to escape and spread the word of the coming of Jahanon.

This campaign of terror caused the early capitulation of Corinsfield, as Crimson Reverend Denise met with Jahanon in 1788 to negotiate surrender. The terms were absolute; New Havoral would annex all Corinsfielder land. Thus began New Havoral's claim to hegemony over the Ynn: the Decades of the Mountain.

Almost immediately, New Havoric troops started repressing Corinsfielder culture, as they were seen as an ‘unacceptable minority’ to Jahanon’s plans to build an empire. Corinite temples would be burned, with Ravelian lodges being built in their place. Possessing Corinfielder hymns and literature would be punishable by jail time, and any ‘witch trials’ would lead to the imprisonment and execution of all involved. To add insult to injury, the governor appointed by Jahanon in Poppyspring, after the execution of much of the former Corinsfielder upper courts including former Crimson Reverend Denise following a short-lived attempted rebellion, would be a mage: Henric síl Deadfort.

This crackdown enraged much of the population of Corinsfield, which caused somewhat of a cycle. The harder Henric cracked down, the more the Corinsfielders fought. The more the Corinsfielders fought, the harder Henric cracked down. Eventually, the Corinsfielder will was broken as many of the peasant leaders were arrested and executed and the majority of the peasantry’s weaponry was confiscated.

Corinsfielders were frequently conscripted into the military of the newly proclaimed kingdom of High Havoral (a kingdom Jahanon proclaimed upon conquering Sarda), as their perceived sharpshooting abilities and knowledge of anti-mage combat were valuable. However, they were known for being unfriendly with their fellow soldiers and would frequently refuse to follow orders from their officers. Some recovered letters of Corinsfielder soldiers would openly speak of their disdain for their fellows and higher-ups, as well as plans for rebellion.

The vanishing of Jahanon in 1796 was met with much applause and jubilation from Corinsfielders. Shortly later, Henric síl Deadfort would die under mysterious circumstances. The most common rumor is that he was killed by Ichabod Roose, who had allegedly become a rebel and folk hero after his great shame in Brighthope, although no concrete sources back up this information.

Brayden síl Lethir, his army being steadily pushed back, made a final stand in Poppyspring. As the city was extremely fortified, it made for an advantageous impromptu fort.

He had not counted on a dragon.

Varlengeilt, the green dragon-prince of the Dragon Dominion, took flight in his true form. Along with thousands of soldiers, they laid siege to Poppyspring, routing most of Brayden’s army- and utterly decimating the city, in both an act of utility to kill the son of the much maligned bandit king as well as an act of revenge against the Corinites for the Istranari Crusade. This would be one of the last major battles of the Decades of the Mountain, as High Havoral would rapidly fall to civil war and strife.

Brayden síl Lethir’s army would be continually pushed back until the battle of Velencestor in 1811, where the last forces of High Havoral, along with Brayden himself, perished in a battle with the future Ynnic empress, Princess Morvel Vyrekynn.

Modern History[]

"Traveling to Corynnspoel is not advised at this time, especially if you happen to possess any magical acumen."

―Official Travel Advisory Warning from Arverynn, 1813

After Henric’s rule and the Scouring of Poppyspring, the Corinsfielders found themselves a weakened and injured people. However, they received compassion from where they had never expected it: their northern neighbors and former longtime rivals in Argezvale offered assistance in rebuilding their nation. The two nations negotiated peace from the war, securing their independence from the crumbling High Havoral. With dwarven assistance, Poppyspring would be mostly rebuilt in just 23 years. The borders would also be restored to how they had looked before the war between the nations shortly before the Red Year.

Unfortunately for Corinsfield, the Decades of the Mountain had ended with a new power on the horizon. The rising Ynnic Empire, again under the Vyrekynns. Not having the strength to continue their independence, they reluctantly negotiated for Iosahar status alongside Argezvale.

Officially, the Reverendship is now the Iosahar of Corynnspoel. Few call it that, especially within Corynnspoel. While the state may officially be Ynn River Worship, the vast majority of the population is still rabidly Corinite. Witch trials are banned by law, but still commonly occur in the countryside. The nation is incredibly dangerous for outsiders, and travel outside of Poppyspring, even by Chroniclers, is not encouraged.

Government[]

The Poppyshield Assembly[]

"What sort of functional government is made up of holy men yelling at each other?"

―An unnamed advisor to the king of Arverynn writing after visiting Poppyspring, 1763

Before becoming an Iosahar, Corinsfielder government was organized much like a peasant republic. Instead of significant landowners voicing the concerns of their communities, it would be the village couters.

Couters from every village, on the 18th of every month — as the 18th was when Godwin of Escerton staged his rebellion against Esthil — would meet at Poppyshield, a large hall located in the center of Poppyspring. Here, they would discuss issues present in their communities and what action could be taken to prevent this. From these issues, they would compile motions to vote upon. From here, the motions would be taken to the Crimson Reverend, who had the ability to veto them. These motions could be passed regardless if two-thirds of couters continued to back it. This organization would be referred to as the Poppyshield Assembly.

In modern day, the ruler of Corynnspoel is appointed by imperial legislators from Arverynn. Generally, among the court, being assigned to the governorship is seen as a disgrace — if not a death sentence, as Sarda rulers tend not to have an especially long lifespan after being appointed.

The Corinspilgrim Compact[]

"For the Good Reverend of Crimson Cloak, they must diligently promote the common good; do not to begrudge in the ordinariness of their persons, but Corins’s ordinance for our good tidings."

―Cited quote from the Corinspilgrim Compact from a legal document written in 1643

The initial governing document of Corinsfield was referred to as the Corinspilgrim Compact, signed by Father Godwin as well as 19 other couters and 30 house heads in 1562. Unfortunately, the document itself was destroyed in the Scouring of Poppyspring, so little is known about it. Preserved governmental records that reference it imply it emphasized the election of Crimson Reverends who would ‘serve the common good’, the significance of the common peasant to the state, and the importance of faith in governance.

Culture[]

Family Structure[]

"To kill a neighbor is a crime by law, but to betray a brother is a sin most foul."

―A common Corinsfielder maxim

Corinsfielder families were extremely large, comparative to other settlers of the time period. The average number of children per family has been estimated to be as high as eight; some documents mention family sizes as large as sixteen. While illness was a common factor in population sizes — it was estimated that in 1590, only 3 out of 8 children would make it to the age of 16 — the fertile land of Corinsfield provided enough food to provide for these significantly larger families. In addition, these large families were heavily encouraged by Corinsfielder culture, with a belief stating that eventually the number of peasants who reject mages will eventually outnumber those who love mages.

Families had no strict gender hierarchy, as was common in many rural Corinite regions. Both men and women were permitted to own land. Marriage would merge these plots of land. Land would be divided evenly amongst children.

This led to problems as the standard of living went up, meaning plots of land could be divided into plots much too small to settle on. This led to siblings merging their land. This blood land-merger was an oath sworn in front of the nearest couter, who guaranteed that any liars or layabouts would be punished not only in this life but in the next— both parties would swear to do equal work on the fields and provide for each other’s family for as long as they live.

By 1760, it’s estimated over half of the agricultural land in Corinsfield was held by merged households.

Witch Trials[]

"It is time for the wicked stain of witchery to no longer bear its scythe above all heads. It is time to horrify all the maleficarum who seek our destruction. So fellow couters, let’s make terror the order of the day!"

―Couter Varian to the Poppyshield Assembly of Couters, 1572

The most well-known aspect of Corinsfield’s society is its burning hatred for mages, stemming from their origin as refugees fleeing cruel Esthíli experiments with forbidden magic.

Witch trials were frequent occurrences. Smaller villages would hold them in Corinite temples, while the largest ones would be held in Poppyshield. In them, a jury of 15 citizens would listen to the arguments of the accuser and the accused, then give the court’s judge an indication of if the jury agreed on the guilt of the accused. Later in Corinsfield history would see the rise of defenders, literate citizens-for-hire who would be hired to defend from witchery accusations.

A guilty verdict always resulted in death.

The most common method of death was by burning. The witch would be tied around a wooden pyre surrounded by firewood. A couter would read from a book of prayer to the crowd, then light the firewood. The second-most common method was by execution. Some uncommon ways of execution were as follows

Pressing: laying a board on top of the accused while laying more and more weight on top. This was used once ever, on Gillman Honeyfoot, a halfling preacher of Begga; onlookers were apparently so horrified that the method was never used again.
Dunking: lowering the accused into the waters of the Corynn. Originally unintentional, it was first used as a way to prove the innocence of Adela Twice-Blessed, with the rationale that if she floated then she was using magic to protect herself. However, while the chair was being lowered, a massive Ynnic water serpent lept out of the rivers and ate the accused whole. From then on, this was a fairly common method of execution, until it was banned in 1723 by Crimson Reverend Taelar, who claimed it was too reminiscent of ‘heathenous’ Ynnic rituals.

Some notable trials include

The Trial of Erela Feycombe: Erela Feycombe, a 93 year old woman, was accused of being a witch by Mariel of Redfields after her 6 year old daughter went missing, claiming that Erela consumed the child to gain power. She was the oldest human to ever be executed on witchery charges. Mariel of Redfields’ daughter would later be found a year later— she had gotten lost in a forest and ended up in another village.
The Trial of Remembrance Gardfort: Remembrance Gardfort was a 4 month old child who was accused of magery after the neighbors of her parents witnessed her move toys without using her hands. After the jury’s guilty verdict and following execution via burning, her parents were later hanged for harboring a witch. Remembrance Gardfort was the youngest to ever be executed on witchery charges.
The Trial of the Beast: After a local militia managed to subdue a wendigo, they bound its limbs and sent it to Poppyshield under the explanation that they believed it was a shapeshifting witch, and should be tried as such. As the wendigo could not (or would not) speak and, therefore, could not present a defense, the jury decreed it guilty. It’s said that the wendigo took 3 days to burn, and the smell was unbearable.
The Trial of Arcturian síl Silvermere: Arcturian síl Silvermere was an old hermit of indeterminate age. He was brought to Poppyshield after a group of Red Sentries caught him performing small acts of magic by his hut in the woods. He refused to give any defense during his trial and was sentenced to be burned. When tied to the pyre, he cackled and vanished in a flash of light with a deafening roar, blinding over thirty members of the audience as well as the couter performing the ceremonies. Further search proved the old man to have totally vanished. Searching the forest where his hut was yielded no results. The following year, a famine struck the nation. It’s unknown if these two events were related.
The Trial of Praise-Corin Aspenwall: Praise-Corin Aspenwall, a 14 year old child, had been born with demonic features such as horns and red scales around the upper forehead. While such mutations would have clearly made her an obvious target for an extrajudicial execution rather than a trial, the insistence of her mother, a substantial landowner, that the child did not possess any magic in spite of their appearance made the trial go to Poppyshield. Due to the brilliant defense of the defender, Goodman Sandor, Praise-Corin was actually permitted to go free. He argued that her demonic features actually showed that she was not cursed, but favored by Corin, as Corin was the successor of Agrados. Praise-Corin would later go on to become the couter of the town of Godwinton until her death by natural causes at the age of 82.

Religion[]

"It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it."

―The Dame reflecting on her betrayal of humanity; Corinsfielder hymn commonly read before execution of a witch

The state religion of Corinsfield for all of the Reverendship’s existence was Corinite. However, the theological differences between baseline Corinite and Corinsfielder Corinite have sparked occasional debates whether it should be considered a regional variant or an entirely different religion altogether.

In line with mainstream Corinism, Corin is the leader of the Regent Court. The faith focuses on her to an almost monotheistic degree, yet the other gods still exist and are worshiped to a minor degree, such as the symbol of Nerat being occasionally carved upon tombstones, or hunters reciting small hymns to Falah before hunts. In terms of overall iconography, Corin dominates.

The place of Father Godwin within Corinsfielder Corinism is unclear. While some hymns and prayers make him out to be an Avatar of Corin, some make him out as just a normal man. He is the second-most commonly depicted figure in Corinsfielder iconography, mixing their nationalism with their religion.

The largest theological difference is their view of magic. They believe that The Dame fell to the sway of the Infernal Court in secret sometime after the Godswar. Whether this fall corrupted magic into an inherently evil force or whether she fell due to the preexisting corruptive influence of magic is not clear, but this belief forms the theological basis of the Corinsfielder hatred of magic. The belief of The Dame’s fall likely stems from the suffering of the Corinspilgrims at the hands of mages. Surely, if devout peasants like they suffered so greatly at the hands of mages, then the god of magic cannot be a force of good.

There are other minor theological differences. Primarily, the role of much of Corin’s Circle is heavily diminished, with the majority being nearly entirely forgotten. Lothane Bluetusk, in the rare times he is portrayed, is inexplicably portrayed as human rather than a half orc, with the moniker of ‘Bluetusk’ being dropped. Of course, no mages are portrayed as siding with Corin, meanwhile Dookanson and his lieutenants are emphasized as powerful mages.

The religion does not follow the hierarchy present in Corinite branches in Cannor or even other nations in Aelantir. Temple ranks go up to the Couter, who functions as both the spiritual leader of a village as well as the political leader. The Crimson Reverend can be considered equivalent to a Helm.

Holidays[]

"Rejoice, rejoice! These long-awaited days of peace and fraternity have finally fallen upon us once more!"

―Crimson Reverend Elizabeth, 1810; the first Father’s Day since the Decades of the Mountain

Many standard Corinite holidays were celebrated in Corinsfield, such as Corinsfall. These would be celebrated in the standard ways. Of course, any holiday-related traditions relating to magic or mages wouldn’t be included. A slight divergence is that, during Corinsfall, Corinspoppies would commonly be ground up and mixed with water. This rudimentary dye was widely used to dye hair for the festivities.

A holiday entirely unique to Corinsfield would be Father’s Day, a celebration of the day Father Godwin founded Poppyspring. The celebrations of this holiday have a heavy emphasis on family and community. Communities would meet in town centers and recite hymns, led by the local couter. From then on, communities would hold great feasts with every local family contributing some sort of meal. After which, families would return to their homes where the rest of the day would be spent telling familial stories. An exception would be made for young lovers, who would present each other with large bouquets of Corinspoppies and spend the night together. To work on Father’s Day was seen as a major social taboo.

References[]

Rabac Jacob of Corinsfield (1893). Father Godwin: The Shepherd of the Faithful. Self-published.
Rabac Jacob of Corinsfield (1896). For Flame and Faith: The Story of Corinsfield. Self-published.
Rabac Jacob of Corinsfield (1894). Compiled and Recovered Letters from What-Corin-will of Brightfort: Corinsfielder Soldiers in the Decades of the Mountain. Chronicler Academia.
Tempo Foolfoot (1901). Along the River: Travels Throughout the Ynn. Beepeck Books.