Corisia

The Kingdom of Corisia is a nation in the north-eastern section of Artura (the continent). Populated almost entirely by humans, the Corisians.

## History

### Arturis

The great King Artur led his tribes to the area in a massive migration, fleeing a harsh winter further north, but often came into conflict with the native tribes, sometimes forcing them out. In retaliation, the Dunmorish and the Cadutians rallied under a warlord named Aldred and marched to repel the migrating Arturians.

Outnumbered 5 to 1, the Arturians lost the first battle. Instead of continuing to fight, Artur’s wife Corisia devised a plan, which involved retreating and leading the Dunmorish and Cadutian armies into a meteorite crater, where she trapped them. With the steep sides and the few passes blocked, the Arturians began to wipe them out. The Cadutians eventually managed to break out and flee, but their numbers were decimated. With their defeat, the Dunmorish and Cadutians were cast out, with any electing to stay being absorbed. This marked an exodus of Cadutians out westwards, who have settled lands away from the Arturians.

Having secured the land, the greater region was named Corisia in honour of her victory, while the fledgling nation was called Arturis. Only 10 years later, Corisia passed away, and was buried in a temple, constructed in her honour, in the centre of the crater, her tomb being directly over the meteorite remains. Her nation, however, did not fare so well. Artur and Corisia had lost Vittorio, their only child, during the migration, and her unexpected death left Artur spiralling into deep depression, from which he never recovered. Six months after her death, Artur killed himself within Corisia’s tomb, and was entombed next to her. With Arturs absence from leading and no heir, control was left in the hands of a council of his chiefs. This very swiftly turned sour and the nation broke up soon after Arturs death, splitting into individual tribes and petty kingdoms.

### Bellecaea

The Jast and the Messud tribes originated south of Corisia. After a few seasons of droughts and heatwaves, they migrated north to find more habitable land. Beginning to arrive a few centuries after the Arturians, they battled the scattered Dunmorish and Cadutians south of the River Luca, but without organised leadership they failed to take on the already settled Arturians.

Much like the Arturians and Dumorish before them, no Jast or Messud leader was able to conquer the region, and what little they did manage, would rarely survive longer than a few generations. This was true until 406BU, when a chief called Armand took his father's throne and began his plans to subjugate the others. Through conquest, diplomacy or intrigue he conquered a large amount of the Jast and Messud tribes, uniting them under one country and crowning himself King of Bellecaea.

After his death in 391BU, his son Armand II attempted to step out of his father’s shadow and prove he was better than his father by conquering the Arturians.The initial attacks took the Arturians by surprise, who had let their guard down after the previous King’s death. Bellecaean troops managed to take a large amount of the northern bank of the Luca in just a few weeks. However their success did not last. The Arturians unified under a mysterious leader and taunted the Bellecaean King into an unfavourable battle. This decisive, yet costly, victory for the Arturians won them the war, and killed King Armand II in the process.

The Kingdom was barely saved by the King's brother Richard, who assumed the throne and saved the nation from completely falling apart, although numerous tribes and leaders declared independence. Bellecaea would have a rocky few years ahead of them.

### Arturis Unified

With the Bellecaeans defeated, talk of reforming Arturis gained great momentum. In the middle of it all, a man who led them to victory, a man claiming to be the descendant of Arturs and Corisias son, Vittorio. While many threw this man out as being a fake, he was in possession of the heirs amulet, a necklace handed down to the heir, once belonging to Artur himself before he gifted it to Vittorio. Claiming Vittorio was seriously wounded in an ambush on the migration south, he was found by a Dunmorish tribe who nursed him back to health. With no way of knowing where his people had gone, he remained there to protect this tribe, marrying one of the women in the process. Many generations later, this heir left to reclaim his birthright, to reclaim the throne of Arturis.

The threat of Bellecaea made cooperation in Arturis a necessity, but no one was willing to give up their power and independence. After months and many arguments, they came to an agreement. Arturis was to reunify, but the amount of powers retained by the individual signori meant the King was largely just ceremonial. Despite this, the heir accepted and he took the name Artur II, officially reforming the nation of Arturis in 389BU. The powerful signori would prove an immense pain to the crown, and one they’d never be able to kill.

Artur II built his capital within the crater Artur and Corisia were buried in, creating the city of Starfall. The crater had been left empty in respect to founding couple, but the King could think of nowhere better to construct the heart of Arturis reborn.

### Arturis vs Bellecaea

The 300 years that followed a cold war-like series of insults, trade disputes, skirmishes and one upperies. Both nations were unwilling to commit to war, knowing the strength of the other and remembering the losses from the last time. Raids and sabotage were common, but always denied by the offending nation. Fortifications were constructed by both sides on the banks of the Luca and existing settlements were upgraded.

The only war happened in 307 and lasted just six months, ending with Arturis losing its last city south of the Luca, but was ultimately inconclusive as to a victor, with heavy losses on both side.

During this period, both names expanded their territory away from the other, with Arturis expanding north and Bellecaea south, regaining much lost land. Much of this land was taken from the Dunmorish in the east, who were ultimately forced to merge into either nation.

### United by disaster

In 42BU, a great plague descended upon Arturis and Bellecaea, decimating the population. The afflicted became drained of their energy and turned a pale white, earning the name The White Death. Diarrhoea, extreme fatigue and eventually organ failure caused high casualties, especially within urban areas and hotter regions.

None were safe from the White Death, with the plague killing both high and low born, nearly wiping out the Arturian monarchy. The last male king, King Edward I, died without any male heirs. His sister Princess Rosa briefly took charge as regent, but was never crowned as queen.

In 4BU, as the plague began to subside, some Dunmorish and Cadutian tribes in the east took advantage of weakened nations and invaded. They quickly defeated the few Arturians and Bellecaeans who initially stood against them, and made deep incursions into the nations. However, these invaders were not immune to the plague, and with their large armies camped in tight conditions, the plague ran rampant. The invaders quickly fell to the White Death and a combined defense led by the Arturian Lords and the Bellecaean King, Christophe II.

In the aftermath both nations were crippled and severely weakened. Despite losing its monarchy, Arturis was the stronger of the two, with Bellecaea losing far more to the plague, particularly in the hotter south. Using this to their advantage, Princess Rosa led unification talks with Christophe II, with the union favouring Arturis more. Faced with the threat of Arturis invading, the King accepted, signing the treaty at Highcliffe. The Highcliffe Treaty unified Arturis and Bellecaea into one nation, protected the autonomy of the Arturian Lords, ensured Arturian traditions would not be outlawed (such as equal rights) and named the new country Corisia. The treaty drew great anger from the Bellecaeans, who saw it as them surrendering to the Arturians. The peace secured by the treaty would unfortunately not last long.

### Corisian Civil War

The Highcliffe Treaty was signed in 0AU to bring union between Arturis and Bellcaea. The treaty favoured Arturian interests over Bellecaean, such as Corisia being the new nation, instead of Arturis becoming part of Bellecaea. Many Bellecaeans were angered by this treaty, seeing it as an Arturian victory. Dissent grew quickly, especially amongst the southern regions of Bellecaea, which led to calls for the treaty to be repealed and Arturis subjugated. At the front of this movement was Prince Louis, brother to the King. His cause drew many, including some Seigneur (lords), and his numbers began to swell. When King Christophe II refused his demands, the Prince declared open rebellion in 3AU.

Raising his banners in Nouvelle Terre, Prince Louis marched on Highcliffe with an army of 40,000 men, largely patriotic knights supported by conscript footmen. Marching across Bellecaea they gathered more to the side each day, it seemed like they were finally going to beat Arturis. The Arturian army that rallied to oppose him consisted of only 15,000 men, mostly foot soldiers, being led by Signore Hywoode. Signore Hywoode chose his battleground, glenrock hill, carefully. His forces were stationed on said hill, protected by a glenrock holdfast of one side, a wooded area on the other and rows of wooden stakes with chains in front.

Bellecaean knights were renowned for their arrogance and lust for glory, so demanded to charge the enemy first. Prince Louis was eager to gain their support, particularly if he was to take the throne, so allowed them to take the lead. When the battle began, the Knights charged straight into their own death, where the Arturians rained arrows down on them, killing numerous knights and steeds. The stakes and chains caused havoc amongst the charge, dismounting and killing many. By the time the foot soldiers tried to the cross the field, they had the extra obstacle of the bodies of the cavalry to deal with. Despite the volleys of arrows, some foot soldiers made it to the Arturians, but only minor losses were suffered by the defenders. Eventually the Arturian cavalry arrived and attacked the Bellecaeans from the flank, causing them to flee in a panicked retreat.

The battle was a resounding success for the Arturian, who were considered to be weaker in regard to combat prowess. The Bellecaeans lost over 18,000 soldiers, while the Arturians lost less than 500 men. Prince Louis, as well as many of the other rebel leaders, was killed during his ill fated charge. The remaining rebels fled to regroup and nurse their wounds. This battle marked the beginning of the end for superiority of heavily armoured horsemen on the battlefield. The Arturian use of bows and tactical positioning prevailed despite being outnumbered, signalling a changing point in warfare. Signore Hywoode would be appointed High General of the Arturian armies for his efforts in securing this victory.

The nation has seen a big shift from simple agricultural living towards industrial, with hundreds of factories, mills and refineries opening within the last few hundred years driving the industrial revolution. Agriculture has also been revolutionised, with new machinery and techniques being deployed throughout the land. The country now produces and exports a wide range of goods, from machinery to canned food.

## Environment

Corisia is a temperate land, with large expanses of oak woodland, fertile farmland and upland moors.

## The Corisians

Corisians are a content people. Having evolved from absolute monarchies, there is an entrenched class system and a wide wealth gap between the poor and the rich. The rich like to lavishly show off their wealth, but have been very mindful since the rebellions during the reign of the Mad King.

Corisia is made up of several ethnic groups. The Bellecaeans formed from the Jast and Messud, who were conquered by a Messud King to form Bellecaea. The Jast were a crafty and artistic lot, while the Messud were more militaristic and valued strength. Thus the Bellecaeans are creative and artistic, being renowned for their architecture and artwork, whilst also having a formidable military with very decorative equipment.

The Arturians are innovative and inventive, progressing much quicker than their neighbours. This is due to the support placed on education, usually of the rich, and the formation several academies and universities. They've also taken on many traditions and customs from the Dunmorish and Cadutian tribes that they absorbed, such as the Sun festival, influences in artwork/ architecture and Dunmorish weddings.

Since the nation of Corisia was formed, these distinct cultures are becoming mixed, leading to blurred lines between the cultures. Many Bellecaeans have left to join a university, and many Arturians are taking up the Bellecaean crafts. These changes are slowly leading down the path to the creation of the Corisian culture, a mix of its predecessor nations and their ethnicities.

## Politics

Corisia is a constitutional monarchy, with the nation being run by a government instead of the Monarch. The Monarch still holds considerable power, but most lies with the Prime Minister. The government consists of the Council of Lords and the Council of Commons. The Council of Lords are appointed, while the Council of Commons are elected by the general population. The votes in parliament are assigned based on titles and land, meaning the more wealthy have bigger votes and form powerful voting blocks. The Prime Minister is appointed by the two Councils, and then forms a cabinet from the members of parliament (exemptions can be made by making the candidate an honorary MP).

## Economy

The nation has seen a big shift from simple agricultural living towards industrial, with hundreds of factories, mills and refineries opening within the last few hundred years driving the industrial revolution. Agriculture has also been revolutionised, with new machinery and techniques being deployed throughout the land. The country now produces and exports a wide range of goods, from machinery to canned food.

Corisia is an industrialised nation within its cities, but the technology level decreases the further you get from the urban centres. The discovery of a mineral additive has greatly accelerated the use of steam engines.

## Religion

Religion is an important part of Corisia, but it's secondary to matters of the state. There's are three major religions in Corisia, The Order of Saint Corisia, The Abbey of the Light and the Temple of the Sun.

The Order of Saint Corisia believe that Corisia was a prophet sent to save the Arturians from certain destruction. She had the visions that led the Arturians to safety, and she devised the plan to defeat the native armies. They also believe she transcended to goddess-hood upon her death, returning several years later to take Artur to be by her side.

The Abbey of the Light believes that Man (and other Sentient beings) are gods, containing pure light inside them. Upon death, this light returns to the higher plane, sometimes to return as another being.

The Temple of the Sun is the oldest religion, being derived from the ancient Dunmorish and Cadutian faiths, and has since been mixed with Arturians and Bellecaecan religions and influences. It believes that a Great Phoenix that created the sun and gave life to the planet, who is now being reborn within the sun. His servants are birdman resembling eagles, macaws and owls.