Cornumbra

**Cornumbra** is a country that is part of the Pridish Isles and the Pridish Empire. It shares a border with Decester to its south. It sits in the mid to high Northern Sea, and includes 6 six islands, 5 of which are inhabited.

## Governance

### Politics

##### Historic

Before the invasion Cornumbra was a matriarchal, absolute monarchy and had been since before records began. The queen ruled from the fort in Saltcaster.

##### Contemporary

The standard political structure of the Pridish Empire was imposed upon Cornumbra after the invasion, with the queen being transitioned to a formal and ceremonial role. This, of course, angered the native Umbrians, but it also angered the other reeves of the Pridish Empire as Emperor Galfino divided the relatively unpopulated region into 16 regions, enough to water down the political power of every other region. These reeves were granted to families he favoured as well as Umbrian families who had turned on their countrymen during the invasion, creating a voting block that was highly friendly to Galfino's ideas. Because of this the reeves of Cornumbra have slowly been assisting in the transformation of the country's native colour to mirror that of the centres of Decester, causing unrest which is often put down quickly.

### Regions, reeves, and districts

Cornumbra is currently divided into 17 regions, each granted through the reeve process to a family as dictated by the Crown. Each of these regions are lead by the foremost member of the reeve family, who then chooses who represents them in the Charmament from amongst their kin. The reeves in Cornumbra are:

* Allwell Gate
* Bolsfleet
* Bore at Sea
* Burthe
* Dogchild
* Elsett
* Farslade
* Grainedge
* Groom's Green
* Kilnport
* Marmead
* Saltcaster
* Scampley
* Snarber
* Stixing
* Stixinwood
* Yetwards

## Geography

### Coasts

The majority of Cornumbra fits into a coastal geography. The northerly coast of Cornumbra is the calmer and cooler of the two, exposed to more placid waters of the high northern sea. Whereas the southerly coast is more regularly exposed to the warmer waters flowing forth from the Midsea and low northern sea causing much less predictable weather.

### Landscape and rivers

The coastline of Cornumbra is defined by large cliffs and long beaches. The rest of the country is remarkably flat however, and its relative exposure has produced a landscape that has only limited usefulness in terms of argiculture. The few deep forests the country has are protected by its rare valleys.

### Climate

Cornumbra has the coldest climate in the entirity of the Pridish Empire with springs and summers that fall well below the Pridish average, autumns that are known to drop into freezing, and winters that are commonly harsh and stormy.

## Economy

Cornumbra is the poorest country within the Pridish Empire. It has very little in the way of international trade, and historically the umbrian traditional outlook is to focus on the communal nature of communities rather than external business. Because of this and its general resource scarcity the country has struggled to make wealth in the wake of its invasion.

### Goods

The two most common exports produced in Cornumbra are snail-squid ink and rumblebee honey and mead. The former is favoured by academics for its deep opaqueness and longevity.

### Property

The city of Saltcaster is currently bouyed by construction as an up and coming hotspot for the wealthy. Its picturesque landscapes and seafront have drawn the attention and admiration of many of the elite who are buying up land and homes within the city to turn into second or holiday homes.

## Demography

### Population

Cornumbra has a population of roughly 650,000. The smallest population in the Pridish Empire outside of the island colonies. Roughly 5% of this population live in the capital of the country, Saltcaster, with the majority of people living in small, isolated coastal communities.

### Language

Umbrian is the traditional language of Cornumbra, a close relative of Pridgeon. This means under the occupation it has been relatively easy for affected communities to learn the official language of the empire. However, umbrian is still solely spoken in most small communities and between Umbrians themselves.

### Religion

##### Historic

Signs of the pre-invasion Umbrian religion can be found everywhere in Cornumbra, carved standing stones featuring ancient lettering and pictograms are a common sight. However, these are now more often than not chained down, defaced, or outright destroyed as a way of discouraging the old practices. These stones were constructed in reverence of the behemoths, celestials, and leviathans that frequented the land once and now remain as a stark reminder of their absence.

Historically umbrians revered these beings like deities, like much of the Pridish Isles did before the rise of the empire, and held the seabound leviathans in the highest regard due to the peoples primarily sea-based diet. Legend says that the stones were originally markers for meeting places where the people could spy and meet with the beings on certain days to beseech their aid. Many of the major sites of this loose practice have been lost now, constructed over in the early days of the occupation by the Crown Church. An example of this is the Cathedral of Saint Aekolas the Drowned in Elsett, which sits on the site of an ancient stone circle devoted to the celestial Pra Za.

##### Contemporary

Cornumbra functions under a begrudging acceptance of the Crown Church, but actual attendance of their services is the lowest here of anywhere in the empire. It is common knowledge that a lot of pagan practice associated with the old ways is still practiced in secret in Cornumbra, especially in the isolated communities to the north. The native population is very good at hiding evidence of this though, and are fiercly protective of their own, meaning it is only very rarely that anyone is punished for this.

## Culture

### Cuisine

Traditionally umbrian cuisine is derived mostly from the sea, but since the invasion this practice has taken a hit with the empire's taboo on the consumption of fish. Because of this most umbrians subsist on very basic meals, with very little known of umbrian food culture known beyond its borders. In secret, most people in Cornumbra do consume fish regularly as a matter of practicality, even non-natives. As the land is not suitable for large scale farming and food imports are expensive most umbrians will take what they can get.

Fish and squid are common meats, with seaweed often included in meals. Seafowl are eaten on rare occassions.

### Education

Cornumbra, per capita, is the second least educated country in the Pridish Empire, only beating out the islands of Alvuz and Vespula. There are no academies within the country's borders and most umbrians follow their parents into a trade.

## National Symbols

The symbol of Cornumbra is a two-pronged fishing spear. It's colours are traditionally black and silver.