Corin (person)

> *This article is about Corin as a person. For Corin as a god, see Corin*
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Corin, Martyr of Escann

**Corin**, born **Corina**, sometimes referred to as **The Martyr of Escann**, was a Castellyrian woman most known for being an avatar of Agrados, lifting the Verdant Veil of the Deepwoods, ending the Greentide by slaying Korgus Dookanson and ascending to godhood. She assumed Agrados place in the Regent Court as the new Goddess of War, due to her being the inheritor of his power after her death in 1444 AA.

## Early Life

Corina was born on the 23rd of Bloomsend in 1420 and was raised by her mother in the forest of Canreced on the border of Eswall. It is believed that her mother, a theorized priestess of Agrados, isolated herself and Corina due to fears of prejudice from the local Regent Court temple. In 1424, the orc invasion known as the Greentide devastated Eswall and the surrounding settlements, leaving Corina orphaned. She was taken in by the wandering knight Frederic síl Bennon, who adopted her and took her on as a squire. To ensure that she could serve as his squire and receive a martial education despite Esmarias' traditional gender roles, Frederic renamed the child Corin so she could pass as a boy.

## Lilac Wars

In order to fulfill her role as a squire and receive a martial education, Corin presented as male throughout her childhood. Under the guidance of Frederic síl Bennon, Corin excelled in the art of combat and warfare. Though not formally a member of House síl Bennon, she was introduced to the Síl Bennons as Frederic's bastard son. She was afforded the privileges of a noble upbringing and received a proper education, including lessons in chivalrous conduct. She gained a reputation for her martial skill and sense of duty, though many described her as timid outside of battle. As a squire, Corin participated in numerous battles, culminating in the Invasion of the Damesear and the subsequent battle of Anbenncóst in 1443. With a peace treaty in favor of the Rose faction being signed, Frederic and Corin returned to the Bennon estate.

## The Marcher Lords & The Battle of Rottenstep

Not long after returning home, Frederic and Corin joined the Marcher Lord army's ranks in Arbaran to defeat the Greentide Vanguard before it reached Cannor. The goal of defeating a great enemy in a last-stand effort, in defense of the innocent resonated with both Frederic and Corin. The resulting Battle of Rottenstep was a disaster, often described as a massacre rather than a proper battle. Due to the chaotic nature of the battle, accounts of the events are varied and unreliable. It is said that during the fighting, Frederic síl Bennon was thrown from his saddle and surrounded by orcish forces. Along with his personal guard, Frederic and Corin managed to fend off multiple attacks before Frederic was gravely wounded and collapsed. In a final act of bravery, Corin is said to have used her own body to shield her mentor from further blows before succumbing to her own wounds.

## Death and Resurrection

The events following Corin's death are shrouded in mystery, with accounts differing between sources. In Lothane Bluetusk's memoirs, Corin is said to have described her experience as a long march through an eternal void, surrounded by ghostly soldiers of various races. She claimed to have conversed with Nerat, who granted her the power of the disgraced god of war Agrados and tasked her with saving Cannor from the Greentide, thereby redeeming the deity as well. Winston Foolfoot, a member of her Circle, recollects being compelled by a mystical force to guard her body, knowing it was not yet her time to die. All accounts concur that approximately three hours after her death, Corin was resurrected, her wounds fully healed and her powers as an avatar of Agrados awakened.

After her awakening, her broken armor and tattered gambeson, as well as the attention and care of physicians attempting to look for injuries, let her reveal her true gender to her companions.

## Corin, the Avatar of Agrados

The squires and adventurers who were left behind or separated from the main Marcher forces numbered in the hundreds and formed the Squire's Alliance, a motley group whose key members would later form Corin's Circle. With the main Marcher army recovering and the Greentide continuing to devastate Escann, they resolved to press on despite the slim chances of victory with the original mission of the Marchers: to kill Korgus Dookanson. Word began to spread about Corin, the avatar of Agrados, and many started to see her as the true leader of the Marchers. These rumors caught the attention of Dominic of Gallowspeak, a priest of Nerat who was conducting funerary rites for the Marcher army. Believing that Corin's resurrection and transformation into an avatar were the results of infernal powers, he saw it as his duty to kill her and have her soul judged by Nerat in order to halt the influence of the Infernal Court.

Domenic trailed Corin's Circle for several days, waiting for an opportunity to strike, and finally found an opportune time. He approached her stealthily, his weapon at the ready, and with a swift and decisive blow, he attempted to plunge it into her heart, missing by a hair. To his amazement, Corin's wounds began to heal before his eyes. He watched in shock as the gash in her chest closed up, leaving no trace of the wound he had inflicted. It was as if she had never been injured at all. Dominic realized then that he had been wrong about Corin. She was no pawn of the Infernal Court. She was something more, something truly divine. At that moment, he became a convinced supporter, devoted to serving and spreading the divinity and word of Corin, the Avatar of Agrados and the coming goddess of war. He vowed to stand by her side, ready to defend her with his life and to help spread her teachings.

As Corin's party traveled through the ravaged Escann, they came upon a sad sight: a half-orc, badly beaten and left to die in a crude dirt pit, as punishment by his own tribe. His name was Lothane Bluetusk, and he had been cast out for daring to support and protect the half-orcs of his tribe from being executed, as the only survivor. Determined to save Lothane, Winston Foolfoot, a member of Corin's Circle, proposed a plan. He suggested using a rope and pulley system to lift Lothane out of the pit. The others agreed, and Winston set to work. He fashioned a sturdy rope using strips of cloth and vines and anchored it to a nearby tree. Then, using the pulley, he carefully lowered the rope down into the pit. It was a slow and exhausting process, but eventually, Lothane emerged from the pit, battered and bruised but alive. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Lothane pledged his allegiance to Corin and her cause. From that day on, he became a valuable member of the Circle, fighting alongside them and standing by their side through thick and thin, and became Corin's closest friend.

It is alleged that Corin and Lothane were romantically involved, but there is no concrete evidence to support this outside of later romantic novels and dramatizations. The memoirs of Winston Foolfoot support this by mentioning that they both never acted on any feelings.

## Count’s League Coup

During her travels in southern Escann, Corin encountered Count Carleon Blacktower, who was conducting raids against Orcish forces in the area. Impressed by her martial skill and conviction, Carleon offered Corin and her companions' sanctuary in the old Castellyrian fortress of Oldhaven. Carleon was a member of the Count's League, a coalition of surviving Castellyr nobles and their forces.

At Oldhaven, Corin presented her plan to march on Castonath and call out Korgus Dookanson to end the Greentide, and Carleon immediately pledged his forces to the cause. However, the leading lords of the Count's League attempted to arrest and execute Carleon and Lothane Bluetusk, prompting a coup by the younger minor lords, aided by Corin. They emerged victorious and placed Carleon in charge of the Count's League, which he committed to supporting Corin's plans in gratitude for her assistance.

Corin appointed Lothane to help Carleon plan, organize his forces, and rally other allies, such as Gryf the Young, while she and some of her companions journeyed south into the fabled Deepwoods in search of the mythical fey, hoping to gain their support in the fight against the Greentide.

## Lifting the Verdant Veil

Upon entering the Deepwoods and unknowingly crossing the Verdant Veil, Corin and her companions were surprised to encounter orcs from the Beasteater clan. A confused brawl ensued, but it was interrupted by a group of wood elves from Salla Myna. After initial misunderstandings, Corin managed to befriend the wood elf ranger Deinnaril Summermoon. He told her about the elven struggles against the orcs and the Conclave at Elynáile, a gathering of all elven clan leaders in an attempt to ally against invading goblins and orcs. Seeing an opportunity to find new allies, Corin convinced Deinnaril to guide her to Elynáile to meet the elven leaders. However, they were met with mistrust and denied entry into the city. Undeterred, Corin and her companions snuck in and interrupted an ongoing argument between the clan leaders. Her impassioned speech about the situation in Escann and the need to stand together caused chaos and resulted in attempts to arrest her and her companions.

They were only able to escape thanks to the intervention of the exiled wood elf mage Arun Drennen. Arun told them that the Verdant Veil could only be lifted by defeating the archfey known as the Eldest, something no ordinary mortal could do, but that Corin due to her powers might be able to do it. Corin accepted the challenge and set out to defeat the Eldest with Arun and her companions. Along the way, they discovered the warlock goblin Oubblig trailing them. Corin saw the forest goblin's opposition to the Greentide and his fey-pact magic as a good enough reason to invite him to join their party. They struggled through the chaotic and ever-changing Feyrealm, engaged the Eldest, now little more than a feral monster, and defeated it, lifting the Verdant Veil and opening the Deepwoods to the outside world for the first time since the Day of Ashen Skies. Upon returning to Elynáile, many clans begrudgingly allowed their warriors to follow Corin back to Escann, securing her allies in the Deepwoods, despite not being the ones she sought. On their way out, Corin and her forces encountered a battle between the forest goblin clan Groundhawk and some orcs. Seeing the goblins as potential allies due to their interactions with Oubblig, Corin intervened and offered her assistance in exchange for their help against the orcs of Escann. The goblins accepted and joined Corin's cause, helping them push out of the Deepwoods.

## The Battle of Castonath

Upon reuniting with her Circle, Corin spent the better part of the remaining year securing alliances and rallying various adventurer bands formed from Marcher Lords and Escanni survivors against the forces of the Greentide.

The two sides finally clashed inside the city of Castonath and slowly pushed through the city, street by street. After a week of fierce fighting, Corin and Lothane Bluetusk managed to corner Korgus and engage him in single combat. Though Korgus gained the upper hand, Corin stepped between him and the downed Lothane, using her shield to block Korgus's strike. In doing so, she left herself vulnerable to Korgus's off-hand weapon and was mortally wounded beyond what her powers could regenerate. In her final moments, she used the opportunity to strike with her longsword, killing Korgus in return. She passed away only moments later, successful in defeating her enemy without sacrificing the wellbeing of those she cared about. With Korgus's death, the disparate orcish clans had no leader to rally around and quickly scattered across Escann, causing the former Greentide to collapse into infighting.

## Corin’s Divine Powers

Corin possessed the divine power of rapid healing, which allowed her wounds to heal at an accelerated rate. This made her nearly impervious to injury, as any wounds she sustained would quickly close up, leaving no trace behind.

She also possessed superhuman strength, which allowed her to perform feats of strength beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals. This enabled her to wield heavy armor with ease and to strike with devastating force.

Finally, Corin was surrounded by an aura of hope, which radiated from her very being and affected those around her. This aura had the power to lift the spirits of those who were feeling down and to give them the strength to carry on. Together, these powers made Corin a formidable force on the battlefield and a beacon of hope for those who fought alongside her.