Description

Corkith consists of a small human town, Candale, a halfling farming community, Farnsburrow, a human and halfling fishing village, Caywood Hill, a underground dwarven city, Axendown and a high elven city, Lithline.

The area was first settled over 700 years ago by a small group of Godkin led by Arik Godwin, a philosopher who established a system of honoring duty that elevates those who serve community. In Corkith, honor is more valuable than the fines jewel as not only do you become a pillar of your community, others are obligated to serve and provide for you as a sign of respect. Arik said, “Respect is paid where respect is due.”

Settlements

Candale

The town built a 20ft tall palisade around the town 200 years ago to keep fiends out of town. It’s being slowly replaced by a stone wall, which spans further out from the original enclosure. Outside of the walls are large fields of barley, sorghum, lemon and orange orchards, almond and fig trees, as well as pig farms and large herds of sheep.

The town produces, barley, sorghum, preserved lemons, orange honey marmalade, almonds, dried figs, sheep’s milk cheese, wool and salt.

Candale is a stop on most traders routes between northern towns and Pertith. It’s calm bay make it an ideal place to wait out nasty storms.

Places

Church of the Ascended Sophist

This church in Candale is a large building containing three wings. Outside the main entrance is a small open air temple that houses shrines to the Godkin gods. The Passions wing hold large shrines to Caca, Cormoran, Anakim, and Poseidon. The Academic wing contains a large library where scholars record and study philosophy. The Console wing is where all city business convines. The console meets here and all of the guilds hold small offices here. In addition, this is home to the head priests and several open quarters for traveling oracles.

The Godwin Inn

This two story inn in Candale sits right next to the docks. It acts as a rest home for travellers and an eatery and tavern to the locals.

Caywood Hill

Caywood Hill is a small human and halfling fishing village north of Caywood Hill near the Brandywine Hills. The village sits on a small peninsula and sports a 10ft high wood palisade that stretches the width, keeping it safe from outside forces. The seaside of the city sports a large dock as the main occupation of the village is fishing. Beyond the wall are several small salt farms and a large logging camp.

Places

The Black Hook

The local tavern and inn.

Culture

Caywood Hill's people are generally laid back except when it comes to fishing, which they are extremely serious about. Good weather means good fishing and the town bustles with activity in the early morning as the fishing boats set sail. After a long day of fishing, The Black Hook tavern is filled with cheerful fishermen looking for a few pints of mead.

Farnsburrow

Farnsburrow is a halfling village on the southern side of Mighty Sow river. The center of the village is only a handful of craftsmen shops because most of the buildings are farms spread out over the countryside. The homes are all built into hills and have heavily re-enforced doors and windows that keep them safe from fiend attacks.

Culture

The halflings of Farnsburrow are hearty, fun loving and enjoy festivals, of which they have 30 a year.

Axendown

Axendown is an underground city of dwarves in the Brandywine Hills. Being underground makes the city ideal for protection against incursions from fiends. The entrances are protected by massive stone doors. The homes inside of Axendown are dug directly into the stone, making each home a fortress in itself.
The dwarves of Axendown mine for coal and copper, farm for mushrooms and moss and produce exquisite craft goods.

Culture

Unlike other parts of Corkith, there are no long term residences except for dwarves. This is due to the nature of living underground, which is extremely uncomfortable to everyone except dwarves. The dwarves are good natured but stubborn and self sure.
The dwarves of Axendown tend to worship Caca as their view loyalty and servitude as ideal traits.

Lithline

Lithline is a high elven city that sits on the southern shores of the Mighty Sow River next to a large forest. The city is constructed atop a near vertical plateau with well protected roads leading up to the city itself. The buildings of Lithline are tall stone towers, each denoting the longevity of the families that live inside. Outside of the city in the forest a small community of forest elves live high up the trees and tend to the wildlife in the forest. Lithline produces fruit, wood and stone as well as having the only academy of magic in the region.

Culture

Elves from Lithline are thoughtful and fair, emphasizing unity and cooperation.

People

Corkith Console

Ville Hamaline - male elf, 359, former guard captain. Good sense of humor, looks for good in everyone and has high expectations for everyone. Representative from Candale.

Valtteri Balrel - male elf, 404, former merchant. No nonsense, hard worker, very smart. Representative from Lithline.

Juhrma Oakbraid - male dwarf, 317, former smith and guild master. Grumpy, highly opinionated, dislikes change. Representative from Axendown.

Juaha Craigjaw - male human, 61, former fisherman. Jolly, loves to tell stories, drinking and brawling. Representative from Caywood Hill.

Narissa Sitford- female halfling, 65, former innkeeper. Energetic and high spirited. Representative from Farnsburrow.

Jacquiline Fireknight (high consoler)- female human, 50. Current leader of Corkith, nickname Queen of Corkith. Desires to establish real nobility where citizenship and right to rule is based on birthright. Representative from Candale.

Priests of the Church of the Ascended Sophist

Markus Millwright - male human 56, high priest of Poseidon. Very religious but enjoys drinking more than he should.

Jellip Brandybuck - Female halfling, 78. High priest of Cormoran. Cheerful, enjoys roaming around local farms and chatting with fishermen.

Morran Delfer - Male high elf, 245. High priest of Anakim. He spends most of his time in the library and teaches classes on history and philosophy. Beatrice Anderson - Female, human, 46, priest of Caca. She is stern and demands strict obedience

Corkith Guard

Mornith Drugfower - male gold dwarf, 210. He’s very strict and makes it a point to keep all citizens in shape and ready for war at all times. He’s prone to lecturing anyone who is fat or underweight. He’s lonely but feels it’s his duty to remain separate from the town to keep him from being corrupted. He is a true believer in the teachings of Arik Godwin.

Craftsmen Guild

Hellen Furrowfoot - Female, halfling, 112. Head of the craftsmen guild. An expert cobbler and weaver. She handles politics with as much compromise as possible, she loves to haggle and make deals. She’s ridged on her stances towards guild membership and citizenship. She often personally inspects goods brought in by merchants to ensure their quality and is notorious for rejecting goods.

Fisherman’s Guild

Romero Smith - male human 54. Head of the Fisherman’s guilds. He’s laid back when not on a boat, but a complete hardass when he is. He let’s just about anyone into the guild as there’s always a need for more fishermen and he doesn’t really care who works in the guild. He’s often at odds with Hellen.

Organizations

Corkith Console

This console of citizens is empowered to make all political decisions for the city. These positions are strictly given to those of great accomplishment as measured by their peers. The members remain on the console until death or until they are removed. There are currently 6 members on the console with Jacquiline serving as high console and leader of Corkith.

Craftsmen’s Guild

Anyone who crafts anything as their profession is a member of this guild. Those who take the oath are journeymen and become full guild members once they have become citizens. The craftsmen’s guild is responsible for all construction in the city, including city defenses.

Fishermen’s Guild

A guild of all the fishermen in the city.

Church of the Ascended Sophist

Church attends to all Godkin gods as well as Caca, Cormoran, Anakim, and Poseidon. There is always one priest representing each of the four passions of Corkith, they run the church.

The church is also the central repository of knowledge in town and home to the low mages of Corkith. Anyone wishing to be a low mage may do so and may spend any of their free time studying the arcane arts while maintaining a regular job. Unlike Devine priests, the study of arcane magic is considered an extracurricular activity. It is common for those desiring to become low mages to act as clerks, servants or information gatherers to the church. The church also hosts any traveling oracles or any oracles who choose to live in Corkith. Oracles are treated with utmost respect and allowed to live duty free while in town as to not burden them while they help our Devine futures.

All people of Corkith are required to spend at least four years studying with the priests, this typically takes place in adolescence. Further study is encouraged but not required. The four priests are not allowed to make political decisions but present research, facts and historical based opinions to help assist the 6 elders make decisions.

Corkith Guard

The guard comprises of 200 full time soldiers and 250 reserve soldiers. In addition, all men and women capable of fighting go through rigorous weapons training for one week every year. In total, there are 900 capable people in Corkith available to fight. The guard also calls upon the church for paladins, priests and magic users for assistance with defense of the city.

The guard captain is Mornith Drugfower who reports to the city console.

Culture

The people of Corkith are prideful, strong and impress a strong sense of responsibility on all those in their community. Sometimes this means performing a trade or duty you are good at but don’t like or putting yourself in the way of danger for the sake of your town.

When each person in Corkith comes of age, they must choose to become either a peasant or a citizen. Peasants may not own land, vote nor hold titles of nobility. They are bound to a nobel who employs and protects them. Peasants contract with a nobel for a period of 10 years after which they may choose a new nobel. Citizens can own land, vote, may gain and hold titles of nobility and may employ, rent to and tax peasants. Citizens are responsible for the peasants that serve under them and are compelled to serve in the military should a conflict break out.

To become a citizen, a person must earn the respect of the community by performing an act of servitude that greatly benefits Corkith. If you fail to earn the respect of the community, you become a peasant for a period of no less than 30 years. As Arik said, “The world is a harsh place and only the strong shall persevere”. Earning respect in the community is tough. For some it means 5 to 10 years of servitude to your craft. Others head out and journey to find things that greatly improve society or protect it from harm. Once you have taken your “Oath of Citizenship” (your promise that shall earn you respect), it must be done until it is completed. “Your rights reflect your word”.

History and Rule

The village was formed over 700 years ago by a small group of Godkin led by Arik Godwin, a philosopher who established a system of honoring duty that elevates those who serve community. In Corkith, honor is more valuable than gold as not only do you become a pillar of your community, others are obligated to serve and provide for you as a sign of respect. Arik said, “Respect is paid where respect is due.”

The people of Corkith are prideful, strong and impress a strong sense of responsibility on all those in their community. Sometimes this means performing a trade or duty you are good at but don’t like or putting yourself in the way of danger for the sake of your town.

When each person in Corkith comes of age, they must choose to become either a plebeians or a citizen.

To become a citizen, a person must earn the respect of the community by performing an act of servitude that greatly benefits Corkith. If you fail to earn the respect of the community, you become a plebeians for a period of no less than 30 years. As Arik said, “The world is a harsh place and only the strong shall persevere”. Earning respect in the community is tough. For some it means 5 to 10 years of servitude to your craft. Others head out and journey to find things that greatly improve society or protect it from harm. Once you have taken your “Oath of Citizenship” (your promise that shall earn you respect), it must be done until it is completed. “Your rights reflect your word”. Of course you are not on your own. The community supports you on your quest as best it can.

Government

Corkith is run by the Corkith console. Each member of the console is a citizen and part of the Patrician, or the ruling families, of Corkith. Patricians create laws, issue edicts, act as judges and may appoint individuals to positions of authority. There is always one one Patrician from each settlement and one additional for the high consoler.

Below the Patricians are the citizens. Any citizen who holds the contract of a plebeian is called a Dominus, a title of rulership and ownership. Citizens can own land, vote, may become Dominus' or Patricians and may employ, rent to and tax peasants. Citizens, Dominus and Patricians are responsible for all plebeians and are compelled to serve in the military should a conflict break out.

Th lowest class is the plebeians. Plebeians may not own land, vote nor hold titles of nobility. They are bound to a Dominus who employs and protects them. Plebeians contract with a Dominus for a period of 10 years after which they may choose a new Dominus.