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Kroashent: Marie's Bestiary of Alvez - Kornikaned
🕑 Added 2021-04-30 15:34:08 +0000 UTCThe Kornikaned - The Korrigan of the Forests
Physical Attributes
The Kornikaned resemble diminutive Bediz in their basic anatomy, with a pair of insectlike wings emerging from their backs. The smallest of the Korrigan, they never grow larger than 10 centimeters in height, but they make up for it in energy, constantly flitting around. Kornikaned wings often glow vibrant colours, infused by glamour to resemble stained glass. Unlike the Gargoul, they must actively use their wings to maintain elevation. Kornikaned ears are longer and thinner than those of the Tuatha de Danaan, but jut out at a similar angle
Habitats
As their moniker implies, the Korrigan of the Forest prefer to reside within wooded areas wherever possible, favouring a mixture of deep woods and open glades, laying claim to specific patches of land and defending it with zealous passion. Kornikaned live high in the canopy, in hanging hammocks resembling wasps nests. Contrary to popular belief that these are the primary dwellings of these creatures, numerous tales exist that describe glorious palaces carved from the trunks and branches of the trees, unseen by outsiders, complete with storage vaults, grand dining halls, theatres and ballrooms, not to mention residences, kitchens, garrisons and workshops. Once confined to the deep woodlands of Northern Letha and Albia, the increase in the transport of lumber has inadvertently spread the Kornikaned to other regions and even urban areas, where they take up residence in ships, public parks or in the wooden vaulting of great structures, defending their new homes with the same aggressive territorialism as their rural cousins.
They view their glades as incredibly sacred, and will often react violently to any who even trample on these areas peppering the trespasser with Saighead Sidhe, ensnaring them with vines or choking them with flowers blocking their windpipes. Others will be struck by their magic, transforming them into animals or shrinking them Kornikaned size for interrogation and imprisonment. The more violent of these are typically reserved to those who actively threaten their trees or circles, merely driving away or inconveniencing inadvertent and minor trespasses. Be warned that the definitions of these scales falls to the Kornikaned, not to the trespasser.
Dietary Habits
Like many Korrigan, Kornikaned rely on Foyson, the underlying essence of a substance, rather than a food itself. They drain all nourishment from a substance, leaving it physically intact, but devoid of nutrients, collecting it in special jars and repurposing this foyson into their own culinary creation. While many consider the Kornikaned's foyson-infused cuisine as the purest and highest quality of gastronomy, their lack of agricultural or husbandry of their own has forced them to rely on hunting and gathering, focusing on mushrooms, berries and small animals. It has also led to a culture of raiding, particularly the farms of the Bediz and the Teuz Korrigan, led by small squads of 5 to 10 individuals. Armed with their fearsome Saighead Sidhe spears, darts and arrows, they are capable of bringing down much larger opponents, including dogs, Bediz and cattle. These raids typically target dairy production, especially butter and cream, which is an intoxicant to many Faerie peoples.
Kornikaned Society
The organization of Kornikaned Troupes is something of a mystery to outsiders, appearing simultaneously as a highly regimented society and utter chaos. A queen rules over a society resembling a pantomime version of a Bediz royal court, attended by a dizzying array of titled courtiers and eclectic advisors, whose actual roles and powers are unclear. The qualifications and duties of many of these titles remain a complete mystery to outsiders and seem to follow no rhyme or reason, the specific titles changing without prelude and duties often being contradictory to each other. Despite the chaos, some elements can be gleaned, offering an insight into this strange society. The Queen, serving as both a civic figurehead and high priestess, rules over the revelers. Beneath her, a daughter, either biological or adopted, serves as a military commander, known as a Snatcherhead, overseeing the troupe's defensive and raiding forces. Opposite the Snatcherhead is the First Bard, the primary diplomat and recordkeeper of the Troupe. This position, charged with recording the deeds of the Troupe and speaking on behalf of the Queen to outsiders. The First Bard is always male, while the Snatcherhead is always female. Each commands a small subsection of artisans and soldiers, respectively, and effectively ignore the opinions or orders of the revelers, regardless of title, answering only to the Queen herself. A lesser druid serves the Queen as a secondary religious authority, aided by a small group of acolytes. The large majority of society is collectively referred to as the "revelers", a dizzying cluster of self-given titles and fabricated histories in what appears to be a constant cycle of parties, dances and a dizzying web of overblown, but ultimately meaningless court intrigue. At any given time, there appears to be a strict hierarchy of nobles, knights and peasants to which the entire collective adheres, but the individuals in these roles rise and fall in power for seemingly arbitrary reasons. Those in favour scheme absurd plots and intrigue around each other, while the masses at large eagerly observe the alliances and betrayals, set in a world of constant feasts, Hastiludes and balls. While the Snatcherheads and First Bards ignore the revelers, they also are dedicated to ensuring that this constant flurry continues. The communal benefits of dedicating so much resources to this large and seemingly unproductive class is unclear, even to other Korrigan peoples.
Snatching
While my sources indicate that Kornikaned are capable of sexual reproduction similar to the Bediz, natural births are rare, with an exceptionally low birth rate and high infant mortality rate. To counter this, the Kornikaned instead rely on the practice of snatching, the kidnapping of Bediz, typically but not exclusively infants, and replacing them with an artificial changeling doppelganger. Other than children, midwives and young people are also favourite targets for snatching.
While this practice is not uncommon among some Fae peoples, the Kornikaned are the most aggressive in its execution.
"Guests" are treated exceptionally well as they are gradually changed into Kornikaned themselves, while the Changeling carries out their regular routines, growing more sickly until their eventual death (See Changeling entry for more details). Recently, some Kornikaned troupes, especially those with heavy instances of Time Madness, have begun to focus on voluntary alternatives, such as taking in orphans, rather than outright abduction, but these remain an outlier for Kornikaned society at large, leading to frequent tensions with neighboring communities.
Given the Kornikaned's tendency of raiding and snatching, one might assume that they are uniformly a nuisance or worse. However, while these actions and their dismissive attitudes towards others, the Kornikaned view their raids, driven by an ere-hud that prevents them from accepting charity, as an exchange, rather than a theft. Homes hit by Kornikaned raids are often also placed under their protection from other threats, such as wolves or bandits, and are typically gifted with bountiful harvests aside from that which the Kornikaned sap of foyson. Such households also hear the music of the Kornikaned on cold winter nights and find themselves the recipients of anonymous gifts of food or clothing in trying times.
Marie's Personal Notes:
The Kornikaned are among the most vexing of the Korrigan I have encountered in Breizh. For their diminutive size, they have a very outsized opinion of themselves and they don't feel the need to explain things to others. They are very proud of their culture and beliefs, but are incredibly stingy about providing details. Troupes vary wildly, from the polite and civic minded Flowers of Gwened to Naoned's own, imminently more frustrating Belpheobe's Foresters.
After having dealt with several troupes, I can with 100% accuracy dispel the Gallian notion that these "gentle winged creatures are full of flowers and grace, at peace with the world." The Kornikaned are winged creatures, but any other part of the prior description is false. They are a proud people with a complex society, a militaristic outlook, unmitigated ego and VERY sharp teeth. Nor are they a uniform evil, plotting against the Bediz with the forces of the Serpent King, as earlier writers would have you believe. They hve a complex society with their own set of values, cultural and magical taboos, and physical constraints. For every story of a kidnapped child or wounded woodsman, there is another of a troupe sacrificing itself to hold of a slaver raid, or of a child rescued from abuse or the condemnation of the Shiverwracked. I have heard stories of stolen milk, but also of cakes left on doorsteps in times of famine. Even the Chasons de Gestes must pay respect to the exploits of the legendary Belphoebe the Huntress. I do not think we have begun to scratch the surface of these strange little people, but hope that one day, we will understand each other a little better.
They also like libraries, drawn to all of the paper, which they believe came from their forests and is therefore under their cultural protection. My first encounter with the Belphoebe's Foresters in Naoned shows the lengths they are willing to go. Getting tied to the floor was awkward, but once I explained what a librarian is, they let me go and have since provided my library with an "honor guard". They will not be dissuaded from this, but at least they no longer drive people out of the stacks. The "Friends of the Library of Gohard" as they have called themselves, are led by one Lyssiah Bouboustourmaj, who may be Belphoebe's daughter if I understand correctly. The tendency of the Kornikaned to make up new titles on the spot makes confirming this difficult. What I know for certain is that they do not like the Gargoul who live in the clerestory and towers, and the two groups fight whenever they find an excuse. This is very frustrating when I am trying to work.
I have discovered that if you drop salt, they will drop what they are doing to count every grain, barring no immediate threat to themselves or their protected subject. I now keep a salt-cellar on my desk whenever the "honor guard" gets too rowdy.
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Val's Notes: Lyssiah is actually a revisit of the concept of the first drawing I ever posted to DA! https://www.deviantart.com/kathalia/art/Lyssiah-Stormwhisper-154432617. I've updated her design considerably, but tried to remain true to some of her traits.
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Learn more about Kroashent on the wiki: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/alvez-kroashent
Read the full article on the Kornikaned here: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/alvez-kroashent/a/kornikaned-species?preview=true
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