The crowd was large, it always was, an ordained Saint tended to have that effect on people though, particularly in times of crisis and there was no greater crisis for the people of Connlaoth than what was happening right now. Their kingdom faced open rebellion from the mages across the kingdom, the murder of the last Grand Duke lingered in their minds, tensions were fracturing factions and truces left and right and worst of all, the Duke of Turgall had engaged in open rebellion and invaded Ahjifield, ostensibly to save his sister but his armies still remained in the recently seized counties. The people needed their church more than ever and Corvinus would be there for them, politicking and games of courtly intrigue were sadly necessary but a distraction from Angsar's vision, this... this was Angsar's will, that he comfort and aid people on the road to his promised kingdom. True, the mage taint corrupted all it touched, the courts, the land, the people, even the church itself... but Corvinus had been blessed by Angsar himself, he had come to understand this in his years spent in meditative contemplation, he never would have understood the evil that lurked within mages, never have understood the great corruptive power of magic, had he not witnessed it first-hand, had he not have felt it's terrible power, Angsar took much but in that dark building where he had spent so long he had also been blessed with so much, he had been blessed with the light of Angsar himself and he had seen the promised land, the blessed garden which lay beyond their suffering.
He stood in the courtyard, raised above the crowd on a pedestal, a stage, from the foot of which lesser members of the church stood, handing out alms, clothes and food to those less fortunate who came forth to ask. Behind him, the Grand Duke's Palace loomed high above them all, grey clouds hanging above their heads, heavy with rain and a cool wind swept above the gathered members of the crowd. Corvinus was clad in the Crimson Red robes which denoted him as a Saint of the Order of Saint Agratha, an ornate longsword hanging off his hip, the Book of Angsar hanging off the other side and his shield propped up before the stage on which he stood as he spread his arms and opened his mouth to speak, agony like knives pressing into his face began to wrack him but he continued regardless, so dulled to the physical sensation of pain he hardly even noticed anymore. "Brothers! Sisters! Children of Angsar!" He called out, his voice carrying over the buzz of the crowd as clear as the light of day. "Blessing upon you all, it pleases me to see you here today. I implore those of you less fortunate, come forth and receive the church's blessing in food, in clothes, in alms and in comfort to the sick, the dying and those whose spirits wander!" He proclaimed, dealing with the formalities of his office in offering the church's mercy to those who seek it.
He took a moment to pause, lowering his hands a little, though still stretched out to his sides, he lowered his head slightly, taking pause to recover from the pains shooting through his face before he lowered his arms completely to his side and pulled the Book of Angsar up from his side, opening it and holding it before him, he once again began to speak. "Our lands face dark times brethren, I shall not mislead you, though a new Grand Duke leads our mighty nation in a purge of the taint, the mage who killed our previous Grand Duke is still at large, rebellion is a fact of life, spurred by mages who openly defy our laws and then claim to be fighting for you! They fight for you they say even as they burn your homes, their marks torn from their clothes!" He roared the final sentence, imitating ripping a mage's mark from his left breast with one hand, his holy book in the other. The crowd's murmurs quickly turned into a roar to match his own as he continued; "The lords and leaders of our nation bicker and squabble amongst themselves and now his Grace the duke of Turgall leads his troops into Ahjifield, against our liege, he attacks a loyal vassal and takes his lands, at this time when we should be united against our foe!" He proclaimed, the few dissenting voices soon being overwhelmed by the noise from the rest of the crowd, the threat to their kingdom, whether they cared about mages or not, was something they could all get their heads around, soldiers battling in the streets, pillaging, looting, brother-against-brother, father-against-son, it was now a very real threat.
Corvinus held out his hand, making a gesture, attempting to silence the crowd or at least calm them so that he might continue.
