The Conversion of Arsenial

In the year 1678, a momentous event took place in the land of Arsenial. The Patriarch Joachim of Moscow had sent his trusted Archimandrite, Andrey of the Chudov Monastery, to oversee the mass conversion of the island to the Orthodox faith. The task was not an easy one, as the clans of Arsenial had long adhered to the Catholic faith.

On a cold morning, Andrey and Tsar Feodor III's embassy arrived at the river Thomson, near the settlement of New Darien, where they met with the four clans of Arsenial. King Dauid Nesbitt, also known as 'The Harmonizer', and his loyal followers stood at the front of the crowd, while the rest of the islanders watched on, still unsure of what was to come.

Andrey recited verses from the Bible, and Dauid led his vassals into the river as the Orthodox priests baptized them one by one. It took some persuasion to convince the other clansmen to follow suit, but eventually the entire crowd stood shivering by the riverbank, having shed their old Catholic ways.

"As the false visages are swallowed by the tides," Andrey proclaimed, "may their memory forever be banished from your soul."

With the mass conversions complete, Andrey set up an office on the beaches of New Darien to oversee all religious affairs on the island. The Moscow Patriarchate had established its presence on Arsenial, and the island's spiritual journey had taken a new direction.