The Contested Isle Ch 6
The Contested Isle: Chapter 6: The Province of Leinster
Now Diarmait mac Murchadha was a man tall of stature and stout of frame; a soldier whose heart was in the fray, and held valiant among his own nation. From often shouting his battle-cry his voice had become hoarse. A man who liked better to be feared by all than loved by any. One who would oppress his greater vassals, while he raised to high station men of lowly birth. A tyrant to his own subjects, he was hated by strangers; his hand was against every man, and every man’s hand against him.
— Gerald of Wales
Leinster is the southeastern province of Ireland, enjoying a warmer and dryer climate than the rest of Hibernia. With many ports that encourage traders to cross the Irish Sea, it has strong links with England and Wales, particularly with the English port of Bristol. Once inland, the fertile coastal strip gives way to the Wicklow Hills, a low range of mountains that provide a natural barrier to invaders and have long acted as a refuge for outlaws and the dispossessed. The Kingdom of Leinster has waxed and waned in size over the centuries, and has at times been somewhat smaller than the Province of Leinster. Although the Ua Broin and Ua Túathal clans lead a fierce resistance from their hide-outs in the Wicklow hills, it is here that the English first came to aid Diarmait, King of Leinster, and it is here that their grip is strongest.
The Peoples of Leinster
Three cultures have shaped Leinster: the Laighin; the Osraighe who live in the west; and the Norse Vikings who founded the ports. The English have ruled for sixty years, but their influence is only beginning to be felt.
The Laighin
Míl Espáine had four sons who reached Ireland, but it was Míl’s uncle Lughaidh mac Íth who was the ancestor of the Laighin (LOH-yin), the tribe who give their name to Leinster. The Laighin were founded when Labraid Loingsech, a grandson of the high-king, was forced to eat the hearts of his grandfather and father. They had been murdered by his great uncle, who became high-king. From that day on the boy was struck dumb, or at least never spoke, until one day when he was hacked on the shins playing hurling, and cried out “I am hurt!” Someone shouted “Labraid!” that is, “he speaks!” and from then on that was his name.
Forced into exile, Labraid had many adventures and became the bodyguard to the King of France, but returned when an Irish princess sent him love poems. Sailing back with a druid and a bard, he brought an army of men with blue steel tipped spears, from which the word Laighin is derived.
His great uncle the High-King Cobthach Cóel Breg wanted to avoid a fight, and granted him the province of Leinster, but soon treacherously attacked. Labraid built an iron house at Din Rig, and invited Cobthach and thirty enemy kings to a parley. The kings would not enter until Labraid’s mother and jester entered, fearing correctly a trap. Both sacrificed their lives willingly as the house was chained shut and a great fire stoked around it with the aid of a pair of enchanted bellows. Cobthach and his allies roasted to death, and Labraid became High-King.
Labraid was born with the ears of a donkey, which he hid beneath his long hair. He killed all his barbers, until one pleaded for his life so eloquently that Labraid was moved. He allowed him to go on his word to tell no one. The burden grew so heavy the barber whispered the secret to a willow tree, which was cut down later and a harp made of it. Whenever the harp was played the tune clearly sounded like, “Labraid Loingsech has the ears of an ass!” and, moved to shame, Labraid cut his hair and revealed to all his strange ears.
The Kingdom of Leinster was founded by Úgaine Mór, a great Laighin High-King of Ireland, but was divided into northern and southern dynasties for centuries. The Uí Cheinnselaig ruled from the Wexford region; the Uí Dúnlainge from Kildare, until the kingdom was reunited under the Uí Cheinnselaig in the eleventh century. It was the final Uí Cheinnselaig king, Diarmait mac Murchadha, who brought the Normans to Ireland. His intriguing to become high-king resulted in the High-King Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair sending King Tigernán Ua Ruairc to lay waste to his kingdom and driving Diarmait into exile. He called on the Normans to support him.
After successfully recapturing his lands with the help of the English adventurers, Diarmait was devastated by the death of his son Domhnall. By marrying his daughter Aoife to Strongbow he passed the royal line to the English after his death in 1171.
The Osraighe
The former Kingdom of Ossory in the west of Leinster is home to an Érainn people called the Osraighe (OS-ray), that is “Deer People.” They are the descendents of Oengus Osraigh and were a powerful kingdom until defeated by the Ulaidh at the Battle of Tola in 571, and subsequent wars against both the Vikings and Laighin that diminished their power until their kingdom split into three parts at the start of the 12th century. Their tuaths became part of the Kingdom of Leinster, but with the expulsion of King Diarmait mac Murchadha they rose up in rebellion until subjugated by Strongbow.
Their hostility to the English made them early targets for subjugation, with William Marshal building castles and subduing their lands. Their royal dynasty, styled Mac Giolla Phádraig (sons of Patrick, a great king of the Osraighe), have largely accepted English rule and their name has been Anglicized to fitz Patrick. Many of the Osraighe remain hostile to the English despite the prosperity that has followed the invasion. They are particularly devoted to St. Ciaran (see Chapter 12 XXX).
The Ostmen
From the eighth century on, the Vikings raided Ireland. Soon they came to settle, founding the ports of Limerick, Cork, and Waterford, and — in Leinster — Dublin and Wexford as major Norse towns. Their influence was largely confined to the immediate hinterlands of the ports. The Norse soon began to intermarry with the native Irish population over whom they formed an elite warrior aristocracy within their towns.
By the tenth century, the Norse had converted to Christianity and were greatly assimilated, while retaining certain aspects of their culture, and by the 11th century they were speaking a Hiberno-Norse dialect of the Irish language. As early as the Battle of Clontarf the Norse from Wexford joined forces with Brian Bóramha against their fellow Scandinavians, and the English invasion has eliminated Norse rule from the ports, though the Ostmen, as they are known, still comprise a recognizable racial and cultural minority, albeit one that speaks in the Irish language and has adopted Irish traditions.
The County of Wexford
While only sixty years have passed since the coming of the English, the region around Wexford has become in many ways similar to England or Wales, with villages and markets, and a largely Anglicized population. It is culturally unique in Hibernia in this respect.
Wexford
Fitz Stephens lost no time in preparing for the attack... an assault was made on the walls with loud cries and desperate vigor. But the townsmen were ready... casting down from the battlements large stones and beams... Withdrawing from the walls, they gathered on the neighboring strand and set fire to the ships they found lying there. On the following morning, after Mass had been celebrated throughout the army, they proceeded to renew their assault. At length by mediation of two bishops resident in the town peace was restored. — Gerald of Wales
At the mouth of the River Slaney on the southern side of a harbour stands Wexford, a port that sees much traffic to England and the continent. Here in ancient times, a young man called Garman Garbh stole the queen’s crown and fled down the riverbank. As he reached the lough and was crossing the mudflats, a witch was called upon to save the crown, and she caused the river and sea to rise. The lough quickly joined to the sea as the waters crashed together, drowning the thief and washing ashore the crown. The mud flats can still be dangerous today, and some say the witch’s curse still exists in some forgotten form.
Later, prior to Saint Patrick, Saint Yvorus came here and preached Christianity. It was he who banished the rats from the city. Rats do not come ashore from ships to this day and no rat can breed within the city.
Wexford was a Viking settlement, and is still Norse in character. In 1169, King Diarmait mac Murchadha and Robert FitzStephen laid siege to the town at the very beginning of the conquest of Ireland. At the instigation of the then Bishop of Ferns, the English and Diarmait were admitted. Since that time the town has peacefully accepted English rule, and there has been much intermarriage.
The town has strong walls; before leaving for France from here in 1172, King Henry II granted the milling rights to the Templars, who maintain a small garrison.
Bannow
Bannow Bay is a fine natural harbour and it was here that the English under Strongbow first landed, taking advantage of an ancient ráth on the promontory as a fortified camp before they marched on Wexford. The town is a prosperous port.
Story Seed: The Bay of BannowBannow in 1220 is a thriving port, but one facing a problem. Over the last few years the harbor has increasingly silted up; navigation is becoming harder and harder, with larger ships forced to unload elsewhere. Some say this is part of a caileach’s curse on the bay for allowing the English invaders to land, while others say a fisherman killed a seal maiden and has brought misfortune on the whole community. Whatever the reason, the rate seems much faster than has ever been seen before, and some say other harbors have started to silt up as well all round the coastline. What is the secret behind the bay’s closure? Recently the town priest had a vision that where mud now threatened the town; air, fire, and water would bring about its total destruction. He is seeking learned help to save his home from the impending catastrophe. |
Templeshanbo Church
A tiny hamlet at the foot of Mount Leinster, Templeshanbo was once the site of a monastery founded by Saint Colman named Temple Sean Bothe. The monastery is now gone, but the saint’s feast day is still celebrated on October 27th. There is a curious pool near the church with a Dominion aura of 3 that is home to 13 wild ducks. If these ducks are hunted or disturbed they fly off and the waters turn brackish and stagnant until the ducks return. If anyone slays the ducks, the water in which the duck is cooked refuses to boil. Unless proper penitence is shown, the saint avenges the death of the duck by striking dead the offender. The ducks are extremely tame, and their feathers are a source of Divine Aquam vis once they have molted from the birds. Molted feathers may be collected freely.
Enniscorthy
This is the fortified manor of Sir Gerald de Prendergast, a chivalric young English knight. He has ambitious plans to raise a great castle here like that of William Marshal the Younger. Romantic and brave, he is very popular among the Irish in the area as well as the English settlers.
Story Seed: The Marshal’s CurseWhile William the Younger is a famous knight and important English official, he is a troubled man. He promised his beloved father he would hold his Irish lands intact, and does not want to restore the manors to the bishop, but he is unwilling to remarry and sire an heir until after the curse has been lifted. Has Ua Maíl Mhuaidh lifted the curse after their enforced reconciliation and exchanging the kiss of peace? The curse was to last until the manors were restored: William might seek out unusual assistance in finding a solution, even Hermetic magi. |
Ferns
An ancient capital of Leinster, Ferns was the refuge of King Diarmait mac Murchadha during the period before he called upon Strongbow and reconquered his lands. Here he lived with Derbforgaill, daughter of the King of Meath, whom he abducted from her husband Tigernán Ua Ruairc, the King of Bréifne. Known as “Helen of Ireland” for the role her abduction played in events that caused the Norman colonization, she lived here happily with her abductor. While all concerned are long dead, the story is much told and sung.
Diarmait founded an Augustinian house, St. Mary’s Abbey, on the site of an earlier monastery dedicated to Saint Máedóc of Ferns. Ferns is a center for the reforming party in the Irish Church. The village has a Dominion aura of 3.
Story Seed: Helen of IrelandThe “Helen of Ireland” stories give strength to a faerie named Aonghus who inspires romantic elopements and abductions to bring about wars. He is still actively attempting to inspire similar events, and will happily inspire infatuation, elopements or kidnappings. Despite their squabble Bishop Ua Maíl Mhuaidh has warned William the Younger of the faerie’s malice, and this is the reason why William is building such a powerful castle, in which he plans to imprison his beautiful daughter to protect her from abduction as she grows up. |
Ferns Castle
Standing in the center of the small town, Ferns Castle is home to William the Younger, Second Earl of Pembroke. He is the son of the famous William Marshal, the greatest knight of popular renown, who died last year. He is currently building an extraordinary castle at Ferns. It is a square stone keep, with circular towers at each corner, far in advance of any other castle in England, Wales, or Ireland at this time. Following the death of his wife in 1215, he remains single. He is raising his six year old daughter peaceably here in Ireland, his brief spell as a rebel during the Baron’s Revolt in England forgiven. He now holds the office of Marshal of England as did his father before him.
The Bishop of Ferns
The elderly Bishop of Ferns, the Cistercian Ua Maíl Mhuaidh, is a favorite of the English throne (and the Papacy) despite being Irish born and having once stated in a sermon that Irish clerics had only begun to indulge in sexual misdeeds after seeing the example set by English and Welsh clergy. Renowned for his holiness and justice, he cursed the line of William Marshal to die out after William the Younger refused to return two manors illicitly seized by his father. This squabble has recently been patched up by the intervention of the Pope, but the manors are still in the Marshal’s hands and he has no heir. The first Bishop of Ferns, Saint Yvorus, came here before Saint Patrick, and it was he who drove the rats from the village by his miraculous powers, as he did at Wexford.
New Ross
This was the site of a monastery founded by Saint Abban within the ancient kingdom of Ossory, and the English have founded a community here next to the ancient monastic ráth. It received a royal charter in 1207, and William Marshal helped develop it as a major port and built a stone bridge across the river, attracting trade and prosperity. The port has become just as known for its pirates as its merchants, and raids by the Irish clans have led to suggestions a wall should be built around the town. Agents of Theobald Butler are active in the town ensuring his right to wines offloaded is strictly enforced, but it is very much a frontier community and at times when the younger Marshal’s men are distracted quite lawless.
The Wicklow Region
Consisting of the region around Carlow and Dublin, Wicklow is a low lying coastal plain rising sharply to the Wicklow mountains in the west. The mountains bar easy access for invaders to the plains of central Ireland. Some say they were formed by a miracle of Saint Brigid. The passes and roads that cross them are plagued by bandits and outlaws, and they presented a major barrier to Norse and later English invaders. The Ua Broin and Ua Túathal clans of the former rulers hide in the mountains, offering a fierce resistance to the English, who have Anglicized their names to O’Byrne and O’Toole. The wild nature of the terrain, with many dense woods, caves, and ravines between rocky hills, makes it almost impossible to tie down the outlaws and bring them under English authority.
Baltinglass
Here the ancient hero Glas slew one of the Swine of Drebrenn. The six monstrous swine were originally the three daughters of the witch Garbhdalbh and their husbands. Garbhdalbh magically changed them into terrible boars who ravaged Ireland until Queen Maebh and her consort Aillil managed to hunt them down and kill them. One died here at Baltinglass, and the name recalls the episode. A faerie form of the swine sometimes haunts the region, waiting for heroes to kill it, and until that time wreaks devastation upon the land.
The Faerie Fire
On the hill above the tiny settlement is a ráth. Within is a mound with a stone doorway, which usually has a Faerie aura of 1. The druids are said to have kept a perpetual fire burning here, and at midsummer a bonfire appears atop the mound, which burns until the first rain of the season, and the aura increases to 3. It is a rich source of Ignem vis, but those gathering it must defeat the inhabitants of the mound in a contest chosen by the fae. The nature of the challenge varies each time the vis is collected, depending upon the identity of the faerie tasked with guarding it that year, and the story it embodies. Past challenges have included contests of dancing, music, storytelling, climbing and javelin hurling, but each year it is something new.
Baltinglass Abbey
King Diarmait mac Murchadha founded a Cistercian house here in 1148 with monks from Mellifont in Meath and the place became known as the “Valley of Salvation.” Today it is home to 38 monks and 50 lay brothers, and one Christmas day they plan to defeat the faeries by marching to the top of the hill and raising a large wooden cross upon the mound. So far the abbot has counseled caution, but the monks are, in the main, enthusiastic for the plan. Baltinglass Abbey is currently involved in the Conspiracy of Mellifont, officially supporting their motherhouse against the Cistercian Order. While the abbot is an enthusiast for the actions of Mellifont in resisting Cistercian authority, his monks are loyal to Citeaux.
Wicklow
Known to the Irish as Cill Mhantáin, meaning “church of the toothless one,” the settlement was a Viking port, and retains a strong Norse feel. Here Strongbow’s Norman ally Maurice fitzGerald built the Black Castle on a rocky headland overlooking the harbor. His son William FitzMaurice fitzGerald (married to Aoife the daughter of Strongbow) now rules over the town, which is a powerful center of English rule. The Ua Broin and Ua Túathal clans, now largely confined to the Wicklow hills by the English, often attempt to attack the town and the castle, so there is a strong military presence safeguarding this vital port.
Glendalough
Glendalough — meaning “the valley of two lakes” — sits at the crossroads of two very important routes: the first road running east-west through the Wicklow Gap, crossing the second road running north-south from Dublin. It was home to the hermitage and later monastery of Saint Kevin. Glendalough was, until 1214, the center of the diocese of Glendalough, but the English have incorporated it in to the diocese of Dublin.
A circular stone wall surrounds the whole community, which is a place of sanctuary. It has a Dominion aura of 5 for the monastery church and the churchyard, and 3 for the rest of the community. As a result of its status as a sanctuary, many have fled here to escape justice. The English have scathingly declared it a haunt of villains and brigands — meaning those opposed to English rule — though other petty criminals have been attracted to the place. Unusually the custom of sanctuary does not end until the criminal leaves the walls of Glendalough, and so far the English have not dared to break the custom to seize those hiding within.
At the center of Glendalough is the church; nearby is the round tower, rising 100 feet into the air. This tower is unadorned except for four small windows at its top, each facing a different direction, and topped with a flat roof. The tower is used as a lookout platform and to sound the church bell, which is a hand rung iron bell that calls the faithful each Sunday for mass, as well as heralds other events both fair and foul. Beyond both buildings is the cemetery, with its curious boundary of bent willow trees
Within this inner wall live the few remaining monastic hermits, resisting the English churchmen. A handful of men, they live in isolation in small stone houses. Most of them, sometimes including the abbot, are manaim who maintain stronger ties to the world outside the monastery’s walls. Outside the inner wall lies another larger subdivision of the complex. Here the monks live, and all of their important buildings — the abbot’s house, the guesthouse, the infirmary, kitchen and rectory — are found within this second wall. Outside the walls live the laymen and women who make up the rest of the monastic community. Here, tradesmen, freemen, and bound men all spend their lives, living very much as an ordinary continental villager would live in a secular village.
Saint Kevin was the abbot of the monastery at Glendalough. His duties included teaching the abbey’s youth to read the Psalms. One day one of his students fell sick. The boy asked for fruit to help ease his pain, but at that time the monastery had no fruit. The saint prayed to God for health-giving fruit to be provided, and God worked a miracle. The monastery’s cemetery was built near an old willow tree which suddenly started to bear oblong, white fruit, and in just a few minutes the tree’s branches were full of these miraculous fruit. The boy ate the fruit and was instantly cured of his sickness.
The story of Saint Kevin and the white fruit happened a long time ago, but the willow continues to bear the saint’s fruit. After the first occurrence of this miracle, the monks planted saplings from the old willow in a circle surrounding the cemetery. Each year, on the evening of the date of the miracle, the trees bear fruit. This fruit is sought after because of its healing powers, and the monks of Glendalough dutifully collect and redistribute their precious crop to the sick and suffering. The fruit adds +20 to recovery rolls for the season in which it is consumed. The fruit is carried throughout Ireland and is known by all as the Fruit of Saint Kevin, and as many as twenty four fruit appear each season.
There is an ancient tradition that anybody buried in the cemetery will go straight to Heaven and avoid spending time in Purgatory. The English churchmen mock this as superstition, but many heroes have chosen to be buried here in the past among the circle of miraculous willows.
Story Seed: Divine VisSt. Kevin’s Fruit has other properties, ones that will be especially interesting to magi. The fruit can be dried, and if properly dried using Hermetic theories — requiring that the drier has a score in Magic Theory — the fruit produces vis. It takes one month to properly dry one of St. Kevin’s Fruits. The type of vis produced depends on where it was dried. If the fruit was dried in an area with a Magic aura it produces Corpus vis; if dried in a Divine aura the fruit yields Creo vis. Either way the vis is Divine. |
The Pool of the Púca
The road here passes a cascading waterfall which tumbles down a rock face in to a black, silent pool of water. The area is haunted by a Púca (POO-ka), or kelpie, a malevolent being that takes the form of an attractive black horse wandering seemingly lost on the road. If mounted it immediately charges down the road at incredible speed, and plunges in to the pool where its unfortunate rider is either drowned or possibly consumed. While the locals know of the beast and avoid the road, especially at night, no one knows if this kelpie is a magical creature (Realms of Power: Magic, page 131 XXX) or a faerie version (Realms of Power: Faerie, page 89 XXX) or even infernal.
Story Seed: The Púca Speaks?It is generally assumed that the Púca is an unintelligent beast, but this may not be so. It is possible it is willing to end its depredations in exchange for certain favors or conditions, and it may decide to speak to magi and request that it be ridden to Tribunal to represent itself there. However, it is of course possible that it is a powerful Infernal entity, and whatever its desires they are unlikely to be pleasant or easily met, even by the assembled magi. |
Arklow
Arklow is held by the nineteen year old Theobald Butler, the Butler of Ireland. He has the right by virtue of his office to offer a cup of wine to the King of England at the coronation, and to take two barrels of wine from every ship that unloads wine at an Irish port, so his agents are constantly busy across the island. His castle guards the harbor.
There is a rock in the sea a few miles from Arklow where when the tide ebbs on one side it rises on the other. This powerful magical place is a source of Aquam vis, but many mariners have lost their lives in the treacherous waters around it. This place should not be confused with Arklow Rock, a hill some miles inland.
Dublin
Dublin is a Viking port, and was for centuries home to a large Norse slave market. Here many English and Welsh captives taken by piratical raids were sold, although this has now vanished under English rule. As elsewhere in Ireland, the Norse have long since adopted the Irish language and many Irish customs and law, but remain racially distinct. The Ostmen formed a ruling class within the city and, since the English invasion, have moved across the Liffey to the north to the settlement called Ostmantown. The Norse had built a wooden stockade and ditch around the town, but that has been replaced by a strong stone wall by the English who were besieged here early in the invasion period.
King Henry II took Wicklow, Wexford, and Dublin under his direct royal authority, depriving Strongbow and his followers of the ports. In 1190, a great fire swept the city, destroying many houses and three churches, and in the aftermath many left. A charter was granted based upon that of Bristol in England, and many settlers from that city and from Wales came to replace them. By 1220, one third of the inhabitants of Dublin are from families who have arrived from Bristol including many merchants, craftsmen, and artisans. In 1208, a dreadful plague killed many in the city. On a sunny Easter Monday in 1209 many of the English newcomers were taking part in archery practice at a place called The Hogges outside the walls (or gathering sticks in the nearby Cullen Woods) when a sudden raid by the Ua Broinand Ua Túathal surprised them. Three hundred were massacred before they could make the safety of the walls, and that day is now known as Black Monday and commemorated still in Dublin over a decade later, with the militia marching and the city put on full alert. Raids continue, but the Ua Broinand Ua Túathal are now hunted fugitives in the Wicklow Mountains, rarely coming close to Dublin.
Today royal authority is vested in the viceroy Henry de Londres, the Archbishop of Dublin, a man utterly hated by his tenants and by many citizens. He has destroyed much of the trust between the reformers in the Irish church and the English clergy.
Archbishop Henry de LondresArchbishop Henry de Londres is a dynamic, ambitious figure of incredible personal bravery yet he has done much to anger the Irish and to destroy trust in the English. Henry summoned his tenants to appear before him with the title documents to their lands or else lose them; having taken possession of the deeds, he attempted to cast them into a fire, dispossessing his tenants of their lands. They immediately seized him, beat his attendants severely, and through sheer physical strength wrested back their deeds and forced Henry to concede their rights for fear they would slay him. This gave rise to his nickname among the tenants, “Henry the Scorcher.” Rigorous in his enforcement of tithes on the citizens of Dublin, he showed little concern for the damage done by the Great Fire of 1190 that had left many in poverty. The exaction of the royal tallage, a tax on the citizens of Dublin in 1217, and Henry’s unfortunate habit of simply taking goods he desired from merchants did little to win him favor. Another fire concerned him more: the Sacred Fire of Saint Brigid at Kildare that he has sworn to extinguish. His stated policy of denying bishoprics to Irish born priests, and only appointing English candidates, has been ruled illegal by the Pope; word has not yet arrived in Dublin of the pontiff’s decision against him, but his claim that the diocese of Dublin holds the primacy over the traditional claim of Armagh (and the lesser claim of Cashel) has finally turned even the reform party in the Irish church against him. Very few people have a good word to say of Henry de Londres. |
Christchurch Cathedral
Christchurch was a Norse cathedral built in the 11th century by King Sitric, and owed allegiance not to the See of Armagh but to Canterbury. In 1168, the saintly Lorcán Ua Túathal (St. Laurence O’Toole), former archbishop and a major figure in peace negotiations between the English and Irish, made this an Augustinian priory. There is a shrine dedicated to him here today — though he died and was buried in Normandy — and a chapel built by Strongbow and dedicated to the English Saint Edmund. The cathedral has been extensively rebuilt in stone, and building work is ongoing, under the watchful eye of the Augustinians who serve here.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
John Comyns, an Englishman, became Archbishop of Dublin after Lorcán died. In 1198, John ordered the construction of a second cathedral in the city, the magnificent Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, to be administered by thirteen canons. Henry de Londres has continued with the building work, and has granted the right to the canons to elect a dean
Dublin Castle
In 1204 King John ordered a strong castle to be built for the defense of Dublin. The castle is still under construction and consists of a square wall surrounding a courtyard with no keep, but with great circular towers at each corner. Immensely strong, it dominates the area.
The Liberty of Kildare
Created in 1206 by King John to assist in stamping out the resistance from the Uí Dúnlainge whom he had deposed, the Liberty of Kildare is still disputed territory in the north of Leinster, with the fierce Ua Broinand Ua Túathal clans fighting a guerrilla campaign from the Wicklow hills against the English lords who haveimposed their authority with a network of castles. The Liberty is a low lying inland area, bordered on the east by the Wicklow hills that stand between it and the center of English authority in Dublin.
Kildare
Know to the Irish as Cill Dara, it was here that in the last years of the fifth century St. Brigid founded an abbey that is home to both monks and nuns. One of the largest ráths in the region, the town flourishes as a regional center. It acted as a capital for the Uí Dúnlainge, who for centuries provided the royal dynasty of Northern Leinster. While the Uí Dúnlainge have not shown royal aspirations for two centuries now, their power in the region remains uncontested, and the three families — the Ua Broin, Ua Túathal, and Uí Dúnchada — continue to intrigue, with each tuath proclaiming a king and attempting to impose their will on the others. The Uí Dúnchada king Mac Gilla Mo-Cholmóg who ruled in the region closes to Dublin quickly accepted the English invaders, forming an alliance and taking the anglicized surname fitzDermot. The Ua Broin and Ua Túathal continue to resist English authority, with the Ua Túathal leading this alliance, and they have made the Wicklow Mountains a dangerous thorn in the side of the English administration.
The Abbey of Kildare
Diarmait mac Murchadha had in some ways already done far worse to Kildare. The Abbey of St. Brigid was headed by an Abbess, the comarba Naomh Bríd, leader of one of the most powerful of the paruchia and the only one headed by a woman. In 1132, Diarmait Mac Murchada deposed the abbess, and appointed his niece to the position. In 1152, the abbess was made subordinate to the diocesan bishop by the reformers at the Synod of Kells, and in 1171 when the last abbess, Diarmait’s niece, died, the abbey was closed by the English.
The nuns and monks were dispersed, but a few remained to guard the sacred fire, a perpetual fire kindled by Saint Brigid herself which has never gone out since, even when it runs out of fuel. In 1220, the English Archbishop of Dublin, Henry of London, has declared that he intends to extinguish the fire to demonstrate it is a mere superstition. This is not just a theological statement, it is an intensely political act, for St. Brigid, or Naomh Bríd as the Irish call her is the powerful supernatural patroness of the troublesome Uí Dúnlainge.
Extinguishing the flame may prove difficult. The perpetual fire stands outside the church surrounded by a wall of sharp thorn bushes, through which only the nineteen nuns who serve vigil here may pass safely. Each night one of the nuns takes up the task of guarding the fire, and any man who tries to enter is the enclosure is said to be struck down by a divine curse.
Story Seed: Dousing the FireHenry of Londres has been carefully considering reports of previous attempts to extinguish Saint Brigid’s flame, and is a worried man. He has publicly announced that he will douse the fire, but if he fails the results will be a rise in the morale of the troublesome Ua Broin and Ua Túathal and doubtless their outlawed members will attempt to stop the ceremony. He therefore will proceed to Kildare with a large number of knights and mercenaries. He is certainly pragmatic enough to seek out magical advice and assistance in getting rid of what he suspects to be nothing more than ancient druidic magic, just in case his prayers do not prevail. He may well call upon a maga of the Order of Hermes to complete the task with him, trusting this magic-wielding woman to accomplish what may prove impossible for a man like him. |
Naas
This small town has developed rapidly in recent years with English settlers rededicating the church of Saint Patrick to Saint David (it is administered by the Knights Hospitaller). The town has long been of great significance. Naas is in Irish Nás na Ríogh, the meeting place of Kings, and in ancient times sacred kingship rites were performed here by the Kings of Leinster upon the motte known as the dun of Naas, a great earthwork mound. Controlling Naas is believed in some way to be related to the spiritual authority to rule the kingdom, though the secret of the kingship rites may have been lost.
The town stands on the border between Ua Broin and Ua Túathal lands, and while in the past they fought each other, now they constantly raid and harass the town. It is therefore defended by a strong castle built by order of King John, who assembled the nobles to demand submission here in 1206. The castle is the seat of William fitz Maurice fitz Gerald who nevertheless chooses to rule from the port of Wicklow. Robert de Birmingham is currently castellan.
Saint Fechin’s Cross
The ancient monastery of Tulach-Fobhair stood just to the south of the current town, and was founded by Saint Fechin when he came here to negotiate the release of captives. Though the monastery has gone, the stone cross in the market place was set up in honor of this event, and crying out the name of the saint when imprisoned within voice range activates an ancient blessing to free all captives, as The Captive Made Free (see Chapter 12 XXX).
This secret is well known among the Ua Broin and Ua Túathal rebels and has been used to allow for some incredible escapes and hair-raising escapades. Rebels get themselves captured, are taken prisoner in the castle, and then escape with the aid of the saint as they are being led out to be hanged in the marketplace.
King Eochaid & the Boroimhe
Long ago the High-King of Ireland Túathal Techtmar had two daughters, Fithir and Darina. The King of Leinster, Eochaid Aincheaun, married Darina, but lusted after her sister Fithir as his second wife. He imprisoned Darina in his hall at Naas, and sent word to Túathal that his daughter was dead. Túathal therefore gave Eochaid Fithir as a new wife. Darina, hearing the wedding festivities, escaped from her cell and made her way into the hall. Upon seeing her sister whom she believed dead, Fithir fell dead on the spot. Darina fled to her father calling for vengeance for the insult. Túathal raised a great force and marched to Naas, defeated Eochaid in battle, struck off his head, and then burned the town and massacred the inhabitants. In recompense for the insult to his daughters, the men of Leinster ever after were to pay a tribute to the King at Tara every two years of 15,000 cows, 15,000 pigs, 15,000 linen cloths, 15,000 silver chains, 15,000 goats, 15,000 copper cauldrons, a huge copper cauldron capable of holding twelve pigs and twelve lambs, and 30 white cows with red ears. Brian Bóramha later reinstituted this tribute, which became known as the Boroimhe. The tribute is still recalled in tales, but it was cancelled by the cleverness of a priest who made the King of Meath renounce it till the end of time.
The Hill of Allen (Dún Ailinne)
Overlooking the Bog of Allen to the west, this hill was in ancient times the royal palace of the kings of Leinster, later home to Finn. A great ráth here still has a strength 4 Faerie aura, and is a dangerous place to tread at night.
Carbury
Carbury was once the seat of Meiler FitzHenry, former Justiciar of Ireland. He built the motte and bailey castle here, though it was seized by Hugh de Lacy when he became justiciar, and it is now held by his son Walter de Lacy. The castle imposes English authority in the region around it, but each English lord is troubled by the ancient magic of the place. Carbury contains a faerie mound, Sidh Neachtain, “the fairy mound of Nuadha,” and Nuadha still sleeps under the hill here. In a nearby regio is a faerie spring, known as the Well of Wisdom and home to magical salmon who can teach great secrets. The spring is ringed by nine willows and produces a potent amount of Imaginem vis whenever the nuts fall from the tree into the well. Most of the time the regio can only be entered by people guided by Nuadha or by following the River Boyne all the way upstream to this, its source. On Trinity Sunday it briefly manifests in the mundane world.
Nuadha has a wife Bóinn (BONE), who often takes the form of a shining white cow. In ancient times she found her way to the spring, which exploded in a great torrent and formed the River Boyne. Bóinn and Nuadha often squabble; her unfaithfulness led to her giving birth to Aonghus by the Daghda. Doubtless this does much to explain the young Aonghus’ interest in fostering stories of tragic romance leading to conflict, and Nuadha’s well known dislike of Aonghus.
Calverstown (Baile an Chalbhaigh)
Peter de Norrach, a descendant of Robert de St. Michael (companion to Strongbow) holds Castle Norragh at Calverstown, and the title of Baron Norragh. Nearby is the Augustinian abbey of Kilrush founded by William Marshal.
Story Seed: Tales of Nuadha and BóinnNuadha and Bóinn both like to inspire certain stories, and involve mortals in playing them out. Nuadha represents the Kings of Leinster, and it is likely that if his silver arm could be repaired by an epic tale so that he could climb the dun at Naas, he could once again restore the Kingship rites of Leinster. Bóinn, however, prefers her husband to be subject to others rather than act as ruler, and her role involves stories of power and things flowing in to Meath, like the River Boyne itself, or the Boroimhe tribute, or more recently the office of Justiciar of Ireland which passed from FitzHenry to de Lacy. Both might try to involve characters in epic reenactments of ancient tales (such as that of Eochaid and Fithir) either in our world or in Elysium, with terrible consequences. |
Bóinn, the Great White Cow, Tuatha Dé Danann River GoddessFaerie Might: 35 (Aquam) Characteristics: Int –1, Per 0, Pre +2, Com –1, Str +7, Sta +3, Dex +2, Qik –2 Size: +2 Confidence: 3 (1) Virtues and Flaws: Narrowly Cognizant; Animal Ken, Faerie Beast, Faerie Speech, Improved Characteristics (3), Greater Power (2), Lesser Power (2), Pretentious (Rulers of Meath), Reputation As Confidence, Ways of the River; Busybody, Vulnerable to Salt Water; Poor Combatant, Reduced Damage. Qualities: Tough Hide Personality Traits: Inquisitive +3, Vengeful +2, Unfaithful to Husbands +1 Reputations: River Goddess (Meath) 3, Wife of Nuadha (Laighin) 3. Combat: Soak: 6 Wound Penalties: –1 (1–7), –3 (8–13), –5 (14–21), Incapacitated (21–28), Dead (29+) Pretenses: Animal Ken 6 (cattle), Area Lore: Ireland 7 (Leinster), Awareness 1 (in water), Charm 3 (men apart from her husband), Guile 3 (about infidelity), Swim 10 (in rivers). Powers:
Equipment: None. Vis: 7 pawns of Aquam vis, in her tail. Appearance: Bóinn (BONE) appears as a great white shining cow of obviously supernatural power. |
Ossary
The Kingdom of Ossory is a region of seven great plains occupied by an Érainn people, the Osraighe. For over a century subject to Leinster, they were great enemies of Diarmait mac Murchadha and his English allies, and the region continues to resist English encroachment, but has been subdued by the strong castles at Kilkenny and Kells.
The Pass of Achad-ur
This was the site of a battle in 1169 between Diarmait Mac Murchada and his English allies and the Osraighe under Mac Giolla Phádraig. Diarmait and his mercenaries won possession of the pass, which leads to Munster through the hills, but retreated to Ferns. The Osraighe were scattered by the charge of the Norman cavalry. The pass remains an important route, and is plagued by bandits.
Rock of Dunamase
This rocky outcrop had long been fortified but Meiler FitzHenry saw its strategic importance to the conquest and built a castle here. With Strongbow’s marriage to Aoife the lands passed to his hands. Strongbow granted the Rock to William Marshal, who built a strong castle here now owned by his son, also William.
Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh)
In 1195, William Marshal built a great castle with four round towers, a curtain wall, and a ditch to protect the town and control the Osraighe. Kilkenny was an ancient monastic community with a church dedicated to Saint Canice, built by a ford in the River Nore. The town has flourished under English rule, being granted a charter in 1207. It was here that William Marshal married Strongbow’s daughter Isabel de Clare, and appointed Geoffrey fitz Robert as seneschal. Fitz Robert soon took the title of Baron of Kells. When Marshal came to mistrust fitz Robert he took him as a hostage and held him at Hereford, where he died in 1211. Robert’s son, William fitz Robert, succeeded to the title and holds the castle today. The old royal dynasty of Ossory, the Mac Giolla Phádraig, have taken the English name fitz Patrick and still hold considerable influence and power in the region, albeit as subjects of the English throne.
Marshal built strong walls around the town, but outside of the original monastic community, and Kilkenny now has two separate centers: Irishtown, around the monastery; and the English Hightown, within the town walls. Irishtown is home to the magnificent cathedral, still under construction. In 1202 Bishop Felix O’ Dulany moved the diocese of Ossory’s cathedral here, and began work on a great stone church, and though he died that year the work continues.
Story Seed: The Witches of KilkennyKilkenny has long been troubled by a coven of dark witches who are believed to be doing all they can to thwart the building of the accident-plagued cathedral. The truth is the accidents are exactly that; the witches of Kilkenny are members of the Coill Tri, and engaged only in a long running feud with each other. They are detailed in Hedge Magic, page 48 XXX. Investigating their actions and resolving their dispute may prove difficult given their secretive ways. |
Kells
The small town of Kells (not to be confused with Kells in Meath) is known as the “city of the seven castles.” Walled by the English, it has seven towers providing a strong defense for the Augustinian Priory of St. Mary founded in 1193 by Geoffrey fitz Robert. The town has achieved much prosperity under English rule, but is still subject to attacks by Osraighe clans who oppose the English.
Kilree Tower
A few miles from Kells is a clearing in the woods which holds an ancient cemetery, a place of great tranquility with a Magic aura of 4, and which may hold other secrets. An ancient round tower eighty feet high is open to the sky at the top, with four windows pointing in each of the cardinal directions. Some say the High-King Niall mac Áeda is buried here. The site is owned by the Priory of St. Mary, and the monks choose to let the site slumber in peace, but a covenant could be founded here among the sleeping dead if the abbot could be won over.
Jerpoint Abbey
This abbey was founded in 1180 by Donogh O’Donoghoe, a king of the Osraighe. The kings of Osraighe were strong supporters of the reform movement in the Irish Church, and founded a Cistercian abbey of St. Nicholas here. Previously it was the site of a failed Benedictine house founded in 1160 by Donogh’s predecessor as king, Domnall Mac Giolla Phádraig, to house the relics of Saint Nicholas. They were brought here by Nicholas de Frainet, one of seven knights who returned from crusade with the bones of the saint. The Abbey is currently involved in the revolt against the Cistercian Order.
The Grave of Saint Nicholas
Within the abbey grounds is a ruined church. It holds the grave of Saint Nicholas, a bishop in Asia Minor in ancient times who resurrected three children who had been murdered and picked in a barrel for food. He is celebrated at Christmas with a mass each year.
Thomastown (Grianán)
This settlement was founded by Thomas fitz Anthony, just half a mile north of the Irish community of Grianán (“sunny place”). Thomas was a Welsh lord in the service of Strongbow, and still lives here happily with a large number of Welsh speaking retainers among his men and the settlers. Fitz Anthony has walled the town against Osraighe raids, and built his home, Grennan Castle, here.
Ashenrise
Symbol: A Scroll crossed with a Sword
Season: Spring
Cathach: The Bones of Rhiannon Uí Riain, former prima of House Merinita
Ashenrise’s founders are magi from the Normandy Tribunal. Survivors of the fallen covenant Moles Magna, they have risen from the ashes of destruction and aspire to a dominant position in the Hibernian Tribunal. Their goal is to make the Tribunal more civilized by updating its barbaric Peripheral Code.
History
Founders Helles and Pollices are refu- gees from Moles Magna (see The Lion and the Lily: The Normandy Tribunal, page 29 XXX). Following their covenant’s collapse they traveled to Ireland, hearing that it had been settled by the Angevin Empire. Upon arrival, they discovered it was barely settled and that many of the barbaric native customs lingered. Needing a home, they decided to civilize the Tribunal’s archaic legal traditions, considering it a worthy challenge to update Hibernia to 13th century standards.
In a shocking demonstration of the Tribunal’s barbarity, Helles and Pollices chose the disinterred corpse of Rhiannon, former Prima of House Merinita, as their cathach. Rhiannon was buried in her ancestral Uí Riain homelands in the kingdom of Ossory, instead of in the more traditional graveyard at Qui Sonant Pro Quieto. Using minstrels as agents, the magi convinced the English lord Raymond le Gros that his vassal Uí Riain clan were planning a rebellion. During the following skirmishes, in which le Gros pushed the Uí Riain from their ancestral homes, the magi attacked the chieftain’s ráth and removed Rhiannon’s remains.
Joined by three other magi, sodales brought from the Stonehenge Tribunal, the group presented their cathach at the 1186 Tribunal meeting and announced their covenant. They would live in a stone castle, belonging to one of the FitzGerald knights, as permanent guests. Amidst uproar and declarations of Wizard War, the praeco Conán Derg approved the cathach. Some claimed it wasn’t a magical treasure, but Conán Derg said that the raw vis that had formed in the skeleton qualified it as an appropriate cathach. Though it was difficult, Helles and Pollices defended the cathach for a year. Since then Ashenrise has pushed to reform the Tribunal. Helles leads the debate, although as yet he has had little impact.
Location
Ashenrise castle sits in the Liberty of Carlow. Situated a few miles east of the River Barrow, north of New Ross, the castle grounds have a Magic aura of 1. The castle is held by Ralph fitz Stephen, a second cousin of Raymond le Gros, and was awarded to him for his help against the Uí Riain. The castle is build on a square plan, with a square tower in each of the fortification’s four corners. Three towers hold two magi each, with the fourth tower reserved for mundane residences and activities. The courtyard holds a few wooden barns, storerooms, and a stables.
The Cathach
Ashenrise’s cathach is the corpse of the former Merinita prima Rhiannon. She was buried with Christian rites, so Rhiannon’s ghost is beyond Hermetic magic. The magi have magically enchanted the corpse, making it resistant to putrefaction and giving it the power to caper and dance on command. They have left the raw vis which has coalesced in its bones intact. It stands half a mile from the covenant’s western tower, facing Connacht and Munster.
Culture
Ashenrise magi strive to act as continental, civilized magi. Individual focuses in magic are pursued and fostered with lively discussions. They enjoy aristocratic pastimes, including hunting, hawking, and entertaining guests with extravagant feasts filled with song and dance. Their Hermetic neighbors regularly pester them with Wizard Wars and cathach raiding. They stoically defend Rhiannon’s skeleton, and often take a passive part in the Wizard Wars by avoiding the aggressor. Ashenrise magi are not lawbreakers. Helles works to change the peripheral code at every Tribunal meeting, but until successful he and his sodales strictly follow the Hibernian Peripheral Code. Nevertheless, they do not participate in raiding cathachs nor do they force apprentices into the macgnímartha. But avoidance isn’t enough, and Ashenrise wants to erase these archaic codes.
Outside the magi’s sanctums, Ashenrise functions like a typical English castle in colonial Ireland. A small group of imported settlers serve as the covenant folk. Ralph fitz Stephen commands four knights and fifteen men-at-arms. Relations with the nearby English lords are good. The Uí Riain túath holds a long-standing resentment against all the English lords along the River Barrow, as do several resident Déise túatha.
The magi interact with mundanes; they do not hide that fact. The Gift is a liability and most have to act through agents, but they do involve themselves with their neighbors. They have not made oaths nor broken the Code of Hermes.
Magi
Ashenrise’s remaining original members are Helles, Pollices, and Dyfrgi, a Welsh Bjornaer magi with a wolf heartbeast. The three newer magi have all relocated from the Stonehenge Tribunal.
Helles of House Tytalus
Age: 78 (apparent age: 37)
Personality Traits: Diplomatic +3, Clever +2
Born in Champagne, Helles was apprenticed in the Normandy Tribunal. He readily joined Moles Magna, thinking that living in a covenant built in a dam would hide him from the mundane world. When the dam burst and the covenant was swept away, he decided to hide in plain sight. The captain of the grogs, Ralph fitz Stephen, suggested that Ireland might be a suitable place and suggested they join the knight’s kinsmen.
Helles is a master of debate, having been trained in both the academic and Tytalus methods of disputation. He sees changing Hibernia’s Peripheral Code as the ultimate challenge. Helles spends his days studying and glossing Hermetic law, preparing to defend against the multiple charges of high crimes raised against him and his sodales at every Tribunal meeting.
Pollices “Thumbs” of House Jerbiton
Age: 69 (apparent age: 42)
Personality Traits: Vindictive +3, Easily Angered +2
Tall, hawkish, and dressed in black, Pollices is not the typical Jerbiton magus. Uninterested in beauty and elegance, his interests are physical deformity and fatal plagues. The Sicilian magus derives his name from his four thumbs, the result of a laboratory accident during his apprenticeship. “Pollices” means “thumbs,” and the magus has four: two regular thumbs and two additional thumbs instead of little fingers.
Ireland’s history of fatal plagues excites Pollices. He has traveled to every site where a group of people died by plague, and has collected several samples. Of what, exactly, few know. His attraction to plagues, combined with his grim nature, makes Pollices an intimidating figure in Hermetic circles. But to mundane circles, he presents a different image. His Gentle Gift allows him to travel among mundane society, and wearing gloves to hide his disfigurement he is a frequent visitor to neighboring lords’ courts. He says he is a scholar and physician, speaks several languages, and is engaging and pleasant. As fearsome as he is to Irish magi, he is a beloved member of the English settlers’ society.
Tug of House Criamon
Age: 45 (apparent age: 38)
Personality Traits: Cheerful +3, Absent-Minded +2
Formerly named Decamentus, Tug was a faithful follower of the House’s tenets. That changed when he met St. Patrick during a prolonged Temporary Twilight. He was wrapped in a blanket for warmth, and the vision of St. Patrick blessed the coarse wool. Instantly deciding on a new way of life, Decamentus moved to Hibernia and changed his name to “Tug,” Irish slang for a shawl. Ashenrise was the only covenant that would accept him.
The other Ashenrise magi privately question Tug’s story. Tug met St. Patrick in the Schwarzwald, an area known for mischievous faeries, and some wonder if it was a faerie creature that converted Tug. If the covenant were interested in making peace with Cliffheart, Tug would be a likely candidate to start negotiations. Although Tug admits that he met many faeries in the Schwarzwald, he adamantly denies that St. Patrick was anything but the saint.
Dorján and Konstanczia of House Tremere
Age: 59 & 65 (apparent ages 43 & 45)
Personality Traits: Adventurous +3, Dashing +2
Dorján and Konstanczia are Tremere magi, born and trained in the Transylvania Tribunal and sent to Stonehenge. Upon arrival, they petitioned their elders to leave Stonehenge and join the newly formed Hibernian covenant. Permission granted, they arrived too late to enjoy defending the cathach.
Dorján is handsome and charming, and were it not for his Gift he would be Leinster’s premier bachelor. Older and wiser, Konstanczia focuses her attentions on Tribunal matters, especially the activities of the known troublemakers. Both the Tremeres’ sigils are held by magi in Transylvania, who currently direct the pair to help Ashenrise bring the Tribunal up-to-date.
Both have participated in a half-dozen Wizard Wars throughout their tenure in Hibernia. Always the defenders, Dorján has killed four magi and Konstanczia five.
Lámbaird
Symbol: A severed human arm
Season: Summer
Cathach: The preserved arm of a bard called Cairpre
The covenant of Lámbaird (LAWM-beard, meaning “the arm of a bard”) is an old covenant, founded in 826 by Petrifer and Raghallach of House Flambeau. It has been the home of a school of magical combat — The School of Raghallach — since its inception, and has always been a covenant of House Flambeau. Formed when a Hermetic magus gave shelter to a native magician, Lámbaird has always seen itself as a protector of the traditional ways, and has recently taken up the cause of protecting the Irish from the Norman invaders. Thus far they have avoided severe sanction from the Hibernian Tribunal by claiming they are protecting themselves and their resources, but many suspect them of initiating raids against the Normans.
The Cathach
Lámbaird’s cathach is a false arm made of silver. It was made by a magical smith for a bard named Cairpre, and acted like a real arm. Cairpre was slain by a member of the covenant in the same year it sought recognition from the Tribunal. The magus — whose name has been deliberately struck from the covenant’s records — was enraged by a satire composed by the bard, and ignored the age-old prohibition against harming members of Cairpre’s profession. The magus was killed in a Wizard War by his own pater Petrifer for this crime.
The hollow arm is worn by a member of the covenfolk over his own left arm, and it is considered a great honor to be chosen for this task. The arm incapacitates the wearer’s own arm since it cannot be controlled by the wearer, but moves with a will of its own, animated, or so it is said, by the spirit of the murdered bard. The wearer of the cathach cannot leave the covenant’s immediate vicinity nor live within the Aegis of the Hearth, to comply with the Tribunal’s rules regarding cathaigh.
History
In the midst of Diedne’s purge of Ireland’s native magicians (see Chapter 10), a druid called Raghallach had a chance encounter with Petrifer of House Flambeau, who had recently settled in Ireland. The two traveled together and they became friendly, at least until the druid discovered that his companion was a member of the Order of Hermes. Believing Diedne’s actions to be sanctioned by the Order, Raghallach attacked Petrifer in a rage. The Flambeau was barely kept safe by his Parma Magica, and he was impressed by the ferocity of Raghallach’s magic. After Raghallach had been subdued, Petrifer offered him membership in the Order of Hermes. The two restored their friendship, and they set up a camp in the Wicklow Mountains from which they offered shelter to any of Raghallach’s tradition. Diedne initially refused to accept the druids’ membership in House Flambeau; when her complaints to the Tribunal failed she resorted to Wizard War. As a result, only Raghallach and two others survived long enough to establish a significant cell within House Flambeau. The camp later became the covenant of Lámbaird, and Raghallach’s druidic practices developed into a school of magical combat (Houses of Hermes: Societates, page 25 XXX).
The magi of Lámbaird retained an abiding hatred for House Diedne, and enthusiastically pursued the Schism War in Hibernia and its surrounding Tribunals. The School of Raghallach enjoyed a brief surge in popularity as Flambeau magi flocked to the Wicklow Mountains to study under Lámbaird’s magi and to fight Diedne magi. It was during this period that the covenant acquired its alternate name of “Lombard” as foreigners mutated the Irish name to a more familiar continental word.
Setting and Physical Description
Lámbaird is situated in Gleann Molúra, a narrow, blind-ending valley seven miles long and less than half a mile wide. The steep sides of the ravine reach 2000 feet on either side throughout most of the glen’s length. There is just one road leading into the valley, and it terminates in the covenant. The valley has a Magic aura of 2, which rises to 4 at the point where the covenant has been built.
The buildings of the covenant are surrounded by a palisade of wooden stakes. Once inside, the visitor is normally struck by the clamor of noise — barking of dogs, the clash of weapons from soldiers on the training fields, and the bellowed orders of the magi. The main covenant building is a large wooden lodge, with two sweeping wings that house the magi. Behind the lodge are stables, kennels, and mews for the numerous horses, dogs, and birds of prey kept by the covenant.
Culture and Traditions
Lámbaird does not appear much like a Hermetic covenant. There is no library; texts are simply distributed among the magi who used them last. The laboratories of the magi are haphazard and cluttered, and contain much makeshift equipment due to the difficulty of getting decent apparatus this deep into the mountains. The magi themselves do not observe the inviolability of each other’s sancta — although this laxity would not apply to outsiders! — and often appropriate equipment from each other’s laboratories without permission.
The magi do not act much like scholars or wizards. They are at home in the wooded mountains surrounding their covenant, and spend time on horseback either hawking or hunting with hounds. There is little formality among the inhabitants; the magi are more like the heads of a family than distant scholars or lords, and by the time the mundane covenfolk have reached maturity they have grown used to their Gifts. Everyone eats together, and everyone is expected to pull their own weight in providing food and performing chores. Any adult covenfolk can expect his or her opinions to be respected, although the magi make the major decisions.
Hunting is a major part of life at Lámbaird. As well as providing meat for the table, the covenant breeds and trains horses, dogs, and hawks which it then sells to Irish noblemen. Of interest to magi are lineages of horses and hawks that are unaffected by The Gift, and a breed of wolfhound that can sniff out vis (through the Magic Sensitivity Ability). The beasts are neutered when sold, and buyers are reminded that common law grants any offspring to Lámbaird anyway. Members of Lámbaird have declared Wizard War on magi who attempt to undercut their monopoly. Sales to noblemen and magi permit the covenant to buy the expensive laboratory equipment it needs along with the occasional luxury; Lámbaird is otherwise self-sufficient.
Recently, the attentions of Lámbaird have turned toward the English who have invaded Ireland. They have been providing occasional magical support to the mountain clans resisting the incursions of the English into the Wicklow Mountains, and if their actions were known to the Tribunal, they would certainly be charged with interfering with mundanes. As yet, the magi of Lámbaird have not implicated the Order in their actions, having been careful to leave no witnesses behind. Their activities have been noticed however, and the covenant was reprimanded, but not sanctioned, by the Tribunal of 1193. They are fierce political opponents of covenants that they perceive as pursuing an “English” agenda.
New Guidelines: Perdo Vim
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The School of RaghallachRecommended Virtue: Life Boost or Puissant Penetration The School of Raghallach (“RYE-lakh”) teaches that any defense can be overcome by a sufficiently powerful attack. Raghallach’s druidic tradition emphasized the power of blood and self-inflicted pain as a route to stronger power, a technique called cnámh greamú (“ka-NORV GREM-oo”), or bone-biting. The same tradition provided House Tremere with a style of certamen also called bone-biting (Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 136 XXX). While the non-Hermetic tradition has been lost, the School of Raghallach have become experts at defeating supernatural opponents, and are often called upon to execute a Wizard’s March. These magi learn techniques and spells for directly assaulting or dispelling the Magic Resistance of a foe, rather than using tricks to avoid Magic Resistance. They usually have a high Penetration Ability. When conducting a ‘hunt’, they observe their prey carefully. They are not beyond stealing possessions (or even raiding latrine pits) for Arcane Connections, but prefer to work with blood, often retrieved from the weapons of their mundane soldiers. They commonly work with the name of their opponents as a sympathetic connection; if their target can be observed speaking to another then a name might be let slip. Alternatively, the magus introduces himself (using his baptismal name, of course) before battle is enjoined. New SpellsRetrieve the Bloodied Arrow
This spell causes a small object to be transported from any point within 50 paces (and within Voice Range) to the magus’ hand. Casting requisites may be needed if the object is not mostly part of the Terram Form. The spell’s name derives from its use by the School of Raghallach to retrieve a missile or thrown weapon that has wounded an opponent, even if it is still piercing the victim. By retrieving the weapon the magus has a sample of the opponent’s blood, which is an Arcane Connection that lasts years (+3 bonus to Penetration Multiplier). This spell uses a guideline first published in Magi of Hermes, page 92.
(Base 4, +2 Voice, +1 transport 50 paces)
This spell disrupts the Parma Magica, a specific type of Hermetic magic. This spell must Penetrate the target’s Vim-based Magic Resistance, and it must have a total of (level + 10 + stress die) that is greater than the target’s Parma Magica x 5. The affected magus is still protected by the Magic Resistance provided by his Forms, but must repeat the Parma Magica ritual to restore his full Magic Resistance. The School of Raghallach uses this spell in Wizard War or during a Wizard’s March. Outside of these situations, using this spell against a conscious magus could be construed as the prelude to an attempt to slay a magus; some Tribunals have ruled that the caster forfeits immunity by doing so. Many Tribunals (including Hibernia) have forbidden the creation of enchantments containing this effect that have neither restricted users nor effect expiry, for fear of it getting into the wrong hands.
(Base effect, +2 Voice)
There are ten versions of this spell, one for each Hermetic Form (see New Guidelines). If the target has Form Resistance aligned to the appropriate Form that is less than or equal to (spell level – 5 + stress die), then the Form Resistance is canceled for the spell’s Duration. Form Resistance automatically reasserts itself once the spell ends. This spell must Penetrate the Vim-based Magic Resistance of the target to take effect. This spell carries similar legal implications to Revoke the Protection of Bonisagus.
(Base effect, +2 Voice, +1 Diam)
There are four versions of this spell, one for each supernatural Realm (see New Guidelines). If the target has a Might Score from that Realm that is less than or equal to (spell level + 5 + stress die), then its Magic Resistance is canceled for the spell’s Duration, reasserting itself when the spell expires. Might Score is otherwise unaffected. This spell must Penetrate the Vim-based Magic Resistance of the target to take effect. This spell is typically used when the caster wants to affect a supernatural creature with a beneficial spell, or subdue but not harm it.
(Base effect, +2 Voice, +1 Diam) |
Magi
There are three magi of House Flambeau currently living at Lámbaird, along with the apprentices of the two older magi. There is room for several more magi, although rooms would have to be cleared of the furniture and stores that currently occupy them. The covenant rarely accepts magi joining them from outside; all of their current magi and most of their past members were trained here. Lámbaird sometimes has long-term visitors who come to join the School of Raghallach.
Dalton Ballaugh an Flámbó
Age: 67 (apparent age 43)
Personality Traits: Proud +3, Relentless +2, Cautious –2
Dalton Ballaugh (DOLL-ton BOLL-odge) is the current leader of Lámbaird. Dalton’s pater was an Uí Broin (the family who make up the Lámbaird’s covenfolk), and the covenfolk still call Dalton “Mac ind Óc” (The Young Son) even though he is older than most of them. He and Brian are close friends, having been apprenticed together and taken their gauntlets at the same time. Dalton’s familiar is a grizzled hunting dog called Lóegaire Liath (LOW-yor-uh LIH-uh, Grey Lóegaire), who is the progenitor of the line of magical dogs bred by the covenant. Dalton’s skill at hunting is reflected in his interest in Intellego spells, and he can read a site as well as any Quaesitor. However, his command over fire is equal to his investigatory magic, and he is a fierce opponent. Éinri mac Cillini of Vigil has found this to his cost; he and Dalton have been feuding for years, although things have not yet progressed to a Wizard War.
Brian Chilldara an Flámbó
Age: 62 (apparent age 57)
Personality Traits: Hatred of Normans +3, Changeable +2, Abstemious +1, Dependable –1
Brian of Cilldara is a small, thin man whose body is completely hairless. He is a skinchanger who takes the form of a salmon, and he spends a good proportion of his time in the rivers and lakes of Wicklow, studying the ebb and flow of the watery element he favors. Brian once had a familiar — a salmon, like his alternate form — but the fish was killed and eaten by a group of Norman soldiers. He has not yet recovered from the loss, and may never bind another familiar; meanwhile he is determined to destroy every last Norman on Irish soil.
Cliodna an Flámbó inghean hIolair
Age: 43 (apparent age 35)
Personality Traits: Self-Reliant +4, Hot-Tempered +3, Idealistic +2
Cliodna (CLEE-na) is the youngest of Lámbaird’s magi, and has modeled herself on one of the warrior-queens of legend. She is as adept with a sword as she is with a spell, and is a superb equestrian and athlete. Cliodna has taken the epithet inghean hIolair (“daughter of the Eagle”) since being adopted into a clan of magical birds of prey who lives in the mountains. Her familiar Artt is the son of the King of the Eagles.
Inhabitants
Most of the covenfolk are drawn from the Uí Broin, who have lived among the magi of Lámbaird since its foundation. The Uí Broin are a branch of the Uí Faelain, a royal dynasty of Leinster. They lost their ancestral lands around Cilldara in the Norman invasion, and Gleann Molúra is now home to the remnants of the family. The Uí Broin of Lámbaird are remarkably outspoken for covenfolk, and visiting magi are often surprised that, for example, a cook might order a magus to collect water from the well — but if he is the closest, and he is not doing anything else, he’ll probably do it.
The two most significant covenfolk are Cathasach Ua Broin and Tadg Ua Broin. Cathasach is the current clan chief of the Uí Broin, but he is young and inexperienced, and defers frequently to Dalton Ballaugh. Tadg is the clan’s seanachaidh (storyteller), whom Dalton Ballaugh arranged to have attend the bardic school at Ceall Cluaine. He infuses the clan with a sense of tradition and loyalty that has built close family ties between its members.
Many of the young men of the Uí Broin are trained as warriors, and Lámbaird has the largest turb in the Tribunal. All of them are keen to hunt the Normans who have pillaged their ancestral home.
The Paruchia of Nerius
Symbol: A skeletal hand, radiating light
Season: Spring
Cathach: The skeletal arm of Saint Nerius
Within the Céli Dé can be found a tiny tradition who joined the Order of Hermes as part of House Ex Miscellanea in 1189. Currently comprising just three members, two monks and one manaim, they live on Little Saltee, an otherwise uninhabited island five miles off the Wexford coast, and have close links with the small community on neighboring Great Saltee.
History
The Paruchia of Nerius was inspired by a vision that a Hermetic magus, Fedelmid of Limerick, had of the mysterious magus-saint Nerius (Realms of Power: The Divine page 91 XXX) while he was traveling on pilgrimage to Rome. In the Alps he stumbled upon a mysterious valley, where he had a series of bizarre visions that were to shape his life thereafter. Seeking out the secrets of Holy Magic he trained an apprentice, Indrechtach, who in turn taught a manaim of his monastery. All three are Gifted, though Indrectach lacks the Gentle Gift and had been expelled from his community. The three have established a new monastic community cum covenant on the Saltee islands.
Fedelmid comarba Nerius enjoys excellent relations with his fellow Céli Dé, even those who are affiliated with the Coill Trí, but some in the Order of Hermes regard these holy men as untrustworthy at best, and potentially dangerous, should the Anglo-Irish church institutions decide to take an interest in their actions.
The covenant’s cathach is a relic of Saint Nerius himself, a skeletal hand. Given the mystery surrounding Nerius’ martyrdom, it is unclear how Fedelmid came to possess this relic, which possesses three Faith Points. It is kept in a small shrine on Great Saltee, and the few crofters and fisherfolk who eke out an existence on that windswept island are aware of its importance to the hermits on the neighboring island, and watch over it.
The Cathach
The skeletal arm of the martyred Holy Magus, Saint Nerius. It is kept in a small shrine on the clifftop of Great Saltee. It is said to have worked miracles according to the locals, but they are secretive concerning its powers for fear it will be taken by churchmen and be translated to a church on the mainland.
Hermetic Céli DéThe Paruchia Nerius gain the Virtue Holy Magic as their Major Virtue, and the minor Hermetic Virtue Subtle Magic, but also receive the Restriction (magic can not affect women). Their lifestyle of asceticism prevents them from enjoying a Living Conditions bonus to Aging Rolls like most magi, instead receiving a Living Conditions modifier of 0. (See ArM5, page 170 XXX). As a Divine Societates (Realms of Power: The Divine, page 69 XXX) they receive the Favored Abilities Holy Magic, Intervention, Purity and Transcendence. The Hermetic Céli Dé are not taught True Faith, rather represent a small body of individuals who already possess that Virtue and who are attracted to embrace this path. Only Gifted apprentices who possess this extraordinary level of personal devotion to God are accepted in to the tradition. |
Setting and Physical Description
Little Saltee is one of the two Saltee Isles, and is uninhabited except for the cells and small cave complex which forms the monastery for the three magi. The tides are treacherous, and there are no good landing points on the rocky shore but every Sunday the monks make their way across to Great Saltee for mass in the parish church, using an enchanted coracle built by Fedelmid. The score of inhabitants on Great Saltee are fiercely loyal to the hermits and act as covenfolk for the covenant, but none set foot on Little Saltee, and no woman, even a Hermetic maga, may land there by tradition.
The covenant is highly unusual in that while it maintains a library in a tall tower on Little Saltee, and labs in a cave system near the beehive shaped cells of the three hermits and small chapel they have built for their devotions, the island has no Magic aura, but rather a Divine aura of three. A small graveyard holds the bones of earlier hermits on this isolated spot, the only other inhabitants.
Culture and Traditions
The magus of this tradition most likely to interact with other magi of the Order is Indrechtach, who leads the prayers at the Tribunal meeting. Nonetheless despite their limited need for vis or for laboratory texts, the covenant welcomes Hermetic visitors, though their lack of a Magic aura prevents many staying long and abusing their hospitality, as does the limited diet, of which seaweed and birds eggs form a substantial part.
The covenant represents a threat to many long-standing traditions of the Order and the Tribunal. Fedelmid and Indrechtach are both strongly opposed to paganism, blasphemy, and what they see as the unacceptable aspects of standard Hermetic teaching, and their long term program is the salvation of the Order by the teaching of Holy Magic. This has put them at odds with the Túath Buidheof the Coill Trí, some of the supernatural delegates to the Tribunal (including the Fomórach, Tuatha Dé and the Fir Bolg representatives), and they have uncomfortable relations with many of their own House and House Merinita. In fact they enjoy better relations with pro-reform English magi than with their fellow Irish magi, as they argue loudly for a Christianized Tribunal modeled on the continental model rather than ancient customs of Hibernia. As such they seek allies among newcomers to the Tribunal, and attempt to save their souls by persuading them of the benefits of Holy Magic.
Magi
There are currently only three magi at Paruchia Nerius, though they would welcome other magi, even those from other Houses. The lack of a Magic aura makes it unlikely any would wish to join them, however.
Fedelmid an t-Éigse Measceal
Age: 102 (apparent age 95)
Personality Traits: Moribund +3, Belligerent +2, Determined +1
Fedelmid (FEDGE-el-midge on TCHAY-shuh MYES-kul) was a young Céli Dé when he entered House Ex Miscellanea, or as the Irish call it t-Éigse Measceal, believing that the Order of Hermes embodied the spirit of learning and scholarship and discipline that a Gifted holy man should aspire to. He was disappointed to find many of its members did not live up to what he saw as the potential of the Order, but remains loyal to his Hermetic sodales while never for a moment betraying his primary loyalty to the Church. Yet Fedelmid’s loyalty to the Church is not of the kind that worries about dioceses, bishops or institutions, rather a personal sense of spiritual responsibility and a heroic devotion and asceticism that manifests in a saint-like life of individual spiritual aspiration.
His life was changed while on pilgrimage to Rome in two ways: first, he had his strange visions in a valley while crossing the Alps that made him seek out the few who knew the secret of Saint Nerius and learn Holy Magic; and second, what he saw in Rome convinced him the Papacy may have spiritual authority but that spiritual problems are best resolved at a local level by the individuals concerned.
He took Indrechtach as an apprentice and trained him, but was saddened when he was expelled from the community at Glendalough. Now Fedelmid is a very old man, worn out with decrepitude and suffering from long Twilight episodes, and he is planning his death and burial at Qui Sonant Pro Quieto. He is planning his final leave taking from Little Saltee, but is hoping to persuade the next visitors to the covenant to escort him to Qui Sonant Pro Quieto, for in his youth he was engaged in many feuds and he still has many enemies who may end his life before he reaches there.
Indrechtach an t-Éigse Measceal
Age: 50 (apparent age 47)
Personality Traits: Honest +3, Brave +3, Humble +1
Trained by Fedelmid, and forced from the monastery at Glendalough by his Gift which made other monks very uncomfortable, Indrechtach (IND-rukh-tukh) unsettles people. Immensely brave, he is also tactless and honest to a fault; he says exactly what he thinks about anything and refuses to indulge in the whitest lie. He officiates at the Tribunal in saying prayers, occasionally traveling around Hibernia visiting other covenants, begging permission to copy books, and helping out where he can with mundane jobs that many would regard as below the dignity of a magus.
Cóemgen an t-Éigse Measceal
Age: 22 (apparent age 22)
Personality Traits: Gentle +3, Shy +2, Romantic +1
Newly gauntleted, Cóemgen (COE-muh-gen) is a manaim, a man who observes the liturgical hours, but has not taken the full vows of a monk. He can marry, and indeed hopes to do so and to raise a family on Great Saltee, crossing back and forth to the covenant. Unfortunately there are no suitable single women on that island, and his Gift and excruciating shyness interfere with his romantic plans. Perhaps one day he will cross to Wexford and abduct a wife in his coracle, or perhaps he will form a romantic attachment to a female player character, and pursue her assiduously if awkwardly. Gentle and likeable, only his lack of experience with women and the negative effects of The Gift prevent this charming young man achieving his goal.
Covenfolk
The hermits of Little Saltee are almost self sufficient, but do enjoy the support of the twenty eight inhabitants of Great Saltee, two farming families and three fishermen brothers with their wives and children. The priest of St. Mary’s church, Father Diarmaid, is a good friend to the covenant, and protective of his isolated parish, but the transgression which led to his posting here still haunts him, and he would be susceptible to blackmail if anyone threatened to reveal it.
Indrechtach an t-Éigse Measceal, Céli Dé of Paruchia NeriusCharacteristics: Int +2 Per +1 (1), Pre +1, Com +1, Str 0, Sta +1, Dex 0, Qik 0 Size: 0 Age: 50 (appears 47) Decrepitude: 0 (1) Warping: 3 Confidence Score: 1 (3) Virtues and Flaws: Hermetic Magus, The Gift; Holy Magic, True Faith; Affinity with Purity, Affinity with Intervention, Educated Quiet Magic (2), Subtle Magic; Restriction (magic can not effect women), Pious; Slow Caster, Susceptible to Faerie, Vow. Personality Traits: Pious +6, Brave +3, Honest +3 Reputations: Holy Man (Irish Church) 1 Devotions: Saint Nerius 3 (5). Combat:
Soak: 1 Fatigue Levels: OK, OK, –1, –3, –5, Unconscious Wound Penalties: (1–5) –1, (6–10) –3, (1–15) –5, (16–20) Incapacitated, (21+) Dead. Abilities: Area Lore: Ireland 2 (Leinster), Artes Liberales 2 (poetry), Charm 2 (bishops), Chirurgy 2 (tooth pulling), Civil and Canon Law 2 (Papal Bulls), Concentration 4 (prayer), Dominion Lore 3 (Irish saints), English 2 (Leinster), Finesse 1 (Herbam), Folk Ken 2 (manaim), Guile 2 (spotting lies), Holy Magic 5 (Intervention), Infernal Lore 2 (demonic temptations), Intervention 4 (Transcendence), Irish 5 (prayers), Latin 5 (ecclesiastical), Medicine 1 (fevers), Organization Lore: Church 3 (Céli Dé), Organization Lore: Order of Hermes 2 (Holy Magi), Parma Magica 1 (Vim), Purity 5 (9) (Intervention), Teach 5 (apprentices), Theology 3 (Holy Magic), Transcendence 2 (4) (Purity) Arts: Cr 10 In 5 Mu 5 Pe 7 Re 11 An 7 Aq 5 Au 5 Co 10 He 5 Ig 5 Im 6 Me 5 Te 5 Vi 11 Spells:
Encumbrance: 0 (0) Appearance: Tonsured in the Celtic fashion, Indrechtach wears a simple rough robe and sandals. As a Twilight effect his head develops a nimbus when casting magic, and his face glows softly in the moonlight. His casting sigil is a brief snatch of voices singing the Psalms, which manifests in all his spells. |
Indrechtach’s Holy MagicHoly Magic is described in Realms of Power: The Divine Revised Edition, pages 66–70 XXX. All of Indrechtach’s magic is Holy Magic, as he was taught this form rather than the Hermetic forms during his apprenticeship, but most of his spells are equivalents of common Hermetic spells. Those that are unique to Holy Magic or not listed in ArM5 rulebook are given later. Indrechtach may not use magic for any sinful purpose, will not learn Hermetic spells, and cannot teach his spells to those who do not possess Holy Magic. He may use either the Divine or the Magic column in the Aura Interaction table (ArM5, page 183 XXX), being aligned with both realms. His Devotion scores give a bonus equal to the score to attempts to invoke these saints, as described in The Church, pages 12–15 XXX. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh
Resolves successfully a Minor Aging Crisis.
(Base 15, +1 Touch)
Makes the body more resistant to damage, granting +5 to Soak. No visible effect occurs on the Holy Magus, for this is the armor of righteousness. The spell lasts until the next Sunday, but has no effect at all if cast on the Sabbath.
(Base 10; General Transcendence/Purity; +2 Sabbath)
The target’s body acts as unwounded and unfatigued. Wound and if fatigue penalties do not apply until the spell expires, and wounds may worsen but this will not be apparent until the spell ends, when accumulated Fatigue takes effect (and may leave the target unconscious). Consecutive castings delay the end of the spell, putting off the time until the accumulated wounds take effect — but the body can only take a number of consecutive castings equal to its Size + 2. Further castings have no effect.
(Base 10 Transcendence/Purity; +2 Sun)
Your faith in God immediately restores a single lost Fatigue level, something impossible for Hermetic magic.
(Base 25 Transcendence/Purity)
Permanently mends a non-living product made of plant materials, sealing rips and tears and reattaching separated parts, though missing pieces are not restored.
(Base: 10, Intervention/Purity; +1 Touch) |
Attribution
Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.