The Contested Isle Ch 2
The History of Mythic Ireland
At the beginning of Creation, Mythic Ireland was only half formed, a wooded island without lakes, rivers, meadows, animals, or people. Five waves of invaders, commonly called "the Five Peoples," landed, lived, and died before a sixth group, called the Gaels or Milesians, managed to achieve a permanent settlement. The Five Peoples found Mythic Ireland in an inchoate condition, unformed and changing into its current geography. By the time the Gaels arrived, the island had reached its final geographical state. The story of Mythic Ireland’s history has been recorded in a single, seamless tale, which exists in several books, the most famous being Lebor Gabála Érenn, translated as The Book of the Taking of Ireland or The Book of Invasions. Another complete manuscript, Lebor Laignech or The Book of Leinster, can be found in the Munster monastery of Tir-Dá-Glas on the Shannon River.
Story Seed: Finding Fionntan
According to legend, Mythic Ireland’s first druid still lives. Well over 4,000 years old, some seek the secret of his longevity. Many suspect he is a supernatural creature, but his realm affiliation is uncertain. Originally a pagan druid, hewas later converted to Christianity by a man named "Trefuilngid." Is Fionntan a divine creature, a human transformed into a magic creature, or a man who became a faerie? The answer to that question would help any magus seeking the same immortality. Fionntan lives in a cave, Fionntan’s Grave, hidden beneath the River Shannon.
The Five Peoples
Cessair, granddaughter of Noah, led the first group that landed in Ireland. Instructed by her grandfather to find a land uncontaminated by human vice, she hoped that Ireland would provide a safe haven from the Great Flood. It did not and her people died when the tide rose above Ireland’s mountains. The only survivor was her druid, Fionntan, who survived by changing into a salmon. He could also assume the shapes of a stag, eagle, or boar, and is rumored to still be alive.
The second group of invaders left more of a mark on the countryside before dying out. The Greek prince Partholón (POR-hul-own) and his sons brought art, crafts, and cattle to Ireland. They cleared four large pastures from the pristine wood and witnessed the birth of four lakes. They also encountered the Fomórach, monstrous Magic giants hailing from unknown, northern islands. Settling in the north, the Fomórach continually raided the Partholónians. Eventually the Partholónians killed the Fomórach in a great battle, but to their own undoing. They left the corpses on the field, and a foul plague emanated from the bodies and killed all the Partholónins.
Arriving from Scythia, Nemed and his tribe were the third group of invaders. Nemed was not seeking Ireland, having fled his homeland to escape punishment for killing his parents. Setting out with a great fleet, his tribe saw an incredibly tall, golden tower rising from the western ocean. Built on an island, this fantastic tower was only visible when the tide ebbed. At full tide it was completely submerged. After landing on the shore, the incoming tide surprised Nemed and he lost most of his fleet. It was a year before the tribe saw land again, accidentally finding Ireland.
Landing with soldiers, families, and druids, the Nemedians promptly settled, bringing lore and craft to the untamed wilderness. They cleared several plains and watched several lakes erupt from the ground. Their prosperity was soon noticed and coveted by the Fomórach. Rushing from the northern oceans, the Fomórach captured Nemed’s people and taxed them with a heavy tribute. By this time, Nemed had died, leaving his sons and grandsons to suffer the weight of Fomórach oppression. Plotting rebellion, the Nemedians sent to Greece for aid. The Greek king responded with a host of soldiers, druids, druidesses, wolves, and venomous animals. Nemed’s sons led an assault on the Fomórach main fortress on Tory Island and successful destroyed it.
The cheering and sharing of spoils was short-lived. Fomórach reinforcements attacked the Nemedians. Using water magic, the Fomórach druids raised a huge wall of water to drown the Nemedians, but also drowned many Fomórach. Both sides incurred heavy loses, but it was the Fomórach who won the day. The Nemedians were devastated. Three surviving grandsons of Nemed split the survivors into three groups and departed. Ireland was uninhabited by humans for 200 years.
The fourth invaders were the Fir Bolg. Legends claim they are the descendents of one of Nemed’s grandsons, who served as slaves in Greece before escaping and returning to Ireland. While full of legendary battles, including an epic confrontation involving dead warriors animated by demonic spirits, these tales fail to explain how the Fir Bolg leaders became Magic creatures. Fir Bolg means "the men who swell with battle fury," although some monks incorrectly think it means "Men of the Bag" because their masters made them move earth using leather bags. The Fir Bolg divided Mythic Ireland into provinces, established kingship and justice, and brought peace. More information about the Fir Bolg can be found in Chapter 10.
The Tuatha Dé Danann were the fifthinvaders, the last wave of primeval peoples before the arrival of the Gaels. After the war with the Fomórach, an escaped group of Nemed’s descendents starting worshiping continental Celtic faeries, who took the group to a mystical homeland in the north. In four fabled cities, the Tuatha Dé educated their followers in culture, art, and magic, and interbred. The group that returned to Ireland contained the pagan faerie gods, their children, their followers, and their druids. More information about the Tuatha Dé Danann can be found in Chapter 11.
The Fir Bolg and the Fomórach ignored the Tuatha Dé’s requests for peaceful coexistence, both preferring war. The Tuatha Dé met and defeated the Fir Bolg at the Battle of Moytirra, on the Plain of Cong in Connacht. The surviving Fir Bolg promised to abandon the other provinces and remain in Connacht. Though victorious, the Tuatha Dé leader lost an arm in the fighting, making him unfit to rule. His chieftains selected a new leader, a son of a Fomóir father and a Tuatha Dé mother, thinking that this would keep the rapacious Fomórach at bay. However, the Fomórach soon conquered and enslaved the Tuatha Dé. At the Second Battle of Moytirra, also in Connacht but on a different plain, the Tuatha Dé defeated the Fomórach and drove them from Mythic Ireland. Placed under a Tuatha Dé curse, the Fomórach could not set foot on Irish soil without suffering dire consequences. The curse is literal; air- and water-borne Fomórach are not affected by the curse.
The Tuatha Dé continued the Fir Bolg’s political divisions and social practices. The pagan gods lived with the mortal population, which grew until humans eventually replaced faeries as kings. Tuatha Dé rule was not peaceful, and squabbles over land, cattle, and rights of succession frequently led to bitter warfare. The contemplative, peaceful culture the pagan gods initially brought was quickly forgotten and lost.
Story Seed: The Secret of Ráth Cinn-Eich
Nemed built two royal forts, one in Munster and one in Ulster. Ráth Cinn-Eich sat on the slopes of Slieve Croob in Ulster, its foundation and underground passageways built by four Fomórach brothers, slaves of Nemed. Thousands of years later, House Diedne built a covenant over these ruins. Named the Widow’s Throat, the covenant was destroyed in the Schism War. No one has ever explored the ruins, especially the deep passages built by the Fomóir. Perhaps there is treasure, Fomóir magic items, and secret Diedne lore hidden within.
The Sons of Míl
The current people of Mythic Ireland are the Gaels, descendents of Gaedheal Glas, famous builder and linguist who allegedly constructed the Irish language from the best parts of the 72 languages spoken during the building of the Tower of Babel. Spreading from Egypt, the Gaels eventually settled along the northern coast of Spain. According to legend, the Gaels built a tower tall enough for the knight Míl (MEEL) to view Ireland. When it was foretold that his sons would rule the island, Míl sent his uncle and a small landing force to investigate. The group was slain by the Tuatha Dé.
A larger force was sent, captained by Míl’s eight sons, hence the name "Milesians" (sons of Míl). Led by the poet and sorcerer Amhairghin (AH-wor-khin), the Milesians defeated the Tuatha Dé, besting their violent resistance and magical trickery. The faerie Tuatha Dé disappeared underground, promising to leave the island to the new rulers. The mortals of the Tuatha Dé tribe were incorporated into the Milesian tribe. During their conquest the sons met three faerie goddesses who claimed to be Ireland: Banba, Fódla, and Éire. Each promised victory if a son would marry her, and three sons obliged. This tradition, a provincial ruler marrying a land-goddess, is still practiced.
Míl’s uncle and three of his sons founded the Four Root Races of Ireland, the four largest tribal lineages. Settled in Connacht, Éremón was the ancestor of the Connachta. Éber took Munster and gave rise to the Eóghanachta, Éibhear settled in Ulster and was the first of the Érainn, and finally Lughaidh mac Íth was the ancestor of the Laigin, the people of Leinster. Eventually the different groups fought, both each other and within the groups, usually over land grabs, leadership succession, and accumulating resources (cattle).
The two most powerful brothers, Éremón and Éber, split the island in two, using the Eiscir Riada (ESH-ker REE-ada), a long line of sand and gravel ridges that run from Galway Bay to Dublin, as the boundary between the two kingdoms. The northern half was Éremón’s and the southern half Éber’s. Quarreling over land, Éremón killed his brother and claimed sovereignty over Ireland. Éremón delegated rule of the five provinces to sub-chiefs, kin-vassals who would ultimately chew away at his authority and create dynasties of their own. One provincial king would rise to prominence and claim the high-kingship only to be replaced by another regional chieftain, a pattern that was repeated for the next 2000 years.
Hundreds of years of warfare followed, giving rise to legendary heroes who then formed their own family dynasties. The most famous is Cormac mac Airt, who ruled during the early third century. Protected since birth by five magic wards, Cormac could not be hurt by wounds, drowning, fire, druid magic, or wolves. He became the high-king at the age of 30, and during his reign Ireland’s rivers were full of fish, the fields full of bees making honey, and the forests ripe with fruit.
Conn of the Hundred Battles was Cormac’s grandson. A Connachta leader, his deeds were so impressive — and his sons so many — that many dynasties claim him as their ancestor. Conn discovered many of the Tuatha Dé’s hidden treasures, including the five roads of Ireland and the ancient yew tree Mughain, the center of the faerie’s Otherworld. Growing up in Leinster, Conn overthrew the ruling high-king to win the tree. After taking Leinster, he raided the Eoghanachta in Munster. King Eoghan Mór was too powerful to defeat and Ireland was politically split in half again, using the Milesian’s boundary, the Esker Riada. Leth Cuinn (Conn’s half) fell to the north and Leth Moga (Mór’s half) lay to the south. Conn didn’t honor the treaty, and a year later the Connachta defeated the Eoghanachta at the Battle of Magh Léana.
High-kings were not the only heroes to achieve fame. The provincial king Ailill and his wife Medb were fierce Connacht leaders who often at war with the king of Ulster, Conchobhair mac Neasa. A clan’s champions became just as important as its kings. The Ulster champion Cú Chulainn is famous throughout Ireland, as is the Leinster hero Fionn mac Cumhaill. The list of famous regional kings and their heroes is long and extensive, and memorized by poets who recite comprehensive genealogies for their listeners.
The island’s supernatural contingents, the Fir Bolg in Connacht, the Tuatha Dé underground, and the Fomórach offshore, left the Milesians alone. People encountered individual Fir Bolg and Tuatha Dé, but larger incursions ended. The groups kept the old promises and limited their interactions with man. The first Milesians kept careful watch for the Fomórach, but as the generations went by and no warships were seen, the lookout was abandoned.
The Four Treasures
The Tuatha Dé brought four treasures with them, signs of their sovereignty and indicators of their power. The Stone of Fál (Lia Fál) roars beneath the foot of a rightful king. The Spear of Lug guarantees victory to he who holds it. The Sword of Nuadha always strikes its target. The Dagda’s Cauldron supplies unlimited stew and feeds an entire company of men. So equipped, victory was assured, and while the Tuatha Dé easily defeated the Fir Bolg they found the Fomórach much more difficult. Were the powers of these four items exaggerated?
The Tuatha Dé commissioned the four treasures but did not make them, leaving that task to their wizards. They did instruct some of their Gifted followers in magic, and without a doubt the Tuatha Dé’s wizards knew some faerie magic, but the four treasures are magically enchanted items. They are not faerie glamor or faerie-made. Perhaps not being part of the faerie hoard explains why they are so often lost.
Circulus Ruber claims to have found the Dagda’s Cauldron, but they are incorrect and actually have a different magical cauldron. Lug’s Spear was in the hands of the Fir Bolg, although its current location is unknown. In 1220, all four treasures remain hidden somewhere in Mythic Ireland.
The Coming of Christianity
St. Patrick converted the pagan Irish to Christianity, but he was not the first Christian in Ireland. Palladius preceded Patrick, arriving with assistants Auxilius and Secondinus. Armed with copies of the doctrines of Ambrose and Augustine, Palladius felt well prepared to deal with the pagan Irish. Landing in Clonard and heading north, he was not welcomed by the "fierce and cruel men" of the area, as described in a later annal, and his fate is largely unknown. His unsuccessful mission ended in Ulster.
Patrick landed later, some time in the fifth century, although sources disagree on the actual date. Coming first as a slave, captured by Irish pirates raiding England, he escaped with the help of his guardian angel, Victor. Hearing the divine message that he must convert the islanders, Patrick returned as an adult to preach. Patrick made a circuit of the island, heading from Leinster to Connacht, Ulster, Meath, and finally Munster. St. Patrick performed miracles, cast the snakes out of Ireland, bested and exiled the druids after winning a magic contest, and used a three-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity. Called "The Apostle of Ireland," St. Patrick achieved overwhelming success and forever cemented the Christian faith in people’s hearts. His mortal remains are interred in Down Cathedral.
Story Seed: The High-King’s Treasure
Many high-kings were also adventurers, who sought out and found faerie treasures. Some of these finds were magic items rather than faerie glamors, because the Tuatha Dé regularly employed Gifted enchanters to make their treasures. Often these treasures were buried with the king. Other times they were retrieved by the Tuatha Dé, who then buried them again to hide them. Clans move infrequently enough that many still inhabit their ancestral homes. If a magus wants a particular magic item he’s heard about, all he has to do is find a famous high-king who once owned it, head to that clan’s traditional homestead, and start digging up grave mounds.
Story Seed: Recovering the First Christian Mission
A book in a remote monastery in Ulster mentions Palladius’ mission to Ireland. Traveling from Leinster to Meath and eventually Ulster, the text says that Palladius was hounded by worshipers of Crom Cruach, a pagan god of death and destruction. At the church of the Kindred of Cormac in Ulster, Crom Cruach rose from the earth and destroyed Palladius, leaving the cleric’s texts lying on the ground. His followers buried the books, which included relics of Saints Peter and Paul, and later a small stone church was built over the spot. However, Crom Cruach’s followers pulled the church down. Another was erected, but it is unknown if this is on the same spot as the original. Some say that the chthonic Crom Cruach still haunts the area and that his evil cult is still active.
The Order of Hermes in Ireland
Two Tytalus and two Merinita magi visited Mythic Ireland in 778, looking for the Tuatha Dé’s four legendary treasures. Assisted by a local ward-maker, the four discovered the cauldron of the Dagda buried in one of the mounds at the Brú na Bóinne. Their grave robbing was noticed by the high-king, who sent his druid and a retaliatory warband to confront the thieves. The magi found a defensible barrow and the ward-maker protected it with spells. They repelled the first attack, but the druid screamed that the king’s men would attack again in the morning. The leading Tytalus answered: "We will defend this mound for a year if need be!" The five defended against the morning’s attack, and three days and two more failed attempts later the king’s men retreated. Adhering to the original boast, the magi stayed on the mound for a year. Deciding to remain in Ireland, the five relocated to Munster’s western shore, again saying that they would defend their location for a year to prove their worth. Named after the protecting wards drawn by the local assistant, Circulus Ruber was founded two years later, at the Tribunal of 780.
13 years later, Diedne arrived. Hoping to recruit Ireland’s druids, she was rejected, and responded with a 17-year-long pogrom to kill every druid she could find. The Ulster-born Cuin-dallán, Latinized as "Quendalon," returned from the Rhine to save what he could of the older magic traditions. Aided by other members of House Merinita, he accepted some into his House and hid others in Connacht. Meanwhile, the Diedne magi formed covenants and sent down firm roots.
By the early ninth century, many traditions of native wizards still existed. Some stayed hidden, some were protected by powerful regional kings or safeguarded by Hermetic allies, and some were strong enough to fend for themselves. A score of the more powerful wizards assisted Pralix in the war against Damhan-Allaidh (see ArM5, page 10), and the survivors were immediately accepted into her new Order, which eventually became House Ex Miscellanea.
Story Seed: The Lair of Lentinus
Lentinus of House Flambeau made many treaties with hedge wizards. He would promise protection to anyone who paid him vis. His prices were exorbitant, but those who refused soon suffered some magical attack that convinced them to accept Lentinus’ terms. Lentinus died in a Wizard War. Never a member of a covenant, magi wondered where he had hidden his vis. Rumors circulated that he had an underground lair full of vis, arcane books, and other loot. This secret hiding place has never been found, and magi occasionally sneak into Connacht to look for it.
The Ostmen and Rune Wizards
Targeting monasteries for their wealth, Norwegian and Danish Vikings started raiding Ireland in the late eighth century. Dubbed "Ostmen" (Eastmen) because they came from the East, they struck without warning. At first they only came during the spring and summer, but by the early ninth century they decided to stay. They occupied and converted coastal Irish trading posts into permanent Ostmen settlements. Every major Irish city — Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, and Limerick — was created by the Ostmen.
The newcomers also brought rune wizards. Having arrived only 20 years earlier the Order was weak and unprepared for the aggressive Scandinavians. At the Grand Tribunal of 832, Hibernia magi called the Ostmen wizards "The Order of Odin." Uncertain about the rune wizards’ strength, the Order sought peace. Máel-tuili of House Merinita met the Dublin rune wizards and promised to pay a substantial tribute, but the Scandinavian wizards attacked. Most of the group was slain, including Máel-tuili (see Ancient Magic, page 135 XXX).
The Vikings were worse in other areas and the Order’s attentions shifted from Ireland. Many Hibernian magi hoped that the Ostmen threat would unite the Order in Ireland, especially patching over the quarreling between Houses Ex Miscellanea and Diedne, but they were disappointed. Meanwhile, tensions between native wizards and Hermetic magi increased. Skirmishes with rune wizards, raids against native druids, and reprisal certamens were the order of the day.
Story Seed: The Missing Mercere Envoy
With the Fomóir and Tuatha Dé allied with House Diedne, many magi wondered if the Fir Bolg would join the fray. The industrious Mercere Blakehalloc sailed to the Aran Islands and sought an audience with the Fir Bolg. Blakehalloc was never heard from again. As he was assumed to be one of the many casualties of the Schism War, no one ever went looking for Blakehalloc, and his mission to the Fir Bolg remains a mystery.
Hermetic Magi and Irish Wizards
While individually weaker than their Hermetic rivals, the Irish wizards were members of existing túatha and could petition their king and his warriors for aid. Border skirmishes and disputes over resources were a constant problem. To end hostilities, the Order agreed to acknowledge the Coill Trí, a confederation of hedge wizards who had earned the title of druid, and to conclude a peace agreement with them. House Diedne refused, but on the verge of what many assumed would be open warfare, House Diedne retreated from Hibernian politics. In 851, Primus Obregon announced that Diedne magi would no longer protect her "undeserving sodales." Hibernian Diedne retreated to their covenants. In their absence, the Hibernian magi signed the Treaty of Cnoc Maol Réidh (see Chapter 10 XXX).
House Diedne still held a dominant position in Ireland. They did not recognize the Treaty of Cnoc Maol Réidh and entered Connacht regularly. As a result, hedge wizards made individual treaties with magi for personal protection. Adapting the concept of amici, with the moral duty to support each other and the promise to wage Wizard’s War against a friend’s aggressor, adventurous magi became native protectors, always in a one-to-one relationship. These agreements stopped some of House Diedne’s raids, but were ineffectual against Hermetic raiders from England and Scotland.
In 865, Hibernian magi raised this point at the Grand Tribunal, but were told their treaty was illegal. Furthermore, Ireland was included with England and Scotland in the new Britannian Tribunal, and Hibernian magi were told they had to follow the Britannian Peripheral Code. Already displeased, the Irish contingent explained how important the Treaty of Cnoc Maol Réidh was. When given the choice between joining or dying, most Irish wizards would gladly fight and die, a course of action that would destroy the native magical traditions. The treaty would allow the traditions to continue, perhaps to be explored and incorporated into Hermetic magic. Invading magi threatened that accord, but the Grand Tribunal refused to recognize it.
Tribunal Formation and the Early Years
33 years later, following the Tytalus example of Tribunal secession, the Irish magi left the Britannian Tribunal. The new Hibernian Tribunal immediately ratified the Treaty of Cnoc Maol Réidh. Every individual treaty that existed between hedge wizard and magus was binding, and those who previously ignored such treaties were brought to heel. With external forces quelled, Hibernia concentrated on internal conflicts. The intrinsic rebelliousness and aggressiveness of the natives gave rise to several foundation pieces of Hibernia’s Peripheral Code. Local rulings like treaties, trophies, and legal raiding were a safety valve for the island’s endemic violence. If contained conflicts were allowed, then larger, more egregious outbursts would be few.
The 10th century was violent. Irish kings fought one other and the Ostmen. Prohibited from involvement in the regional kings’ bids for power, Hibernian magi followed individual pursuits. Diedne magi were plentiful but stayed behind closed doors, and the Coill Trí stayed in Connacht. The threat of the Ostmen rune wizards never developed into a war, although skirmishes were frequent. The Irish clans retained the interior of the island, and the Ostmen kept their coastal cities. As the Ostmen converted to Christianity, the two groups realized the benefits of mutual cooperation. The Irish appreciated the Ostmen’s mercantile efforts and the ready pools of Scandinavian mercenaries, while the Ostmen enjoyed the steady supply of beef and leather for their exports.
The Schism War
While skirmishes in Normandy and Provence hinted at greater, widespread violence, Hibernia magi were more concerned with a Munster king’s bid for the seat of the high-king. Defeating the ruling clans of Munster and Leinster, Brian Bóramha (BREE-un BOE-roo, anglicised as Brian Boru) marched into Ulster and forced the Ua Néill high-king to abdicate. Leading thousands of troops, accompanied by Munster druids and hedge wizards, many thought Brian had the strength to politically unite Ireland into a single kingdom. The magi were so distracted that the Schism War surprised everyone.
The Tribunal had six acknowledged Diedne covenants. Some magi were reluctant to attack — the Diedne had not been a problem for a long time — but others launched into action. To their surprise, three of the six covenants were empty, the members having either fled to the Continent or retreated to the three strongest covenants. Over-eager and headstrong, the Hibernia magi split their forces and attacked each separately.
Diedne magi had made alliances with supernatural partners in anticipation of the Hibernia magi’s assaults. Salmon’s Eye, or Súil Bradáin (SOOL BRAD-awn), a Diedne covenant in Munster, joined forces with Donn, the Tuatha Dé god of death. The Widow’s Throat, or Scornach Baintrí (SKOR-nukh BAN-nyuh-tree), a large Diedne covenant in Ulster, enlisted a fleet of Fomóir warships. Five ships sailed up the River Shannon, while five other ships attacked the coastal Circulus Ruber. The third Diedne covenant, Lugh’s Retreat or Cúlráid Logha (KOOL-rahd LOKH-uh), was located in the Hollow of Shannon, a remote spring in the Dartry Mountains and the source of the River Shannon. The split force of Hermetic magi regrouped to relieve the besieged Circulus Ruber. Defeating the Fomóir fleet on the ocean left the other Fomóir ships free to reach Lugh’s Retreat.
With Circulus Ruber secure, the magi attacked and destroyed the Diedne covenant in Ulster. Two months later, an attempt was made on Lugh’s Retreat, but failed. Almost a year after that, the Munster Diedne and Donn’s forces destroyed Warbler’s Way, Cosán Ceolaire (KOS-awn KOE-lor-yuh), a Hermetic covenant in the woods around Lough Leane. Hibernian magi united to defeat the Munster Diedne, razing Salmon’s Eye and forcing Donn back to his island home. With their forces sorely depleted, the magi mustered to attack Lugh’s Retreat again. As the day of the attack drew near, two years since the first assault, Connacht druids and hedge wizards joined with the magi, informed of the upcoming assault by busy Mercere messengers. The combined forced destroyed Lugh’s Retreat, killing both Fomóir and Diedne defenders. The battle of the Dartry Mountains is called "The Third Battle of Moytirra" by poets, who find its proximity close enough to the other two locations and its result — the repulsion of Diedne — as important as the two earlier battles of Moytirra. The magi thought Hibernia was free of Diedne, but they were later proved wrong.
The Battle of Clontarf and the Last Diedne
Having subdued Ulster and Connacht, Brian Bóramha moved against the Ostmen and marched on Dublin. As the army moved east, Bóramha’s druid, a dwarf named Muírcheartach mac Lía, told the Flambeau magi at Lámbaird that Bóramha had druids with him who called themselves "sons of Diedne." Surmising that the Diedne magi must have survived the fall of Lugh’s Retreat, the Lámbaird magi traveled to the battle. Irish and Ostmen forces clashed at Clontarf on Good Friday 1014. As the Irish and Ostmen warriors split skulls and hewed limbs from bodies, the Flambeau stalked the battlefield looking for the Diedne. The combat between the Flambeau and the Diedne was brief, flamboyant, and lethal, and spelled the true end of House Diedne in Hibernia. The Irish defeated the Ostmen, who never threatened the Irish again, but Bóramha died in the battle. The army returned to Munster, too weak to impose its rule over the rest of the island.
Story Seed: Three Diedne Bodies
No one is certain what happened to the corpses of the three Diedne magi who fell at Clontarf. Cliffheart covenant claims to have one as their cathach, even though they were not involved in the battle. Others say that Qui Sonant Pro Quieto buried the Diedne with their enemies, placing each in a grave with a Hermetic magus who would have been their rival. None were given Christian burials. Occasionally a magus wants to interview a Diedne magus’ ghost, and Continental magi know that Hibernia does not have provisions that forbid exploring its Diednes’ past. Will the player characters help such a Seeker, or do they think sleeping dogs should stay sleeping?
Two Turbulent Centuries
Bóramha’s war upset the balance of power in Ireland. By breaking the Ui Neill hegemony of high-kingship, he showed that whoever was most powerful could become the high-king. Bóramha established the idea that the high-kingship was a position to fight for. Many tried, and the 11th and 12th centuries saw high-kings from all five provinces. Not every high-king ruled unopposed. Some were rí co frasabra, or "high-king with opposition," meaning that some clans refused to acknowledge the high-king’s sovereignty. While a king might be strong enough to grab the high-kingship, none were able to maintain the title and pass it to an heir. Violent power bids became routine, as did cattle raids, crop burning, destruction of property, and mutilation of rivals. This pattern went on with no clear end, and many think the English are merely continuing this practice of personal gain through military prowess.
The Church in Ireland underwent its own conflicts. The laity had become lax. Tithes weren’t paid, violence against the clergy was common, and many sacraments were ignored. Priests married and passed benefices to their sons. The archbishop of Armagh, Máel Máedóc, canonized as St. Malachy, went to great lengths to reform the Irish Church. Due to his efforts, ratified at the Synod of Kells in 1152, many of the more egregious practices ceased. Mythic Ireland was split into 36 sees with four archbishoprics at Armagh, Cashel, Dublin, and Tuam. Despite this great reformer’s efforts, the Irish Church is still noticeably different than the Roman Church (see Chapter 12 XXX).
Violent and tumultuous, the 12th century was also a time of great art and craft. Book production increased, driven by the desire for the old tales to be recorded and remembered. Several monasteries became expert vellum manufacturers, while others became famous schools for book illumination. Hermetic culture added to the demand, and it is a rare Irish grimoire that isn’t decorated with Celtic swirls and knots. Expert gold and silver work is displayed in personal jewelry and religious artifacts. But the island’s fine arts and scholarship are hidden beneath the half-deserved reputation of a lawless, barbaric, violent place.
The Irish Helen
The coming of the English was to change the Tribunal forever. In 1152, Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster, abducted Derbforgaill, wife of Tighearnán Ua Ruairc, the King of Briefne. The abduction proved the catalyst for an epic tragedy, and to this day Derbforgaill is likened to Helen of Troy, as her beauty caused a great war.
The lady herself was quite happy with the arrangement and settled down to live with Diarmait, but her husband Tighearnán invaded Leinster in 1166. The men of Ossory rose in rebellion against Diarmait; he lost his throne and was forced into exile, fleeing to England.
On arrival there, Diarmait sought aid from King Henry II in recovering his kingdom. The new High-King of Ireland, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, had taken possession of Leinster. Diarmait failed to persuade King Henry to invade, so he gathered some English mercenaries and attempted a reconquest by himself.
Strongbow Invades
When Diarmait’s initial attempt to reclaim Leinster faltered, he turned to the Welsh Marcher Lord Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke. Strongbow agreed to assist, and invaded Leinster, quickly placing Diarmait back on the throne. Diarmait’s anger at those who had driven him to exile was infamous, and after one battle against the men of Ossory he had his English allies pile up two hundred severed heads of his slain foes. He searched through them for the head of one man he particularly hated, and proceeded to chew the head’s lips and ears off.
Strongbow married Aoife, Diarmait’s daughter, and on the death of Diarmait took possession of the throne of Leinster. This was against (according to many Irish) the native Brehon Laws, but the mercenaries’ power was such that nothing could be done.
Henry & John in Ireland
The military successes of Strongbow worried King Henry II of England, who set out for Ireland, determined to bring his vassal to heel. Strongbow capitulated immediately to his king, and once in Ireland, Henry also demanded vassalage from the Irish kings, who gave him tribute. In 1185, seeing that his barons were still carving out great holdings in Ireland, Henry appointed his son John as Lord of Ireland, and Prince John set off to receive homage from his vassals. Accompanying John, and returning later to witness the continuing conquest of Ireland, was a Welsh cleric called Gerald of Wales. Gerald wrote two books on his experiences in Ireland; the Topography of Ireland, and the Conquest of Ireland. Both books proved immensely popular in England and Wales, with their description of marvels and their characterization of the Irish as both savage and exotic. Despite their geographical proximity, even educated folk knew little of Ireland, and Gerald traveled England giving immensely popular public readings of his book, often to great crowds, and constantly revising the text.
While Gerald proved popular with his book, Prince John’s visit to Ireland was less of a success. Aged only 17, he displayed some of the lack of tact that later led to the Barons’ Revolt in England. When the Irish kings came to do him homage, he openly mocked them and tugged at their long beards, winning few friends among them.
The English Magi
For many magi of the Stonehenge Tribunal, Gerald’s book came as a wakeup call. While some had visited or had dealings with the Irish magi, the Order in Ireland had become somewhat insular and little known, as close as it was. Many of the Stonehenge magi heard of the marvels of Hibernia and wondered at stories from Redcaps of vis so plentiful it was left unharvested, and of a quarter forbidden to Hermetic magi where it was said the druids still ruled. Hibernia was suddenly the talk of the Tribunal as a place of mystery, magical wealth, and potential threat. While some knew of the war between Diedne and the druids of Ireland, the mystery of Connacht caused them concern. What if the Coill Tri were actually the heirs of Llewellyn, last Primus of the Accursed House? What if the Order of Odin had gained a foothold through the Ostmen’s conquests?
Henry justified the conquest of Ireland by reference to a Papal Bull, Laudabiliter, issued in 1155, that could be read as giving Henry the right to conquer Ireland and enforce reform of the Church there. There was in fact a strong reforming party in the Irish Church that had, over the last century, reformed the church on the continental model. This largely ended its ancient monastic character and replaced it with a church of dioceses and tithes on a similar line to the continental and English Church. In a similar manner, the Order of Hermes in Stonehenge, hearing increasingly from magi who had visited Hibernia of the strange customs and unusual Peripheral Code of that Tribunal, began to talk about the need for reform in Hibernia. A few Stonehenge magi attended the next Hibernian Tribunal. They were shocked at what they saw.
English Expansion
Meanwhile Hugh de Lacy had conquered the Kingdom of Meath, and the King of Briefne had died in what may have been an assassination (or perhaps a tragic misunderstanding) during a peace parlay. The English had moved west into Munster, and north into Ulster. Yet Connacht, home to the High King Ruaidhrí Ua Conchobhair, remained free of the English. While Ruaidrí had submitted to Henry, the continued autonomy of Connacht concerned many in Stonehenge who feared what the hedge magicians of the Coill Trí might really represent, and that dark magic might underlie Ruaidrí’s reign. Why was Connacht preserved from the conquest?
With the English presence in Ireland, an increasing number of English magi traveled through the Hibernian Tribunal, and many felt their suspicions were justified, especially after a party were attacked in 1190 by what appeared to be young Irish magi of the Order. Knowing little or nothing of the Irish custom of the macgnímartha (see Chapter 4), this attack on Damisona of Jerbiton and her party, with the loss of three grogs, led to an increasing outcry through Stonehenge for something to be done about Hibernia.
The Grand Tribunal at Durenmar in 1195 saw a long debate between magi denouncing Hibernia as in need of reform, preferably the introduction of a Peripheral Code based upon that of Stonehenge, and many magi who favored the right of autonomy of a Tribunal and the right of its magi to set their own Peripheral Code. The parens of the apprentices who in their macgnímartha had attacked Damisona were convicted of only a Low Crime, to the outrage of many Stonehenge magi.
The Grand Tribunal events led to more traffic between Hibernia and the continent, and an increasing number of appeals to Magvillus from magi who felt they had been unfairly treated by local Quaesitors. The Covenant of Elk’s Run was founded in the immediate aftermath of the Tribunal. In 1209, the maga Swan of Ghent was killed during the Black Monday massacre when Ua Broin raiders killed a number of English settlers outside the walls of Dublin.
The Siege of Praesis
In 1213, Holzner of Tytalus from the Rhine Tribunal joined the Covenant of Praesis. He then attempted to steal the cathach of Praesis and flee, and was slain by his sodales. His outraged parens, Ballack, left the Rhine Tribunal and journeyed to Hibernia where he laid siege to the covenant. Many Hibernian magi saw this as a clear cut case of foreign aggression, but by the conventions of the Tribunal, few intervened. The Siege of Praesis lasted a year, preventing the members of that covenant from attending the Hibernian Tribunal of 1214, and relations between Hibernian magi and those from outside the Tribunal were increasingly strained. Now Praesis has fallen, and peace may be restored, but it is an uneasy peace.
The English lords increasingly assert their authority and adopt Irish ways to the chagrin of the English crown; the Irish kings chafe at foreign rule outside of the sanctaury of Connacht. The Order in Hibernia faces a similar crisis. Yet peaceful visits, trade in books, and mutual tolerance still exist, and the Hibernians regard themselves as faithful members of the Order of Hermes. Not every foreign magus is regarded with suspicion, and Hibernia may yet know peace if suspicion and misunderstanding on both sides can be overcome.
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.