The Contested Isle Ch 9
Chapter 9: The Province of Ulster
Ulster or Ulaid (pronounced UH-lodge) is the northernmost province of Ireland. In the days when the famed king Conchobhar mac Neasa ruled from Emhain Mhacha, the Ulaidh (UH-loy, meaning Ulstermen) gave Ireland some of its most powerful legends of heroes and kings. These tales form the Ruadhraigheacht, better known by its English name of The Ulster Cycle. None of the kingdoms that comprise the province in the thirteenth century have an Ulaidh king, but the Ulstermen are still fiercely proud of their heritage and remarkably coherent for a people who have lived under "foreign" kings for so long.
The Peoples of Ulster
The history of Ulster is one of warfare and bloodshed; not for nothing did the druids associate the northerly direction with battle and strife. It was in the north that the Tír Fhomóraig ("Land of the Fomórach") once stretched from east to west, and dominated the Nemedians and the Túatha Dé Danann (see Chapter 11). Once this monstrous race was driven from Ireland the land was settled by the victors, and soon entered the hands of the Érainn.
The Érainn
The Érainn (AY-run) are one of the four root races descended from Míl Espáine (Chapter 2). As a vassal tribe of the Connachta they were scattered throughout Ireland, but hung on longest in the north as the Ulaidh. They were worshipers of Dáire (a name for The Dagda) and Macha, a goddess of sovereignty and horses.
The most significant of the Érainn kings was Conchobhar mac Neasa. Conchobhar's reign was a golden age for Ulster. Prosperity radiated from his court at Emhain Mhacha, and he was the very embodiment of a good king — wise, amorous, fierce in war, and generous in peace. The Ulster Cycle, which tells of this time of heroes and war, has four chief themes: the war between the Ulaidh and the Connachta; the rivalry between Conchobhar and Fearghus mac Róich; the contest between two bulls (see Cuailgne, later); and the heroic exploits of Cú Chulainn (Chapter 11).
According to legend, Conchobhar died on the same day Christ was crucified, from an old injury inflicted by magic. Only his body had perished, however; God had placed his soul into his skull. When, hundreds of years later, Saint Patrick was preaching in Ulster he heard Conchobhar's soul crying out, and was moved to tears by his story. The saint's tears baptized the ancient king, and his soul finally found its way to Heaven.
The Connachta in Ulster
The heroic struggle of the Ulaidh against the Connachta was ultimately futile; the latter province was just too powerful. Under constant pressure from the south, the Ulaidh were forced to concede land to the ambitious Connachta who pushed northwards up the Boyne Valley, and the Ulaidh retreated into the east of the province. Four sons of High King Niall of the Nine Hostages headed north from Tara, and two of them occupied territory in west and central Ulster. The "nine hostages" of the High King's byname relate to the nine subkingdoms of Airgíalla in central Ulster who came under Connachta control, as each proffered a hostage as surety of their peaceful intent.
The Dál Bhfiatach
Whilst the common people of western and central Ulster are Érainn living under Connachta kings, the true Ulaidh are the Dál bhFiatach (DAWL VYOT-uch) who ruled the eastern reaches of the province from Downpatrick until the coming of the English. The Dál bhFiatach were alternately allied with and in contest with the Dál nAraidhe (see Cruithnigh, later) who occasionally provided a provincial king. The purity of the Dál bhFiatach is evidenced by the fact that some families still suffer the Birth-Pangs of Macha (see Chapter 10), an ancient curse levied on true-blooded Ulstermen.
The Cruithnigh
The Cruithnigh (KRUH-nee) are not one of the four root races. They came to Ireland from Scotland (where they are called Picts) in search of wives, for they had no women. Éireamhóin mac Míl (see Chapter 2) gave them the widows of deceased Mílesians, on the condition that the Cruithnigh would have women as their leaders, a tradition that the Cruithnigh have kept ever since.
The Cruithnigh kingdom of Dál nAraidhe (DAWL NOH-roh-yuh) covered the north-easternmost part of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and extended into Kintyre and other parts of Scotland. Their power was already on the wane when their druidic priesthood was crushed between the twin forces of Diedne (as a pagan priesthood that refused to join her House) and Pralix (as supporters of Damhan-Allaidh). With a few túatha of Dál nAraidhe in northern Ulster and even fewer around Drogheda, remnant Cruithnigh populations can be found scattered throughout north and west Ireland.
On average slightly shorter than the Gaels, the Cruithnigh tend toward darker hair tones and eye color. They have a fondness for multicolored clothes, and often decorate their skin with tattoos. At least in Tír Fhomóraig (see later) and perhaps elsewhere, there are rare pockets of Cruithnigh paganism. The priests of this religion are identical to the gruagachan (see Hedge Magic Revised Edition, Chapter 7).
The English
The Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy was granted Ulster by the king of England "if he could conquer it." He took this grant seriously, and marched on the province with twenty two knights and about three hundred soldiers. He passed through Meath and Airgíalla, and on the first of February 1177, took Down completely by surprise. The king of Ulster was Ruaidhrí mac Con Ulad Mac Duinn Sléibe of the Dál bhFiatach, who could not face de Courcy on the field of battle thanks to the curse of Macha's Birth-Pangs. Instead, the king fled to collect an army, and returned after a week once the curse had passed. The Ulaidh were panic-stricken by the sight of the Englishmen with their horses in full battle dress, and were routed. Even when they were supported by the Cenél nEóghain later that year, de Courcy seemed to have the favor of God, and was soon secure in the lordship of all the land east of the River Bann.
In 1196, de Courcy defeated the king of Tír Chonaill and exacted tribute from that land, and after his brother was murdered by an Irishman in his court in 1198, he ravaged the northern lands of Ulster in revenge. Much of Ulster was under his control after these campaigns, but his downfall came when his old enemy King John took the throne in 1201. John de Courcy made the mistake of allying with King Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobhair of Connacht, and in 1203 he was arrested in rebellion against the crown of England by Hugh de Lacy, younger son of the English Lord of Meath (Chapter 7). In May 1205, King John made Hugh de Lacy the first Earl of Ulster, granting him dominion of all the lands "as John de Courcy held it on the day when Hugh defeated him."
Tír Chonaill
Tír Chonaill (TCHEER CHUN-ull) is the name given to the lands of the Cenél gConaill, scions of the Uí Neill who rule Connacht. The land and the dynasty is named after Conall Gulban, son of the famous King Niall of the Nine Hostages. He acquired his epithet by running to the peak of the Beann Ghulban mountain and back in a single day without passing out. Because of this feat, the local druids accepted his kingship, and given their blessing the local subkings soon capitulated.
The current king, Domhnall Mór mac Eicnechain, is a direct descendent of Conall Gulban. Tír Chonaill is closely allied with Tír Eóghain (see later); both are ruled by branches of the Uí Neill dynasty that also rules Connacht. Domhnall Mór is the second Tír Chonaill king from the illustrious Uí Domhnaill family, who has risen to power by relying on the Lucht Tighe, or household families, that support his dynasty. The strength of Tír Chonaill's gallóglaigh (see Donegal, later) are responsible for the continued independence of the kingdom from the English.
Tír Chonaill is a mountainous land, with the Derryveagh mountains (Cnoic Dhoire Bheatha) in the north and the Blue Stack Mountains (Cruacha Gorma) in the south. The land is typified by deep, green valleys where sheep are raised. The Blue Stacks form an impenetrable barrier between the north and south of the kingdom. The most fertile land in Tír Chonaill is in the valley of the river Finn and the region around Raphoe called the Laggan.
The Plagues of Tír ChonaillTír Chonaill has been the point of origin of several plagues so great that they received names in the annals of Ireland's historians. The Crom Chonaill spread southwards in the sixth century, followed by the Buidhe Chonaill a century later. The Annals report that during another pestilence in 986 demons were seen cavorting among the dead. A pestilence called the Rogh Rámhach in 1084 was said to have killed a quarter of Ireland's population. Fortunately, the Scuab a Fánait that was prophesied in 1096 from the north of Tír Chonaill never materialized. It is said that a great dragon has been seen in the sky on the advent of each of these plagues. The fact that the fomórach (Chapter 10) are implicated in killing the Partholónians with plague, and that the remnants of this race are found on the islands to the north of Tír Chonaill, has not gone unnoticed. |
The Lucht TigheThe Uí Domhnaill of the Uí Néill rely on eight household families to shoulder some of the burden of running Tír Chonaill, and other dynasties have a similar division of labor. Some covenants have followed a similar tradition among their covenfolk and instituted their own Lucht Tighe. The eight families of the Lucht Tighe of Tír Chonaill are: The Mac Robhartaigh are the custodiansvof the cathach (the clan's trophy). |
Donegal
Dun na nGaill ("fort of the foreigners") is the biggest town of Tír Chonaill, and is a stronghold of the Uí Domhnaill family. As the name suggests, the town was first built by Norse settlers and it became an important port. The town of Donegal is home to most of the gallóglaigh (foreign warriors, singular gallóglach) employed by the Uí Domhnaill. Most of these mercenaries are of mixed Norse-Gaelic descent, and hail from the Norse Kingdom of the Isles in western Scotland. There are twenty corrughadh (units of approximately 100 men) scattered in camps within and around Donegal, and they are a source of tension in the town. Gallóglaigh are known for their superb fighting skills using battle axes and greatswords; they are all heavily armored in chainmail. Tír Chonaill relies on this army for its defense, and unlike other kingdoms it does not rely on clansmen or levies. What the Uí Domhnaill gain in equipment and training, they lose in numbers.
The Black Pig's DykeThe Gleann na muice duibhe is a deep ditch, twelve feet deep in places, with up to four feet of earth banks on either side, that runs across the border of Ulster from Lough Cairlinn in the east to Donegal Bay in the west. It was plowed by the snout of an immense black faerie boar, and kept clear by that same boar every three years. The Black Pig was slaughtered by the magi of Vigil and its tusks retained as their cathach (Chapter 4); since then the dyke's path has not been replowed. The dyke is no longer continuous, and is in a shocking state of disrepair. The remaining sections of the dyke are a faerie trod with a Faerie aura of 1; if restored it would form a complete boundary around Ulster (although it would require seven size modifiers to craft a Target: Boundary spell that affected the entire province). |
Lough Dearg
A large but shallow lake best known for one of its islands, Inisphadraig (pronounced IN-ish FOD-rug), which bears a famous pilgrimage destination, the Purgatory of Saint Patrick. Lough Dearg has several other islands, and legend has it that some of them are connected through tunnels that run under the lough.
The Purgatory of St. Patrick
This is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Ireland. Legend has it that in order to quell the doubts of some of his converts, St. Patrick prayed to God for proof. A pit opened up at his location, an island on Loch Dearg. Henceforth it been called the Purgatory of St. Patrick because the pleasures of heaven and torments of hell can be witnessed by those within.
Penitents arriving on Inisphadraig are met by a chapter of Augustinian monks who provide board and lodging for the pilgrim. The monks draw lots for the pilgrims, determining who stands vigil each night. Participants in the vigil experience a trip to the horrors of Purgatory.
The Poisoned Glen
The Poisoned Glen is on the coast facing Toraigh Island (see Tír Fhomóraig, later). The black and scarred slopes of the mountains which overlook the Poisoned Glen are testament to the baleful glance of the fomóir champion Balor of the Evil Eye, who sat atop his tower on Toraigh Island and glared at Ireland. In the mouth of the glen is a standing stone, said to be a warrior turned to rock by Balor for his impudence. The Poisoned Glen has a Magic aura of 1, although there might be pockets where the aura is higher.
The Seven Sisters are a series of mountains whose slopes contribute to the Poisoned Glen. The tallest of these is An tEaragail (Mount Errigal).
Raphoe
Ráth Bhoth was settled by Saint Columba, who founded a monastery here which was expanded by his kinsman Saint Adomnán. The cathedra of the Bishop of Raphoe is dedicated to Saint Adomnán, although the church itself has not been rebuilt since its destruction by John de Courcy in 1198.
Beltany Tops
This is a large stone circle on an isolated hilltop just two miles south of Raphoe. Sixty broad, triangular stones make up a circle nearly fifty feet in diameter. Some of the stones are separated by low boulders,while others are contiguous with the adjacent stone. The stones lean outward slightly. Most of the stones are about four feet high, but at the east and west points there are mighty pillars each over nine feet tall. There is a carving of a stone head among the stones, its face contorted as if blowing or screaming. There is evidence that there may have been at least three more heads among the stones, but they have now been destroyed or taken away. There is a Magic aura of 2 here.
Tír Eóghain
Eóghan was the brother of Conall Gulban and son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, who gave his name to Inis Eóghain and Tír Eóghain (pronounced TCHEER OWE-un), as well as the Cenél nEóghain dynasty. Tír Eóghain is a relatively young kingdom, having won independence from — and now dominance over — its former overlords at Aileach (see later). Aed Meith mac Aeda Ua Néill is the first Uí Néill king of this region, having seized power from Aileach in 1185.
Broadly bounded by the rivers Foyle, Bann, and Blackwater, Tír Eóghain is dominated by the Sperrin Mountains (Sliabh Speirin). The eastern reaches between these mountains and Lough Neagh are a flat expanse of peat bogs, which cannot sustain agriculture, and most of the population lives on the northern coast or the southern grainlands near Airgíalla.
Aileach
Situated on the peninsula of Inis Eóghain (IN-ish OWE-un), the hillfort of Aileach was once the capital of a kingdom of the same name which held Airgíalla and Ulster as its vassals. It was here that Saint Patrick baptized Eóghain mac Neill in 450. The power of Aileach was eventually broken by the King of Munster in 1101, and the invasion of the English subsequently eroded much of Aileach's power. From 1185 onwards, the Cenél nEóghain have been the rulers of Aileach.
The Grianán Ailigh — the fortress itself — was built by The Dagda as a monument to the sun, and was, for a time, the headquarters of the resistance against the Fomórach. The Grianán now stands abandoned, smashed by the might of the Munster forces and sacked by its king. King Muirchertach Ua Briain of Munster was determined to steal the Grianán to replace his fortress, which had been destroyed by the King of Aileach twenty years prior; he ordered each of his soldiers to bring a stone back home to Munster. However, faerie-built fortresses are not so easily stolen, and every stone taken was mysteriously replaced. The outer wall of the circular fortress is 17 feet high, 13 feet thick, and 77 feet in diameter. It would make an excellent site for a covenant, except that Vigil (see later) has declared an interest in Aileach. Whilst they have no legal right to prevent others investigating this Faerie-built hillfort, Vigil is likely to defend their claim with certamen and Wizard War.
Beaghmore
Situated in the middle of a peat bog in the southeastern foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, an Bheitheach Mhór ("the big place of birch trees") is an area of confusing auras and supernatural phenomena. Protruding through the peat are seven stone circles, a dozen cairns, and ten arrow-straight stone lines lined up on a northeast-southwest axis. The circles are arranged into three pairs and a singleton; the interior of the latter is filled with a thousand triangular stones standing upright, known locally as the "dragon's teeth." Each pair of circles has a different Magic aura ranging from 1 to 3, whereas the single stone circle has an aura of 4. Each of the rows of stones has an aura of 2 aligned with a different Form.
Bressal Ua Boniségeas, who has examined this peat moorland extensively, has theorized that the conflicting auras are a result of a shattered regio, although whether this destruction was enacted on purpose or by accident is unclear.
Doire
This town is situated on the Foyle river. Doire (DIR-yuh, or Derry to the English) means "oak grove" in Gaelic, and it was an important ritual site to the druids. Saint Columba established a monastery here in the sixth century after defeating the druids in a battle of words, and although they swore to return, they never did. The town now holds the cathedral of one of Armagh's bishoprics, the impressive Tempull Mór ("Great Church"), completed in 1160. Doire has suffered many raids by Vikings from the Isle of Man even up to the current day, and is well fortified on its seaward side. In the center of Doire is the city's central market square, four streets (Bishop's gate, Ferryquay gate, Shipquay gate, and Butcher's gate) radiate out from here, and each street leads to a gate in the city's walls. Doire is under the protection of the Mac Lochlainn family, who were kings of the Cenél nEóghain before the Uí Néills.
The English fort of Greencastle has recently been built at the entrance to Lough Foyle by Hugh de Burgos.
Leacht Ábartaigh
The monument of Ábhartach near the town of Slaghtaverty is a dolmen marking the grave of a horrid creature called a neamh-mairbh, or walking dead. Ábhartach (OR-vor-tach) was a dwarf and a magician, and when he was alive he ruled the locals using his wicked spells, spreading fear and discord. He was slain by a chieftain; some say it was Fionn mac Cumhaill, but others place the deed in the hands of Cathán, ancestor of the local Ua Catháin. Ábhartach was buried standing up, but he returned the next day to his ráth, as evil and potent as ever. He was slain and buried a second time, with the same result. The third time he was slain a druid advised he be buried head first and a monument raised over him; this time his magic was subdued and stayed in his grave.
Story Seed: The Neamh-MairbhThe monument has been long forgotten, and the land is being cleared for agriculture. While cutting down a hawthorn over the grave, a terrible accident ensues and one of the workmen severs his hand with an axe. The blood soaks into the soil. A terrible rumbling is heard, and the workmen flee. That night, the dreadful Ábhartach rises from his grave. The storyguide should decide on the powers of Ábhartach (who could be a dark faerie magician or an infernally-corrupted sorcerer); he could easily be the major villain of a series of stories as he begins to exert control over the land once again. |
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh was created when the giant hero Fionn mac Cumhail went to war with the Scottish giant Benandonner. He scooped up a clod of earth and hurled it at his rival, but the clod fell short of its target and landed in the Irish sea, forming the Isle of Man. The void where the earth came from formed Lough Neagh.
The Mercer House of Leth Cuinn (see later) is found on the shores of Loch Neagh. There are rumors of a péist (monster) living within Lough Neagh, but in fact it was slain many centuries ago by Dáire Farranta, founder of Leth Cuinn.
Inisclabhall
This is a large, heavily-wooded island in the south-west corner of Loch Neagh, about nine acres in size. The island is connected to the mainland (a distance of over half a mile) by a submerged causeway called Saint Patrick's Road which, during the summer, is less than two feet beneath the surface of the water. The saint reportedly used Inisclabhall (pronounced IN-ish KLAWL) as a retreat. The outstanding beauty of the island and its settings have resulted in a natural tether for a Magic aura, at a rat-ing of 2. Apart from the fact that an English knight has just been granted the right to put a motte on the island, it would make a perfect spot for a covenant.
Airgíalla
Airgíalla (OR-ryeel-uh, called "Oriel" by the English) had its origins when three brothers — Colla Uais, Colla Meann, and Colla Fochra — returned from exile in Scotland after killing the father of High King Muireadhach Tíreach. He forgave them, and encouraged them to conquer Ulster. The Three Collas won six great battles against the Ulaidh; the seventh lasted a day and a night, and the soldiers were up to their waists in blood by the time it was done.
Airgíalla is formed from a confederation of nine sub-kingdoms ruled by the descendants of the Three Collas and their chief supporters, but peopled by the native Érainn. The name Airgíalla, the "givers of hostages" came from the nine hostages offered to the Connachta. The high status of these political prisoners was indicated by the chains of gold that they wore. The current king is Donnchad Ua nAnluain.
Armagh
(AR-marr, originally Ard Mhacha) is the seat of one of Ireland's four archbishops. Many consider it the preeminent religious center of Ireland. The town was founded by Saint Patrick, after a lord named Dáire was persuaded to give Patrick the hill of Droim Saileach by a series of miracles. The hill became the site of a monastery, which grew into the city it is today. The cathedral of Armagh incorporates into the wall of its nave a pagan idol found in nearby Tóin re Gaoith that represents Nuada of the Silver Arm, a king of the Túatha Dé Danann. It also has the skull of Conchobhar mac Neasa (see The Érainn, earlier).
The Shrine of the Bell contains a small iron handbell called Bethechan retrieved from Saint Patrick's grave by Saint Colm Cille. It is kept in a bell-shaped reliquary sumptuously decorated in gold and gems. Guardianship of the bell belongs to the Ua Mellain family, who have fulfilled this task for four hundred years.
Emhain Mhacha
Emhain Mhacha (EH-vun VAH-chuh) is a hillfort enclosing eighteen acres of land a few miles west of Armagh. It was the seat of the kings of Ulster in ancient days, home to Conchobhar mac Neasa and the Red Branch Knights. The connection to the goddess Macha is evident in the hillfort's name; she was the chief goddess of the Ulaidh, and Dáire (the local name for The Dagda) was her consort. Macha was associated both with war and with horses, and was an aspect of the Mór-Rióghain.
The palace of Conchobhar at Emhain Mhacha was called Chraobhruadh, "the red-branched edifice'; a magnificent and richly ornamented house supported by posts of red yew. Six concentric rings of posts upheld the roof, in the center of which was a massive free-standing oak pillar over 40 feet tall. This focal point of Emhain Mhacha gave its name to the Red Branch Heroes who served King Conchobhar mac Neasa. However, at some point in the distant past the Chraobhruadh was filled with boulders to a height of at least six feet, and then set ablaze. Whether this was the hostile action of a rival kingdom or an act of reverence following the death of a king is not recorded. Many treasure seekers have come here looking for the gold that was supposed to have sheathed the roof of the feast-hall.
There are several other landmarks in the immediate vicinity of Emhain Mhacha. To the east are the remnants of Bron Bherg ("house of sorrows"), said to be the first hospital in Mythic Europe, built by Macha Mhuingruadh and in continual use until its destruction in 22 AD. To the northeast is Loughnashade ("lake of the treasure") where sacrifices were cast to the gods by Macha's druids — gold, sacrificed horses, and the heads of captured enemies. Finally, to the northwest is the King's Stables, where the sacred horses reserved solely for the use of the king were kept. The descendents of these perfect specimens still roam the region around Armagh, and some of them prove to be fíorláiridhe (see Chapter 10).
MachaSeveral mortal women called Macha are connected to Emhain Mhacha. One was was the wife of Crunnchu, who boasted that his wife could outrun the best of horses. King Conchobhar held Crunnchu's life forfeit on the truth of that boast; and she was forced to race despite being heavily pregnant. She won the race but then collapsed, and gave birth to twins. Before she died she put a curse on Ulstermen that in the time of their greatest need they would be struck down with the pain she suffered for five nights and four days, a curse called the ces noidhen (difficulty of childbearing, see Chapter 10). |
Clogher
Cloch Oir (meaning "golden stone") is the capital of the kingdom of Airgíalla, and the bishop of Clogher is more often called the Bishop of Airgíalla.
The golden stone of the town's name is a reference to a pagan idol kept in the cathedral. The gold-covered stone was the relic of a local pagan cult. Cermand Cestach, the god of the stone, spoke through a ban fáith (a druidic priestess), and had an uncanny ability to see the future.
Cuailnge
This was once the capital of the kingdom of Conaille Muirtheimne, a tributary kingdom of Ulster. The people of Muirtheimne were (and still are) of Cruithnigh descent, of the Uí Echach Corbo. They occupied the land from the Cuailnge peninsula down to the mouth of the Boyne; but most of this land has now been gifted by the Earl of Ulster to English knights who seek to carve out baronies for themselves.
Legend has it that the Muirtheimne plain used to rest beneath the sea. Conchobhar mac Neasa, before he became king of Ulster, captured a daughter of the god Ler on the beach. In return for her release, the mermaid raised the plain from the sea and told him how to make a shield that would increase his strength while decreasing that of his enemies. Conchobhar commissioned the smith Culann for this task, who left his smithy on the Isle of Man and accepted the plain Muirtheimne from the king. This is the same Culann whose dog gave the great hero Cú Chulainn of Muirtheimne his name (Chapter 11).
Donn and FindEnemies for as long as one can remember, the faeries called Donn ("dark") and Find ("bright") have always fought with one another. They are consummate shapeshifters, and have taken the form of swineherds, hawks, fish, stags, warriors, phantoms, and maggots. Their most famous incarnations were as Donn Cuailnge and Findbheannach; the dark bull of Cuailgne and the white bull of Connacht, who were the initiators of the great cattle raid called the Táin Bó Cuailgne. Find's name has connotations of illumination and wisdom, as well as the brightness of daytime. Donn, on the other hand is associated with the dead, with phantoms, and with nighttime. The faeries are always trying to drag mortals into their endless war. Donn has recently caused a group of children with faerie blood to be born, which he hopes will become the core of his new army. Find has not yet responded to this move. |
Drogheda Castle
Called Droichead Atha (Bridge of the Ford) by the Irish, Drogheda is a town split in twain by the River Boyne. Drogheda-in-Meath, on the south bank of the river, has been taken over by the English, who have occupied the Norse-built fortress and extended its defenses. Drogheda-in-Meath was granted a town charter in 1194. Drogheda-in-Airgíalla is on the north bank of the river, and has grown from the trading post that served the castle. Since the English invasion, the king of Airgíalla has moved soldiers into his Drogheda, and seems to be prepared to prevent the English from taking the town — even though they have already conquered the lands immediately to the north and west.
Millmount, in Drogheda-in-Meath, is a huge mound that contains the grave of Amairgen mac Míl who was the chief druid of the Milesians. Hugh de Lacy has since built a bailey on top of Millmount, to the dismay of the locals who believe it will upset the druid's restless spirit.
Fermanagh
The kingdom of Fir Managh was among the strongest of the tribute-kingdoms of Airgíalla, and managed to remain partly independent and partly tied to Connacht whilst maintaining good contacts with Airgíalla. In the early thirteenth century it lost most of its independence.
Lough Erne
The River Erne meanders through the middle of Fermanagh, opening into two loughs; one here, and one nearer the sea. Lower Lough Erne has over a hundred and fifty islands, many of which have Augustinian monasteries. Daimhinis (DEV-en IN-ish) island has a round tower which is an important port of call for those navigating the islands; the monks ring the bell at the top of the tower upon seeing visitors, and the message is passed from bell to bell up the lough.
Boa Island is the largest of the islands, named after Badhbh, one of the bloodthirsty warrior goddesses of the Túatha Dé. There is a pagan idol here with two faces, one on either side of the statue. The figure has hunched shoulders and a protruding tongue. White Island has a collection of eight statues which the monks claim represent saints, but since opinion is divided as to which saints are represented, this seems unlikely.
The Statues of White IslandThese eight statues were carved by the same mason two to three hundred years ago.
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Magh Sléacht
The "plain of adoration" was a holy site to the pagan Érainn. At Magh Sléacht they had a statue to Crom Cruach and his twelve sub-gods. According to some Merinita, Crom Cruach was a god associated with the sun; his twelve subordinates were the twelve months. Magh Sléacht was demolished by Saint Patrick, who caused the idols to sink into the ground. Since then, the tradition rose that the idol was to Crom Dubh, "the dark croucher," an image of the antichrist.
Magh Sléacht has a Faerie aura of 3. On occasion, a person who has rejected God comes here in search of power, and instead of communing with the antichrist they instead enter dialog with his faerie copy. Crom Dubh is more than willing to teach faerie wizardry to a mortal under the guise of infernalism if it reinforces his own story.
Sídh of Fionnachaidh
This is the Sídh of Lir, and an entrance to his Otherworld Tír Tairngire (the Land of Promise) where fish grazed like sheep. The White Fields ("fionnachaidh") become foam-topped waves. It is a favorite resting place of swans, in memory of the four children of Lir who spent nine hundred years in the shape of swans thanks to a curse from a jealous stepmother.
Rath Chinneich
The four sons of King Madán Muinreamhair (see Tír Fhomóraig, later) built the fortress of Rath Chinneich in a single day upon the order of Nemed. Once they were done, Nemed slew the fomórach to ensure that they could not build a better fortress for someone else. Four nearby hills designate the graves of the four fomórach, who were named Bog, Robhog, Ruibhne, and Rodan; however, slaying supernatural creatures like the fomórach is not easy, and some claim that the Mac Madáin are merely bound in death-like sleep, unable to wake due to the curse of the Túatha Dé. On the day they wake, they are sure to seek revenge on the descendents of Nemed.
Earldom of Ulster
The Earldom of Ulster currently occupies the land formerly owned by the Dál bhFiatach and the Dál nAraide. It was conquered by the Norman knight John de Courcy, but is now the province of his arch-rival Hugh de Lacy, who was made earl in 1205.
Since their arrival, the English lords have been building castles throughout the earldom. To the invaders, a castle is a symbol that what they have taken they intend to keep. In addition to the major castles listed below, de Courcy and de Lacy have also fortified the following: Dunseverick Castle, Dundalk Castle, Dromore Castle, and Green Castle. Vassal knights have built countless baileys and stone towers to supplement these castles.
Antrim
An important town which grew up around the monastery founded by Saint Aebh in the late fifth century. The Round Tower is a bell tower that used to belong to an early monastery; however, the monastery was burnt in 1147 during the English invasion and has not been rebuilt. The Bullaun Stone near the foot of the 90 foot tall tower has the impression of the knee and foot of a witch, who hurled herself from its top when the tower was completed.
Bangor
The town of Beannchor ("horned curve," a reference to the shape of the bay) has grown up around the abbey of Beannchor Mór established by Saint Comgall in 555. The abbey is famous as an eminent center of learning and the home of missionaries of early Christianity who spread across Mythic Europe. The abbey and town suffered greatly under the Viking raids of the eighth and ninth centuries, but were saved from destruction by a miracle. Until recently, the famed Saint Malachy (Chapter 12) was abbot here, as well as the Bishop of Down.
As well as a center of learning equal to the great theological colleges found on the continent, Bangor is also famous for its perpetual harmony. This is a continuous antiphonal singing that is never broken and endlessly praises the glory of God. The choir of Bangor Abbey contain a Holy Tradition of Cantores (Realms of Power: The Divine, pages 93–94), who can direct the eternal prayer of the monks toward miraculous effects. Anywhere within earshot of the unbroken song has a Dominion aura of 6 normally bearing a Calm temper (Realms of Power: The Divine, page 39).
The Vale of Angels
Near to Bangor Abbey is a valley in which Saint Patrick had a vision filled with angels. The site (which has a Divine aura of 2) is home to an entrance into a Celestial regio (Realms of Power: The Divine, page 14) with an aura of 5, a visit to which prompted the saint's vision. The inhabitant of the regio is Victorius, the angel set over Ireland and a member of the choir of principalities. The regio throngs with Victorius's subject angels who care for every aspect of Ireland and its people.
Belfast Castle
Beal Feirste ("mouth of the sandbank") is the site of an ancient fortress, although the current castle was built by John de Courcy in 1177.
Giant's Ring
Near Belfast castle, the Giant's Ring is a massive earthwork nearly 200 paces in diameter. The circular bank around the site is 15 feet high, and has three gaps in it. The bank is not merely earth; buried within it are 12-feet-tall standing stones, placed in typical Irish style with their sides touching. Just east of the center of the circle is a small passage tomb. There is a Magic aura of 3 here. The Giant's Ring is a meeting place for the giants of Ireland, although they have not met in congress here for several hundred years. If a magus wishes to get in touch with a giant, he should inscribe the giant's name in ogham on a stone and place it within the tomb. The giant sends a messenger to the magus within forty days.
Carrickfergus Castle
Carraig Fhearghais ("rock of Fergus") was named after King Fearghus, who was shipwrecked nearby. The impressive castle on this peninsula was built by John de Courcy in 1177; a small bailey at the end of the promontory overlooks Belfast Loch and is surrounded by an inner ward and a mighty curtain wall. This served as the headquarters for his campaigns against the Ulaidh, and still serves as the caput of the earldom of Ulster under Hugh de Lacy. The earl has continued to strengthen the fortifications, adding a further tower to the east and an extension of the curtain wall to protect the seaward approach.
Downpatrick
Originally called Dún Leathghlaise but recently renamed Dún Phádraig ("Patrick's stronghold") to commemorate Ireland's saint, who is buried within the grounds of the cathedral. The Ulaidh and the Uí Néill quarreled over who should have the saint's body, which was retrieved on a cart pulled by two oxen. However, a miraculous illusion of another pair of oxen and a cart fooled the Uí Néill, and the body remained at Dún Leathghlaise. Downpatrick was the capitol of the old kingdom of the Dál bhFiatach.
In 1137, Saint Malachy resigned as archbishop of Armagh and became bishop of Down. While he administered the diocese from Bangor (see earlier), he enlarged the cathedral at Downpatrick and brought a community of Augustinian canons here. John de Courcy built a cathedral priory in 1183 staffed with Benedictines from Chester.
Celtchair
The first fort at Downpatrick, called Rath Cealtchair, was named after its owner Celtchair mac Uitheachair. He was a huge, ugly man, his Fir Bolg nature betrayed by a bulbous nose, wing-like ears, and rough gray hair. He fought alongside Conchobhar mac Neasa in all that king's major battles. However, he was prone to fits of anger, and the murder of a man forced him into a geas that he would save Ulster from its three worst misfortunes. The first was the slaying of the fomóir Conganchneas ("horny skin") who was invulnerable to weapons. Celtchair's daughter found out his weakness — that the only way to kill him was to drive red hot spikes through the soles of his feet — and the deed was completed. Celtchair's second task was to slay a monstrous hound called Luchdhonn ("brown mouse") that ravaged Ulster, which he did by thrusting his hand down its throat and ripping out its heart. Celtchair adopted Luchdhonn's three whelps. One became the hound of Mac Da Thó, another became the hound of Culann the smith that was killed by Cú Chulainn, and the third was kept by Celtchair. This dog, called Daolchú, became the third peril from which Celtchair had to rescue Ulster; the dog obeyed him, but was an unholy terror when he left home. He killed Daolchú with a spear, but Celtchair was poisoned by its blood and died.
Lúin CheltchairThe Spear of Celtchair is a magical weapon of great power. Celtchair (who was almost certainly a practitioner of the clesrada, see Leth Cuinn, later) had to keep it in a cauldron of blood else its shaft would burst into flames and it would pierce its owner. It has silver ferrules around its head, which spin and rattle in eagerness whenever battle was imminent. This spear — which Celtchair discovered on the field of the second battle of Magh Tuireadh — is almost certainly one of the Four Treasures of the Túatha Dé Danann. After Celtchair's death, the spear belonged to the sinister Dubhthach Daol Uladh, himself slain by the spear, as was Cúscraidh Meann Macha later. Its current whereabouts are unknown. |
Iniscourcy
This Cistercian abbey was founded by John de Courcy in 1180, as an act of repentance for destroying the nearby abbey of Erenagh in 1177. The monks came from Furness Abbey in England, along with the survivors from Erenagh.
Story Seed: Echoes at ErenaghThe ruined monastery of Erenagh is still haunted by monks. Some of the survivors of the slaughter in 1177 meet here with co-conspirators recruited from Iniscourcy. Originally this was a political plot, seeking the expulsion of the English, but the ghosts of the butchered monks have been whispering compulsions to their mortal brothers. Now the monks seek bloody revenge. The characters become involved when an English associate of theirs suffers an unprovoked attack from an Irish monk, and investigation reveals that the perpetrator was possessed. If the characters retrace the monk's footsteps to Erenagh they might be in for an old fashioned horror story at the haunted monastery. |
Saulpatrick
Sabhall Phádraig is the death place of Saint Patrick. For twelve days after his death, there was no darkness here, and on his feast day the sun does not set here. This miracle has caused Saulpatrick to be the site of a minor pilgrimage — usually ending in nearby Downpatrick, where the saint's body is kept. Any Christian witnessing the miracle of the undying sun receives one Faith point. A spell of Duration Sun cast here on Saint Patrick's feast day lasts until the sun sets at the target's location, so can potentially last a day and a half. Parma Magica is similarly affected.
Dundrum Castle
This stronghold was built by de Courcy in 1180 on the site of an ancient fortress. The castle sits on a 200-foot tall hill overlooking the bay. After de Courcy's defeat by de Lacy he fled to his brother-in-law, King Ragnold of Man. He returned with a hundred long boats filled with Norse soldiers courtesy of the King of Man, landed at Strangford, and laid siege to Dundrum. However, he himself had built the castle too well, and he could not take it. He was captured and imprisoned, and spent the rest of his life in poverty. The stone tower of Dundrum is a recent addition courtesy of Earl Henry. The town that has grown up around the castle is now an important port for the earldom.
Lough Cuan
Lough Cuan (whose name means "lake calm") is also known as Strangford Lough, from the Old Norse meaning "strong fjord." The Ards Peninsula stands between the lough and the sea, and bears a round tower at Kirkistown occupied and expanded by the English le Savage family. The Ards Peninsula also has a Cistercian abbey at Mainistir Liath, founded by John de Courcey's Manx wife. The Leath Cathail Peninsula forms the southern mouth of the lough. There are many islands in Lough Cuan, the largest of which is Machaoi island, named after a local saint (see insert). Machaoi island used to be home to Nendrum Monastery but it now lies in ruins, a casualty of the magical battle between Diedne and Pralix in 806 (see [[TCIlink#foo|Chapter 10]) — although it is not known which of the two magae destroyed the monastery. There is a Magic aura of 3 on Machaoi island, and a Magic aura of 2 throughout the Leath Cathail peninsula where the two magae continued their fight. Visitors here have noticed that the aura seems to provoke discord and strife between women, and for this reason it has not been colonized by a Hermetic covenant.
Saint MachaoiMachaoi was a swineherd baptized by Saint Patrick. He was the founder of Nendrum monastery on the island named for him on Lough Cuan. Saint Machaoi was the teacher of Saint Colmán of Drom Mór. One day, Machaoi went into the forest to collect wood, and he encountered a miraculous bird that sang three strains to him. Each strain seemed like but moments, but actually lasted 50 years; when the saint emerged from the wood he found his hermitage had become a monastery, and they had built a shrine in his memory. His feast day is 23 June. The EiteAch of Saint MachaoiSaint Patrick presented Machaoi with a special crozier that had fallen from Heaven; it was called the eiteach ("winged thing") because it could fly through the air. The eiteach was in the possession of the abbot of Nendrum, but since the monastery's destruction has passed into the hands of the Bishop of Down. The relic has 2 Faith points, and can confer the power of flight to up to four people at a time, who must keep hold of the crozier to benefit. |
Giants' Causeway
The Clochán na bhFomóraig (CLORN noh VOH-mow-rug) is to be found on the north coast of Ireland, extending out into the sea. This vast mass of interlocking polygonal rock columns forms a series of massive stepping stones leading down from the cliff tops to under the sea. The sea and the wind conspire to make an eerie whistling, like hundreds of discordant pipes playing at once.
One story credits Fionn mac Cumhaill with building the causeway as a means to walk to Scotland to fight his rival Benandonner, another giant. However, an older legend cites this as the place where the Túatha Dé Danann laid their curse against the Fomórach; each column represents one year of the curse, and when the wind and the sea have worn all 40,000 columns to sand then Ireland will be open to the ancient enemies of the Túatha Dé once again. The Giants' Causeway has a Faerie aura of 3.
Mountains of Mourne
Called Boirche's Hills (Beanna Boirche) in Gaelic, the Mournes are a heather-covered range of mountains in southern part of the earldom. They are famed for their heavy mists in which it is easy to get lost, and locals blame the faeries for such tricks. When the mists clothe the mountains they have a Faerie aura of 2.
The tallest of the mountains is Sliabh Dómhanghairt, named after Saint Dómhanghart who was a follower of Saint Patrick. Rather than dying, the saint took on the role of a perpetual guardian on top of the mountain named for him. The object of his guardianship is the graves on top of Sliabh Crúibe (see insert).
Story Seed: The Demon Kings of Sliabh CrúibeNot actually one of the Mountains of Mourne, but lying north of them across a valley, the "mountain of the hoof" is rumored to be the burial place of twelve kings. Locals climb to the top of Sliabh Crúibe on Cairn Sunday (the first Sunday in August), and take with them a stone to help bury the kings; legend does not recount why. Magi have discovered that some of the stones carried up here contain vis. This vis has been accumulating for many years, and is divided among many stones. Unfortunately, the need to keep the kings buried is a very real one. Eleven out of the twelve graves contain a demon bound into the body of a dead tyrant. A legend known to the Cailleacha Phiseogach (Chapter 13) is that if the kings are uncovered by mortal hands then they will rise again, and when a twelfth king joins them on the mountain, the world will come to an end. The Cailleacha cannot uncover the bodies themselves, so they must trick others to do it. Knowing the greed of some magi for vis, they manufacture a way in which the characters find out about the resource atop Sliabh Crúibe. |
Ballynoe
Named after the nearby settlement of an Baile Núa ("the new settlement"), Ballynoe is a large stone circle in the Mountains of Mourne — more than fifty close-set stones forming a circle nearly 30 paces in diameter, each one six feet high. It has a portalled entrance to the west, and within the circle facing the entrance is a horseshoe of further stones denoting an underground stone-lined chamber. There is a Magic aura of 3 here. The circle at Baile Núa is the exact duplicate of another stone circle across the sea at Swinside in Cumbria. The two stone circles have a permanent enchantment similar to Opening the Intangible Tunnel, but of apparently unlimited level. Magi have discovered this, but have not been sure of the origin of this phenomenon or the best way of exploiting it. Original research could lead to a Major Breakthrough ([[HOHTLlink#foo]|Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 26]]) that allows Hermetic magic to connect two places in a similar manner. Investigators may also gain insight from the aberrant Hermes' Portal spell and Mercere's Portal enchantments.
===Newry In a valley between the Mourne Mountains in the east and the Ring of Gullion in the south west lies the Cistercian Abbey of Iúbhar Chinn Trábha ("the yew at the head of the strand," called Newry by the English). The rebuilding of the older monastery in 1142 and occupation by the Cistercians has lead to the formation of a small town to serve the needs of the monks.
===Ring of Gullion An unusual geological feature, the Ring of Gullion is a perfect circle of hills around a central mountain called Sliabh gCuillinn. There is a lake on the mountain, which is a haunt of the Cailleach Beara, a faerie goddess associated with winter. Anyone swimming in the lake emerges as an ancient man or woman, having gained fifty years and sufficient aging points to raise their Decrepitude score by 2. The Cailleach Beara can be petitioned to reverse this effect, but even if she does, the character is left with some physical sign. Fionn mac Cumhaill, who was tricked by the crone-goddess, gained his white hair from this experience. The lake has a Faerie aura of 5, and the surrounding mountain a Faerie aura of 2.
Tír Fhomóraig
The Kingdom of the Fomórach (TCHEER UM-owe-ray) has been located on the islands north of Ireland ever since the Túatha Dé Danann cast them out after the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh. The two principal strongholds of their dwindling population are Rathlin Island and Toraigh Island, but there have been rumors of fomórach as far away as Islay and Arran (in Scotland, not to be confused with the Aran Islands in Ireland). Since leaving Ireland the birth rate of pure-blooded fomórach has plummeted to almost nothing, and while they are immune to old age, they are still vulnerable to misadventure and disease. There may be less than one hundred fomórach left, and the number is decreasing.
The King of the Fomórach is Madán Muinreamhair (Madán "thick-neck") who has no love of humans: his four sons were slain by Nemed (see Rath Chinneich, earlier). However, he has come to the realization that humans might be the salvation of his race, and has attempted to revitalize his race's blood by arranging marriages with the Cruithnigh of Rathlin (see later). His people detest these half-breeds and Pict-bloods, but they may have little choice if they are to survive as a race.
===Rathlin Island Inis Reachlainn was known to the Romans via Pliny (who called it Reginia) and Ptolemy (who knew it as Rhicina). A coalition of the Dál nAraide (See Cruithnigh, earlier) and the Fomórach dwells here. Between them they have resisted invasion by the Norsemen of Man and the Normans from England. While the humans are Christian, the Fomórach are not, and their go-betweens are human priests with fomórach blood. The priesthood worships the fomóir gods, notably Domnu, the primal darkness; other than this, these priests are the same as gruagachan (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, Chapter 4). King Madán maintains a tower on the southerly-most point of the island, where he gazes out over the land on which he is forever denied from setting foot.
Toraigh Island
This island nine miles off the north coast of Ireland is home to about two dozen fomórach, and no humans dare set foot here. It was once the capitol of the Fomóir race. King Conand ruled from a mighty tower destroyed by the Nemedians, which was later rebuilt by his successor Balor Bailcbhéimneach (the "strong smiting") also called Balor na Suile Neimhe (Balor of the Evil Eye, see Insert). There is no longer a Fomóir king on Toraigh.
Túr Bhalair
An inaccessible peak on the island bears the name of "Balor's Tower." Within this tower, Balor kept his daughter Eithne under lock and key, and yet Cian of the Túatha Dé Danann still managed to break in and father Lugh by her. During the reign of the Fomórach, Balor sat atop this tower and cast his baleful glance over Ireland; the barren slopes of the Poisoned Glen (see earlier) are testament to the enduring power of his eye. It is rumored that on occasion, an Aspect of Balor still occasionally visits the tower.
Balor na Suile NeimheBalor of the Evil Eye is one of the most powerful of the primal fomóir race (see Chapter 10). As a powerful Daimon in the Magic Realm he interacted with the mundane world through the creation of Aspects (Realms of Power: Magic, page 102), although since his defeat by his half-blood grandson Lugh at the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh he has not interfered in the mundane world, as agreed with the Túatha Dé Danann. Balor's most common Aspect was an immense monster with just one venomous fiery eye that was always kept covered with seven coverings. When just one was removed, plants would wither; with three removed, wood would begin to smoke; with the fifth gone, sparks would fly; and with all seven coverings removed, everything he looked at burst into flames. Living creatures caught in the gaze might be horribly burnt, or else they could be turned to stone or simply fall down dead, as Balor wished. Anyone caught by just the most peripheral glance was in Balor's power, and he could inflict his eye's curse at any point in the following year. |
Mercere House of Leth Cuinn
The Mercere House of Leth Cuinn serves the covenants of the northern half of the Tribunal, using principally the Slighe Mhidhluachra, the Slighe Assail, and an tSlighe Mhór (Chapter 11). In stark contrast to their southern partner of Leth Moga, the northern Mercere House is known for its warlike nature, its training of warriors, and the heroic Redcaps it trains. Like Let Moga, Leth Cuinn does not have a cathach. Its existence is guaranteed by the Hibernian Peripheral Code rather than by the rules that govern other covenants.
History
Since its inception in 898, Leth Cuinn has been interested in martial pursuits. However, things took a dramatic turn in 1029 when Dáire Farranta (DAWR-yuh FOR-un-tuh) returned after a seven year absence and challenged the leader of the covenant — who was his parens — to Wizard War. Dáire won this war without a spell being cast (since both opponents were unGifted) using remarkable feats of athleticism and swordplay that were straight out of legend — the clesrada. The remaining Redcaps were exiled, and he repopulated the covenant with his own kin. among the incomers was Úathach, the faerie woman who had trained him in the clesrada. Dáire Farranta turned the Mercere House into an outpost of the Cult of Heroes, and it is still run by his descendents. The Cult of Heroes is a Mercere society seeking to resurrect the heroes of old by training exceptional individuals to be champions, heroes, and maybe demigods (for more information, see Houses of Hermes: True Lineages, page 96).
Leth Cuinn trains Redcaps in Heroic Virtues, and teach them the clesrada. In return for various considerations, Leth Cuinn also initiates other Redcaps as well as grogs and companions of magi into the clesrada as well. The sort of things they ask for include longevity rituals for the Tribunal's Redcaps, someone to cast the Aegis of the Hearth and The Shrouded Glen for three years (Leth Cuinn provides the vis and casting tablets), or enchantments for the Redcaps to use.
Úathach of the GlenÚathach ("spectre," pronounced OO-whukh) has not aged a day since she came to Ireland with Dáire Farranta. She is a faerie of considerable power, one of the few Tuatha Dé Danann still active in Hibernia in the thirteenth century. She is the granddaughter of Nuadha and Badhbh, two powerful battle gods, and she thrives on the vitality expended by young warriors learning and practicing the skills of warfare. She is a severe looking woman with a hatchet nose. Although apparently young, her dark hair is streaked with gray, and it is pulled back into a tight pony tail. Úathach always wears leather armor, and she typically carries a thrusting spear, a staff-sling, and at least nine javelins. The index finger on her right hand is clearly broken and poorly set; Cú Chulainn (see Chapter 11) is said to have broken it by accident on their first meeting. |
Setting and Physical Description
Leth Cuinn is built on the shores of Lough Neagh in Ulster, at its northeasternmost point where the great Slighe Mhidhluachra turns west to Doire (Chapter 11). The Mercere House resembles nothing less than a king's hall, a bold gesture within the territory of the Earl of Ulster, and yet the hall is hidden from accidental discovery by the Shrouded Glen. Outside the hall is a combined parade ground and exercise yard where, at any one time, up to a dozen men can be seen practicing gymnastics, weapon play, and feats of strength and endurance.
Culture and Traditions
The most obvious tradition of Leth Cuinn is the practice of the clesrada by all the Redcaps and the majority of its sizable turb. Acquiring and retaining the clesa requires a great deal of physical effort and constant practice of weapon skills and athletic abilities, and its members have gained a reputation at Tribunal for their superb physical shape— and for their tendency to preen and display their prowess.
Not only are all its Redcaps members of the warrior cult, they also spend time training grogs and companions sent to them by the Tribunal's covenants. Dáire an Chogaidh is an expert if terrifying drill-sergeant, who has been known to turn a bunchof raw recruits into an organized fighting force in a matter of months.
Magi
Seven Redcaps use Leth Cuinn as their base, none of whom have The Gift. Their leader is Dáire Cú Ua Dáire, who is the current consort of Úathach. Five of the other Redcaps are his sons and daughters, and the seventh is his nephew.
Dáire Cú Ua Dáire Ua Mearcaire
Age: 82 (apparent age 63)
Personality Traits: Loyal to Family +3, Uncompromising +2, Loyal to Order +1
Dáire Cú (DAWR-yuh KOO) is the leader of Leth Cuinn, having inherited that role from his father Dáire Direach, and he is grooming his eldest son Dáire an Chogaidh to take over after him. He is ritually married to Úathach, and since his mortal wife died this arrangement has been more than just a symbolic union.
Dáire Cú has nothing but contempt for the Redcaps of Leth Moga (Chapter 8: Munster), and believes that their leader is too doddering and bookish to lead the Tribunal's Redcaps.
Dáire an Chogaidh Mac Dáire Cú Ua Mearcaire
Age: 65 (apparent age 48)
Personality Traits: Aggressive +3, Hatred of the English +3, Humble –2
During his macgnímurtha Dáire an Chogaidh (DAWR-yuh an KHOG-aj) fought de Courcey's English as part of the Ulster army, from whence he gets his epithet ("of the wars"). Needless to say, Dáire opposes all things English, and has even been moved to vote at Tribunal despite the traditional neutrality of his house. This has made him a bit of a celebrity, and there are rumors that the primus of House Mercere is preparing a response to his actions.
Dáire an Chogaidh spends more time drilling warriors on the training field than he does on the roads of Ireland. This is exactly where his father wants him; the elder Dáire is only too aware of his son's hot-headed nature and tries to keep him out of trouble.
Elen Bhodhar inghean Dáire Cú Ua Mearcaire
Age: 19 (apparent age 19)
Personality Traits: Eager +3, Self-Reliant +1, Brave –2
Elen Bhodhar (EL-en WOH-yar) or Elen the Deaf, is the youngest of Dáire Cú's five children; her mother died giving birth to her. Elen survived, but was born without hearing. She can lip-read perfectly, and has become proficient at expressing herself through mime and a crude sign language. She has just completed her Redcap training, and has begun treading the roads of Ireland.
The Clesrada
I see a fair man who will perform weapon-feats, with many a wound in his flesh. A hero's light is on his brow.
— The prophetess Feidelm, Táin Bó Cúalnge
The heroes of Ulster were famous for their martial exploits, performed on the battlefield, on the exercise ground, and even in the king's hall. They were displays of prowess, of agility, and of druidry: part weapon play, part juggling, and part magic. Each cles (rhymes with "mess," plural clesa) required rigorous and constant practice, and their possession by the Ulster warbands was a matter of fear and awe. The sidhe lord Lugh was accounted as the originator of the clesa, earning him the name Ildánach ("skilled in all arts"), but his son, the great hero Cú Chulainn, was perhaps the most famous practitioner of the warrior art. He was said to have mastered all the feats, including one that no-one else other than Cú Chulainn's own son managed to master — and the hero taught Connla that feat himself.
The clesrada ("feat of arms") were taught to the Ulaidh heroes by Scáthach ("the shadowed one"), daughter of Nuadha, who ran a military academy on the Isle of Skye. She was assisted in this by her three sons Cúar, Cet, and Cruife. Cú Chulainn studied with her for a year and a day, and became the lover of Scáthach's daughter Úathach.
Úathach is the only known teacher of clesrada in the current day, and she resides at the Mercere House of Leth Cuinn.
Story Seed: A Rival SchoolSome resent the fact that Leth Cuinn is the only means by which the clesa can be gained. These Redcaps resolve to quest into Arcadia in search for one of Scáthach's sons — or perhaps all three — and set up a rival school to Leth Cuinn. The characters could be recruited by the rivals if they have been refused initiation by Leth Cuinn, or else they could be allies of the Mercere House and asked to assist with preventing the foundation of the rival school. |
Learning Clesa
Each cles must be learned separately. Each one is acquired through Initiation (The Mysteries Revised Edition, Chapter Two) under the guidance of Úathach. The faerie reserves the right to be the sole mystagogue of the clesrada, and she lays a geas (see Chapter 10) on all Initiates to not Initiate others in the clesrada, the penalty being the loss of all clesa (this geas is not part of the Initiation itself).
Initiation into the ClesradaEach Initiation contains the same two elements. First, the postulant must undergo a thematic quest that has a symbolic link to the desired cles. Secondly, he must accept a geas which takes the form of the Prohibition Flaw. The geas, which is also somehow related to the feat, is in effect a charm that controls the feat. If the Prohibition is broken then the cles is lost. All of the Initiation Scripts include a geas as an Ordeal, and none include a bonus for a previous Ordeal; this makes it possible for unGifted characters to be Initiated this way (Hedge Magic Revised Edition, page 14). Each cles has an Ease Factor of 15 to Initiate successfully. Úathach has a Presence + Organization Lore: Clesrada of 12. An example Initiation Script is given below. Initiation into the Ubullchless by Quest and OrdealScript Bonus: +6 |
Using Clesa
A character may use any cles he knows any number of times per day, and there is no cost for using it unless one is specified in its description. Each cles requires an Ability roll to perform successfully. All rolls are stress rolls, and a botch always costs the user a Fatigue level as well as potentially having other consequences. Clesa are supernatural abilities associated with the Faerie realm, and making a feat roll is the equivalent of casting a 15th level spell with a Penetration Total of 0 + Penetration Bonus. Spells that affect magic being cast (including an Aegis of the Hearth) can affect clesa if they are capable of affecting a 15th level spell and can Penetrate the character's Magic Resistance, if any. Clesa enhance the skill of the character; they do not affect his weapons or opponents directly but act more like Aimed spells. As a result they do not normally need to Penetrate any Magic Resistance of his opponents. A character under the effects of a cles is counted as a magical thing, meaning (for example) his unarmed attacks would be resisted. However, for most clesa the supernatural power lasts for the mere moments it requires to take the action.
Some clesa naturally fit together, and a character can perform any number of clesa that he knows in a single round if they employ the same Ability, and have them meld together into a seamless whole that takes a single action. Each feat takes place in order, and the character must roll for the success of each one; a failure breaks the chain of feats at that point. He cannot take any other action in the round, including an Attack. A Redcap could use the Profit of Speed feat to catch up with a running horse 50 paces away, employ the Hero's Salmon Leap to jump vertically onto its back, and then use the Rope Feat to maintain his balance while the horse continues to gallop. All of this takes a single round. He could not also use the Apple Feat in the same round to prepare for a sling attack, because that uses the Thrown Weapon Ability rather than Athletics. Nor could he use the Wheel Feat in the same round to hurl a shield from horseback, since this feat requires an Attack roll rather than just a feat roll.
Designing ClesaListed here are the famous clesa of the Ulster Cycle. There are other clesa, and the troupe is encouraged to invent their own. A cles allows a person to perform an amazing act of skill, often just for a brief moment; they always target the character who initiated them, rather than his weapons or opponents. |
Athletics Clesa
These clesa do not normally involve direct attacks, but they are impressive nevertheless.
Baí Brasse, or the Profit of Speed
Ability Roll: Quickness + Athletics
Ease Factor: 9
A successful feat roll permits the character to hurry at three times walking speed, and run at six times walking speed for one round. Walking speed is usually (10 + Qik – Encumbrance) paces per round, but without this feat, a hurry is twice this and a run four times faster (Lords of Men, page 120).
Cless Caitt, or Cat Feat
Ability Roll: Dexterity + Athletics
Ease Factor: 9
A feat roll permits a horizontal jump from a standing start to a distance equal to or less than eight times the character's height. Subtract the character's Encumbrance from the multiplier, so a character with 3 points of Encumbrance can jump only five times his height.
Ich-n-Erred, or Hero's Salmon Leap
Ability Roll: Strength + Athletics
Ease Factor: 9
The feat roll permits a vertical jump from a standing start, like a salmon leaping up a waterfall. The character can jump up to four times his own height. Subtract half the character's Encumbrance (rounding up) from the multiplier, so a character with 3 points of Encumbrance can jump only twice his height.
Ochtarchless, or Eight-Men feAt
Ability Roll: Stamina + Athletics
Ease Factor: 9
A feat roll grants the character +5 toStrength solely for the purpose of lifting something or supporting something's weight. Once the object is lifted or supported, the character's Strength remains sufficient to hold in position for every round that he continues to make his feat roll.
Rothchless, or Wheel Feat
Ability Roll: Strength + Athletics
Ease Factor: 9
On a successful feat roll, the character can hurl an object that he would normally not be able to throw. Classically, this feat was used to hurl chariot wheels, each one two paces in diameter and having a Load of 4. The character must make a Thrown Weapon attack to hit something as if the missile were a stone, except that the Weapon Damage Modifier is equal to the Load of the object. As a general rule, a character can lift a Load that has a Burden equal to his (Strength +2). If the thrown object hits another object, both need to make a Stress check to remain whole (City & Guild, page 77). The thrown object does not need to Penetrate the Magic Resistance of the target: the magic involved was active on it for just for the moment it was thrown.
Tétchless, or Rope Feat
Ability Roll: Dexterity + Athletics
Ease Factor: 3 + modifiers
The character is capable of amazing acts of balancing with a successful feat roll. He can stand upright on an unstable object smaller than his own foot, and if applicable, move up to his normal movement rate for a round. Use the following table to determine modifiers to the Ease Factor. Use any that apply:
| - style="vertical-align:top;" | Situation | Mod | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unstable | +3 | a rope slung between two poles | |
| Moving | +3 | a horse's back | |
| Sloped up to 45 degrees from horizontal | +3 | banisters of a staircase | |
| Sloped more than 45 degrees from horizontal | +6 | taut rope attached to grapple on castle wall. |
The feat roll must repeated every round that the character is not standing on a stable object bigger than his foot.
If the character ever finds himself falling, his superior sense of balance can help him land. He can make the Rope Feat roll against the base Ease Factor of 3; for every two points by which he exceeds the Ease Factor, he ignores one point of damage from the fall.
A character who knows this cles and who also has the Perfect Balance Virtue gets the +6 bonus from that Virtue to his feat roll.
Concentration Clesa
These feats use meditation and extreme focus to train the body to do things beyond its normal limits.
Cless for Análaib, or Breath Feat
Ability Roll: Stamina + Concentration
Ease Factor: 9
This feat confers the ability to hold one's breath for extended periods of time. On a successful feat roll the character only needs to make Deprivation rolls from lack of air every five minutes, rather than every 30 seconds. He can also improve his performance in activities requiring great precision by taking three rounds to prepare and holding his breath for the duration of the task, gaining a +3 to such tasks. This includes improving aim with a missile weapon. The effect lasts until the character does something else other than a Concentration-based cles.
Corpchless, or Body Feat
Ability Roll: Dexterity + Concentration
Ease Factor: 6, 9, or 12
A feat roll permits wild contortion of the body within the skin to escape bonds or wriggle through small spaces. This includes dislocating wrists, shoulders, hips, or ankles; learning this feat also involves learning how to relocate the bones properly. To escape shackles requires an Ease Factor of 6 and dislocates the hand or foot. Wriggling through a space one Size smaller than the character requires an Ease Factor of 9 and dislocates one shoulder. Getting through a space that would normally only admit someone two sizes smaller requires an Ease Factor of 12 and dislocates a shoulder and a hip. Resetting a joint requires a round per location; until this is done the limb is useless. Characters who know this feat can use it while wrestling to gain a +3 bonus to escaping from a Grapple (ArM5, page 174); the Ease Factor for this is 6 and he doesn't need to dislocate anything.
=Sáebchless Díberge, or Wild Feat of Contortion
Ability Roll: Quickness + Concentration
Ease Factor: 9
A feat roll permits the character to contort her limbs and back, stretching unnaturally or bending the joints the wrong way. This allows her to strike at her opponent from an unexpected direction, such as from over his shoulder or behind his knee. The character gains a +3 to her Attack Advantage for special effect maneuvers such as tripping an opponent or attempting to disarm him (ArM5 page 175, or Lords of Men, page 133), or +3 to her next Defense Total to resist such maneuvers.
Siaburchles, or Phantom Feat
Ability Roll: Quickness + Concentration
Ease Factor: 9
This dangerous feat requires the character to concentrate when an opponent strikes at him, offering up no defense. If the feat roll succeeds, then part of character's body becomes momentarily insubstantial, and the opponent's blow passes straight through him causing no damage. The character cannot become wholly insubstantial, and cannot perform this feat in consecutive rounds.
Single Weapon/Great Weapon Clesa
Any cles that uses the Single Weapon Ability may also be learned using the Great Weapon Ability instead. This decision is made at the time of acquiring the feat, and cannot be changed without Initiating the same feat again.
Béim Co Commus, or Stroke of Precision
Ability Roll: Dexterity + Single Weapon
Ease Factor: opponent's Defense Total, or 9
This feat permits acts of great precision with a blade. The character can cut hair from his opponent's beard, cut the clothes from his body without harming him, or scribe his initials on a yielding surface. This feat cannot do any damage. If in the midst of combat, the feat roll must equal or exceed his opponent's Defense Total, but if the target is not resisting then the Ease Factor is 9.
Brúd nGeme, or Crushing Roar
Ability Roll: Stamina + Single Weapon
Ease Factor: 9
With this feat, a character strikes at his opponent's weapons and breaks them. He must successfully hit his opponent, but rather than doing damage, attempts a feat roll. Add one to the Ease Factor if the weapon is of Superior Quality, add three if it is Excellent Quality, and add six if it is enchanted by any means (see City & Guild page 67 for item Quality).
If the feat roll is successful, the item takes two damage levels. Standard Quality items only have two damage levels; Superior weapons have three, Excellent weapons have four, and enchanted weapons have five (again, see City & Guild page 77 for damaging objects). Once all damage levels are gone, the item breaks and is useless.
Fáenchless, or Sloped Shield Feat
Ability Roll: Strength + Single Weapon
Ease Factor: 9
Using this feat requires that the character is carrying an Irish edged shield: a round shield with a sharp metal edge around the rim. The feat allows him to deal glancing blows when parrying with the shield. The character can attempt a feat roll whenever his Defense Total with the edged shield exceeds his opponent's Attack Total.
If the feat roll succeeds, use the difference between the Defense Total and Attack Total as an Attack advantage, and resolve damage for the edged shield as if the character had attacked rather than defended. The Weapon Damage Bonus of an edged shield is +2. This feat can be performed once per round, regardless of how many Defense rolls you make; your character's usual action is not affected.
Foramchles, or Swooping Feat
Ability Roll: Stamina + Single Weapon
Ease Factor: 3 + armor's original Protection
This feat involves jumping whilst swinging a weapon, with the intent to destroy armor. The character should choose one location: head, body, legs (treated as one location), right arm, or left arm. If the feat roll is successful, then the armor on that spot is sundered or left useless. Reduce the opponent's Protection by one fifth, rounded up. Alternatively, you could recalculate Protection based on the Expanded Armor Table in Lords of Men, page 140.
Thrown Weapon Clesa
These clesa do not need to Penetrate Magic Resistance; magical force is briefly applied to fling or aim the weapon, but it is not guided by magic.
Cless Cletenach, or Javelin Feat
Ability Roll: Dexterity + Thrown Weapon
Ease Factor: 9
This feat requires that the character has two javelins. The first is thrown into the air, and the second is used to push the butt of the first so that it flies with greater force at the target, if the feat roll is successful. The range increment for a successful performance of the Javelin Feat is increased to 15 paces, and the Damage Total is calculated as 2 x (Strength + Weapon Damage Modifier) + Attack Advantage.
Cless Nónbair, or Nine-Men Feat
Ability Roll: Strength + Thrown Weapon
Ease Factor: 6 + 1 / javelin after the first
This feat allows the character to cast up to nine javelins at once. All must be directed at the same target, and each has its own Attack Total and Defense Total. If the feat roll fails, the character has cast the javelins, but none of them go anywhere near their intended target.
Torannchless, or Thunder Feat
Ability Roll: Strength + Thrown Weapon
Ease Factor: 6 + Brawl Defense Total of opponent
This feat causes a stone hurled from a sling to fly directly (but not infallibly) at an opponent's head. If it hits and the feat roll is a success, the target is struck to the ground, falling prone. He also suffers normal damage from the sling stone. Use of this feat causes a crack of thunder, thus its name.
Ubullchless, or Apple Feat
Ability Roll: Dexterity + Thrown Weapon
Ease Factor: 3 + 2 per missile
This is a juggling feat that keeps up to nine balls or stones in the air at one time — one handed. A feat roll is needed to start juggling. A character can load a sling with one of these missiles without having to stop; else they can be thrown bare-handed at a rate of three per round. The stones can be hurled at three separate targets in one round as long as they are no more than three paces apart. A feat roll is needed to start juggling, and another to throw stones, but not to load a sling.
Qui Sonant Pro Quieto
Symbol: A rope of silver strung with balls of gold along its length
Season: Summer
Cathach: A huge gold and silver necklace once worn by Caer Ibormeith
None know the truth for sure, but the legends say that the giant Finn MacCumhaill is cursed to sleep beneath the hillside all the while the sound of song is heard above him. To this day, the magi of Qui Sonant ensure the songs are sung.
This is also the location of the final resting place of Ireland's magi, hedge wizards, and even faerie and magical beasts, and the covenant acts as a great chantry wherein the magi and their covenfolk continually sing songs to honor the souls of fallen magi.
Cathach
Qui Sonant's cathach is a finely-crafted rope of silver from which hang balls of the purest gold. Despite its great size, long enough to wrap three times around a body, it is said to be the necklace once worn by Caer Ibormeith, wife to Aengus of the Tuatha Dé. The chain is displayed on the archway over the entrance to the covenant courtyard, only just outside the Aegis of the Hearth.
When wrapped around a target, the chain has the power to protect that target against all effects of a Magic aura. In the case of Qui Sonant's aura, this means that the effect blocking Arcane Connections is suspended, which allows a corpse to be used in rituals to summon the deceased spirit.
History
There have always been druids who sang the giant to sleep, and the site was old when the Order came to Ireland. Even then it was a burial ground for the magical powers of Ireland. When those druids joined the Order, the covenant was founded around them and the Order in Ireland has buried its dead there ever since.
The Schism War saw large numbers of magi and their heroic companions brought to Qui Sonant. The records as to who was buried here during that time were lost after the war, but references remain in the numerous Vitae Magna found in Hibernian libraries.
Setting and Physical Description
Qui Sonant is located high in the Ulster Cuailnge on a ridge of mountains said in local folklore to be where the giant Finn MacCumhaill sleeps. It can only be reached by a series of treacherous winding tracks and frequently suffers harsh winters.
The covenant consists of a number of low stone buildings outside a large walled manor surrounding a cobbled courtyard. This provides everything the magi need, including sanctums, libraries, and the chantry. The covenant craftsmen maintain their workshops outside the wall.
The Chantry
Throughout the day and night the sound of unaccompanied chant emanates from this drab stone building. The chant superficially sounds the same as might be heard in any church anywhere in Mythic Europe, but in fact the songs venerate heroes of myth and legend, they urge the giant to sleep, and they remember the dead buried not far away.
By tradition, no magic is used within the chantry itself and it is sparsely lit with candles, which are replenished through the day. The choir, which includes magi and covenfolk alike, usually numbers a dozen or so. Two open cloisters join the chantry to the rest of the covenant.
The Burial Grounds
The burial grounds consist of a range of dolmens, cairns, and mounds of pale grey stones found all across the hills and peaks surrounding the covenant. All are within the covenant's Magic aura but few are easily accessible and most have a cold, bleak, and solitary aspect.
Magic Aura
The graveyard of Qui Sonant lies within a strong Magic aura of level 7. While it is not clear how this happens, each time a new tomb is constructed at the edge of the aura, the aura stretches to envelope it. If using the rules on page 10 of Realms of Power: Magic, any expansion of the aura precipitates a roll on the Aura Weakening Table.
Magic that uses Arcane Connections does not work against targets within this aura. Spells cannot find their targets and magi feel their talismans drifting away from them. This means that neither the bodies nor the grave goods buried with them can be used to summon the spirits of the dead while they are protected by the aura.
Strange PracticesIn the western part of Connacht there is an island called Aran, which they say was blessed by St. Brendan. There, human bodies are never buried and never rot, but lie exposed under the air, proof against corruption. There, the wondering mortal can see and recognize his grandfather, and great grandfather, and his grandfather's grandfather, and the long line of his progenitors. — Giraldus Cambrensis Ireland has a long history of burial practices that often seem strange to foreigners. Saint Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, for instance, instructed that his bones should lie exposed on a hillside in the manner of a stag, perhaps a practice he learned from his time on the Aran Isles. It is not so unusual then that members of the Ordo Hiberniae, steeped as they are in Irish history and culture, might choose a burial other than simply being interred in holy ground. After all, extreme unction, or last rites, is sufficient to secure a Christian soul for heaven. Choosing interment at Qui Sonant is a cultural choice, allowing the magus's soul to rest, while allowing controlled access to his spirit for when his wisdom may be called upon. |
Culture and Traditions
Should the songs end, so the stories go, or the giant be disturbed, then the giant will wake and leave Ireland, taking his magic with him. These songs have been sung for centuries and they are an inescapable part of daily life at the covenant. All apprentices trained at Qui Sonant learn the songs by rote as do magi who join the covenant later. There are many theories as to what the giant is, why it continues to sleep, and what might happen if it wakes. The explanations currently in vogue are that it is one of the Fomórach or Finn MacCumhaill, though the truth of this is unlikely to be determined.
The Hermetic Cemetery
Continuing their tradition of service, the covenant also cares for the dead. Bodies are interred in the covenant grounds where the aura protects their spirits from being summoned. These funeral rights are extended to the druids of the Coill Trí, Ireland's elder races, and supernatural creatures as a matter of respect.
Magi of the Ordo Hiberniae who sense their death approaching visit Qui Sonant to make arrangements for their interment. As a result the covenant has good relations with the other covenants across Hibernia. The exceptions are generally the recent arrivals from abroad who find the whole practice both unChristian and unnecessary, not to mention their disdain for treating hedge wizards with the same respect as Hermetic magi.
The few magi of House Tremere who live in Hibernia also eschew this practice as their House has its own culture concerning the interment of its dead.
Neutral Ground
The neutrality of Qui Sonant's covenant lands are recognized by all Hibernia's beasts and peoples of the supernatural realms. Some say had it not been for the sanctuary of Qui Sonant that all the native wizards might have perished during Diedne's hunt. Many an ill-conceived Wizard War has concluded with treaty agreed on the neutral ground of Qui Sonant.
As such, Qui Sonant grants an aegis token to all those in need. The recent English arrivals accuse Qui Sonant of recklessness, suggesting that this largesse leaves the covenant open to attack from the Infernal.
Consulting the Spirits
Those wishing to consult the dead petition the covenant, which then consults with the ambassador who speaks for that spirit's power, or the praeco in the case of a magus. With agreement in place, the tomb is unsealed and the body and the grave goods brought into a casting space inside the covenant. The body is then wrapped in the covenant's cathach to shield it from the effects of the aura (which includes realm interaction bonuses and penalties), and a ritual is cast that invites the spirit back to the world of the living.
All of Qui Sonant's spells are closely guarded and while laboratory texts and casting tablets for the required rites can be found in the covenant's inner library they are not made available to visitors.
The Funerary RitesThe body of a magus brought to Qui Sonant is first fixed as an Arcane Connection to the magus' spirit as per the standard laboratory action described in ArM5, page 94. Next, it is entombed in a cairn and surrounded by such grave goods as their covenant provides. Each tomb is then closed by an enchanted capstone that wards it against the elements, man, and beast. There is a secret trigger that suspends this effect so that the body can be reached if required. Each tomb is also enchanted with effects that keep the body from decaying. Should magi have other requirements, Qui Sonant meets them. |
Magi
Qui Sonant's seven magi each owe one season's work per year to the covenant, spent managing the covenant's estates, researching the fallen magi, and in leading the songs. The principle magi of the covenant are described below.
Cantarus an t-Iarbiteon
Age: 130 (apparent age 85)
Personality Traits: Conservative +3, Disciplined +2, Reclusive +1
Cantarus was born in the covenant and has rarely left its grounds since. He became Master of the Songs — the head of the covenant — 50 years ago and holds the position unchallenged.
He realizes that he has little time left before succumbing to death or Twilight, but he has not yet found an heir to whom he can entrust the covenant. He has trained a number of apprentices in his time, yet most have left the responsibility of Qui Sonant behind them. Only Finn remains and while Finn has the desire to lead, he does not have the aptitude. Cantarus would willingly appoint a new Master of the Songs over Finn if he could find a magus willing to commit to the covenant.
Finn Mac Cantarus an t-Iarbiteon
Age: 55 (apparent age: 35)
Personality Traits: Impatient +3, Arrogant +2, Scheming +1
Finn has a flair for Vitae Magorum written in the Irish vernacular and his works on Hermetic history are widely read throughout Hibernia. He is also passionate about his covenant and the model of peace and cooperation that it represents.
However, Finn assumes that being Cantarus' only filius at the covenant puts him next in line for the Master of the Songs position. He takes this for granted, ignorant of Cantarus' misgivings. As a result, he makes no effort to learn from any mistakes of leadership and he is quite vocal about his future status, willing to earn friends by making long-term promises based on his position to come.
Lewis Cultas Bhéardaoiteas, Master Stonemason
Age: 70 (apparent age 50)
Personality Traits: Proud +3, Abrupt +2, Hubris (Proud) +2, Disciplined +1
There were two Verditius stonemasons at Qui Sonant until they disagreed over the right of Ingasia to claim the title of Verditius domus magna. To settle the growing animosity, Finn Mac Cantarus sided with Lewis and Peter opted to leave. Lewis is willing to provide juniors of his House with initiation into the Verditius House Mysteries but only if the initiate professes support for Verdi. Such initiates may find themselves inadvertently drawn into the vendetta that Lewis' exiled rival is about to escalate.
Lewis would pay handsomely for an apprentice with an aptitude for craft magic. He is likely to seek out one of the Coill Trí in the next few years to secure one of the seven Gifted children that they must provide each Tribunal. He will even go so far as to warn off competitors for the child, something that his itinerant rival Peter might be inclined to exploit.
Turlough Cultas Críothamon
Age: 80 (apparent age 55)
Personality Traits: Secretive +3, Affable +2, Disciplined +1
Turlough of Criamon is tasked with governing the cemetery, funeral rites, and the protection of the spirits entrusted to the covenant. He is well-regarded within the covenant and beyond.
His own magical proficiencies concern the summoning of spirits, but he feels that there is more that he could gain from them if he could do more than just summon them. He is fearful of those within the covenant discovering his growing interest so any assistance he does gain will need to be from outside.
He has trained one apprentice already and gained a new apprentice at the last Tribunal, thanks to the cordial relations he maintains with the Coill Trí. This influence is something he would be happy to bargain with in order to further his magical aims.
Covenfolk
Qui Sonant has no dedicated warriors as the covenfolk are all good men of Ireland and handy with an axe. All learn to sing, as they are obliged to join the chant, and all are familiar with both Organization Lore: Order of Hermes and Latin. Despite the often harsh weather and their sombre duties, the covenfolk want for little and the magi mark out certain holidays by holding feasts at which members of the covenant are honored and awarded gifts, usually clothes, shoes, tools, and utensils.
Story Seed: The Body of a GhostRepresentatives of a covenant come to Qui Sonant asking to speak to a former member who died some fifty years previously. But when the summoning ritual fails it seems clear that someone has destroyed the spirit. Was it someone within Qui Sonant who broke this trust? Why would they do such a thing and what are they now trying to hide? |
Story Seed: Silence Falls on Those Who SingA powerful force suddenly bringssilence to the covenant of Qui Sonant Pro Quieto. No natural or magical sound can be made or heard, and with the songs ended, the ground begins to shake. The magi are called upon to find the cause and bring song back to the covenant. The Journey leads to the Magic realm where a great daimon has been entrapped and his power to govern the natural forces of sound on Earth stripped from him. The magi must defeat the daimon's captor and restore its power over sound and song before the giant wakes. |
Vigil
Symbol: Two huge boar tusks wickedly curved from root to tip
Season: Autumn
Cathach: The tusks of an immense magical black boar
The covenant of Vigil stands watch over Hibernia, defending Ireland from those with dark designs on her people. Or at least that's how it used to be, but those days are long since gone and Vigil has grown fat and lazy on its past glories.
Cathach
The curled tusks of the black pig, six feet from tip to root, hang above a great arched gate in the wall that surrounds the covenant, where they are watched over by faerie guards. At Tribunal time, they are transferred to an elaborate wooden case for transport and display.
They have the effect of tinting Faerie auras such that the aura passes on a "Protecting Ireland" +3 Personality Trait. The power of the tusks manifests similarly in Magic auras, aligning them to magic that protects Ireland from invasion. See Realms of Power: Faerie, page 104 and Realms of Power: Magic, page 15 for details.
History
The original covenant of Vigil was founded in the Sperrin foothills by members of House Diedne. They laid claim to their status by hunting and killing the great black pig that created the deep ditches that later protected the old land of Ulster from southern invasion, taking its tusks as trophies. The Diedne Vigil was raided in 830 by Viking runesmiths based in Dublin. The magi of Vigil recovered and for a while helped defend other covenants from these magical invaders. That was until the Diedne of Ireland, Vigil included, withdrew from Tribunal affairs.
With House Diedne having abandoned Ireland to its fate, a band of Merinita magi sacked Vigil and took the tusks to the far north of Ireland. The Merinita raised a fortress, the new covenant of Vigil, and a great unseen tower, from the top of which all Ireland could be seen. They used its magic to find and intercept the rune wizards and their Viking warriors.
Vigil fought on two fronts, however; the vengeful Diedne on one side and the rune wizards on the other. So Vigil forged alliances with the faeries and beasts of the north sea that to this day see the northern coastline protected against magical invasion. Records of these arrangements can be found in the treaties between the Order and the Coill Tri; no druid outside of the Order has any right of traffic with the creatures of the northern seas.
Vigil struck quickly when the Schism War broke out, launching a devastating attack on their age-old enemies. They took Diedne heads as trophies, raided their laboratories, ransacked their libraries, and slaughtered their familiars.
In the years that followed, Vigil used the Diedne threat to justify its importance and members of the covenant traveled abroad to learn new magic to aid in Ireland's defense. Few returned, sending only accounts of their journeys, unusual spells that they had learned, and devices won from exotic magi. All the while the covenant's vaults were being filled with curios, and the magi of Vigil dined well on their past.
The last two hundred years, however, have seen Vigil descend into decadence and indolence. Having lost its focus, its members now trade on a reputation centuries past its time, yet believe that Vigil is all that stands between Hibernia and those who would threaten it.
Setting and Physical Description
Cionn Mhálanna (KON WAR-lan-nuh) is Ireland's northern-most promontory, a jagged coastline jutting into the Atlantic, rich in ample grazing land but frequently lashed by the storms that sweep in from the sea. Vigil extends across the head as a number of halls and homesteads protected by ringforts, each housing one of the magi, their households, and their sanctums, and each enjoying a moderate Faerie aura. The old fortress of Vigil, raised by the original Merinita founders and perched on the rocks looking out to sea, has long been abandoned and little remains since its stone was taken away to service new buildings.
The subterranean vaults are flooded and largely ignored. There are, however, numerous magical weapons and devices brought to Ireland from distant lands that have survived this centuries-old rot. With the old records lost, today's inhabitants are oblivious to the potential beneath their feet, but references to these vaults can be found in the Vitae Magorum written by Hibernia's magi.
Cionn Mhálanna is scattered with Faerie auras and it seems that there are as many faerie kings living around the coast as there are mundanes. The magi of Vigil ensure continued good relations between both.
Banbha's Crown
The spire raised by the original Merinita of Vigil stands within a faerie regio upon Banbha's Crown, the most northerly part of mainland Ireland. Manifest in the mundane world as a collapsed stone pillar, the spire is only visible when traversing the regiones. Step into the first level and moss-slickened stone stairs wind their way around the spire, which now reaches some thirty feet tall. The spire continues through two further regiones until the ground below is lost in mist and the top obscured by clouds. Those who sit in the stone chair perched at its top may see and hear any place in Ireland (with a Penetration of +35). Those who walk the stairs, the only way to traverse the regiones, lose two long-term fatigue levels on both the journey up and the return trip down. Some of the Hibernian elders know of Banhba's Crown, but most consider it simply a prepared casting space and are unaware of its intrinsic power.
Culture and Traditions
Vigil is defined by the rule of conspicuous consumption. The old Merinita of Vigil fought hard and enjoyed the spoils of their victories, trading vis to the Verditius who crafted arms and armor, which they used against the Vikings and the Diedne, winning more through conquest. The magi of Vigil enjoy the boisterous things in life, such as hunting, certamen, and raiding the lands surrounding their covenant. In particular, they relish baiting young magi in their Macgnímartha. But they also uphold the old treaties, especially the Treaty of Cnoc Maol Réidh, and are fiercely protective of all the Tribunal's old traditions.
Vigil encourages its magi to take wives, not for dynastic or political purposes but for the simple comfort of having a wife, the magi even clothing them in the Parma Magica to provide relief against The Gift. Magi are also encouraged to bind a familiar and to make a talisman early so as to enjoy all the trappings of Hermetic life. Magi who visit Vigil with neither are subject to much well-meaning mockery.
Outsides may consider the magi of Vigil to be boastful, as all members construct winding tales of peril, adventure, and romance with themselves as the hero, often exaggerating the exploits of his familiar or the creation of his talisman. These stories have a purpose, however; the magi of Vigil all know the Merinita mysteries of Folk Magic, which uses such symbolism to enhance their magic.
Magi
Vigil is a Merinita covenant, but due to a largely-forgotten treaty between the Vigil and House Verditius, one laboratory may be claimed by a member of that House. The magi of Vigil excel at music, etiquette, and all manner of pursuits befitting a life of privilege. Apprentices all learn Charm Magic, and while there is no compulsion to stay at Vigil there is a bond of magic between members. The covenant is fiercely loyal to Ireland and to Hibernia, particularly its traditions. This means that so long as the English abide by convention and do not seek to change things they are welcome in Vigil's halls.
There are currently six magi at Vigil and two apprentices soon to enter their macgnímartha. The four principal magi are described below.
Éinri mac Cillíni mich Dáire Boircech
Age: 95 (apparent age 60)
Personality Traits: Welcoming +3, Boasting +2, Lordly +1
Though not the oldest magus at Vigil, Éinri mac Cillíni (AYN-rih moc KIL-lee-nih) is their leader; holder of the black pig's tusks, master of the cattle, and keeper of the bees. He is a large, bearded, figure dressed in velvet robes and chains of silver and gold. He eats and drinks more than is good for his humors, resulting in attacks of gout. He invented a spell to provide some relief, but the spell is flawed and while it dulls the pain it does so at the expense of his mood, something Éinri puts down to his wife's nagging.
His large court is the center of the covenant's community, and an endless supply of silver ensures that his kitchens are full of cooks and his halls full of guests Hermetic, faerie, magical, and mundane. Éinri has a love for stories and is keen to hear tales from beyond Ireland. The honey produced by Éinri's bees is widely acknowledged to be among the best in Hibernia, and Éinri makes frequent gifts of it to friends and allies.
Thanks to powerful longevity rituals, his wife Aoife has retained much of her youth and looks much younger than her husband. Éinri and Aoife have recently adopted a young boy into the court of Vigil, raising him as their own. Éinri intends to have him join House Mercere in due course, so may need to gain sponsorship from one of the Mercer Houses.
Éinri's talisman takes the form of a coat of bronze mail, enchanted such that it grows along with his girth. His familiar is a large, lazy wolf hound.
Éinri has a long-running feud with Dalton Ballaugh of Lámbaird. They have fought numerous certamen and their grogs have frequently clashed. It has not yet escalated to Wizard War, but the magi loathe each other. Onlookers may find this animosity strange given the similarity between the men and their covenants, but perhaps therein lies the problem.
Gráinne inghean Uaitéar
Age: 60 (apparent age 38)
Personality Traits: Boisterous +3, Flirtatious +2, Protective of Ireland +1
Gráinne inghean Uaitéar (GRAWN-yuh IN-yun OO-alt-chair) is every bit as boisterous as the other magi at Vigil. She married the handsome Pádraig when they were both young, her familiar is a female red kite named Úna, with which she share her senses, and her talisman is a bow incorporating numerous materials and attuned with several effects. In the spirit of excess, this is actually her second talisman. After growing tired of her first, she ritually broke the sword and cast the shards off the cliffs at Cionn Mhálanna. This excess is also exhibited in her magic as she suffers from the Waster of Vis Flaw (ArM5, page 61), although she isn't particularly aware of the difficulty.
Her role as the covenant's quartermaster largely ceremonial and simply requires that large expenditures of vis secure her approval when requested, but she also has authority over the covenant vaults and their uncataloged treasures. Like her predecessors, she has not risen to this authority and has little idea of the vaults' true value.
Gráinne knows about the Verditius right to study and work at Vigil and this might give her the leverage she needs to claim one of the Connacht apprentices at the next Tribunal.
Máel-ruanaid an Doire
Age: 75 (apparent age 50)
Personality Traits: Aloof +3, Languid +2, Thoughtful +1
Máel-ruanaid an Doire (MAUL-ROOA-nudge an DOH-ruh) is the covenant's loremaster, charged with protecting Vigil's magical traditions. It is a trust that he takes more seriously than previous incumbents, who left many books to decay in the vaults. He is also the mystagogue who initiates the others into the Folk Mysteries of House Merinita (see Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 96).
His master taught him divination and the secret of Banbha's Crown as well as spells that control the covenant's bees, allowing the magus to use their senses and to guide them in flight. If Máel-ruanaid appears to know the unknowable, it is probably through these methods. Máel-ruanaid has an interest in the magic of the covenant of Qui Sonant Pro Quieto. As a master of Merinita Story Magic, he understands the magical power of symbols and he believes that the magic of Qui Sonant is sustained not by the songs themselves, but by the symbolic act of singing. If he could learn this magic then the symbols used in the Merinita Folk Mysteries may be freed from the need to be physical.
His colleagues consider him a little dull, lacking their sense of fun. His familiar is an owl, who shares his demeanor, and his talisman is a skull he found in the vaults that he has since plated with silver.
Maoilfhinnéin Mac Lir, the Ambassador to the Sea
Age: 70 (apparent age 50)
Personality Traits: Scheming +3, Loyal to Hibernia +2, Friendly +1
As Ambassador to the Sea, Maoilfhinnéin mac Lir (MEEL-in-ayn moc LIR) spends a great deal of his time in faerie and magical courts. His talisman is a staff made from the horn of a sea unicorn and his familiar is a porpoise. He is married to a faerie princess from Inishtrahull, some six miles north-east of Cionn Mhálanna. His long white hair and beard and robust form recall some ancient sea god, an image he cultivates to distract people from what he might actually be up to.
Maoilfhinnéin believes that the old stories are destined to repeat and believes that the Ordo Hiberniae will be forced to retreat, just as the native Irish wizards were, and he has already seen the first signs of this. In the event of Vigil being threatened, he has cleared the way to move the cathach to Inishtrahull and rebuild the covenant there.
To this end, he has a number of schemes in play. First, through supporting their opinions at Tribunal he has reached out to the covenant of Lámbaird to heal the damage done by Éinri. Second, he has been encouraging Gráinne's overconfidence in recognition that a sacrifice may soon need to be made. And third, his allies in the sea returned the shards of Gráinne's first talisman to him. Having fixed the Arcane Connection, he is currently manipulating these shards into the hands of Guillaume Flambeau of Praesis who has been slighted on numerous times by Gráinne.
Covenfolk
Vigil's culture of excess extends to the covenfolk, who are well-dressed, well-fed, and have a tendency to over-familiarity at the covenant's frequent feasts and celebrations. There is also a class of warriors trained in the clesrada (see earlier). These Two Dozen Men of Mhálanna are well used to magic and they use faerie arms and armor forged in the times of past conflict to protect themselves. They can be a deadly force, and they are fiercely loyal to Vigil, and especially the maga Gráinne. They most often find themselves protecting Mhálanna from a Fachan king and his Fer Caille warriors (Realms of Power: Faerie, page 77).
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.