Cian Mac Oc Midir:
The Dawn of a Clan Leader

Near the beginning of time, there was a great man named Mac O’Brough. This man was a brave sailor, and an honorable clansman. As a small boy, he witnessed the betrayal that befell the clan which became known as Errinin, and made a pledge that he would continue the brave work.

This man worked hard to support his family, and as he grew tall and strong, soon began a family of his own. His pledge was never fulfilled, for one day the sea decided to keep brave Mac O’Brough, never to return him home. Down through the years, though, his family remained strong and true, due to the virtues of the sea.

After the children and the grandchildren of this soul had long departed this land, and the grandchildren of his grandchildren were having grandchildren of their own, a young man named Miakael Midir, who was another brave sailor, found something strange on the waters. On a day when he was traveling to the city of Lorellin, he threw out a line behind the boat to catch some fish.

After a short nap, he checked his line and discovered a wee thing at the end of it, which definitely was no fish. A small wooden box, barely a sword length on a side, had managed to catch the line. Curious, Miakael Midir pulled the box into the boat and opened it. Inside, a baby boy looked up at him, smiling.

Considering it to be a gift from the gods, he kept the baby, naming him Cian. After finishing his business in Lorellin, Miakael returned home to his wife Brittenae Oc Midir. When she heard the news, she rejoiced. Brittenae, who was well schooled in the legends of the clan, became convinced that it was the spirit of Mac O’Brough, returned to them from the sea after all this time. The two added Mac to the boy’s name to honor their ancient ancestor, and they added the boy to their small family. They also taught him the old stories, especially the story of Mac O’Brough, and he grew to dream the same dream as his ancient namesake.

Their clansmen, however, were not as enthusiastic about this new life. Many considered the baby to be a spirit child, sent by the fey to ensorcel the village. The women even went to far as to somewhat secretly whisper that the baby was the result of the union between Miakael and a silkie of the sea who had taken Brittenae’s shape.

As the boy grew older, life was difficult. In the small village, much of the normal disharmony of life and the sea was attributed to this strange boy. As he grew older, Cian spent more and more time out on the sea, away from the village where the members of his clan looked at him with fear in their eyes and protective charms at the ready.

As he was growing, he found a small island near his home where he stayed frequently. One spring day, while he was bringing his boat into a cove, he looked up to see a small woman, displaying no clan allegiance. He was a grown man, and her eyes barely reached to his chest, but she held a power and an air, much as the sea, that forced him to catch his breath.

"You must not stay this day, you must return to your home. There is danger on the wind." The woman disappeared in front of his very eyes after this brief cryptic answer. Cian disregarded the message and searched the bushes nearby for quite some time before giving up and returning to his boat. Convinced that it was merely a prank by some spirit, he spent the night anyway. During the night, his dreams were plagued by fires and fighting, with the strangely small woman always hidden within the crowd.

As he rose in the morning, he set off towards his home. The winds were against him that day, but as the afternoon was weakening, he came into sight of his village. He sighted across the waves, and saw smoke rising from in front of the council hall. Remembering the warning, he determined to wait until nightfall to enter the village.

After the sun grew tired and retired for the night, he landed at a nearby bend and cautiously stole into the village. He moved toward his family home, hoping to find the answers, but instead came upon a smoldering ruin. The few stones were collapsed inward, and the thatch and wood were all thoroughly burned. Cian moved carefully toward the village center, where the smoke that he noticed earlier was.

There he found the formerly living members of his family, in such a state as to brand his very memory with their images, the circle of rowan still complete to trap their vengeful spirits. In despair, he fled the hushed village quietly. After some time of wandering through the forest, he returned to his boat and made for his hidden island again.

He tied up his boat as the sun was lifting its head to see what it had missed the night before, and sat there alone watching the waves. In that moment of despair, he truly realized that the spirits of men and women are much like the ever-changing sea. That entire day he sat there, grieving for his family. As the sun was setting, he noticed the small woman again, sitting on a nearby stump, watching him.

The strain of the events was too much for his spirit to take, and he briefly left his head, and raged like a winter storm at the figure. While the exact statements are lost in the wind, his main grievance was that she knew of his family’s fate, and yet did nothing to save them.

Fits of temper being what they are; they come on quickly and leave just as quickly. His rage left him behind when she utterly ignored his blows and knocked him to the ground with naught but a word.

"Do with me what you will, wretched spirit, for I have naught to live for save fear and death!" he cried.

Rather than sundering his spirit from his body, she let out a light and spirited laugh. "Yes, Cian, there is much death in your path, and much fear, but there is much more than that. You may very well be a great man someday, although first you will have to rise off of the damp ground."

He was astonished that she had not devoured his soul or some other mischief, and stood as he was directed. Over the evening, she explained that she was not a spirit, merely a woman who looked different than those he was used to. She also bade him to address her as "Mistress".

"Why Mistress?" he asked.

"Because, that is how polite students address their instructors, for I will be teaching you many things."

She showed him many things on the wee island that he had never seen before. It was if they had been hidden in plain sight, until she pointed them out. She eventually showed him to her home.

Through the next several moons, she taught him about the drawing of sounds and the tomes which contained ancient sounds. Cian learned how some sounds, when combined with other gestures, and even sometimes tokens from the land around him could produce strange effects. There were others who arrived on the island during this time of learning. One of these was a true spirit. While her true name was never known, Cian just called her Coventina.

Cian never knew much about Coventina, but she always arrived to the island by simply stepping up out of the sea, lightly clad in naught but a shawl that barely disguised her frame. As the months passed, Cian began to think of the 2 women as his new family.

As Cian and Coventina talked as they walked over the island, she helped him to understand more about his clansmen’s actions. They were afraid, she said. They do not understand things and people that are different than themselves, and live in fear for it. Coventina explained that most of her people viewed humans with the same fear and misunderstanding. She showed him on some of their outings how even the best of people can do horrible things when they fear for themselves and their loved ones.

Cian began to understand how this could happen, to a point. He forgave the members of his village for not stopping the killing, but no matter how he sought, he could find no room in his heart for those who did the deed themselves. Cian looked upon them as no different than a guest who slits the throats of the family of the host while they slept.

The winter passed, and as the weather became warm, a sense of unease grew over Cian’s mistress. Coventina began to visit more often, but was not able to spend as much time walking with Cian. One morning, near the solstice, the Mistress came awoke him before dawn.

"The time has come to leave, Cian. Your travels must begin now, though they will not be easy. Your belongings have been packed, and they await you on your boat. You must not tarry, nor turn back no matter what you may see. In this there can be no argument."

Mistress took him to his boat, sleep still heavy in Cian’s eyes. There, Coventina was waiting, and the boat was filled with supplies and equipment. Before embarking, though, Cian turned and stood tall, towering over the smaller woman standing next to him.

"I do not wish to leave, but will obey your wishes. You are my Mistress, but you are also my family. In my heart, I know that you are a part of my clan in addition to your own. May the gods smile on you, Mistress Midir."

As she wiped a tear away, she replied to him with a voice as heavy as her heart must have been. "Call me Chriakeale, for your Mistress I am no longer. You honor me with your words, but you must depart now."

That said, they embraced and he left, guided by Coventina. They took a winding route from the island, almost like they were in hiding, and Coventina refused to explain why. As they neared the mainland, they stopped the boat, and settled for a talk.

Coventina explained that an old enemy of Chriakeale’s had tracked her down and was coming to battle her. The battle was somewhat evenly matched, but the magicks unleashed would likely harm anyone else around. Also, if she were using her resources to defend Cian, than Chriakeale would surely lose the battle. That was why they had to leave. Even worse, they were nearing the lands of other humans, and her path must break from his for a time.

Cian was very disheartened by the departure from his complete new family, but Coventina reassured him that she was positive they would all be together again. When we was calm again, Coventina stepped over the side of the boat, and vanished into the salty water.

Cian drifted with the current for some time deciding what to do. In the end, he decided to continue his life, in a way that both his families would approve of. For now, he would be a sailor, and just a sailor. The skills he learned from Chriakeale would have to be hidden. Later on, though, he would rid the clans of the murder of "witches", and re-unite the lands with the rich lands across the sea.