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The First High
King
Bicchru Lirnaan came to the land of Eyru centuries
after the eruption of Time of Chaos. Seeing the disarray of the
Eyrian people he sought to lead them into a new age. Through acts
of valor and cunning, he united the clans together. While these
scattered clans retained their soverignty over their ancestral
land, they pledged to unite under Bicchru’s banner for the
common good of all men. Thus, Bicchru became the first High King.
His first act as High King was to drive the giant-kin to the
North, beyond the vast Wood Between.
Bicchru also established diplomacy with the
secretive Fomorians. The Fomorians, also victims of the giants
bloodthirsty raids, welcomed the gesture. They too had lost ground to the giants and
were growing tired of the constant clashes. However, the Formorians
still preferred their solitude. Establishing any form
of permanent diplomacy was going to be tricky.
To strengthen diplomatic ties, High King Bicchru
promised to marry the Fomorian Princess, Me’ Al. She was the
fomorian king’s most beautiful daughter. Bicchru composed many a
song of praise about her legendary beauty.
However, the night before the wedding, Bicchru discovered that her
beauty was merely a carefully crafted illusion. He refused to
marry her and to add insult to injury, spurned her in song. By
great misfortune, the song became quite popular among the Eyrian
people:
The dear Princess of Fomor, whose beauty is
former,
Who’s tongue truly hisses and whose eyes are like fishes!
A ghastly sight to behold and by my ring, we shan’t be
betrothed!
This ended formal relations between the Fomorians
and the people of Lirnaan.
Outraged, the Princess Me’Al placed a powerful
curse on Biccrhu. As the curse began to take hold, some say the
High King was driven mad. He began to take exception to the
presence of any of Fomorian descent. He ordered even those
remaining peaceably among his land, exiled. His fervor to see the
Fomorians exterminated grew and soon all out war erupted.
The war raged for months until finally the
Fomorians mysteriously left the island. It was on a dark, stormy
day as Lirnaan advanced on their stronghold atop the cliffs of the
Northern coast of Eyru. As they approached, the army watched as
the Fomorians dove from the castle ramparts into the sea. When
Lirnaan’s army reached the stronghold, they found it abandoned.
He ordered it put to the torch and left, never to return. In an
even stranger twist of fate, as the army traveled back along the
coast, High King Biccrhu disappeared.
Beginning of The
Golden Age
Biccrhu Lirnaan’s son took the throne and proved an excellent
leader, ruling over the most prosperous reign in the history of
Eryu. Since the disappearance of the Fomorians, the new King claimed
several of their key cities and towns along the northeastern
coast. However, these coastal cities proved impossible to
re-inhabitant. Frequent "hauntings" and tales of the town’ s past owners
rising from the seas to seek revenge kept many common Eyrians from
settling there. After a short-lived campaign of incentives to draw
people to these cities, the High King abandoned them and struck
further inland.
Here among the northern interior of Eyru was the land of beasts
and giants. While the people had balked at the idea of settling in
the Fomorian’s old cities, many volunteered their services to
claim the Northern lands for their High King. Great heroes of this
Golden Age were born. Giants and gruesome beasts alike were driven
into the mountains. Great cities were established to the north of
the Wood and safe passage was common.
Formation
of the Council of Stone
Many years passed and the Fomorians and Giants were lost in
legend. Nearly all of Eyru was under the control of the
descendants of the Tuatha De Danaan. Their High King, Horace
Lirnaan, was himself from the newly settled Northern lands. His seat on the
throne was proof of the power and stability of the humans of Eyru.
But the peace would not remain. One day a fisherman
spotted a strange boat headed to the shores. It was a long flat
barge which seemed to float swiftly and effortlessly above the
water. It’s sails were full, despite a lack of wind, and as the
sailor reported, "scaled serpents rode the bow, writhing
along its length." The frightened sailor quickly sailed home
to the small fishing village of Harknon. Once there he left
immediately for the High King’s court. He was brought breathless
to the King, who listened with great concern regarding the news.
The High King surmised that it could be none other than the
Fomorians, returned from the sea where they had been driven long
ago. History
supports the High King's assumption, however an even deadlier foe had
risen to face the Eyrian people. From the lands to the East where lay
the fabled city of Tach, an ancient evil known as the Triumvirate had
taken notice of the growing power of the Eyrian empire.
The High King called
together the most honorable and battle worthy champions of Eyru to meet
these invaders on the field of battle. They were one hundred in
all, led by the warrior-bard Connacher. Connacher’s Hundred
encountered the invaders just north of Harknon where inhabitants had
been ruthlessly slaughtered. Upon charging into battle, the heroes were
confronted by an army - the likes of which they had never seen. The
battle raged for one hundred days. The enemy witches, masters of
illusion and trickery, used their evil sorcery to gain the upper hand.
One by one, the soldiers of Connacher’s Hundred were dealt
grievous wounds. On the hundredth night of the battle, Connacher sought
the council of the druids.
The druids revealed the path of victory to Connacher. "All
creatures of the world must walk upon the earth and so the stones
from the Great Mother’s womb see them all. It is only through
the very earth you can see the truth. The Witches prey
upon the mind and the eyes. To see the world through the stones is
to be safe from their evil magic."
Legend has it that
after a week long ceremony, the druids crafted one hundred magical
stones, one for each great hero. By closing their eyes, the heroes
could share in the sight of the earth. They could see their enemy and
still remain safe from their illusions and witchcraft. Connacher
according to legend, burned out his own eyes so as to see only what the
stones would show him. With the assistance of the magical stones,
Connacher’s Hundred drove the evil witches back into the sea.
According to legend, they continued to pursue the invaders to the edge
of the earth to ensure Eryru would be safe. The stones used by the
great warriors to turn the tide of the battle rest upon the Plain of
One Hundred Wounds to this day; presumably left behind for future
generations who may need their power.
When the battle with the "Fomorian Witches" was over, the High
King convened the first meeting of the Council of Stone. Connacher
and the descendants of the hundred were all named members. It was their charge to
always be prepared to defend the inhabitants of Eyru from foreign
invaders. The High King decreed that the Council was to remain in
force until the world was devoured by the Manterlaug.
The Council was held in the highest esteem by all the people of
Eyru throughout the Golden Age. Under its protection and guidance,
the people of Eryu continued to maintain their hold on the North.
From the halls of the council came hundreds of tales of great
warriors and all manner of heroic deeds.
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