The Hundred Heroes are part of the folklore of Siabhal, and together the tales of their adventures are known as the Legend of Lobhan. The following list is not an exhaustive tally of all the Hundred Heroes. We welcomed submissions from our players to add to the Hundred Heroes’ ranks, and where the players agreed we have shared their names. Thanks a million to everyone who submitted a Hero, and remember if you want to play a Siabhlach character you can propose a Hero they are descended from in your player background.
The Smiths
The Hundred Heroes bore weapons and wore armour which were almost as famous as the Heroes themselves. Siabhal culture has always valued skill at artifice, so the creators of these magic items were attributed great renown in the Legend of Lobhan. Some of them took the extra step of joining the fight against the Gwyllt and are numbered among the Hundred Heroes. Those Ruby Families who claim descent from Smiths are often still involved in crafting, whether as patrons or as master crafters.
Niall, whose hammer sings
“Three versions of Niall appear throughout stories, allowing listeners of all ages to identify with him at different points.
Most common, particularly in stories for children, is the eager smith’s apprentice who hung up his apron to follow Finian on the road — whether the hero willed it or not. Filled with too many stories and too little sense, the boy’s overconfidence gets the heroes into trouble as often as his earnest honesty seems to get them out.
More plot device than character, the full-grown Niall is a journeyman smith and experimental tinkerer. He often hands the protagonist a piece of wildly specific equipment near the start of a tale that ultimately helps the hero win the day by the end.
The elder Niall is a master smith, whose speed and stamina have declined as his strength and skills have grown. The source of several legendary weapons, such as Duskbringer and Fhrisnéis,he mostly dispenses wisdom and friendly jibes to characters who echo his younger self.
Niall is almost always represented as human, though his association with fire, his notable ageing, and the characteristic foolhardiness of his youth make him a popular character among Firetouched growing up in Siabhal.”
Submitted by Philip
Steelscale Conrad, Breaker of Chains
“Conrad was a Drakeblooded who suffered from an unexplained ailment that caused their scales to become malformed and absent in patches, leading them to forge scales of steel to fill the gaps – which earned them the moniker of ‘Steelscale’. They are often taciturn and aloof in the stories they appear in.
They first appear in stories as a background character, a smith providing weapons and armour to the heroes but they would eventually join the host of Finian’s company. They first came to Finian’s aid when he went to accost a Gwyllt, a foul amalgam of chain and flesh that ensnared many of the heroes and sought to drag them to their deaths, in a bog on the border of Uasa. Conrad emerged from the evening mists and set about shattering the chains that held the companions with a mighty warhammer before turning their attention to the beast itself and laying it low. Many stories after this focus on them destroying bindings, freeing captives, or breaking a key structure of the enemy
Despite being a Drakeblooded, the prevalence of breaking chains as a positive symbol in their stories has made Conrad an icon to many young Broken Chain Vartach.”
Anonymous submission
Micheál the Reforger
“A blacksmith and builder of peerless quality, Michael was a tireless staple of Finian’s Court. It was said that even an ordinary weapon struck by his hammer was blessed with exceptional durability and longevity, a quality Michael himself was known for as he was an exceptionally long-lived Creidhe.
Though he often features in the background of stories around combat, Micheál’s most renowned stories feature not him, but other heroes wielding his specially crafted magical weapons and tools, from sturdy Bristenhammer that could raise a city in one day, to the dread Oicheneach, the Night Spear. Most of Michael’s creations were lost long ago, and many a Gallóglaigh band has been paid in the hopes of finding even one of these legendary weapons.”
Submitted by Jack
The Wild Wanderers
While the deep forests of Siabhal were the haunt of the Gwyllt, some of the bravest Siabhlaigh in ancient times fought the Gwyllt in their dens. While the Hundred Heroes are generally seen as a civilising force against the chaotic emnity of the Gwyllt, these Hundred Heroes serve as a reminder that the wild places too had to be reclaimed from the Gwyllt’s foul influence. While there are Ruby Families who claim descent from these Heroes at the forefront of civil life in Iomra and Barr, descendants of the Wild Wanderers are more likely to be found in farther flung parts of Siabhal.
Féilim, who walked among the beasts
“Féilim came to join the hundred heroes when one of their number – usually Siún – is facing down a large pack of wild animals who can not be tamed by any magic. Fearing the beasts to be touched by the Gwyllt, they prepare to do battle, but for the arrival of a wild man clothed only in animal hide, who counsels them to lay down their arms, and show that they mean no harm. With some cajoling, they do so, and after a time the beasts lower their hackles, and eventually go on their way. Once the pack had moved on, the wild man introduces himself as Féilim, and declares that he’ll stick around to keep them out of trouble, and usually proceeds to do exactly the opposite before the end of the tale. Further appearances of Féilim are characterised by a staunch dedication to protecting the beasts of forest and field from Gwyllt and man alike.
Féilim is depicted as either a Leasair or Human, usually corresponding to whether his role in the tale is that of wisdom or exuberance”
Submitted by Aonghus
Immovable Láimhiarainn and Sly Cruachín
(lawv-eerrun, crew-uck-een)
Two heroes who almost exclusively appear in stories together, Láimhiarrainn and Cruachín, were parent and child. The tales say that Láimhiarrainn encountered Cruachín as a feral child in the mountains of Siabhal and brought the strange youngster before Finian the Brave to declare they would be adopting the child and training them to become a great warrior. Legends which feature Cruachín as a young child usually centre around Láimhiarrainn having to track down and rescue Cruachín after they have followed their curiosity into some dangerous place or situation. As Cruachín ages they are most commonly shown tricking or outwitting their enemies and on a number of occasions must rely on their guile to rescue Láimhiarrainn from a powerful foe. Láimhiarrainn is typically described as a living mountain or an animated statue, while Cruachín is described only as having the darkest hair and the brightest eyes. Láimhiarrainn earned his nickname by single handedly holding a bridge against a horde of Gwyllt invaders while Cruachín ran ahead to warn the nearby towns of their approach.
Láimhiarrainn is traditionally identified as a rare Fathach wanderer in Siabhal while Cruachín’s species is left entirely up to the story teller.
Event Team Submission.
The Companions
The exact composition of the Hundred Heroes seems to vary depending on who you ask, and some Heroes are known only in certain localities or to those families who claim descent from them. These Heroes most often appear as companions to Finian the Brave or other more major figures in the Legend of Lobhan. Their descendents are likely to be no less proud of their origins, after all even the least of the Hundred Heroes is still a Hero in their own right.
Sé of the silver eye
“Séaghdha met the heroes — though which heroes vary with the telling — in a tavern. Or at a feast. Or around a campfire. Either way, there were people and music, and money changing hands.
Sé had been a travelling trader, and lost everything in the Gwyllt attack which left him with his trademark silver eye. Since then he had been winning drinks, dinner, and the odd coin in games of wits against people whose fortunes were little better.
After most of the heroes had lost coins or drinks to him in games of cards, riddles, or strategy, Finian — or sometimes another leading hero — approached him and offered him a greater purpose toward which he might employ those skills.
Shea’s role in the stories is usually to talk: He persuades a local noble to join the heroes in battle; he gathers a group of farmers to rebuild a road, or repair a fortification;he talks a bandit leader into siding with the people they’ve been robbing, against the Gwyllt.
Shay’s species is generally at the discretion of the storyteller, though he is always just on the far side of middle age for whichever species he may be.”
Submitted by Philip
Lyra Blackthorn “the carer of all”
“Lyra was a field Wildling with a visage of black thorns and piercing amber eyes. Many assumed from their solitary tendencies that they were cold and uncaring, but this could not be further from the truth.
Lyra was also known as a solid defender, and it was said that once they planted their feet it was impossible to move them from that spot no matter the force or how hard they were struck. Most stories about Lyra involve them defending a bridge, mountain pass, or small village against impossible odds until the other Heroes can arrive to reinforce them and vanquish the foe.
In many of the stories the only survivors are a group of children, orphaned by the Gwyllt’s assault.These stories always end the same way, with one of the heroes asking what would happen to the children and Lyra, confused that any decision needed to be made, telling those present, ‘I will care for them, they shall have my name to show I defend them, and that they are part of the Blackthorn family.’”
Submitted by Stuart
Ultan of the Valley
“Few epic poems or famous songs are written about Ultan of The Valley. No one even knows which valley they hail from. However Ultan may be the hero who appears in the most works, always in a supporting role. When Saoirse slew the Gibbering Hound, it was Ultan that distracted it. When Cormac The Red and a dozen warriors held the Drywind Pass, Ultan was one of the dozen. And when Tyrone lost his duel with Keira the Many-Hearted, it was Ultan that carried the body home. Many were the heroes that called Ultan friend, though some scholars claim that Ultan was simply a common name at the time, or was added in later tellings to make The Hundred Heroes seem more united than they truly were. Of course the scholars who make that claim take great care to never voice those opinions around those who can trace their lineage back to Ultan or any of the Heroes they were said to have aided.
The majority of those who claim descent from Ultan are Human, though their own species is never explicitly stated.”
Submitted by Jonathan
Lorcan Rua
“Lorcan Rua is a tragic figure among the hundred heroes. A young warrior, he is typically not the focus of any story but rather the victim, often willing, of a danger at hand. There are many tales depicting the grim trials or death of Lorcan. Some learned cinnirí suggest that Lorcan Rua is a name given to a host of unknown dead, lost to the vagaries of war, but the typical lay storyteller will have a favourite tale of Lorcan Rua they maintain is the truth with all others being misattributed or simply wrong. When he appears in a tale Lorcan will typically offer himself up to save a comrade, whether by holding the line to give them time to retreat or paying the ultimate price for another hero’s misdeeds. His pain or death typically spurs other heroes to further greatness but in some melancholy tales his suffering is without meaning or relief, reflecting the dark days the hundred heroes lived in. In modern tales Lorcan often prophesises the coming of the Shaper as he dies.
Lorcan Rua is often identified as a Human, good-hearted but reckless, but is also seen as a selfless Creidhe by some.”
Anonymous submission
Órfhaiche, who turned the Earth
“Órfhaiche rarely features in tales of derring do, though some storytellers credit her as saving more lives than any other hero. Her most common role is to serve as the call to action in other heroes’ stories, being the wealthy landowner or village leader who summons Finian’s companions to solve some great problem, with that other companion’s heroism being the focus of the story. She held the ball where Cathal and Barra became betrothed after a night of comic misunderstandings, she sent for Lyra when the smoking horde marched on Cheilg, and when glistening skinless Gwyllt stalked the fields she called for Conlaoch the sword eater to slay them with his bare hands.
Scholars have in recent years begun obsessing over the minor details introduced as preamble to whatever disaster needs the intervention of the other heroes, ranging from bartering with the Uasaigh tribes for the knowledge of bringing water to dry land, to being the one to first develop a three-field crop rotation system to preserve the fertility of the land.
Due to her association with agriculture and appearances in even the earliest tales, she is usually identified as a Leasiar.”
Event Team submission.
The Brash
Against the Gwyllt, martial virtue was often the deciding factor in whether Siabhal was wiped from the face of Tirneach or not. These Hundred Heroes are among the most celebrated and ferocious of warriors, sometimes to their own detriment. Siabhlaigh who descend from them are quite commonly found among the gallóglaigh bands, eager to make their own name and live up to their ancestors’ legacy.
Conlaoch the Sword Eater
“Also styled as the Bold or the Fearless, his origins vary from story to story, in some he was a wolf who became a Forest Wildling under the full moon, or a Field Wilding boy who rallied his friends to fight off a Gwyllt, armed with nothing but sticks. Some forgo any history and introduce him mid-battle, adorned only in the blood of his enemies.
A hulking, brutish fighter who preferred to fight bare handed, with little in common with Finian’s other companions save their hatred of the Gwyllt – while he often appears out of the blue to rescue a less martial hero from the Gwyllt, more than one tale focuses on arguments between Conlaoch and other cooler-headed Heroes, which come to blows until he can be tricked or mollified. The most notable is the day Conlaoch challenged Finian, declaring them weak and unsuited to lead the companions, leading to a duel. When Finian is about to deal the fatal blow and lop off Conlaoch’s head he catches the blade between his teeth and breaks it. This settles the matter, and stories set after this event normally show a more respectful Conlaoch, though one whose fury in battle is undimmed.”
Composite of submissions by Tyrone & Eimhin
Cathal Dearg & Barra Buí, the Spear and the Shield
“Always appearing together, these lovers travelled widely, fighting both the Gwyllt and any other threat to Siabhall. Their tales tend to fall into two categories.
The first stresses their teamwork in battle. Cathal fought with no thought whatsoever for defence, tearing wildly through foe after foe and shattering spear after spear upon their armour. Barra acted as his protector and spear-carrier, using his tactical instincts and Creidhe gifts to keep his reckless human lover alive and armed. Every single strike pierced three foes and shattered the weapon besides. It is said that Barra could mend a weapon simply by twirling it around his fingers, and throw it to Cathal as fast, while his own shield was unbreakable.
The second is comedic, playing up the common stereotypes of humans and Creidhe. These tales are never of battle, but instead feature an endless variety of domestic and social situations where their wildly different personalities would lead to hilarity: meeting the other’s foster parents, both being asked to protect a ball against intrigue, and one rescuing another from a misunderstanding are common themes.
In every tale, the lovers are completely inseparable, and both frustrated and deeply delighted by their partner’s perspective on life.”
Submitted by Steve Kenneally
Siún, Who Lept the Flaming Wall
(Shoon)
Said to have known Finian the Brave since childhood, Siún is best known for her brash, impetuous nature. Legends about Siún tend to fall into one of two patterns: in the first, Siún is the source of the conflict and other members of the Hundred Heroes must step in to rescue her or restore order after some rash action goes awry. In the second kind, Siún saves the day, stepping up to cut straight to the heart of the crisis and end the threat when the other Heroes were too cautious or circumspect to do so. Siún’s most famous deed happened in a town (usually one local to the storyteller) that fell under siege from Caorthainigh Gwyllt. All hope seemed lost as their defences burned and the Gwyllt soldiers massed outside, ready to enter the town and begin the slaughter. No longer willing to sit and wait for the enemy, Siún is said to have lept not only over the town’s burning walls but over fifteen ranks of Gwyllt beyond to land face to face with the Caorthainigh Queen and strike her down.
Siún is traditionally identified as a Field Wildling but some mutter that her feats were far too bold for a “tameling”.
Event Team Submission.
Alarig Gorm, also known as Alarig the Relentless
(Alarig Gur-um)
The stories say that following a terrible storm, Alarig Gorm was found washed up on the Northern shore of Siabhal by seaweed gatherers who brought him before Finian the Brave. When Alarig heard of the Hundred Heroes’ ongoing campaign to preserve Siabhal from the Gwyllt, he pledged to join them in their battles. Alarig is said to have had tusks which grew to terrifying size when he exerted himself in battle and which were strong enough to turn away an axe-blow. Famed for his extraordinary resilience, many of his legends revolve around him beating overwhelming odds through feats of endurance. In his most famous tale, Alarig was amongst a group of warriors who were ambushed by the Gwyllt. Following the initial attack the creatures left Alarig for dead and carried off the others for some foul, unknown purpose. Upon awakening, Alarig pursued the Gwyllt for six days and six nights without rest, food, or drink. When he finally ran down his quarry, he freed the prisoners and led them in destroying their Gwyllt captures.
Alarig Gorm is usually identified as an early Krieger arrival in Tirneach though a few voices insist he must have been a Wilding.
Event Team Submission
The Counsellors
Although the Hundred Heroes were united in fighting against the Gwyllt, they didn’t always agree in the best way to rid themselves of their vile influence. Those Hundred Heroes known as the Counsellors sometimes stood in opposition to the others, particularly Finian the Brave, and were known for their wisdom. Today, their descendants are as prestigious as other Ruby Families, and many of them have a reputation for straight talk and wise counsel. Sometimes it’s even earned.
Aran “The Knight of the Loaves”
“The tales of Aran “The Knight of the Loaves” generally fall into two categories, those intended for children and those intended for adults.
The tales aimed at children involve frequent and on the nose puns to keep their interest, about a local hero rising to the occasion and using his loaf to save the day, and joining the upper crust of society.
The tales intended for adults are normally more grounded, and mostly start with Aran already being a member of the Hundred Heroes, and during the course of the tale reveal he was once merely a wealthy and respected baker from the village or town their adventure is taking place, and saves the day with either some obscure piece of local knowledge or an old relationship with a member of the community that provides them with crucial aid or information.
The stories always feature a different village as his hometown, making Leasiar the most common species for Aran to be portrayed as.”
Submitted by Emmet.
Luachra the Longarmed
“Luachra is said to have been a wanderer, known across much of Siabhal during Finian’s time, where she was known for involving herself in other’s business uninvited. She often appeared to accompany Finian in times of need, wielding a longspear with unsurpassed skill, dancing beyond the reach of their foes despite her shorter stature. In some cases, Finian or another of the heroes had to come to her aid, after finding herself in a greater danger than she could face alone. A sometimes-divisive figure, Luachra is said to have been brash and outspoken – some say to the point of being unmannerly – while others focus on Luachra’s open-hearted and compassionate nature. She often appears in stories to chastise other heroes for letting their ambition or greed to get the better of them, or to counsel them in times of grief or despair. She is said to have met her end fighting to protect a stricken comrade, though which Hero she was protecting, and the reason why, are often left to the storyteller’s imagination.
Luachra is usually identified as a Forest Wildling, though a few depictions claim she was a Human made fierce and resolute by life in the wild.”
Submitted by Eimhin
Fiona, Who Slew the Red Prince
Fiona first appears in the tales of the Hundred Heroes as an enemy of Finian and his followers. She is said to have considered him simply another would-be warlord, with no loyalty to Siabhal but simply out for his own petty gains. The filí argue over the details of the story but it is agreed that it was some desperate act of self-sacrifice by Finian that finally won her to his cause and that Finian would not have survived the ordeal without her intervention. Even after joining the cause Fiona is often cast in the role of an accuser in the stories of other heroes, calling out their misdeeds and exhorting them to live up to their duty to Siabhal. Fiona’s most acclaimed deed comes in the tales of the Red Prince, which recount the tragedy of Finian’s son, returned from the grave as a terrible undead abomination. When Finian was unable to bring himself to destroy the thing that was once his son, Fiona took on the burden and slew the creature in single combat.
Fiona is traditionally identified as a Leasiar.
Event Team Submission.
The Masters of the Arcane
With all the force of arms possessed by the Hundred Heroes, it also took great skill at magic to keep the Gwyllt from tearing the throat from the people of Siabhal for so many centuries. These Hundred Heroes were known to possess great power, and the Siabhlaigh would claim they even surpassed the Saoí of Draíod in their depth of knowledge. Many of the greatest practitioners of magic today in Siabhal can trace their ancestry back to one of the Heroes, though sometimes that power comes with a strange legacy.
Bróna Derarca Diavall of the Last Sight
“A Leasiar who appears in stories often in a minor role, emphasising her intelligence, sense of justice, and legendary compassion of both living and dead.Often she appears at the very end of a story, eulogising another companion of Finian the Brave who fell in battle, summarising their legacy and lighting the funeral pyre herself.
There is a small subsection of tales where the Gwyllt storm her ancestral home, Tor Brónach, laying low every other companion of Finian the Brave in a lengthy battle. But on the final night Bróna called for the heroes, both those lying on the field of battle and those resting in urns as ash, to rise once more not as undead, but fully revived and at the peak of their power, to slay ten hundred or ten thousand or a hundred thousand Gwyllt with moonlit glowing blades. The fate of those risen varies, but in all tales all that remained of Brona was the echo of her voice, she and her great book of spells had vanished in the melee never to be seen again but always to be heard, a keening voice celebrating every hero’s life when the winds around Tor Brónach pick up.”
Submitted by Feargal
Cathbad, the Resplendent Thunder
“A proud and graceful warrior, Cathbad was a wizard of great renown. Not content with a life of quiet learning and contemplation he walked the path of battle magic. His spells wreaked havoc on many a Gwyllt host and his skills were sought the length and breadth of Siabhal. In short order he became known as one of the finest wizards the realm had seen and Cathbad is described as famously prideful to the point of arrogance. Stories involving Cathbad tend to feature him prominently but they are not always kind;in many stories it is Cathbad who single-handedly turns the tide of a battle or outwits a cunning Gwyllt, but in just as many it is his arrogance that causes terrible danger to fall on him and his fellows in the first place. No matter the cause Cathbad succeeds in all of his adventures, including his famous death tale where he is forced to become the storm itself to break apart an army of Gwyllt and save the kingdom. He is destroyed by the effort.
Cathbad is nearly universally identified as a Drakeblooded, though some storytellers portray them as a Human or Vartach who stole thunder from the dragons.”
Anonymous Submission
Meirliún Gall, also known as Meirliún the Marked
“Meirliún is described as having entered Finian’s service as payment for a great debt. Her stories focus on her secret knowledge and powerful skill with the arcane. Meirliún is said to have turned away packs of Gwyllt with a word and to have granted Finian insight into the nature of the enemy that turned the tide of battles. Meirliún is commonly credited with uncovering and defeating hidden or secret enemies such as Gwyllt impostors or creatures who lurked unseen and spread subtle corruptions. Meirliún’s most famous story involves an extended duel with a powerful Gwyllt that pursued her from her homeland. In the tale, Meirliún must discern and satisfy conditions of time, place, and preparedness before she can harm the creature. There are tales that paint Meirliún’s uncanny knowledge of the Gwyllt in a sinister light and repeating them is sure to earn the ire of those who claim her as their ancestor.
Meirliún is traditionally identified as a Vartach. In earlier stories her brand is described rather than named, in vague enough terms to be identified as Sunspear, Clashing Sword, Broken Chain and rarely a Linebreaker, depending on what best suits the themes of the story.”
Anonymous submission