Réigs of Recent History
The Ua Chonchobhair Dynasty (764 – 797 TR)
The regency of Duarcan the Grim stretched Tirneach’s faith in the impartial stewardship of House Roaring Thunder almost to breaking point and so relief and celebration spread across the realms when Seocha Ua Chonchobhair was finally recognised as the successor to Peadar the Young.
For most in Tirneach, Seocha was the first human Réig in living memory and when the initial enthusiasm for her coronation passed, many assumed that her reign would be short and chaotic. Seocha’s first act as Réig however, was a prudent one as she convinced Duarcan to step down as head of House Roaring Thunder. While most in Corroch were quietly pleased to see him go, the Réig bestowed great treasure and even a portion of the Ua Chonchobair lands in Siabhal upon him in recognition of his service to the Five Realms. Duarcan is said to have immediately handed both lands and treasure over to the use of his House. Seocha proved a steady hand on the tiller of Tirneach and if her critics said anything of her it was that she was too cautious, perhaps out of fear of appearing the stereotypical human. After a rule of ten years, Seocha was succeeded by her nephew Airt.
Airt Ua Chonchobhair had a reputation as a pious scholar and was a great patron of the Order of the Teachers. This was not however all that a Réig needed to be, and as the hard work of his aunt faded into memory he became less and less popular. An inattentive and anti-social Réig, he antagonised and alienated the Tiarnaí and was subject to numerous challenges to duels that he simply ignored. In the end, he died suddenly during a visit by his niece Maeláine to Corroch.
Conveniently present in the capital at the time of her uncle’s death, Maeláine was quickly able to secure her position as his heir. A renowned Galloglaigh, Maeláine was ambitious and proactive as Réig. She personally led the charge at the Battle of Traitors Tears and secured both the Five Realms and her reputation as a Réig to be reckoned with. Once she had undone the disorder created by her uncle’s reign, she began to look beyond Tirneach’s borders and set in motion a plan to bring the Shaper’s Steps under the Réig’s control. This effort proved to be her undoing however as she died on the Steps and ushered in the Uncertainty.
The Time of Tumult (748 – 764 TR)
Now fading from memory in the shadow of the Uncertainty and the turn of a new century, the Time of Tumult was for many still living today, a time of unprecedented instability and disorder. More still ruefully remember not the chaos, but the grim peace instated by the regent Duarcan to end it.
Peadar Ó Srutha-Láidir (748 – 753 TR)
Whoever came to power following the reign of Léamh the Long-Lived was going to have a hard time distinguishing themselves. Peadar decided to do so by railing against everything his predecessor had built. Primarily representing a small constituency in Uasa that objected to the changes wrought upon the realm by Léamh, Peadar was in endless conflict with a political class that had largely been established by her. The expansion of the canal network in Uasa and the draining of parts of the wetlands could not be practically undone and Peadar spent endless hours in conflict with his own Reckoners on this point. His animosity with almost all those in positions of power around him led to the influence of the Réig withdrawing from across the Five Realms until at the end of his reign, it was said he could barely govern the room he was standing in.
Áine Crannfó (753 – 755 TR)
Following the death of Peadar, two réigs were proclaimed. One, Áine Crannfo, in Corroch and a second, Fiona Ón Coill in the fortified town of Duncruthaitheoir in western Bruid. Despite lacking the support of House Roaring Thunder or the political establishment at large, Fiona proved persistent and for a time functionally controlled much of western Bruid and the southern Lowlands of Baol. Áine’s reign was defined by Fiona’s opposition and she never managed to impose her authority as Réig. She died after only 2yrs on the throne, from wounds sustained in a raid on Duncruthaitheoir.
Peadar the Young (755 – 758 TR)
The child of Peadar Ó Srutha-Láidir. Despite their father’s unpopularity, they were seen as the reassuring face of continuity in the aftermath of Áine’s death. Peadar gave House Roaring Thunder free reign to put down Fiona Ón Coill. Duarcan, the head of house, led a brief and brutal campaign against Fiona, ending in the total destruction of Duncruthaitheoir. The lesson Peadar took from this seems to have been that it was best to leave the hard work and decision making to others. A notoriously unreliable Réig, they died in their sleep after only a few years on the throne.
Duarcan the Grim (Regent 758 – 764 TR)
Following Peadar’s death Duarcan became regent. Many believe that he coveted the power of the Réig for himself, some even going so far as to whisper that he may have played a role in the death of his charge. Duarcan certainly held power longer than any other regent in history but those closest to him have always sworn it was motivated purely by duty and never ambition. Duarcan’s rule of Tirneach was harsh, he refused to recognise a Réig that he didn’t believe was strong enough to end the instability that had reigned since the death of Léamh. He demanded hostages from the Iarlas and when the Iarla of Siabhal refused, he marched a force of Drakeblooded into Barr and killed them himself. Their successor surrendered hostages enthusiastically. Duarcan’s time as regent was a blood-stained peace, his iron will always ready to snuff out any lawlessness or unrest. Having finally found a handful of candidates he was willing to recognise, his reign ended with a tournament which he said would reveal who amongst the worthy the Shaper, and not he, chose to become Réig.
Léamh the Long-Lived (708 – 748 TR)
Said to be the longest ruling Réig in history, Léamh oversaw major changes across the Five Realms but in Uasa most of all. It was according to her Great Design that the canals and dams were developed and expanded in Uasa, and the narrow Vercontin’s Pass that winds through the Ring Mountains and connects Uasa and Draíod was widened into a proper road to allow the rapid movement of trade and galloglaigh. These projects took many years, and only a Leasiar with Leamh’s tenacity could have seen them through. These seismic changes to the landscape of Tirneach caused many to murmur that Leamh was daring to question the Shaper’s work, moulding the Realms into her image of what they should be rather than acknowledging the beauty of the Shaper’s design. Nevertheless she held to her Design, and the gallóglaigh bands were very active during her reign in stamping out both rebellion and the Gwyllt. She died quietly in the end, her centuries-long life finally coming to a close. Of course there are rumours that instead she lives still, having taken the Path of Many Candles, but that would be impossible to prove. After her reign came the Time of Tumult, but her legacy still stands in a land forever changed by her Design.
Réigs of Centuries Past
Maev Darkhallow (586 – 601 TR)
Ruling at the end of the 6th Century, Maev Darkhallow was a popular and competent Réig hailing from Draíod. Her reign is unfortunately over-shadowed almost completely by its final year, in which Meav declared that Draíod would become an independent kingdom once more. She died on the battlefield fighting against a coalition formed by the Iarlas of Siabhal, Bruid, and Baol, as well as many Uasans organised under the Rider of Dionrua and a contingent of Draíodaigh volunteers organised under the Rider of Shepherd’s Stand.
Murdoch Ó Tanaí (548 – 570 TR)
A Creidhe of Uasa, he came to the throne in the sixth century by pledging to repair the damage done by his predecessor, Bróna the Wastrel. He is celebrated as a great steward of the five realms. During his tenure he built trade links across Tirneach and beyond, ultimately replenishing the Réig’s coffers. Once the realms were stable and an obvious heir appeared, he abdicated. Despite being generally well regarded, he is despised by the Baolaigh highlanders for formally recognising the trade guilds and granting them their charters.
The Donal Dynasty (452 – 493 TR)
Isla Ón Gort, a wildling of Baol, is remembered as one of the worst réigs of all time. Her name initially meant “of the field” but later came to be evoked for its associations with famine and pain. She is a famed traitor and a villain in many songs and plays over the centuries. Her brother, Dónal the Lowlander, was the last of a series of short lived réigs in the mid fifth century. Said by some to be the first Baolish Réig (and by many more to be the first from the Lowlands) he was a strong and popular leader, expected to achieve great things. When he died suddenly of an illness only three years into his reign, House Roaring Thunder and Isla quickly proclaimed his young daughter Moira, to be réig. Barely in her teens at her coronation, Moira was largely controlled by her bodyguards and her aunt, even into adulthood. It is widely accepted that Isla assassinated her niece after pressuring her into naming her heir. Despite her cruelty and kinslaying, Isla lived out the rest of her days as Réig. Her daughter, Eimear, was eventually dethroned and imprisoned by the heroic sunspear Réig, Vara Cavewarden.
Fachtna’s Golden Years (420 – 444 TR)
A highly esteemed Leasair Réig from the beginning of the fifth century and one of Tirneach’s longest ruling Réigs. She was a great advocate for the settlement and development of Bruid, her home realm. She formally recognised Caorioc as a city and had it fortified as a beacon of civilisation in the wild realm. Unusually, she co-ruled with her protegé for the last six years of her reign, the wildling Faolán the young. Faolán took the throne after her and is also considered a mighty Réig, who built upon strong foundations and enjoyed the support of their Iarlas before dying heroically in battle with the gwyllt after a long reign. Their partnership is often held up as a model for the relationship between the Leasair and the Wildlings as a whole. While Fachtna was believed to have died of natural causes, as always with leasiar, some said that she took the Path of Many Candles. Indeed, an interregnum in the early sixth century was ended by a leasiar known as “Fachtna the Returned”. Claiming to be a post-candling Fachtna, she built massive popular support and House Roaring Thunder recognised her as Réig. She ruled for some years, before abdicating, supposedly to candle again.
Rudraige (4th Century TR)
Tirneach’s sole Krieger Réig to date, Rudraige took the throne following the ignoble end of the The Ó Eas Dynasty. Turlough, the last Ó Eas Reig, was profoundly unpopular and ineffectual and under their rule the realms of Siabhal, Baol, and Draíod had reverted to de facto independence. An energetic and proactive Réig, Rudraige successfully rebuilt the unity and interdependence of the Five Realms with a program of generous patronage for their allies and brutal reprisals for their enemies. A contentious figure, they abdicated and retired to a Termonn late in life where they died at the hands of assassins.
Muircheartach the Wise and Séadna the Bloody (3rd Century TR)
Muircheartach was a popular Réig with many across the Five Realms, though he was suspected of being weak in some quarters and accused of lacking the necessary martial prowess to hold the position.
One such claim came from Éibhear, the Iarla of Baol who would later become known as Éibhear the Traitor. Éibhear declared himself Réig and announced his intention to march his forces to Corroch and seize the throne from Muircheartach. Much to his chagrin, Éibhear was met in the Lakelands not by the galloglaigh of Réig Muircheartach but by Réig Séadna, leading her forces from the front. Muircheartach knew his strengths and his weaknesses, and upon hearing of Éibhear’s rebellion he had ceded his title to his cousin, Séadna.
Éibhear barely survived the initial battle in the Lakelands but managed to return to the Baolish Highlands and rally more supporters. The resulting war ground on for three years, bringing ruin to swathes of Siabhal, Uasa, and Lowland Baol. On the day that her victory was finally declared, Séadna returned the throne to her cousin and retired to a termonn in Siabhal.
The only Réig to have held the title twice, Muircheartach dedicated the remainder of his reign to restoring prosperity to war-torn regions of Siabhal, Uasa, and Baol and in doing so finally completed the course of the Réig’s Road. A project which had been begun in Uasa more than a century prior.
Úgaine the Pious (2nd Century TR)
Úgaine believed that the Réig was the servant of the Shaper first and foremost and placed their support of the Church at the centre of their reign. Úgaine is credited with beginning the tradition that new Réigs should follow the First Réig’s example and undertake a pilgrimage through the Way of Wisdom. By far their most lasting impact however was their recognition and patronage of the Order of the Teachers. This first order of cinnire established the model that would lead to the five orders as they are known today. With the support of the Réig, their work spread education and prosperity across the Five Realms. Late in Úgaine’s life, the Order of Necromancers followed suit and was also granted the recognition of the Réig.
Saoirse of House Cleansing Rain (1st Century TR)
Ruling at the end of the 1st century, Saoirse is said by some to be the direct successor of the First Réig. Others insist that there were intermediaries whose tales have been lost in the turmoil that followed the death of Tirneach’s unifier. In either case, Saoirse is considered by most to be the Réig who ended that period of uncertainty. When Saoirse came to power many of the First Galloglaigh had settled down or died and many of the Riders granted their titles in the time of the First Réig were beginning to have serious thoughts about their heirs. The future shape of power in Tirneach was uncertain. It can’t be said whether Saoirse was driven by piety, practicality, or politics but at this time she rallied the Realms in a great push against the forces of the Gwyllt. Local rivalries and petty ambitions were set aside in the face of the terrible foe and this great advance called for warriors equal to the challenge. Saoirse swore in hundreds of new Galloglaigh, offered their use in local conflicts to the Iarlas and Riders, and promised them places amongst the Tiarnaí in return for heroic service. The Galloglaigh bands she formed set the mold for centuries to come.