S Farrell - Holder of Lightning

Gheimhri Marks the onset of autumn. This is a date fraught with uncertainty

(in the fourth as the crops are harvested and the colder weather begins. Though t

week of often spreadsover more than one day, it is also laden with solemn r

Sweetsap) ceremonies to placate the gods who awaken with the autumn chill.

The following is a sample year with corresponding Gregorian dates.

However, bear in mind that this is only an approximation and will differ slightly each year.

1st day of Longroot = September 23 (New Year’s Day)

1st day of = October 21

Silverbark

= November 18

= December 16

= 7 thday of Straightwood (December 22)

= January 13

= February 10 = March 10

= 11th day of Brightflower (March 20)

= April 7

= May 5 = June 2

= 19th day of Capnut (June 20) = June 30

1st day of Wideleaf

1st day of Straightwood

Festival of Lafuacht

1st day of Fallinglimb

1st day of Deereye

1st day of Brightflower

Festival of Fomhar:

1st day of Redfruit

1st day of Conefir

1st day of Capnut

Festival of Meitha:

1st day of Stranglevine

1st day of = July 28 Softwood

1st day of = August 25 Sweetsap

Festival of = 28th day of Sweetsap

Gheimhri: (September 21)

History:

Time of Though details and sometimes names vary, similar tales Myth are shared by both the Bunus Muintir and Daoine people, which indicate a common mythological base and possibly a shared tribal ancestry. The following tale is just one of many, and is the primary Daoine Creation Myth. The Mother-Creator had intercourse with the Sky-Father, and gave birth to a son. But their son was sickly and died, and she laid him down in the firmament, and his skeleton became the bones of the land. In time, the Mother-Creator overcame her grief and lay again with the Sky-Father, and gave birth to Seed-Daughter. Seed-Daughter flourished and in time became as beautiful as her mother, and she attracted the attention of a son of the Sky-Father, Cloud. From that triple union came the plants living in the soil that covered her brother, the Earth. Seed-Daughter was also coveted by Darkness, and Darkness stole her away and took her in violence. When Seed-Daughter escaped from Darkness and came back to Cloud and Rain, sorrowing, she was heavy in her womb, and from her time of confinement would come all the Miondia, the Lesser Gods. The Miondia spread out over the lands, and from their couplings emerged the animals in all their varieties. After the rape by Darkness, Seed-Daughter could conceive no more. She wept often, sometimes fiercely, which we see even now in the rain that falls.

Year The first of the Bunus Muintir tribes reach Talamh an -2500 Ghlas, after traversing from Thall Mor-roinn, the (appro mainland, into Ceile Mhor, the larger peninsula to which x.) Talamh an Ghlas is attached. These Bronze Age people created their society in Talamhan Ghlas, which lasted until the arrival of the Daoine tribes in Year 0.

Year The disappearance of the mage-lights for the Bunus

— 75 Muintir people. The mage-lights would not reappear

(appro again until after the arrival of the Daoine and the collapse

x.) of Bunus Muintir society.

Year Death of Bunus Muintir chieftain and cloudmage Riata.

— 70

(appro

x.)

Year o The first of the Daoine tribes enter Talamh an Ghlas,

crossing over the "Finger," the spine of mountainous land connecting Talamh an Ghlas to the peninsula of Ceile Mhor, and also arriving by ship at Inish Thuaidh, on the western coast at Bacathair and in the south at Taghmon. They would encounter and eventually displace (and in-terbreed with) the Bunus Muintir people.

Year The Battle of Lough Dubh, where RB Crenel Dahgnon de-105 feated the last Bunus Muintir chieftain Ruaidhri.

Year The first recorded mage-lights appear over Inish 232 Thu-aidh. The Inishlanders would eventually learn to harness the power of the mage-lights through the cloch na thrintri, the "lightning stones" of Bunus Muintir legend. This is the beginning of what will be popularly called the "Before" by the people of Jenna Aoire’s time. Year Mael Armagh, RB of Tuath Infochla, sets out to conquer 711 Inish Thuaidh, and is defeated and killed in the Battle of Sliabh Michinniuint by Severii O’Coulghan, the In-ishlander chieftain.

Year Last reported sighting of mage-lights over Inish Thuaidh. 726 End of the "Before." Over four centuries will pass before the mage-lights return.

Year A reputed cloch na thrintri is stolen from Inishfeirm by 1075 an acolyte named Niall (last name unknown) and is given as a pledge of love to Kerys Aoire.

Year Niall Aoire, son of Kerys Aoire, arrives in Ballintubber 1111 and meets Maeve Oldspring, whom he will marry.

Year Jenna Aoire born in Ballintubber.

1113

Year On the 18th day of Longroot, mage-lights reappear over 1129 the village of Ballintubber in Tuath Gabair. This heralds the beginning of Filleadh — the "Coming Back."

The Holders of Lamh Shabala

(Dates given face indicate in Daoine years and in chronological order. Entries in bold- the cloch was active during the time of Holding.)

The Bunus; Muintir Holders (from Year -160) -144 Lasairiona (F)

to

— 160

— 129 Oengus (M)

to

— 144

— 113 Davali (M) to -129

— 113 RBata (M) The last Bunus Muintir holder of an to-70 active cloch. The magelights failed in the last

years of his Holding, and Lamh Shabhala would rest again for three centuries.

— 70 to None. During these years, the cloch remained in RBata's

— 63 tomb.

— 63 to Breck the Tomb-robber (F) For two days, until she was

— 63 caught and executed.

— 62 to None. Again, the cloch rests in RBata's tomb.

— 53

— 53 to Nollaig the One-Handed (M). Nollaig, like Breck, stole -42 the cloch from RBata's tomb but held it for years, until he was caught pilfering other items from the chieftain Lobharan's clannog. The cloch and other items once belonging to RBata as well as from the other tombs there were found among Nollaig's belongings. Some of the treasure was returned to the tombs, but Lobharan kept the stone. Nollaig lost his hand.

— 42 to Lobharan (M)

— 27

— 27 Ailbhe (F) Lobharan's daughter. to-15

— 15 to Struan (M) Ailbhe's son, father of Cealaigh.

11

11 to Cealaigh (M) First war chief of the Bunus, who were now 37 actively fighting the Daoine in the north of Talamn an

Ghlas. He would wear the cloch in battle under his armor, and was never defeated on the field — he died of an illness.

37 to Mhaolain (M) Mhaolain was Cealaigh's successor as war 42 chief, who (like Cealaigh) wore the cloch as a talisman for victory. When he was finally defeated by Dyved of the North Holdings' army, the cloch passed from Bunus Muintir hands to those of the Daoine.

The Daoine Holders

42 to Dyved of the North Holdings (M)

57

57 to Salmhor O-Dyved (M) Dyved’s son, killed in battle 59 against the Bunus Muintir. The cloch was among his effects, but none of Salmhor’s heirs seems to have inherited the cloch. From here, it passes out of history for nearly two centuries until the magelights come again in 232.

49 to The Lost Years. Sometime during this period, the cloch 232 was moved from the North Holdings (a small kingdom in what would later be part of Tuath Infochla) to Inish Thuaidh. No one knows for certain who held the stone during this time, though several people in later years would claim that their ancestors had been among them. Since none of the Daoine had seen the mage-lights, it’s doubtful that they understood the significance of the stone beyond its recent history as a talisman of the Bunus war chiefs. There is a legend that the Bunus Muintir recovered the cloch after Salmhor’s death on the battlefield, and that the Bunus themselves took the cloch to Inish Thuaidh to hide it. Anotherlegend claims that the cloch was thrown into the sea, and that a blue seal brought the cloch to Inish Thuaidh. The truth of any of these claims can’t be verified.