Leabhar Aois, the Encyclopædia Historia Warreica

[Warre]

Beannachtaí, agus Sláinte Mhaith! Greetings and Good Health to you! If you're reading this; you've gained a copy of one of the specially translated copies of Leabhar Aois; the Warreic 'Book of Ages', which teaches students within the upper tiers of high school about the history of their glorious High Kingdom. Published in English in Warre, and exported to countries such as Cornavia, and Breotonia. It is also published in Tiburiano within the Warreic Embassy to the Holy Tiburian Empire, in Monteferatto; and exported to Talemantros and the Holy Tiburian Empire from there; though called the 'Leabhar Aois' [Book of Ages] in English; often with 'Warreic' pasted before the book of Ages, within the Holy Tiburian Empire and Talemantros it is published as 'Encyclopædia Historia Warreica'. Finally, copies are published within Warre in German are known as 'Buch der Warreic Geschichte', and exported to places such as Tyskreich, Fraken, and Danmark.

The Leabhar Aois [Book of Ages] is a tome of Warreic History; telling the official history as detailed by the Filidic Order of the Lyre [The High Kingdom's most elite Historian organization], and numerous Warreic Archaeologists. We hope that this book is an enjoyable read; and that you gain a bit of insight into Warreic History and indeed Warreic Culture, from this tome.

 

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Chapter 1: Warestyr and the Migrations

Historical and Archaeological evidence dates the approximate arrival of the pre-celt peoples within Warestyr [Lyngholm] in approximately 7,000 BC or 8,000 BC. If they were a far traveling Celt tribe or some other people, is not known at this time. The first instance of the proto-Warreic peoples who would come to inhabit Warestyr and the Northeastern portions of Éireann, was at approximately 400 to 300, B.C. The exact reasons for these travels are not fully touched upon, but it is believed that they may have either been landless vassals of other HÉireannaigh peoples, or a collection of tribes of Gaelic Celts who were simply driven further north by their cousins, and by the pushes of the Germanic tribes and the Tiburian Empire. The latter situation is believed to be the most valid, because of 'historical connections' involving the Warreaigh Cycle and the Epic of Warestyr, the oldest surviving texts within Warreic Gaelic.

These people formed settlements amongst the the north-easterm peninsula of HÉireann, and within the island of 'Warestyr' which came to be known as a safe haven from their further pushing cousins, and from other groups. The various tribes, clanns, and territories and septs slowly began to form a loose confederation of culture against their cousins' territories, though primarily warring clanns of farmers, hunters, herders, and fishers; they were within the same sphere of culture, and the clanns, tribes and septs shared the same 'holy figures', Druids and Fili; who tended religious activities outside of the spheres of the clanns.

Regularly for the next two hundred to three hundred years, the Warreaigh were regularly raided, attacked, pillaged, and assaulted by their HÉireannaigh cousins, and by Norse raiders from Arendal and further. The Warreaigh likewise often raided their HEireannaigh cousins, and the peoples whom would later form Arendal. The exact origin of the name 'Warestyr' and eventually 'Warreic' or 'Warreaigh'; is not understood but the defensive aspects of 'Warestyr' leads some to believe the origin may have been from Warreaigh travelers who came into contact with Germanic peoples, or the Arendal peoples may've influenced the use of 'styr' as place [From the the Old Norse staðr, both of which translate as "land" or "territory"], and 'Ware' as defense/defender. There is also an alternate and typically more popular thought-process put forward that 'Ware' was always the name of the cultural group of tribes which inhabited the area, and it simply used the Gaelige 'Tir' as 'Land of/Territory of'.

During the early first century A.D, the Warreaigh attitude towards 'defensive combat' and heading to Warestyr for defense may have changed, as the HEireannaigh proto-kingdoms continued to push towards total control of the 'main island', as the norse and germanic peoples pushed further into the southernmost extent of the Gaelic peoples territories. The story of this change in attitude is likewise chronicled within the Warestyr cycle, the story of the near mythological 'CuDobhar' and his arrival in Warestyr during a pair of sieges, the first by the norsk of Arendal, the second by the Heireannaigh, and his rallying the people of the island to fight back. In the story after numerous bloody battles, CuDobhar single-handedly stopped a fleet of Norsk coming closer and closer to Warestyr by replicating the signal fires often used to warn of rocks, and then sending out a fleet of Currach towards the incoming fleet, setting them aflame with spears of thunder.

The Norsk fleet was utterly defeated by the fleet of flaming currach smashing into their ships, only one landing, and that ship landing right into the encampment of CuDobhar's kinsmen, whom were laying in wait and quickly slaughtered them. According to the story, and accepted history, that regardless of this battle's result, CuDobhar then found that his people's only choice to survive between the battering of two hammers, was to circle behind the hammers arm, and stab the wielders of the hammer in the back. An offensive and far reaching campaign followed, and for the next hundred years to a hundred and fifty years the Warreic peoples raided their neighbors feircely, and traveled the extensive coastal waters of Gallia-Scania-Germania to gain information. With the tradition edict from the Warreic that the East was where more and more enemies would inevitably come, as the Germanic tribes and the Tiburian Empire only proved, they began to raid and settle far more west all the time, eventually settling in places, and moving further and further west all the time, with more tribes arriving from their homeland, as these tribes were pushed out of Eireann and Batavie.

This push continued until the septs/clanns which claimed descent from CuDobhar [The MacAodhs, and the Láleantóir] found the continent of 'An Boreas' [Boreas], and the Warreic vassal tribes slowly followed westward. By the year 340 A.D, dozens of Warreic settlements dotted the southwestern coast of what is now Warre. The expansion of the tribes and the kingdoms of the Warreaigh came from a combination of the peace which this area seemed to be at, and the distance which they seemed to have gained from the Germanic peoples and from their own cousins. Even still, more and more peoples from Warestyr and Northeastern Eireann continued to push to the seas, heading westwards in Currachs and other ships until they landed within Warre. Dozens of chiefdoms, Kingdoms, and would-be duchies formed from these migrations, with some Warreic still traveling east on the great sea to travel and to raid Arendal, Eireann, Gallia, and any other territories which their Currach and later longboats would take them.

These kingdoms regularly warred with each other, and while settled within Boreas and Tir na Warre, or 'Tir na Las' as it was called by many because of the spectacular view of the northern lights it afforded many of them still had kinsmen or at least settlements within Eireann and Warestyr, waging war against their Eireannaigh cousins just as often as anyone else. The migrations continued, with them waging war on and for dozens of nations, heading as far east as Tiburia and forming mercenary bands for the failing Tiburian Empire, and roaming as far west the western coast of Boreas [IE, the coast of Boreas wherein Freiheit exists].

 

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Chapter 2: The Seven Kingdoms of the Warres & The Rise of the Warreic High Kingdom

The discovery of the untouched and beautiful continent of An Boreas [A name derived for the Ancient Tiburan diety Boreas, the god of the North Wind; though thought to be a mutation of 'Hyperborea'.] by the Warreic lead to a massive wave of settlement by the Warreic. In between raids for food, wealth, slaves, and occasionally more boats or materials to make more, the Warreic Kingdoms settled the area around the Holy City of Tara; and the Kingdom of Aodha [with archaeological and other evidence pointing to approximately the place of the City of Lumina as being the capital and launching point of the Aodhic expansion.]

The Seven Kingdoms grew out of these westerly-northwesterly winds, and as described in Saint Padron's epic “The Kingdoms beyond the Great Winds”; he described and notated no less than seven tribes which had sprouted from the Seed of Warestyr and Ulaidh; the tribes of Aodha, Láleantóir, Ulai, The Uí Mannan Mac Lir, The Cailin, The Uí Ryain, and the Uí Aryn. While there were dozens of minor tribes which had set themselves up [or split from the base seeds] these were the strongest of the tribes. While the earliest archaeological evidence states that the continent of Boreas was inhabited by Warreic peoples as early as 283 AD; it was not until approximately 542 AD that the mass migrations two and from Warestyr and Boreas ended.

While communication with the eastern ['occidental'] nations continued, the majority of the time was spent raiding coastal settlements around Boreas, trading with the native Otchi of the northwestern coasts of Boreas, working as mercenaries for the Tiburan Empire, and battling with each other. It was sometimes decades between communication with even their cousins within Eireann, and it was rare if not near improbable for a ship from the east to arrive within one of the kingdoms. By the time the 627th year of our lord; the Mac Aodha had defeated the Ulai to the south, and were continually locked in a struggle with the Láleantóir [La-le-an-tore] to their north. The Ulai were effectively vassalized by the Mac Aodha [Thanks to the Sixth Cattle Raid of Cúailnge; or the Sixth Táin Bó Cúailnge]; and the Láleantóir had an alliance with the Uí Ryain, and the Uí Aryn. The wars for territory, cattle, slaves, and pretty much anything from goats to marriage rights continued both within Boreas and within far-flung and barely held holdings within Ulaidh and Warestyr. Even without holdings or proper settlements within Ulaidh or Warestyr still existing, battles regularly raged over the land and over wealth and power; according to Fini documents, the last voyage of the 'great migration' cam within 623 A.D. More often than even battle with their HEirannaigh cousins, the Warreic tribes fought each other from their scant holdings in Warestyr and Ulaire.

The wars continued even to the point of the tribes taking up mercenary jobs against each other; to use their employer's conflicts as a tool of their own. By the time their claims in Boreas were near impossible to be destroy by natives; and their tribes had truly consolidated and grown into proper Kingdoms, the conquest of the Five Kingdoms of Eireann by Néill MacMáele had occurred; according to legend, Padron Uí Láleantóir, the King of the Láleantóir kingdom went into battle with Néill MacMáele; newly crowned High King of the HEireannaigh Kingdoms; and had his fleets firmly defeated with Láleantóir holdings in Warestyr hammered into nothingness. According to the story and to the legend, the MacAodha Crown Prince Thurran MacAodha had participated in this battle, Néill MacMáele calling distant cousins of the MacAodha to battle.

Thurran had been tutored as a child by a Tiburan Sage [and servant to the MacAodha household] won in a battle by his father. He had studied war and a great number of other things within The Tiburas; and at the sight of the glorious battle that was waged against the Láleantóir by Néill MacMáele; and the mere power that the High King wielded militarily and politically, it brought forward a cavernous hunger and ambition within Thurran MacAodha. He returned to Boreas and the Kingdom of Aodha, and set about making it's warriors a more professional army. He sought the favor of the Fianna, and led numerous campaigns against the contracting Láleantóir who were themselves plagued with numerous political turmoils since the return of Padron's disgraced and greatly weakened army, Padron Mac Láleantóir's defeat causing many of his army to chose to stay and serve under Néill mac Máele, or to find a different clann to be apart of. The massive power vacuum which followed, as many came to the orange hound banner of the Mac Aodha clan; and as many of the minor clanns which had sworn allegiance to the Láleantóir turned sides to join the Mac Aodha, and as many just rebelled from Láleantóir entirely, caused a period of civil war.

By the year 860, Thurran had succeeded his father; and the newly invigorated army of the MacAodha and the Ulai had taken massive land gains from the Láleantóir, and soon laid siege to Dusken; the capital of the Láleantóir Kingdom. In a daring battle which included the use of Catapults, Thurran took the city, and slayed Padron Uí Láleantóir in single combat. The army of Thurran MacAodha promptly overtook and sacked the Láleantóir capital, killing the heirs to the Láleantóir kingship, and marry the daughters of the Padron Uí Láleantóir'sdaughters to the relatives of Thurran Mac Aodha and at least two to the prospective Ard Riocht himself as concubine-wives.

With the Kingdom of Rygard [The Kingdom of the Tribe Uí Ryain], the Kingdom of Arynhold [Uí Aryn], The Kingdom of the Northern Islands [Uí Mannan Mac Lir] and the Kingdom Cerwyn [The Cailin] holding a chance of still resistance. The MacAodha-Láleantóir and their Ulai allies sought to bide their time, building their armies into more professional fighting forces, and slowly, slowly. By the time Thurran's first born son, Padron MacAodha was born, the war for unification had begun. As a pretext of it; it is said that the Thurran MacAodha called a council of Kings, and introduced his new born son as the crown-prince of all Warres. In turn of this meeting and the mere magnificence seen within the Mac Aodha's capital 'Lumina' by the King of Rygard, Conar Uí Ryain; the Uí Ryain promptly declared their allegiance to the MacAodha clann and their Kingdom.

The war with the other three Kingdoms was notoriously bloody and long. By the year 883 AD, the MacAodha and their allies had vassalized the Kingdom of Arynhold and the Kingdom of the Northern Isles. They had done worse to the Cerwyn, having spent a decade fighting them and with Thurran's own son Padron leading the battle against Moat Cailin. When the Cerwyn were finally defeated, their vassal duchies were immediately made the vassals of the High King himself; and the Cailins were forcibly removed from their positions as a family regal, upon Pain of Death.