The Gods of the Fir Cruthen are many and varied, they each embody a facet of existence important to the Fir Cruthen society in general, and worship of them is widespread, all Fir Cruthen, from birth, are taught to see the hand of Badb, the matron deity of the Celts, in almost everything that happens. As they grow older they take on different facets of character, and a child may be drawn to a warrior’s way, or a druid’s way, or that of a bard, whatever happens, they then feel the presence of their personal god, to whom they pay obedience, having said that, the voice of Badb remains strong within every Celt. As such, all Fir Cruthen, without exception, worship Badb, yet they each have a different god or goddess, to whom their very lives are an act of worship, it is from both of these that they derive their powers. Worship of all the below Gods is evenly tolerated, and none is prejudiced against, save on an individual, personal basis- there is no institutional prejudice against them. Currently a great schism has wracked Fir Cruthen religion, several of the Gods have been destroyed, and others have simply left, disappearing beyond anyone’s manner of finding them. An old god, anathema to Fir Cruthen theology, has resurfaced, and again the followers of the gods have a war to fight, for their very way of life. Several among the Fir Cruthen have special religious devotions, and may indeed embody one of the Gods on this earth, these are as follows. The Year King The Year King of the Fir Cruthen, is free to worship whoever he pleases, however he is chosen by Badb, and his power derives itself from her. The Queen The Queen of the Fir Cruthen is believed to be a living avatar of Badb, in her aspect of the Mother, guarding and providing for her people, as such she worships only Badb, as would be expected. The Taniaste The Taniaste of the Fir Cruthen is obliged to worship every God possible, in order to perfect his understanding of his people’s culture, he may have a personal god, as any other does, yet hears the voices of all of them, which can lead to contradictory advice, conciliatory one moment, aggressive the next. The Green Knight The Green Knight is the mortal husband of the Goddess Badb, and as such pays homage to her and her alone, fanatical in his loyalty. The Stag The Stag is a physical avatar of the Horned God, Cernunnos, and Always worships the Horned one as well as Badb All others are free to worship as they please, providing they pay homage to Badb as well. The Gods I have conducted a long study of our Gods, and here are our principal ones, with mention of those Gods recently slain, also, listed last, for sake of completeness- is the Nameless One, the Antithesis of the Fir Cruthen way of life. Badb A.K.A.; The Morrigan, The Three in One, Our Lady, The Lady of War, The Queen of Swords, Lady of Crows, The Maiden, Mother and Crone. Influences; War, Bloodshed, Confusion, The feminine principal, Chaos, The Mother of all Fir Cruthen. Favoured colours; Metallic Grey, Black, Red Favoured activities; War, Killing in her name, Creating tools of war, defending her children. Sins in her eyes; Cowardice, Treachery, lack of Persistence in the face of insurmountable odds. Badb has three aspects, the Maiden, Mother and the Crone. The Maiden is the warlike one, the Mother is the defender and guardian of her children and the Crone is the old Hag of wisdom, friend to madness. They each appear different, and can even seem to act against each other, causing confusion among her children, which is of course the way she wills it. The Maiden The Maiden appears as a beautiful battle-maid, clad in silver armour, wielding a sword and a spear, the armour and weapons may appear bloodstained and damaged if during a time of war. Despite the name ‘Maiden’ she is not chaste, indeed actively seeks mortal paramours, these can be told by the fact that their lust for war increases- for Badb’s beauty is that of war- the beauty of a battle won, when you are victorious- and alive. She helps those who help themselves, and like war, she rarely cares who is caught up in her spell. In appearance she appears slender, almost slight- yet with a wiry strength, her hair is raven black, her eyes a faded grey, her skin is very pale, and her beauty to die for. In this aspect she can inspire lust in any male creature, generally lust for her or for war, which is really the same thing- females are immune to this power. The Mother The Mother often appears as an older woman, the sort best described as regal, she appears in her thirties, with green eyes and auburn hair, she does not bear arms, as she embodies the nurturing side of the Goddess, but it is a tough love she has for her people, they must measure up- and those that do not, fall to the wayside. Having said that, she takes great joy in her children’s accomplishments, and is not above aiding them sometimes, it is believed that the Queen of the Fir Cruthen is a living vessel of her will, though she does not always match the physical appearance of the Goddess. In this aspect she can inspire an obsession in anyone, to which all else fades in the face of her wishes. The Crone The Crone is the nightmare hag, old, stooped, thin, almost stick like. She is rude, crude, abrasive and in general unpleasant, she is also one of the wisest beings in existence. Her hair is bone white, her eyes are pits of madness, one is a cataract ridden white, the other a poisonous yellow. When she deigns to carry a weapon it is a large scythe. Her voice, as would be expected is a hideous cackle. She is unquestionably insane, and it is rumoured that to meet her gaze for more than a few seconds is to join her in this state- the more superstitious warriors point to the fact that the Taniaste must speak with the Crone at length for his wisdom- if it be wisdom, and not madness. In this aspect she can inspire madness, although often with canny insight as well. Opinions The Maiden- "Go on, fight them, you outnumber them you to ten, that’s it- kick him there, ha! He’ll not have kids- oooh- that had to hurt, go on! Mess him up! Hit those one’s creeping round the back, good, good- I would’ve used a sword meself, but very effective nonetheless. Kick ‘im……." The Mother- " We are aware of the odds against us, but you have our eyes watching you, defeat is not an option, we are not prepared to believe that you will lose, I will take displeasure at being proved wrong- send us news of our victory" The Crone- "Good, good deary, you killed ten Nything cultists- that’s good, we are pleased- anyway, shush- you’re dead- dead people don’t speak……That’s right, you don’t know the meaning of fear, shame you didn’t know the meaning of armour as well, heh heh !" "And to think they call ME mad" On Badb- "Ahh, she’s a chick and a half, the sort of Goddess you can take down the Tavern and tell dirty jokes with- at least until she embarrasses you by knowing more of them than you do- Beautiful, Funny, and a Kick-arse Fighter- Oh, and My wife before you get any ideas…" Robin Gruffaela, The Green Knight Cernunnos A.K.A. The Horned God, Old Horny, The King of the Wild Woods, Lord of the Hunt, King of the Beasts, The Green Man, Herne the Hunter, King Stag. Influences; The Wilderness, The Hunt, Animals, Nature, The Masculine Principal, Honour Favoured Colours; Green, Brown, Earth tones Favoured Activities; Being honourable, being a skilled fighter, living in harmony with nature Sins in his eyes; harming the wilderness, killing prey without respect, being false, being cowardly, being too ‘civilised’. Cernunnos is the God of the hunt, he is wild, feral, and uncompromising, he represents nature in all it’s power, red in tooth and claw. He appears as a huge man, rarely clothed, with a shaggy mane of hair and burning eyes. His mouth bears teeth like those of a wolf, and his head is adorned with an amazingly impressive rack of antlers. Typically he wields a spear, the direct godly counterpart of the Sun Spear wielded by the Stag, who is his child on this earth, an Avatar of Cernunnos. He is often accompanied by a pack of animals of varying sorts, and like him, they are known to be fearsome fighters. If he has a weakness, (though some would call it a virtue) it is that he will not use politics or guile, and has no use for diplomats, to him the world is black and white, if he does not like you- you die, it is that simple. Some would call this backward, yet it is more a natural cunning, he is far from stupid. He gives off a powerful musky odour that is thick and cloying, males are immune, but it can inspire abject lust in any female creature who is near him. Opinion "You ask me to be civilised- you build on my forest, you kill my creatures- and all this without a shred of respect- Yet I can be civilised, oh yes- I will use your human numbers- I will give you ten, I suggest you run ….nine….eight…Fuck it- you die now. On Cernunnos "Cernunnos is right always, I dinnae have time fer yer silly questions druid- Cernunnos is life and the wild, he is the sun on yer face in the mornin’ , The stars in the sky at night- and the blood on your blades when you hunt’’ Tuathal Mac Flannagan, Wild Elf tribal elder Crom Cruach AKA. The Dark Crippled One, The Lord of the Mound, The Lord of the Cycle, The King of Final Peace, King of Annwn, The Balance Influences; Death, Ensuring souls go on to reincarnation, Time, The Ending of things, Fear, Nightmares, Doorways, Metamorphosis Favoured colours; Black, Faded grey, pallid green Favoured Activities; Accepting death, Respecting the Dead, Observing Wakes, Destroying Undead, Accepting Fear and learning from it Sins in His Eyes; Disrespecting the Dead, Creating Undead, Refusing to acknowledge fear and death as a part of life. Crom Cruach is the Dark Crippled God, one of the three who rebelled three thousand years ago, a war from which he is still wounded. He is a much maligned god, as many take his role as something to be fought against, yet Crom Cruach is not a murderer’s God, indeed he has little time for murderers, and much less for Undead, which cheat him of his domain. In appearance he often is seen as a grey skinned man, of slight features, often cloaked, and never wholly visible. No one knows what his crippling wound is, and speculation is that it appears differently each time. He often appears in shadow, or so heavily covered that little can truly be seen of him. He is a very intellectual God, one given to reason and rational thought rather than impulse. He governs Death and Reincarnation, also Fear and Nightmare, in this role he uses Fear as a tool to remind his people when something may be out of their reach. He does not object to bravery, or a man conquering his fear- indeed looks on this right well, his anger is with foolhardy individuals who refuse to acknowledge fear exists. In recent years, his very visage seems to have been taken by the Nameless one, who has been perpetrating acts in his name, to deflect attention, and cause new dissension amongst the Gods. Opinion "A weak man is overcome by his fear, A stupid man ignores his fear, A Hero learns from his fear" On Crom Cruach "Crom Cruach is at the Beginning and End of all things, he knows the hour of everyone’s death, that is why I do what I do, he tells me when my foes must fall" Duban ap Thallain, King’s Champion Danu AKA The Queen of the Elvenkind, Our Lady of Bards, The Awen, The Grand Inspirer, The Harper. Influences; Bards, Artistry, All Non Human Fir Cruthen, Creativity. Favoured Colours; Vibrant Green, Gold, Silver, Bronze Favoured Activities; Being a bard, creating artistic works or protecting such, keeping good relations with Non-humans, (or Humans for her Non Human worshippers), Keeping good relations with The King’s Court of Seelie. Sins in her eyes; Destroying Art, Mocking Artistry, Slaying a Bard (also a capital offence in Fir Cruthen lands), Racism, Consorting unduly with the Unseelie. Danu is the Goddess of Non Humans, and also of Bards, she appears in many guises, as many as there are races, she appears as an Ogre Hag, a Dwarven Blacksmith, An Orcish warrior and many others, but her most common appearance, and the one she uses for humans, is an Elven bard, empty sword scabbard, stunningly crafted armour, and the best harp any have ever seen. She has green eyes, and ash blond hair, she is always smiling and often humming a tune of her own composition, she can also sometimes be heard in a skilled bard’s playing, inspiring her people to further heights, she has never been known to be armed, however recently she has appeared to her people in another guise, Prince Quij Blondenross of the Elves has seen her armoured and ready for war, and a finely crafted sword in her scabbard, She has also appeared to Caledon Can Dagne, the Dwarf Elder of the Fir Cruthen, as a Dwarf Blacksmith, yet bearing a huge axe made of three parts, the meaning of this is unclear. Opinion "Well done, well done- you have inspired the army, see- they charge to victory, your song did that, but it was your last, your wound is fatal, come- play for me one last time, you know the tune- the one you played when you first picked up a harp, your first tune.. and last, Play it again Tam. On Danu "Well, she’s the mother of all Dwarves, that I can tell you- with a fine beard, and a way with the metal that I’ve ne’er seen these last two hundred years, and she sings as she hits the metal, a beautiful song, beautiful…..what? well- yes, it is about gold actually, if only I could remember the song" Caledon Can Dagne, Mastersmith and Lord of the Dwarvenkind. Setanta AKA; The Child of All, King of Life, Lord of Birth. The Sun King, The Immortal Child. Influences; Healing, Life, the Sun, Birth, Emotion, Youth Favoured Colours; White, Gold, Yellow, Favoured Activities; Healing, Living a ‘good’ life, being in love, giving birth or fathering a child, trying to better life for all, The utter and unwavering destruction of Undead. Sins in his eyes; Murder, Wanton killing, Allowing an Undead to exist, being ‘bad’, harming children. Setanta is a paradox, he is the youngest of the Gods, literally less than a year, when she last manifested, the Previous Healing Goddess, Arianrhod, was carrying a young child, when asked whose it was she smiled and said-"Everyone’s". Arianrhod was slain by the nameless one, and her Child became the new God of healing and life, receiving his name and therefore the focus of his worship at the Nomadic People’s Council. He was named by the Chief druid, Isla MacRoth, who has in a real sense become a ‘Godmother’. Setanta appears as a small child, about eight or nine years old, clad in white, with golden blond hair and inquisitive blue eyes that somehow seem to possess millennial knowledge. He appears childlike, and sometimes speaks simplistically, yet there is none of the Naiveté that marked his mother. He is an eternal enemy of all that is Undead, and though his followers are usually pacifists they become holy engines of wrath against the Unliving, oft surprising other warriors in their zeal. His plans as a God are unknown, and he has caused a stir in the halls of the Gods, as none is sure how to take him, it can readily be assumed however, that he is a force for the good of the Fir Cruthen. Opinion "My people are hurting, the land is hurting, you will look after it for me won’t you, make it all better, make everyone well again, and then you can find me the one who slew my mother, I will be very, very cross with him……very cross indeed. On Setanta "He is the most peaceful and quiet child I have ever seen, and yet something there gives the impression of thousands of years of knowledge- it is quite strange having your godson as your god, especially when he has seen far more of life than you ever will, for that’s what he is- life itself." Penderwydd Isla Mac Roth, High Druid of the Fir Cruthen. These are the Gods, that survive in Fir Cruthen legends, the one’s below are those that have been slain or have disappeared from our knowledge. Arianrhod Arianrhod was a Healing Goddess, the mother of the God Setanta, she was killed by the Nameless One, when he reawoke from his previous destruction. Her role has now fully been taken up by Setanta, who is most interested in finding the Nameless one. The Dagda The Dagda is the God of wisdom, and memory, and names, he is the oldest god, and the father of them all, with Arianrhod as their Mother. In recent years, wanderlust seems to have overtaken him, and when Arianrhod was slain he simply left, and none know of his whereabouts, it is known that the Nameless one could not slay him, as to do so would be to slay himself, and all the Dagda’s children. It is rumoured, yet not known- that the Dagda had a brother, Oghma, whose name our celtic runes is a derivation of, he is supposedly a god with a similar influence as the Dagda, and it is believed that in his brother’s absence, this God may be returning to us, when we need his guidance most. Dylan, AKA Crom Dubh Dylan was the God of darkness, trickery and night, also the moon. He was another of the three rebel gods who warred against the others, only being reconciled when he betrayed his brothers and turned to the other side. Due to some great misdemeanour in the past he was cursed by the Dagda, that his power was dependent on the moon, when there was no moon in the sky, then he had to walk the earth as a mortal. What is known is that this year, he was murdered in a tavern in Cymrja when in this state, and when the moon appeared again, for a full cycle it was blood red. His followers are at a loss. Gofannon Gofannon was a Smith God, who armed and armoured the gods, he was slain six thousand years ago, it is believed by the Nameless One, during the gods war, for arming all the others, it was believed to have been Crom Cruach, but it was not, merely the nameless one using his brother’s Beast of War- the Bloody Maggot, which he wrested control of, and is believed to still possess, though it has not been seen since, save in omens and prophecies, all within the last three years. Lugh Lugh was once mortal, yet he went to the halls of the Gods and Challenged there, for right of entrance, claiming that though the Gods had an expert warrior, an expert druid, bard, craftsman, guardian, healer and so on, that they did not have one among them who could do all these things. He was admitted and was the God of the Common Man, of perseverance and struggle. This was some four thousand years ago. Last year however, he got sick of the Gods non-interventionist stance on the Shades-(undead that were plaguing the Fir Cruthen lands) and decided to retake his mortal form and aid his people, he did, and slew many thousands of Shades, yet met his doom doing so. In the Ritual of the Year King however, the last Stag- Ripples over Bloody Waters- a wild elf, decided he would take up the gauntlet of this Gods power, he was last seen hammering on the doors, demanding entrance- the doors opened, and none have seen him since. Manawyddan Manawyddan was the God of the Ocean, the sea and all it holds, he had little input in the affairs of man, and was a terrible lord of the elements, not evil, simply uncaring, like the sea. Several times when he appeared recently he bore horrific wounds, too big for any known creature to have inflicted, as Manawyddan frequently appeared as the Dragon Whale, a huge beast as big as a small island, it has since been discovered that the Dragon Whale, and hence Manawyddan, has been slain by this huge underwater opponent, whatever it be, the thought of something so huge dwelling beneath the waves is unsettling to say the least. Taranis Taranis is a messenger god, also the lord of lightning and thunder, he is rumoured to be able to pass any message, anywhere, instantaneously. This last time however, the message may have been too much for the herald of the gods- he went to take a message to the Dagda, on what has happened in his absence… Taranis has been gone five months, and has yet to return. The Last….. The Nameless One This God is the antithesis of everything we stand for, he is included here only that we can draw together information on him, this information has so far cost the lives of twenty three noble and true Fir Cruthen, I include it in the hope that no one seeing this becomes number twenty four. Crom Ruadh AKA; The Nameless One, The Corrupter, The Bloody Maggot, The Middle Brother, The Kinslayer, the Skinless one. Influences; Murder, Corruption, Disease, Defilement, the wanton letting of Blood, Destruction Favoured colours; Red, Black Favoured Activities; Spreading disease, corrupting holy places, corrupting people, defiling what cannot become corrupted, killing what cannot be corrupted or defiled. Sins in his eyes; Not accepting him as your one and only God, living the ideals of a different God, and breathing. Crom Ruadh is the middle of the three brothers, Crom Cruach, Crom Ruadh and Crom Dubh, he is the God of corruption and destruction, in appearance he would be described as a handsome man, were it not for the fact that he has no skin, appearing glistening red with his own blood, which constantly drips to the floor, marring the surface of whatever it touches. He has another manifestation, His brother Crom Cruach’s Beast of war- the Bloody Maggot- a huge worm, some half a mile long, a huge fanged maw at one end, heedlessly killing all in it’s path. He is also a god of disease, which is something Fir Cruthen find terrifying. His followers tend to have a constantly bleeding wound, which can never be healed. He likes blood, but unlike Gods like Badb or even the Evil Sunz’ blood god Khorne, he does not care if blood is spilt in his name, indeed he would look on both gods as enemies, for the simple reason that they are not him. In personality he is almost schizophrenic. Being possessed of many mania and derangements, one moment he may be a suave corrupter, the next a rampaging beserker, it is difficult to know his exact plans- but they seem to involve the destruction of the other Gods and Crom Ruadh’s ascension as the only power. His corrupted Fir Cruthen would then revel in their strength and would start a bloody empire, invading left right and centre with gleeful abandon. Opinion "come to me, your strength will be doubled, nay, tripled, I have such beautiful powers to give to you, I am the beauty in a festering cut, the glassy beads of infected pus in a gangrenous wound, In all these things there is beauty, and you shall see it my way, or I SHALL SLAY, AND KILL AND MURDER EVERY MAN WOMAN AND CHILD, THEIR BLEACHED BONES SHALL BE A MUTE TESTAMENT TO MY WRATH AND POWER- I CAN KILL WITH A LOOK AND INFECT WITH A TOUCH! I AM POWER, I AM THE END, FOLLOW ME!" On Crom Ruadh " Our lord is supreme, his power is almost tangible, come join his dance of blood, cast off your morality, be part of something more holy, more right than you have ever experienced, untie me, and I shall lead you into his glory, No? Then I shall kill you- By the Power of Crom -ugh!" Banbenn MacKilver, druid of Crom Ruadh- deceased A Warning The Nameless one should never be spoke of by his true name, as such draws his attention- the attention of such a god being, need we say it- a bad thing…..