Clan Findlaigh

The Findlaigh Dynasty was a Hallengardian clan that ruled over the Hallenic Empire for nearly all of recorded history. The clan held the fiefs of Dunedeigh, Mulleburgh, and Findlaigh’s Respite. The clan was slowly destroyed during the War of Daggers and has since been ruled extinct. The last member to die was Wallace in 40 CE, who has been rumored to have been assassinated by the Sutherlands.
== History ==
=== Mythology ===
The Findlaighs’ history starts long before recorded time, reportedly around the time of the formation of the Hallenic Empire. Many records simply don’t exist about the Findlaighs, and many of those that do have been lost to time, banditry, war, or are difficult to translate properly. Many of the clan’s own records were destroyed in the Dunedeigh Massacre.
Despite this, mythological records and legends tell of a great warrior of the west that stood by Talorgan by the name of Fhionnláech. Talorgan, elderly and at the end of his rule, designated Fhionnláech to be the Warden of the West, a title that would pass down in the family. While little existed in the west but squabbling tribes and warlords, the position would provide Fhionnláech with claims on many of the various cities in the west.
According to legend, Talorgan would go on to live another ten years before dying, leaving the throne to the Wardens. Fhionnláech’s clan, MacFhionnláech, would press their claim to the throne, thus beginning the Findlaighs’ extensive rule of the Hallenic Empire. While the name of the new king has since been lost, it is widely speculated to be Lachtnae MacFhionnláech, the firstborn son of Fhionnláech.
=== Early History ===
Over their many years of rule, the Findlaighs’ holdings expanded widely. They initially claimed the seat of Dunedeigh, a developing but blossoming city in the west, but soon realized that the itinerant court was losing its purpose. Soon the construction of Mulleburgh began, their new capital which was placed in the middle of the Empire’s holdings. Alongside it, Findlaigh’s Respite, a sprawling fort built from a cave network, which lay close to the capital.
Oswald Findlaigh is the earliest recorded Findlaigh to hold the throne, ushering in a golden age for the Empire. New technologies were adopted, trade expanding, and universities sprouted up in the larger, more wealthy cities. It was during Oswald’s reign when the Lauch made their first appearance in the Mainland Hales, and his son Cedric was married to Lucille, the daughter of the Lauch King.
=== Union with Lauchette ===
This marriage would prove dangerous, as after Cedric’s ascension to the throne, tensions rose between the Empire and Lauchette. Fearful of being subjugated, the Lauch elected their own ruler rather than accepting Lucille. After numerous threats were sent and attempts at diplomacy performed, the Empire allowed Lauchette to enter the empire as a vassal state rather than a union subject. This frustrated Lucille, though her claim persisted and carried on to her son Wallace.
Lucille would die giving birth to Wallace, leaving Cedric to raise him until he was of age. Cedric abruptly died some time after Wallace had his first child, and Wallace ascended to the throne. Immediately Wallace began taking actions to make Lauchette his own, outraging the nobles of the realm and sparking the War of Daggers. Wallace found himself betrayed at nearly every turn, with Lauch allies scuttling their ships, Aedwinians seizing their supplies, and eastern nobles besieging the western holdings.
=== The War of Daggers ===
The war not only proved a challenge for Wallace, as many of the more minor members of the Findlaighs were hunted down. Some sought refuge in Tulloch, one of the only cities to remain neutral during the war, but they were captured by mercenaries, deserters, and guards looking for some coin. Others were trapped in Mulleburgh, the city besieged by Tynan Sutherland, Many of the clan made their way towards Findlaigh’s Respite to prepare for a counterattack.
The courtiers and soldiers that fled to Findlaigh’s Respite would inevitably be caught by surprise when a joint force of Sutherland and Aedwinian troops surrounded the fort with intentions of starving them out. The men in the fort would’ve lasted years with their supplies, and so their defensive plan was to wait the siege out. However, sappers would cause many of the deeper portions of the fort to collapse, killing many and blocking the remaining force from their food reserves. What few Findlaighs were found alive in the fort were later executed.
=== The Final Findlaigh ===
Prior to its siege, Wallace held a feast in Mulleburgh, meaning their loyal lords and much of their family was inside. While both sides had enough food to last months, neither wished for a protracted siege. As a result, the commander of the siege offered to let the lords go in exchange for the imprisonment of the Findlaighs and renouncement of their loyalty to them. Within a week, the gates of the city were opened, with the Findlaighs imprisoned in the city’s dungeons. Nearly all were executed, being hanged off the side of the city’s bridge.
Wallace would survive some time after the war, enough to witness Tynan’s coronation and to discover that he was the last Findlaigh. He would die some months after the end of the war, allegedly dying of suicide. It is a more commonly held belief that Wallace was assassinated in his cell, serving no further purpose to the Sutherlands and likely to prove a threat if he were released.
Having been the last Findlaigh believed to be alive, the Findlaighs were subsequently declared extinct after Wallace’s apparent suicide. With his death, their lands were redistributed to the lords of the realm. Mulleburgh became a crown city, its ownership belonging to the rulers, whereas Dunedeigh, ransacked by Aedwinians, was granted to Cormac Rossthorne. Despite their extinction, rumors continue to circulate of some Findlaighs still being alive and planning their violent return.
== Legacy ==
Much is accredited to the Findlaighs, notably the construction of Mulleburgh and Findlaigh’s Respite. The Findlaighs were responsible for conquering much of the Hallenic Empire’s territory, along with the adoption of Common as a language and dating system. They are also responsible for many of the universities that can be seen around the Hales.
== Appearance ==
The Findlaighs were commonly light-haired, dominantly golden-blonde. Many of the Findlaighs were tall, as are many Western Hallengardians. Wallace, the last patriarch, would stand the tallest at close to 6’3”. Reds and yellows were both the colors of their clan and the Empire, and as such their wardrobe reflects that. Purples and vibrant whites were also common. Their Imperial sashes were a tartan consisting of red and yellow. Sashes have since fallen out of use for the cockade, which serves a similar purpose.
== Traits and Traditions ==
The clan is oft portrayed as being self-interested, rash, and vicious, though this is likely due to stereotypes spread during and after the War of Daggers. What is known is that they were builders, constructing many elaborate and expensive structures in their wake. The clan is also widely construed as being devout, though this may be a misinterpretation of their attempts to spread literacy and religion to their subjects.
== Notable Members ==
Fhionnláech: A legendary figure that fought alongside Talorgan during his reign. Fhionnláech was declared Warden of the West, a title that has been carried on through the generations of Findlaighs. He is widely considered to be the first of the Findlaighs.
Lachtnae MacFhionnláech: The firstborn son of Fhionnláech and believed to be the first High King after Talorgan, though much of his life is speculation.
Oswald Findlaigh: First definitively recorded High King of the Hales. Ushered in a golden age that brought the Hallenic Empire a long lasting period of prosperity and wealth, as well as building a good diplomatic relationship with the Kingdom of Lauchette.
Cedric Findlaigh: Son of Oswald, married to Lucille, the daughter of Henri Levallois, the Lauch King. Would see the Kingdom of Lauchette vassalized under the Hallenic Empire, but would die after Wallace’s coming to age.
Wallace Findlaigh: Wallace was the last Findlaigh to rule and to live, having dragged the Empire into a war to establish a personal union over Lauchette. Wallace would find himself betrayed by many of his subjects, and he would eventually die in a cell in Mulleburgh’s dungeons under mysterious circumstances.
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