Fomorians

### The History of the Fomorians

The Fomorians were originally Titans, created by Ulutiu in his own image (yet they worshiped Annam as their father), a beautiful and (mostly) intelligent race of super-beings that lived in the Feywild and were its conquerors before the re-emergence of the Fey and the first introduction of Eladrin to the plane. After these new races had been discovered in the Feywild their king- a powerful being named Balor ordered his people to purge the other races from the plane, along with the vile influence of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who sought to end the Fomorians' reign after Balor had helped a puppet-leader named Bres take over their kingdom. Bres was ousted by Nuada (who had been once before deposed) and the two went back to warring. Balor's wife, a seer, predicted the fall of his rule to his own grandson, much as the other Titans had fallen to their progeny this concerned Balor and he took immediate action. He locked his only daughter Ethniu away in a tower that she could not possibly conceive a child and ruin his chances of winning the war and purging the Feywild of other races. In desperation, Balor made a deal with the entity Shabbith-Ka, something which there was no coming back from. At this turning point, his brother Grolantor took his clan and left the Feywild after pleading with Annam to stop the madness. Annam transported Grolantor's clan far away but the damage had already been done for Balor and his faithful.

In exchange for his pact, one which would bind all of the Fomorian peoples, Balor gained the use of a terrible magic- an eye that when opened could lay waste to entire armies and turn all it beheld into ashes. His army also took upon themselves the power of the Outer God, and soon they were unstoppable.

Or so they thought. It all happened as though by accident that Cian, son of Diancecht, came across the tower of glass that held the daughter of the Fomorian king. Even stranger was when he managed to climb the tower and meet Ethniu. It was the first man she had met in some time, and she was of exceptional beauty so the two got to speaking. Then the talks grew more intimate and they spent many nights together in the cold glass tower, keeping one another warm until they had to part. When news of Ethniu giving birth reached Balor he was furious, he grabbed the infant by the ankles and tossed him from the tower, believing the threat was gone when he saw the waves crash over the infant's head as it hit the ocean below. Little did he realize, the infant had been saved by a young fairy named Titania, a daughter of Una and Finvarra who had been sent to watch the tower day and night until the war was over. The fairy, recognizing the infant's importance, gave him to Ghoibhniu the smith of the Tuatha Dé Danann who would raise the boy as his own with Manannan mac Lir and called him Lugh.

Lugh grew into his own, became a full member of the pantheon of gods he was adopted by, and then became leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann and their army after defeating Oghma in battle. Lugh rallied the oppressed forces of his people and faced Balor, who was waiting.

On the battlefield all was fire and ash, Balor had used his eye many times since he first acquired the power, and it took many soldiers to lift his heavy lid. Balor killed Nuada in battle and vaporized thousands of soldiers, both fey and titan. None were a match for his power, until Lugh fired a shot from a sling with so much force and accuracy that his evil eye was battered and smashed into the back of his skull, sending his beam back through his head and vaporizing much of his own army. Battered and beaten, Balor called forth on his pact with Shabbith-Ka one last time, gathering enough strength to shift planes to Tarterus where he would remain. Balor took up the name Karontor and has spent the rest of his days, battered, broken, and deformed trying to force victory for his people.

The Tuatha Dé Danann would eventually leave the Feywild, but the Fomorians would never regain the land they had lost. They were broken, their beauty was no more, and they hardly resembled conquerors of any kind. The gods, leaving for a new kingdom, offered the rest of the lands to the native fey, who were exceptionally powerful in their own right and so for the next few thousand years the fomorians did battle with the fey, taking and losing land until eventually their lands became few. When the eladrin came to the plane later on their lands grew even smaller, inspiring the fomorians to call upon Karontor and borrow strength from their god and his eldritch magic. It was a success, their power increased tenfold and they began to raze the eladrin cities, pushing them to the sea (some believe this is the origin of the sea-elves). The leader of the Eladrin forces of Shinaelestra, Teo Cardahn, believing there was no further hope for his people, created a planar gate and sent his people to the material plane, creating a constant echoing portal into the material plane from the Feywild where the city once was. Those who were left behind also grew desperate. The Neversong clan, seeing that all hope was soon to be lost, made a pact with the Obyrith entity Pale Night and took upon themselves the curse of vampirism. They fought to the last, protecting the realm from the fomorian threat and driving them deep underground, allowing the remaining elves in the Feywild to live lives free from their threat.

Over time the Fomorians grew more twisted and lost strength as their bodies changed into horrifying shapes and their leaders descended into madness. In the Feydark they have citadels and holdings still, a hollow fraction of the power they once had, losing strength more each and every year until they will eventually die out. Once titans they now are regarded as little more than giant-kin and their allies are fewer than ever.

### Lords of the Fomorians

* Karontor, Merciless Balor
* Bres, the Pretender
* Thrumbolg, King of Mag Tureah
* King Bronnor, of Harrowhame
* Cachlain, Stone-skinned
* Queen Connomae, the Mad Queen of Vor Thomil