Tuatha De Dannan

The Tuatha De Dannan are one of the Thirteen pantheons who survive into the modern day. Though several of its members had existed for centuries prior, the pantheon first rose to prominence in the Silver Age, and by the Bronze Age, had become a formidable power thanks to its alliance with the mighty Aesir. Additionally, the Tuatha also came to hold sway over several notable magical races, collectively known as the faeries. Given that one of its founding members was the infamously whimsical Dagda, the pantheon is known for its loose governance, both over its own members, and in the days before the Iron Age, the mortals it ruled.

## History

### Rise of the Oathbound

The early Tuatha De Dannan formed during the Silver Age, during the chaos that followed the deposition of Kronos, King of the Titans. Dagda and Ogma lead an effort to gather several disparate groups of gods and other divinities, forming a confederation of realms allied for the purpose of mutual protection. At the end of the second bloody century of the Silver Age, in the year SA 199, a gathering of deities (known as the First Great Sept) formed the pantheon that would one day become the Tuatha De Dannan, calling themselves the Urm Brengail, or "the Oathbound".

During this initial era, the pantheon was a loose alliance without any central leader, with the various Righs (the rulers of the tribes which made up the Urm Brengail) each governing their own domains, answering to no one, bound only by the defensive alliance that had brought them together. Occasionally, the various Righs would gather at council in one realm or another, to help coordinate wars against outside threats, or decide whether newcomers should be allowed into the Urm Brengail.

### The Age of Challenges

For nearly three centuries, the Oath held strong, and the Urm Brengail successfully defended their domain against invaders However, as time wore on, the various Righs slowly began to grow more and more fractious. In SA 488, a dispute broke out between the Sidhe and Formorians, which quickly escalated into violence. Due to the reluctance of the other tribes to make war upon their own allies, years worth of destruction was wrought before the other Righs agreed to band together to force them to end the conflict. Soon thereafter, at the Second Great Sept in SA 493, the system of the Challenge was agreed upon, where disputes could be resolved through codified means, and victors might demand a single boon of any they defeated. Ogma was the chief voice behind the development of this new system

While this new system did serve to reduce overall violence among the Oathbound, they remained fractious. Having largely cemented their protection bloc, the Urm Brengail steadily began to expand, with the various tribes moving to claim new realms for their own. Disputes grew even more frequent, as the tribes quarreled over the choicest pieces of new ground, but for the most part, they were constrained by the Challenge. New tribes joined the Oathbound as they spread, and some few attempts at conquest were made. However, since most tribes were unwilling to make the commitment to aid their peers in subjugating other pantheons, such attempts were met with minimal success.

### Nuada's Conquest

All that changed in SA 1,159, when a young god by the name of Nuada, son of Dagda and Morrigan, Challenged his sire for the position of Righ over their tribe, the Dunbrach. After his victory, the new Righ challenged each and every other Righ in turn, taking as a boon their pledge to give their allegiance to him, follow him in war and heed his council, so long as he proved strong and worthy. That last caveat won him the respect of his defeated foes, and when Nuada had secured the allegiance of the Righ of every tribe, he was proclaimed the first Ard Righ of the Urm Brengail. In the legendary Third Great Sept in SA 1,212, Nuada announced his plans to march the unified pantheon to war, and with their combined might, to expand and subjugate any who stood in their path.

What followed was a quarter millennium of expansionist wars. Countless new realms were brought into the fold, and numerous new divinities were subjugated. Whilst there was a great deal of initial fervor for Nuada's Conquest, as the decades wore on, it began to fade. Heavy losses were taken, as Nuada extended his forces over and over again, ever restless, never satisfied. Eventually, the Oathbound came up against a foe they could not overcome: The Beznadi of Zemja Bogov. Backed by the beasts of the Abyss, they stonewalled the Urm Brengail's advance, grinding them down through nearly three decades of war. Eventually, Nuada himself was brought low, his arm cut off against the Beznadi leader, Svarog, forcing his men to carry him from the field. The tide turned in those final years, with much of the Urm Brengail's gains being lost, some taken by the Beznadi, others lost to revolts that had been brewing throughout the conflict. As Nuada's arm did not heal, it was taken as a sign that he was no longer worthy to rule, for his mangled flesh indicated his ruined spirit. Combined with the unease that had risen at the suffering during the final decades, Nuada faced so much pressure that he was forced to step down as Ard Righ, or else face a revolt from the tribes.

### Formorians Ascendant

Following Nuada's deposition, the Fourth Great Sept was held to determine who would be the next Ard Righ. By this time, the Formorian tribe, led by the Righ Balor, was in a position of great strength, for they had cultivated marriage alliances with tribes old and new, and focused on siring halfborn with the mortals of the realms they ruled, many of whom had been elevated to godhood thanks to the great conflicts waged. More so, they wielded some of the mightiest arms in the pantheon, for Balor was a legendary craftsman who kept his secrets close, which had allowed to Formorians to take far fewer casualties during Nuada's wars. As such, the Formorians were able to put pressure to elect Bres, Balor's grandson, as the new Ard Righ in SA 1,457. Bres was also possessed of Dunbrach blood through his mother, though was not related to Nuada directly, but the connection was still looked upon favorably, as was Bres's tremendous beauty and affable demeanor. His reign began with great promise, and it was expected that the pantheon would enjoy many centuries of peace.

It soon became clear, however, that Bres heavily favored his Formorian kin over all the other tribes, and was but a puppet of his grandfather. The Ard Righ's rule grew ever more despotic, as he demanded tribute from his vassals in the form of wealth and materials, which mostly found their ways into Formorian forges, and in beautiful slaves, which inevitably found their way to Bres's pleasure palace.

### Fall of the Formorians and Rise of Lugh

Over four centuries into the tyrannical rule of the Formorians, Balor received a prophecy that his daughter Ethniu would give birth to a son that would destroy him. Though she was imprisoned, Dian Cecht of the Dunbrach infiltrated Balor's palace after having heard this prophecy, and over the course of several months of posing as a guard, seduced and impregnated her, overcoming Balor's order to castrate all Ethniu's watchers by regrowing his genitals through his tremendous mastery of Healing.

After Ethniu became pregnant, Dian Cecht aided her in escaping her father's clutches, and together, they fled to the reclusive Fir Bolg, and it was there that Lugh, their son, was raised in secret. When Lugh had grown to manhood, and had mastered numerous skills over the decades from teachers gathered throughout the pantheon, he ventured to the court of his uncle Nuada, who had been reduced to Righ of the Dunbrach. After proving himself, Nuada was convinced to take up arms again, after Lugh forged him a new arm of silvered metal. They were able to rally much of the discontented members of the pantheon, and wage war against the oppressive Formorians. All came to a head in the Battle of Magh Tuireadh, where Nuada was killed by Balor, who was in turn slain by Lugh, just as had been prophesized. Bres, broken and defeated, begged for his life, and mercy was granted to him in return for him turning all his power towards keeping the realms of the pantheon fertile, and would be forever denied any form of worship from mortals.

Afterwards, Lugh became Ard Righ, and instituted a number of changes, which he introduced at the Fifth Great Sept in SA 2,121. Though he granted the Righs a deal of autonomy once more, he imposed a number of new legislation on the challenges between Righs, requiring them to have his approval. Additionally, he broke up the tribes into many lesser Righ domains, and declared that henceforth, their tribe would be one: The pantheon would now be the Tuatha De Dannan, for in one way or another, they all owed their existence to Danu, the Earth Mother. And thus, at the end of the Silver Age, a new era dawned for the pantheon.

## Hierarchy

### Ard Righ

The Tuatha are nominally ruled by their Ard Righ, who reigns from the realm of Tir Na Nog. The Ard Righ is the highest authority in the pantheon, and is charged with protecting its members. When the need arises, the Ard Righ has the authority to call any member of the pantheon to war. Furthermore, the Ard Righ is charged with mediating disputes within the pantheon, and is often petitioned to intervene and make judgments on matters which threaten to disrupt peace within the pantheon. For instance, the Ard Righ's blessing is required for lesser Righs to challenge one another for one another's titles. The Ard Righ themselves can also be challenged for their position by any member of the pantheon.

The Ard Righ also has the authority to grant foreign gods membership to the pantheon, and on certain dire occasions, expel members who are deemed to be traitorous.

### Righs

In the earliest days of the pantheon, the title of Righ was given to the leaders of the numerous small pantheons which formed the alliance that would one day become the Tuatha de Dannan. Later, the title came to signify a god's rulership over a realm (most Righs controlled many), and that they had acquired the fealty of several other members of the pantheon. In the modern day, the title is also bestowed when a god takes control of a domain in the Eternity Games. As such, the list of domains a god is Righ of tends to fluctuate. Additionally, the Tuatha do not use the title for gods outside the pantheon.

In the days before the Iron Age, Righs had near ultimate power over the worlds they governed. With numerous Incarnae and other spirits at their command, they had the authority to unleash plagues, alter the weather, force their mortals to fight in their names, or even reshape the landscapes as they saw fit. Additionally, Righs also had the power to command any task of gods who had pledged their service to them as an ambactus. Whilst they in theory all Righs answered to the Ard Righ, practically, most were free to do as they wished, and could even wage war against their peers, provided that such conflicts were resolved quickly and quietly enough to escape the Ard Righ's notice.

#### Challenges

While the power a Righ wielded was nigh absolute, their position was not unquestionable. It was possible for any member of the Tuatha de Dannan to challenge a Righ for the position, with said challenge being overseen by the Ard Righ and their Circle, who acted as judges. If one of their ambacti made the challenge and defeated the Righ, their stations would be reversed, with the challenger taking the Righ's title and the former Righ pledging their allegiance, and henceforth, would be barred from challenging the one who had defeated them. Meanwhile, if the challenging ambactus was defeated, they would never be able to challenge again.

Righs are also capable of challenging their peers, though before issuing a challenge, it is required to present their reasoning to the Ard Righ for approval. The victorious Righ would gain all the realms ruled by their defeated opponent, as well as their allegiance.

It has also been deemed permissible for a halfborn to challenge a god for the Righ title. In such cases, the defender must undertake the challenge in Temporal form, and if the halfborn challenger is victorious, it is customary that they be immediately elevated to full godhod in order to undertake their duties. Such instances, of course, have only occurred on a few occasions in the pantheon's history.

### Circles

The term "Circle" is applied to the cluster of close advisers, friends, and servants who tend to cluster around the Ard Righ or lower ranked Righs. There are no formal titles among members of a Circle, but there are a few general classifications which members tend to tall under.

* Champions: Warriors and generals, who fight and/or lead armies on behalf of their liege.
* Sages: Learned individuals, who study history, magic, and lore, which they use to advise their liege.
* Bards: Entertainers such as poets, singers, musicians. Occasionally also act as diplomats for their liege.
* Craftworkers: Individuals skilled in the arts of creation, and could either provide their lieges with enchanted items, or engage in altering environments.

Circles could also further be divided into High and Low Circles. High Circles were composed solely of fully fledged gods, whilst Low Circles included lesser beings such as spirits, monsters, and halfborn. Membership within a Circle was not formally granted, but instead, individuals were counted as being included within a Circle if they were viewed as being deeply in their liege's favor. As such, it was also quite possible for a member to fall out of a Circle if they proved a disappointment.

## Notable Members

### The Tribes

The Tuatha De Dannan were formed from a collective of several smaller tribes of divinities. Though no longer as culturally distinct as they once were, having had millennia to integrate and intermingle, and many tribes have been fused together, some bloodlines still do remain distinct, as do certain cultural practices.

* Dunbrach: The Dunbrach are one of the founding members of the pantheon, and are the tribe to which the current Ard Righ Lugh and his family belong. The Dunbrach are strongly associated with the tradition of warrior-poets among the pantheon, and the sorcery of geasa. The Dunbrach are also quite prolific breeders, and have strong marriage ties with most of the other ties, and have the most members actually worshipped as deities.
* Formorians: Once lead by Balor, the Formorians were one of the founding tribes of the pantheon, renowned for their skills as smiths and craftsman. Many Formorians were also known to be strangely formed or ugly as well.
* Fir Bolg: The reclusive Fir Bolg are another of the founding tribes, known as sages and mystics, and they introduced blood sorcery, which they call Cruach, into the pantheon.
* Sidhe: Fair and ethereal, the Sidhe are one of the founding tribes, known for their otherworldly beauty. Not often worshipped as deities, the Sidhe still nonetheless interact frequently with mortals.
* Nemedians: TBD, probably wiped out during Svarog's conquest.
* Muintir Partholóin: TBD.