Cwäin Gairdhadh

## Description

**Cwäin Gairdhadh** was the first Cwäin to exist. He is a legendary character in the history and folklore of the Dueir and Ueif of Wareif Geids as a whole. He stood at around 2.95 ft ,which is relatively small compared to the average Westerly Ueif. His fur was fiery a browny-red much like the ueif hill clans that he came from. He is also known as **Wauradhiern**, **Ceinnyer** and **Caruanh**. His name as a child was **Enuaigeinh**.

## Life

### Early Life

He was born in 54 BCC in a hill village situated in what is now in Wersar Territory. He was born to a weaver and a warrior. From his mother came his philosophical and poetic side which he was desperate not to be associated with - though could not admit that it wasn't part of him. From his father came his stoicism and fierceness to defend what he thought to be most precious. Cwain was an energetic child and was always seen, but also always heard. Due to his hyper-active nature he was named **Enuaigeinh** which means good sleeper due to the energy he used while he was awake. He often played Wareiferuigg (tag) with other ueif cubs and was great at sprinting- mostly due to his shorter frame. In his adolescent years his energy was put to use as he began training as a tueradhueif under **Tuebhaïrinh**. Though the ueif practice polygamy and share children as a community, there still is a strong connection between parents and their children - and so when his father (Who he had a friendly relationship with) was unexpectedly killed while attempting to defend a neighbouring hill clan village from the increasing number of Norsumerian migrants who wished to displace and get rid of the hill Ueif. This brought much despair to Cwain. He became much more secluded and stayed inside his hut for most of the day, only coming out to eat of the scraps of the already eaten food from the daily feasts. Many pitied him, though as time went on some grew to resent him due to his apparent laziness. His sloth was reported to the **B'aimuneif** (a leader of hill clans), though nothing came of it as the **B'aimuneif** was a friend of Cwains father and felt it was best to leave Cwain to deal with the pain in his own way. He was feeling the sickness called Meigaigg, and it affected the body and the mind.

### Exile from the village

Cwain eventually came out of his long depression and asked the **B'aimuneif** for permission to help the community again. He was granted this but the **B'aimuneif** assigned him a job requiring little effort and that kept him close to the village. However he also knew Cwain would believe that he had purposefully given him an easy job, and so he decidied to give Cwain the duty of night watch - a job of great responsibility. Cwain grew easily bored of his job though he still remained focused on his duty. He spent most of his time staring out into the dark empty hills, with the only activity being the occasional traveller or pilgrim, or a large wild animal encroaching to close to the settlement. Often there was much rain and mist at night - and with little shelter Cwain was often soaked and left freezing without a source of heat close by (as night watch bunkers were meant to be hidden without light as otherwise anyone wishing to harm the village would avoid the areas they knew were being watched.). On one foggy night Cwain was yet again staring into almost pitch black and immensely tired from helping out with a large fishing haul that had came in earlier in the day. He lay back on the mossy floor of the bunker and closed his eyes however he suddenly was woken by the sound of footsteps trudging closer to the bunker. Immediately he was on alert. These footsteps were not meant to be obvious, but meant to be silent.

### Norsumerian Capture and Escape

Captured by band of Norsumerians

escapes from their camp and takes equipment and food

### Slaying of the Sea-Serpent

sea serpent terrorising village

kills it

### Life in Saved Village

gets family

family killed

village burnt to ground by an evil shaman

## Etymology

**Cwäin** means "*never die*" from the verb **waicch** "*to die*" turned into the descriptive "*wainn*" due to it being a name and the negation 'C-...-n'. This may refer to the belief that he is immortal or the amount of close encounters with death.

**Wauradhiern** means "*of fire*" from the noun **wauradh** "*fire*" and the pronoun suffix **-ierd** "he", turned into a descriptive with the 'n' due to it being a name. This may refer to his personality, the colour of his fur or a name from his enemies to describe his destructive and unstoppable nature

**Ceinnyer** means "*good person*". **Ceinn** from the word **Geinn** meaning "*good*" and **yer** from the pronoun suffix **-yert** which is from **-ierd** "he" . It is from a different dialect of Proto-Duirwagg where they pronounce G's as K's and **ier** has turned to **yer** and D pronounced more like a T. This refers to the name given to him by a village after he saved them from a small Norsumerian raiding party.

**Caruanh** means "*fighter*", from the verb **Caruacch** "*to fight*" changed to a descriptive due to it being a name given.

**Enuaigeinh** means "*well sleeper*", from the verb **Enuaicch** "*to sleep*" and the adjective **geinn** meaning "*good*"