The Songbook Conspiracy

The “Songbook”

With a new Réig in place and the potentially catastrophic threats to the Five Realms dealt with it was time for the Iarla to begin undoing the damage that occurred during the Season of Uncertainty. With that in mind, Iarla Éalthna Ni Órfhaiche requested the presence of Cumhacht na Réig to help secure The Grey Lands, the region of Siabhal that borders Uasa. Publicly we gathered to help defeat a Helfa Wyllt, a dangerous Gwyllt that can enrage even the most sedate beast. In reality our true purpose was to uncover a conspiracy.

The Thane informed the Officers of our mission- The Iarla had heard concerning stories about the increased number of armed groups wandering the Grey Lands, moving from one Riding to the next, often appearing in different colours each time, or worse, bearing a false Golden Knife that marked them as Gallóglaigh. She requested that Thane Ualgarg Corcra organise meetings with the suspects, and she provided a dossier of her own feelings on each Rider in the region. The Thane told the Officers that we must inform the entire band of the importance of our true mission, but also make it clear it was to remain a secret from those outside the band. He said that if he walked through the camp the following morning and heard a single mention of our true purpose there would be consequences, but if he spoke to any member of the band in private and they did not know our actual mission that it would equally dire.

The Officers quickly moved to inform the band, and a simple code phrase was devised- if someone was asked about The Songbook and they knew about our purpose, they would speak on it. If they knew nothing of The Songbook they would be informed. This code phrase quickly became a useful tool for Bandmates to ask if a particular situation was relevant to our true purpose with risk of giving away any secrets. Within a couple of hours of the Officer Meeting the Thane expressed his pleasure at the speed at which the information had disseminated throughout the camp, and said it spoke highly of the Band’s closeness and understanding of the importance of our mission.

The Riders

The Riders of every Realm will always have some issue they cannot handle alone- a beast too dangerous for regular troops to face, a dispute involving individuals of too high station, a ritual they cannot complete- and our Thane took advantage of this to invite the Riders of the region to our camp so we could both assist them and evaluate them.

If you dealt with any of these Riders in any way, be aware that you helped the Band in our true purpose. I will list the Riders that came to camp and why, and hopefully it will clarify why there was a mission to help a fool slaughter helpless beasts or why the Amber Wolf was occupied for several hours by a convoluted trial.

Aodhán the Blue

The Leasiar Rider of Liúsfholach, Aodhán is one of the richest men in the Five Realms, earned during his time sailing with Firetouched merchants of the Prosperidad. He had been a valued advisor to the Iarla, but in recent years was very public about proclaiming his interest in retiring or perhaps even taking the Path of Many Candles. The Iarla did not feel him a likely suspect. When he came to camp on the first evening he requested we send out a detachment of Gallóglaigh to deal with bandits that had been plaguing his Riding in recent times. This mission departed on our first full day in camp and was successful in driving away or slaying most of the bandits, as well as bring back some prisoners.

These prisoners provided vital intelligence that not only clear Aodhán, but also gave us our first solid leads onto who the conspirators could be.

Our final patrol of the campaign also provided assistance to Aodhán, lifting a siege by rebel forces on his holdings.

Eithne the Mender

The Creidhe Rider of Flann’s Rest, one of the most valuable and prosperous Ridings in Siabhal, and thus the Realms. Although it is the smallest Riding in the region, the town of Flann’s Rest is a prosperous and vital market for all trade between Siabhal and Uasa. Eithne herself is a famed artisan, and the Iarla considered her a valuable ally as she provided scrupulous reports on all comings and goings through Flann’s Rest. The past few seasons, however, those reports had stopped, drawing some suspicion on the Rider.

Eithne asked us to provide long term guards for Flann’s Rest, as banditry in the region had increased and her town and the few surrounding farms felt particularly exposed. Although not a standard request for Gallóglaigh, we managed to find some volunteers willing to spend the winter guarding the town instead of following their own personal pursuits.

We weren’t particularly suspicious of Eithne after she requested the guards, as we felt it explained her lack of reports and few conspirators would welcome an increased number of Gallóglaigh in their lands. As the band gathered more leads over the campaign, it became clear she was not one of the rebel Riders.

Iúra Nic Fhíona

The Leasiar Rider of Oirgreim, Iúra and the Iarla have a relationship that goes back all the way to their childhood, and it’s entirely negative. There were rumours that Iúra had been seen at the head of a large armed force during the Season of Uncertainty, but the Iarla didn’t want her own biases to influence our investigation.

Rider Nic Fhíona was rescued by members of the band by warriors that were led by a man named Abheal, who later confessed to involvement in the conspiracy. Although this didn’t remove her from suspicion entirely, further evidence clear her of any complicity- she may not like the Iarla, but she is loyal to the Réig and to Siabhal.

Maicín Ó Chonlaoch

The Wilding Rider of Táltarbh, a Riding blessed with rich pastures and plentiful herds. The Riding was originally granted to Maicín’s father, Cóir, who prevent an assassination of the Iarla by the Harriers three decades ago, though there were rumours at the time Cóir had been a member who realised that they were doomed to failure and sold out the group. Maicín has achieved no achievements worthy of notice, and has been very vocal about his issues with the Iarla.

Rider Ó Chonlaoch visited the camp to retain some Gallóglaigh to help him hunt some wild beasts so he could prove his gifts as a warrior. When the Gallóglaigh who accompanied him reported the details of the mission it became quite clear the Rider wasn’t competent enough to be heavily involved in the conspiracy, and at most would be used as a patsy to divert blame. Although he was cleared of all involvement, he remains a stark reminder of the dangers of inherited political positions.

Róis Uí Dhubhgiolla

The Human Rider of Bacainneach, Róis is in a tenuous political position and likely to lose her standing as a member of the Crimson Court, and the Season of Uncertainty weakened their position even more.

Rider Uí Dhubhgiolla came to the camp seeking information on her sister’s sudden rise to power. Her sister, Síle, was a hostage to an Uasaigh Rider and recently the entirety of that family died in a series of “accidents”. Róis had been approached by a person named The Quill or Coill, a conman and crime boss of some influence and ability, who offered her information for an exorbitant fee. We managed to convince her of the folly of accepting his aid. Our investigation later determined the party likely for the murders, one of the Riders involved in the conspiracy, and we passed the information on to the Iarla to allow her to inform Róis if she so chooses.

Urrúnta Nic Athgabha

The Creidhe Rider of Réimshin, Urrúnta comes not only for a prestigious family that can trace its roots all the way back to Micheál the Reforger, but she herself is a gifted architect with a talent for running her Riding. The only mark against her and her family is the long running feud between her and Rider Dásach Oc Éanan, a rivalry apparently ended with the betrothal of their heirs.

Rider Nic Athgacha came to camp to resolve the matter of her son’s betrothal to Dásach’s daughter. She wasn’t pleased that the Gallóglaigh had chosen to involve themselves in the matter (it was certainly not our choice) and was angered by our attempts to ensure she was who she said she was. Eventually the matter was resolved by convincing the children to accept a longer term betrothal during which a series of Watch Towers would be built along the coast, a project that would force the two to spend time together and hopefully find common ground.

Urrúnta was never a serious suspect, under investigation simply because she would have had the resources to outfit several bands of bandits if she wished. She was quickly cleared of all suspicion by evidence we gathered.

The Conspirators

Gurvan the Bold

The Leasiar Rider of Cheilg, Gurvan is one of the Iarla’s closest friends, and she did not wish to even consider him a viable suspect. However, even before we received the Iarla’s dossier on the Riders we were suspicious of Gurvan- as his lands border Uasa he maintained a strong militia to “discourage” any border strife, and in recent times had become more and more vocal about thew glory days of Siabhal and how the Realms needs to become more than it currently is.

Our suspicions were quickly confirmed, as some letters gathered by the band made multiple mentions of the strength of the friendship between one of the conspirators and the Iarla, and how that afforded the group some protection.

Gurvan arrived at the camp on the second night to settle a dispute between himself and Lady Blackthorne, regarding some of their farms and water rights. This excruciatingly long judgement was just a cover to get Gurvan into the camp, and to buy us time to solidify our evidence and decide on a course of action to get a confession. When the judgement was decided, Gurvan was approached by Nocent, who politely explained that the Rider could either deal with him or speak with the band’s Peacesworn. Gurvan quickly confessed, naming his accomplices and requesting sanctuary. He explained that he had already considered abandoning the enterprise as the conspirator they called Breac had begun to go too far.

Fiainfaobhar Ó Chonlaoch

The Wilding Rider of Sciatrian. Sciatrian is one of the more dangerous Ridings in Siabhal, as the dense forests it resides in are known to attract all manner of foul beasts. Fiainfaobhar had been a Gallóglaigh, formerly a member of the Oakhearts, the ideal Rider to rule such an area. Sciatrian always had a larger militia than similarly sized Ridings, understandable because of the dangers, but even with that it suffered greatly during the Season of Uncertainty, besieged and isolated for months at a time. In recent months a number of unidentified groups wearing a variety of colours had been seen in the Riding, and though Fiainfaobhar claimed no knowledge of them the Iarla felt he was too responsible and gifted a leader to be ignorant of troops on his land.

Fiainfaobhar came to the camp early on the final day to meet with former members of the Oakhearts that are now members of Cumhact na Réig. By this time we were certain that he was a member of the conspiracy, but to not arouse suspicion he was allowed to conduct his business as normal, with the band only to make a move if he attempted to leave the camp. However, during a discussion with Deirbhile Nic an Bhaird, a new member of the band attempting to gain a better understanding of the Virtues, Fiainfaobhar was forced into self-reflection that caused him to confess his involvement. He then provided corroboration on information and assumptions we already had, and informed us that he had been having second thoughts for some time and was the one responsible for leaking the various letters the band recovered over the campaign.

Síofra Punann

The Wildling Rider of Méith, Síofra Punann fell during the Defense of Barr. She had been vocal about the Iarla’s lack of direct support for the Ridings suffering the most during the Season of Uncertainty, and once she joined the conspiracy she used her contacts to acquire fake liveries to better hide the number and distribution of the warriors working for the group. Her death was the catalyst for Gurvan and Fiainfaobhar to question the goals of the conspiracy, and the actions of Dásach in particular.

Dásach Oc Éanan

The Creidhe Rider of Géilleaspa, Dásach arrived to help resolve the matter of the betrothal between his daughter and the son of his long term rival Rider Urrúta Nic Athgabha. The children absolutely hated each other, and made every effort to convince us that we should help them prevent the wedding. Feeling that their marriage was for the good of their Ridings and Siabhal as a whole, we discussed the matter with the Riders and it was decided a long term betrothal may eventually allow the children to find common ground, and that as a project to force them to work together a series of ten watch towers were planned to be built along the coast, watching out over the Shaper’s Sea.

A vital piece of information came from this meeting, one that could easily have been overlooked and cast aside if not for other evidence. The son of Rider Nic Athgabha said many times that his betrothed’s family were obsessed with Siabhal becoming more powerful, to the point of disloyalty. As we followed other leads it became clear these were not just the words of an angry youth attempting to avoid his responsibilities, but in fact the first sign that Dásach was involved in the conspiracy.

As we gathered more leads, including a series of letters, it became clear that not only was Dásach involved in the conspiracy, he was its de facto leader. And where the other Riders involved saw its purpose as being defending their lands in dangerous times, Dásach, or Breac as he named himself in his letters, was a believer in Lobhan’s Legacy. He is not only responsible for helping setup the foul ritual that summoned those abominations that pretended to be some of the Hundred reborn, he is also responsible for the murder of an Uasaigh Rider and most of their family so that a Rider from Siabhal could be installed in their position. It was Dásach’s fanaticism that eventually drove the other members of the conspiracy to realise the error of their ways and confess.

Timeline

Based on evidence gathered by the band from a variety of sources, primarily letters recovered from the various militias and bandits in the conspiracy’s employ, we were able to establish a rough timeline of events.

During the Spring of 798, Dásach Oc Éanan wrote to Gurvan the Bold, complimenting him on building up his militia and suggesting they should meet to discuss working together and expanding that operation. Shortly after their meeting Dásach recruited Síofra Punann to their conspiracy, and they decided to increase the size of their militias far beyond the restrictions put in place by the Iarla, utilising fake liveries to conceal their numbers and constantly moving the camps to avoid detection.

During the Summer of 798, Síofra recruited her cousin Fiainfaobhar to their cause, bring his substantial militia and campaigning experience to the conspiracy. During this time the conspiracy recruited a Golden Knife named Abheal to command their main force of troops in the field, as well as a bandit leader named Concobhar to lead another detachment. They continued to move their illegal armies around The Grey Lands to avoid detection.

By the Winter of 798 the Season of Uncertainty had seen the defeat of the Blazing Host and Mairi the Brute, but across the Five Realms the situation was still chaotic. The Regent ordered that all Gallóglaigh separated from their bands were now members of the Golden Knives, and were to seek out their Thane. This allowed Gallóglaigh to go where they felt they were needed but also provided an opportunity to the conspiracy, which acquired replica Golden Knife pins to outfit their most elite troops, providing an even greater level of cover for their activities.

The Spring of 799 saw the foulest and most direct action from the conspiracy, at least until that heresy Dásach perpetuated with the false undead Heroes. Seemingly acting alone, Dásach convinced members of Lobhan’s Legacy, a violent Siabhlach independence group, to murder several Riders in Uasa, including the adoptive family of the now Rider Síle Ui Dhubhgiolla.

By the Summer of 799 the conspiracy was starting to show signs of fracturing. Gurvan wrote to Dásach demanding he denounce Lobhan’s Legacy, and ideally dispose of any he could identify. Síofra fell during the Defense of Barr, and the same day one of Iomra’s Towers was destroyed. This tragedy seemed to shatter Dásach’s already fragile mind, and apparently he decided there was no longer any line he would not cross.

During the Autumn of 799 Fiainfaobhar makes it clear to the other conspirators that without Síofra he has little interest in the whole endeavour, and with only three Riders involved it is a lot harder to conceal the movement of their troops. He also expressed deep concerns over Dásach’s activities and his ties to the Lobhan’s Legacy.

By the Summer of 800 the conspiracy is both on its last legs and at its most dangerous. Síofra is dead. Fiainfaobhar has all but abandoned the cause. The appointment of the new Réig has begun to settle the Five Realms and Iarla Éalthna has once again returned her attention to Siabhal. Unfortunately instead of simply dissolving the conspiracy and focusing on the needs of Géilleaspa, Dásach decides to escalate the situation.

We know that during our campaign Dásach attempted to kidnap or kill several Riders, which we managed to prevent. Dásach also conspired for his forces to conduct the ritual that summoned the undead false Heroes to attack our camp, calling upon the aid of an individual named Suiríoch to provide the book that contained ritual. This Suiríoch has drawn our attention before and appears to be happy to aid others in committing the ultimate crimes against mortals and The Shaper, but we know precious little about them beyond that. If any of you hear mention of him in the future I would greatly appreciate being informed.

Conclusion

The final fate of the remaining conspirators, Dásach Oc Éana, Fiainfaobhar Ó Chonlaoch and Gurvan the Bold remains in the hands of Iarla Éalthna. As both Fiainfaobhar and Gurvan confessed to their crimes and provided a full accounting it is likely they will be shown some measure of leniency, but Dásach will hopefully feel the full measure of the Iarla’s wrath. Although we were not tasked with apprehending him there is no doubt that our actions in dispersing his followers will make it much easier for the Iarla’s own forces to arrest him, and until they do his ability to cause trouble has been heavily curtailed. The Iarla was very impressed with how quickly we uncovered the members of the conspiracy, and the amount of context and depth we could provide. She paid the band a bonus for our work, of which you all received a share.

As Reconnaissance Officer I was at the heart of putting the clues and evidence together, but it is the entire band that was responsible for bringing me those clues. Every one of you that gave me information, no matter how minor it may have seemed to you, was providing me with a new lead, support for a current theory or a way of eliminating a false one, and I truly could not have accomplished my assignment without you. You have my thanks and my gratitude.

For the Réig,

Rumann MacUltan

Reconnaissance Officer, Cumhacht na Réig