Hundred Heroes

The Hundred Heroes were mighty warriors led by Finian the Brave, who fought against the Gwyllt at a time when the Gwyllt’s hold on Tirneach was all the more fearsome, a time before the First Réig.

Siún, Who Lept the Flaming Wall (Shoon)

Said to have known Finian the Brave since childhood, Siún is best known for her brash, impetuous nature. Legends about Siún tend to fall into one of two patterns: in the first, Siún is the source of the conflict and other members of the Hundred Heroes must step in to rescue her or restore order after some rash action goes awry. In the second kind, Siún saves the day, stepping up to cut straight to the heart of the crisis and end the threat when the other Heroes were too cautious or circumspect to do so. Siún’s most famous deed happened in a town (usually one local to the storyteller) that fell under siege from Caorthainigh Gwyllt. All hope seemed lost as their defences burned and the Gwyllt soldiers massed outside, ready to enter the town and begin the slaughter. No longer willing to sit and wait for the enemy, Siún is said to have lept not only over the town’s burning walls but over 15 ranks of Gwyllt beyond to land face to face with the Caorthainigh Queen and strike her down.

Siún is traditionally identified as a Field Wildling but some mutter that her feats were far too bold for a “tameling”.

Alarig Gorm, also known as Alarig the Relentless (Alarig Gur-um)

The stories say that following a terrible storm, Alarig Gorm was found washed up on the Northern shore of Siabhal by seaweed gatherers who brought him before Finian the Brave. When Alarig heard of the Hundred Heroes’ ongoing campaign to preserve Siabhal from the Gwyllt, he pledged to join them in their battles. Alarig is said to have had tusks which grew to terrifying size when he exerted himself in battle and which were strong enough to turn away an axe-blow. Famed for his extraordinary resilience, many of his legends revolve around him beating overwhelming odds through feats of endurance. In his most famous tale, Alarig was amongst a group of warriors who were ambushed by the Gwyllt. Following the initial attack the creatures left Alarig for dead and carried off the others for some foul, unknown purpose. Upon awakening, Alarig pursued the Gwyllt for six days and six nights without rest, food, or drink. When he finally ran down his quarry, he freed the prisoners and led them in destroying their Gwyllt captures.

Alarig Gorm is usually identified as an early Krieger arrival in Tirneach though a few voices insist he must have been a Wilding.

Fiona, Who Slew the Red Prince

Fiona first appears in the tales of the Hundred Heroes as an enemy of Finian and his followers. She is said to have considered him simply another would-be warlord, with no loyalty to Siabhal but simply out for his own petty gains. The filí argue over the details of the story but it is agreed that it was some desperate act of self-sacrifice by Finian that finally won her to his cause and that Finian would not have survived the ordeal without her intervention. Even after joining the cause Fiona is often cast in the role of an accuser in the stories of other heroes, calling out their misdeeds and exhorting them to live up to their duty to Siabhal. Fiona’s most acclaimed deed comes in the tales of the Red Prince, which recount the tragedy of Finian’s son, returned from the grave as a terrible undead abomination. When Finian was unable to bring himself to destroy the thing that was once his son, Fiona took on the burden and slew the creature in single combat.

Fiona is traditionally identified as a Leasiar.

Immovable Láimhiarainn and Sly Cruachín (lawv-eerrun, crew-uck-een)

Two heroes who almost exclusively appear in stories together, Láimhiarrainn and Cruachín, were parent and child. The tales say that Láimhiarrainn encountered Cruachín as a feral child in the mountains of Siabhal and brought the strange youngster before Finian the Brave to declare they would be adopting the child and training them to become a great warrior. Legends which feature Cruachín as a young child usually centre around Láimhiarrainn having to track down and rescue Cruachín after they have followed their curiousity into some dangerous place or situation. As Cruachín ages they are most commonly shown tricking or outwitting their enemies and on a number of occasions must rely on their guile to rescue Láimhiarrainn from a powerful foe. Láimhiarrainn is typically described as a living mountain or an animated statue, while Cruachín is described only as having the darkest hair and the brightest eyes. Láimhiarrainn earned his nickname by single handedly holding a bridge against a horde of Gwyllt invaders while Cruachín ran ahead to warn the nearby towns of their approach.

Láimhiarrainn is traditionally identified as a rare Fathach wanderer in Siabhal while Cruachín’s species is left entirely up to the story teller.