Mag Mhor and the Kingdom of the Northern Celts

[Tybalt]

From Rigantia in the northern seas to the former Yasg colony of Deva, from taiga to rain forest exists the great Celtic empire of the Northern Celts. While not all celtic peoples belong to this nation nevertheless it is certainly the most powerful of them.

This is for my New Edom campaign: the great adversary of New Edom. I'd appreciate any critiques or questions.

Ruler: Cleothas I, King of the Celts. He began his reign at the age of 18, as the ruler of the Ulatha of Talladh. This was a prosperous tribe controlling part of the river trade down the Boann River, which swings all the way from its source in the lake of Liosinn in Alfheim down to the Yasg border. He is considered to have played one group off against another and soon ruled a strong alliance as a pendragon, ultimately being crowned by a grateful congregation of noblemen and rulers as King of all the Kings for life. He is now middle aged, still lean but greying, still virile and able as he must prove at least once a year at one of the great festivals.

Court: Mag Mhor is one of the most prominent places in the Celtic lands, said to be where the Tuatha de Dannan last granted wisdom and magical relics to the human peoples before departing to the legendary islands of bliss. It is partly bardic college, partly a court of laws and customs and partly a seat of authority. The King has built a great casle there from which he reigns while holding court. Normally though he prefers the seaside city of Briga with its bracing air, commerce, journeyers and tales of other lands.

Authority: Authority in a King centers around being a warrior, a person acceptable to the ancient ways, a ring giver and a man of virility.

Worship: While druidic worship is still common and is done for all major rituals the popular worship among sophisticated city folk and in some particular provinces and duchies is the Church of the Allsoul, which is a redemptive faith involving meditation and belief in a Source of All Life which in its many aspects offers blessing and wisdom to its followers. There is at times a hostility between both faiths. Worship of foreign deities is tolerated though not used as a legal means in courts of law or decision making.

Culture: While there are wild folk who wear furs or run into battle screaming naked in some parts most Celts are well dressed people with a keen sense of etiquette and precedence. They are exceptionally fond of music, travel, art, conversation (especially storytelling) and are also rather clever merchants though the upper classes disdain such activity. They practice slavery and have a strong sense of caste though it can be flexible in some cases.

One important aspect of this culture is war. Descended from raiding tribes and feuding tribes, the warrior aristocrats who are Cleothas' vassals are still eager for fighting. Indeed, among themselves they willingly fight over matters of honor or land. Bravery, cleverness in battle and courage are considered the marks of a leader.

Commerce: Speaking of slavery the Celts' basic unit of money is the cumhal, which is the price of a typical female slave. While most rural folk still largely use trade and barter by the time of Cleothas' reign people were using Yasg style coinage. They are exceptional horse breeders in particular but are also good at smelting metal goods and making jewellry. Probably one of their best arts is that of making musical instruments. However what is most sought after among them are such natural goods as the land yields. Slave trading of conquered peoples in particular has lately produced an excellent market in Yasg.

Magic: Cleothas I along with his vassal Duke Anderman seeks to stamp out uncontrolled use of magic, which had spread out of places like the far north and Yasg. Magic users who are not druids or of a known and respected college are considered dangerous mercenary folk willing to make any kind of unholy alliance. In particular witches (psionicists) are seen as dangerous and have largely gone into hiding though a particular group called the Red Knights serve the King and seek out their own kind for destruction.

New Edom: New Edom is seen as a rebellious province, though really it was a wild untamed ruined area overrun by humanoids, patrolled on its edges by dwarves and elves, with the eerie shadow of the great swamp and the wild forest country making it unlikely to settle in. While some had continued to go there they were mostly unsavoury or clanless folk who were seen as small losses. When the New Edomites came, settled and tamed the land they astonishingly with the help of the demihumans produced wonders, including amazing crops and settled towns. New Edom is a much smaller country, perhaps as large as one of the vassal kingdoms of the Northern Celts. No one really believes in the King's claims--except in the sense that if he wins, he was right to make them according to the way things tend to work.

[Seraph]

I see you actually use the term Tuatha de Danaan.  I personally would say to use a different term (I call my elves, which are celtic based "Tuathaé"), but that is your prerogative.  However, let's discuss your Tuatha de Danaan.  Are you just using the normal celtic folk as your Tuatha, or are a specific group considered to be the Tuatha de Danaan?  

[Tybalt]

Oh I meant as in they are the beings who are the forbears of the present day elves in my game, much more poweful and their remnants diminished. they are the precursor race to the Celts in their lands is my idea...based largely from myth.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Yeah, that's pretty close to how I use them, too.  In modern times, the Celts tend to call them (elves) daoine sidhe to refer their dwindled form.  Only difference is that it is the same elves in my case.

Anyway, I like your description of the King.  A lot of detail about both the man and the position.

Interesting with the Red Knights.  It does sound like a really Celtic name, unless very late Celtic.  But maybe that's just associating the rise of knights with the Dark Ages.

You use the term Mag Mhor.  Is this supposed to be a modified form of Mag Mell?

You don't mention a caste system, at least not directly.  Perhaps adapting that would help.

He has interesting take on New Edom - it being a rebellious province.  Based on what I remember from its history it sounds kind of out there.  He's going to a lot of trouble for a land that was ruled by savage humanoids until not that long ago.  Why does he care so much?  Does he have an ulterior motive?  

[Tybalt]

Thanks for the questions guys. I welcome them, it's helping me develop things.

I was thinking of a couple of motivations. First of all Cleothas wants the land there, which is rich land but that was too much trouble for any of the lesser kings to bother with until recently. Secondly, he is using it to draw certain powerful nobles away from vying for power at home. Thirdly the area New Edom is in used to be called Belerion and was a kingdom until a ruinous war brought it down generations ago. This last is the basis for his 'justification'.

I was looking at stuff like Mag Mell but Mag Mhor struck me as being dramatic and I took it :)


I think I briefly mentioned the caste system but here goes:

The caste system of the Celts (ooc: btw please take into account I am adapting existing ideas for my game--feel free to criticize but realize I am not doing this to be historically accurate to but lend cultural authenticity) is partly religious and partly military in basis.

The Filidh: These are the people of knowledge. While they serve the various warlords, nobles and such they are also serving the people and are known to do such. They generally have immunity from violence and are regarded as sacred to varying degrees. This class includes PC classes such as druids, bards, and such spellcasters as are trained within the structure of this caste. It also includes NPC classes such as judges, counsellors, healers, astronomers, sacrificers, lawyers and seers. The laws and magics that are practiced within these castes were believed to be passed to the Celtic folk from various of the Tuatha de Dannan and are held as being sacred to the land.

Essential to these people and the concepts surrounding them is the idea of 'Nemed' which roughly means sacred. There are particular places, Mag Mhor being among the greatest, which have a magical significance to which the application of custom, tradition and law (which all are kind of the same thing among these people) is particularly powerful and where sanctuary for all but those judged the worst kind of lawbreakers already is given.

The Cuaradh The warrior caste are the defenders of society, trained also to rule in the day to day lives of the main ranges of community, which are:
family (called a fine in terms of land)
clan (called a Rath by the Celtic folk, meaning a collection of families interrelated by marriage or blood)
tribe (called a Tuath, or kingdom, an alliance of clans under a ruler acknowledged by all the clan leaders)
This warrior aristocracy originally based its authority on the ability to control pastureland for horses and cattle, and it is still a basis for their wealth and authority now. A system of obligations binds them to their family and lands and the people who work on it. A more elaborate sysem of land administration has been developed since the earlier days and various sub-rulers submit to the rulers of Rath or Tuath. In addition the jurists at Mag Mhor are continually developing ways for the King of all the Kings to rule all the people--which is somewhat grumbled at at times.


The Ceardean This caste is made up of farmers, artisans and various craftsmen. They are free folk and may bear certain arms but may not ride horses or carry swords in battle. Merchants may be of this caste as well but must actually be of a family that produces goods they sell in order to be seen as decent people. Merchants who are 'in between' and deal in things that they have nothing to do with are regarded with suspicion at worst or seen as foreigners bringing trade at best.

The Slaves and outcasts
the Celts have no prisons--they might hold a prisoner in something designated as a place to wait until judged but their worst punishment in a way is to be outcast. An outcast is rarely accepted in another place because they clearly will have dishonored custom and community. In a way they are almost lower than slaves, who are at least granted the protection of their owners.

Slavery among the Celts is no picnic but it is not all the horror stories of slavery. It is rather they who do the lowly labours, who are told what to do rather than given obligations of service they cheerfully render. Slaves can be redeemed from this status but rarely, and usually some deed of courage or bravery would be required. This is difficult as it is against all law and custom for them to bear arms, practice magic or study law.

The Honor Price

Slaves and outcasts lack it altogether, the Filidh class is above it. It is for the warrior and the artisan class to have this. It is in effect the worth of a person for such things as ransom, marriage arrangements and status. Nominally it is calculated to be as low as a cumal or as high as a herd of cattle, though other goods or lands may be substituted as equivalents.