The Earldom of Strabane

For the months of Feabhra and Marta, Sire Eric trained under the guard captain MacGaith and his stallions. They drilled for days, at the ends of which Eric was always thankful for a night's sleep. And yet, he felt that, while prepared now as a staunch warrior capable of fighting alongside Connacht's best, he was not much closer to his great quest, his sprioc deiridh.

He confessed this to the Thane of Bragn, who agreed that Sire Eric was fit to fight any day alongside his men, but the Thane knew little about how Eric Neckbane could prepare for a fight against the tyrant griffon Brandhard. The Thane confessed to Eric that the clan chiefs of Connacht were not ready to unite under a common cause, and as such, the Thane would not be able to convince any to provide the necessary funds for his exploits.

Though it looked grim for Eric, the stallion suggested that perhaps a fighting journey -- known as the heroic lochragh oireach which virtually all the heroes of legends partook in -- including Ciollus, the god of war himself -- would allow him some time and experience further in the wide world. The Thane acquiesced and, after some thought, recommended Eric to journey north himself, first through the familiar lands of Connacht, and then pursue his sprioc deiridh all the way to the Griffon Kingdom.

In particular, the Thane said, he knew of the mighty Clan Norhest in the lands of Ulster. They were not only experienced warriors in Ulster, but professional soldiers. There they would teach him not merely to fight, but to strategize. The Thane told Eraich of his own clan, called Clan Ceallach, which was based not in Bragn but in the border town of Carraig. Through his connections with the local princes, the flaith, the Thane could write Eric a recommendation that would get him to Bromachbaile, a town under the control of Clan Norhest.

Clan Norhest, in Ulster, was one of the mightiest clans in all the lands of the capall. The descendants of the Norhest were over two hundred strong, and they spread their reach far across the east of Ulster, controlling no fewer than seven thanedoms directly and four more by mere influence. The Thane of Bragn assured Eric, the clan-chief of Norhest must remember his friends in Clan Ceallach -- such a powerful chief (and a thane in his own right) would never forget his friends.

For his journey, the Thane declared he would provide Eric with not only food and water, but also with a sum of gold for Eric to establish himself there, as well as two of his finest stallions for safe escort. He swelled with pride, announcing that Eric was the best hope they would ever encounter for securing the lands of Connacht from the griffon threat.

Eric agreed to this arrangement, and he thanked the Thane for his generosity with gold, stallions, and praise. The Thane gave Eric his full blessing, announcing to the court, "Sire Eric, you already have the gold and stallions yourself. You have a golden eye for truth, and you have the heart of ten stallions and more. The praise then is no more generous than what is rightfully yours. Go in greatness, my peer, and may Ciollus draw his blade in your defense."

The next day, all was prepared as the Thane had promised. Sire Eric and two guard stallions, burdened and armed in Bragn's most lavish array, left the town and trotted north on the road.

It occurred to Eric to look for Gille in the crowd giving him well-wishes, but he hadn't time to search nor to deviate from the lochragh oireach he had begun.

On the ways to Bromachbaile, Eric passed Sruthgorm, ruled by Thane MacLaidh.
And he passed Sruthmor, ruled by Thane MacSlaim.
And he passed Cuindlis, ruled by Thane MacOgain.
And he passed Carraig, ruled by Thane Ceallach.
At this time he came to the edge of the lands of Connacht, and Eric could see the character of the lands of Ulster begin to take over.

Where before were rolling hills and spacious deciduous forests, the land became to slope down at a low angle, and the woods began to thicken. From the light green leaves of the white oaks and great alders and sweeping ash trees that defined the familiar lands of Connacht, now was the land forested by dense conifers, silver fir and dark spruce and black pine, as well as groves of beech. The roads became narrower, but more and more was it paved with gravel instead of the mere dirt roads of Bragn. After passing Clefkirk Hill, the way cleared so that the Vale of Ulster lay before the band, with the thick forests matting the floor of the great wide valley.

In Ulster, on the way to Bromachbaile, Eric passed Omagh, ruled by Thane Baird.
And he passed Glenarm, ruled by Thane Gareg.
At this time, Eric and the two guard stallions parted ways. They returned to Bragn, while Eraich continued north on his road, and within the day he reached the destination.

Eraich came upon the town of Bromachbaile, ruled by the powerful Thane Owen Norhest. It was a walled town, with armed guards and a great watchtower in the center. The guards allowed him in, but when he explained his business, they laughed at his accent. The Connacht ponies, they said, were a sorry, backwards lot who were only good for brawling, drinking, and drunken brawling. Eraich swallowed his pride well, and he said nothing of this slight.

In Bromachbaile was a great number of capall. There were at least twice the number of ponies in Bromachbaile as in Bragn, perhaps even more. The crowds of them moved at a great pace, and Eraich heard a multitude of conversations, all in their peculiar Ulster accent.

Eraich went to the town's center. Therein stood the great tower as well as the thanehall. Eraich sought the audience of the Thane of Bromachbaile, and the Thane received him in private audience, away from the court of Bromachbaile. The Thane asked Eraich what business he had with him, and Eraich revealed the recommendation from the Thane of Bragn and told the nature of his sprioc deiridh.

The Thane of Bromachbaile, whose name was Owen the Full of Clan Norhest, knew of the griffon tyrant named Brandhard. The butcher had slain three of his best warriors and dearest friends. While he possessed no love for the barbarian and feared the troubles Brandhard would herald if he wore the crown of the Griffons, Thane Norhest greatly doubted the ability of this connacka to fight such a fearsome tyrant as he.

On the other hoof, the Chief of Clan Norhest knew that the ramifications of disavowing his friendship with the Thane of Bragn would provoke the powerful Clan Burke, the clan which backed Clan Ceallach in Bragn and one of Clan Norhest's chief rivals. Chief Norhest knew that his stallions would match well against Clan Burke. However, he had no desire to make war while the griffon threat loomed.

Thane Norhest expressed his doubts, saying to Eric, "You are a sire colt, and I respect your deeds as you tell me. However, I cannot provide for you what you desire. My forces are gathered for what I must do to secure the seat of the Earl" -- which is the throne given to a lord of many thanes -- "and I cannot spare the least of resources."

Eric said to the Thane, "Great chief and thane, perhaps I may still yet serve my lochragh oireach. What I seek is to not merely to do battle, but to make war. I offer you my service in your warband that I might gain the experience I need to match the winged butcher of the mountains."

The Thane was pleased by the young stallion's suggestion, but he cautioned Eric that his warriors were not the feisty fighters of Connacht, but professional soldiers of Ulster. If he wished to join the ranks of the fiefban of Clan Norhest even as an officer, he must be prepared to fight as Norhest clansponies did.

Eric swore that he would not fail Thane Norhest, and that he would fight as well as any of his fiefban, Ciollus give him the strength. At this, Thane Norhest finally agreed to enlist Eric and ordered that the contract be written up that very day so that he may leave as soon as may be arranged. The contract was signed, and the council arranged.

So beforth was Eric upon the camp of the fiefban which camped outside the western gate of Bromachbaile. He presented his contract with the sergeant of the fiefban, who took him to the armory they had erected for the homing of their materials of war.

Eric was astounded. Never before had he seen so many weapons at once -- for in Connacht, the tradition was that for arming a son, the responsibility, by creation or commission of weapons and armor, belonged to families and clans. A family would pass down a sword or helm for generations, and it would be repaired when they could. Each such wartool carried the marks of earlier generations, and when there was an emergency, when all able stallions were called to arms to defend a town, the unarmed would smith and strap their own wartools.

In Ulster, however, tradition was different. The Ulster thanes were entirely responsible for keeping a regular army and having enough arms for all the ones needed. Their armaments were built to take punishment, and like in Connacht, they were meant for a single warrior. However, the sergeant explained to Eric, a professional soldier, once inducted into a fiefban -- and once suited with a personal suit of armor and given his sword or mace -- it was nearly unheard for that stallion to leave the service, until death or retirement.

The sergeant fit a suit of armor to Eric, in full Ulster tradition (this consisted of a sturdy helm, a chainmail shirt, and a thick plate cuirass, all over a light cloth bearing the Clan Norhest heraldry), and he took Eraich's short-sword and fastened wooden shield, and he gave him instead the starry mace and the great kite shield of Clan Norhest.

At the camp, Eric was drilled for three days. He found himself tested even beyond the limits of his training with the guards of Bragn. He learned the great strategy and tactics which the Ulster clans had perfected in their warfare. Among the ones Eric learned, there were such fighting styles and moves that not only made sense for Ulster, but Eric began to see how they could be applied in other situations.

Strategy 1. The thick woods and flat terrain of Ulster mean that if marching straight through the woods, while only guessing the location of the enemy forces, the armies could miss one another. Therefore, in forest combat, the soldiers march not in columns, but spread wide to sweep the woods in broad strokes. When individual sections encounter the enemy, they engage fiercely alone. It is forbidden for neighboring to come to aid, should a section be defeated. Instead they are ordered to march forward, in the hopes of securing separate victory.

Strategy 2. If a victorious enemy breaks through the first sweep, they might encircle the splintered forces which remain. Therefore, a second line must always follow the first, tighter and more focused, to patch holes in the first line and to drive back enemies who seek to encircle them.

Strategy 3. The roads were much too narrow for skirmishes along them. Only thieves and bandits attacked from the trees, but no fiefban could afford to wage a lengthy battle over control of a road. The roads are paid therefore equally by rival thanes and never fought over. Instead, if a clan seeks victory over another, it will initiate a siege of a town.

Strategy 4. If the town is taken, there will then be merely a siege of the inner castle, if there is one. Rival clan members who live in the town often fight until they see fit to surrender. Unless they surrender, no mercy ought be visited upon the rival clan. A thane is never executed in victory. He is ejected from his seat in shame and replaced by a worthy friend of the new clan in charge. All other capall are spared, and there is no razing of the town.

Strategy 5. If a siege is to be broken, the ones who siege do not attack the rescue forces on the road. Instead, they wait until the reinforcements come right to the gates of the city.

Tactic 1. The weaknesses of enemy soldiers depend on the conventions of the clan they serve. However, common to beginning soldiers is fear of the dark forests. Silence is therefore advised until you are face-to-face with the enemy.

Tactic 2. At the first charge, a new recruit becomes knock-kneed at the sight of a veteran warrior and becomes distracted by any sign of expertise. Unlike the other lands, death is equally as common as retreat in battles in Ulster, if not even rarer. Therefore, a good warrior lets loose a great cry of rage and war upon first meeting the enemy to encourage them to turn tail.

Tactic 3. If the fight does not desist, never turn your flank on the enemy. Always press forward and keep blows raining down, even if they do not cut or crush the enemy. Instead of being a knife which grows dull with every strike, be a hammer which does not desist and does not wane in power. Eventually the enemy will fall, just as an iron bar will become a sword with great heat and great blows.

"Be fierce," the sergeant told him. "Be persistent, be like the unyielding river which does not turn from the rock, but instead wears it to a pebble."

After learning such tactics, Eric felt much smarting. He was a warrior in truth. However, he needed service to prove his worth and to repay the great Thane Owen Norhest of Bromachbaile.

At the camp, Eric became familiar with the seventeen soldiers there, with whom he developed strong friendships. Among them was a warrior of Clan Norhest named Albert Norhest. Erich gave good company to Albrecht Norhest, who revealed to the former that he, in fact, was the next in the derbfine (the succession) of Clan Norhest, being the oldest cousin of Chief Owen Norhest. Albert boasted that, although he was born under no grand sign, that he would unite the lands of the east under Clan Norhest and create one great Earldom out of the five there.

Eric remarked that Albert would make a better Earl of all Ulster. Sir Albert asked of Eric how he could mark such a future, when none since the days of the High King Rex Invictus had ever united the Vale.

Eric told Albert that Clan Norhest, allied with a worthy partner in Connacht, could easily unite the disparate clans of the Vale under a single earldom. Albert joked that such an earl would be more like a king. Both enjoyed such boisterous talk, but there was a battle which awaited both. Such matters would be attended to later.

On the fourth day, the sergeant gave the orders which had come from the captain in the field. The captain requested the presence of all eighteen on the battlefield at once, as three other clans had camped around the earl-manor outside of the town Strabane. All three vied with Clan Norhest's claim on the Earldom of Strabane, and none had given ground yet.

The captain wrote that an immediate reinforcement could turn the tide of the rivalry, as two of the other clan's fiefbans were far away from the towns controlled by thanes friendly to them. The last clan, Clan Fairhill, could be reinforced in two days.

The captain wrote, with much eagerness, that if all eighteen could come within a day, then an attack might be mounted on Clan Fairhill's camp, as well as on the other two. The strike, be it fierce and be it soon, would give the rival fiefbans pause about their ability to lay claim to the earl-manor. The warriors agreed to march, and by midday, all set out for the town of Strabane.

The morning next, the company reached Strabane at its west gate. The guards welcomed their troop, but warned them to stick close together and to stay near the west gate.

Eric inquired about the nature of this advice, and the guard revealed that the Thane of Strabane was also the Earl of Strabane. At the moment, the council of Strabane filled the hole of authority until a claimant on the Earldom of Strabane became clear.

The council was officially neutral, and they allowed all the clans to come into the town. However, there was no way for the town guards to realistically stop the rival clans from fighting in the streets. They said, therefore, for the sake of peace and safety, they would allow the clan warriors to enter the town, while encouraging them to avoid killing each other.

After purchasing food and drink from the townsponies, the troop set out into the forest south of Strabane, whereupon the reached the camp of the Clan Norhest fiefban. There they met the Captain Flagheah who told them that the best time to strike would be at twilight the same day. He advised the troop to rest until then, as they would be his front line when the strike began. The troop thanked him. The soldiers rested, but Eric and Albert did not.

Eraich confided to Albrecht that it would be less of a trouble for them if the town Strabane refused to service any of the fiefbans. Albert agreed, but he asked how that could be managed. Eric assured his friend that he had thought of a way, and he asked Albert to search for some form of ashes and to mix it with wet wax.

In this manner, Eric and Albert removed their armor all except for their underclothes, which they kept folded in their packs, and they painted their bodies with the ashes to give the appearance of possessing the sores of the Wasting Sickness. They then made secret trips to the camps of the other clans -- Clan Norfast, Clan Fairhill, and Clan Keady -- from each taking only enough clothes to mark them as members of those clans. Donning each mark, they traveled to the five gates of Strabane, crying out for mercy from the guards.

The guards, alarmed at the sight, inquired, "But what terrible thing has happened to you soldiers, that you are marked on your skin with awful bruises and a tepid gauntness?"

Erich and Albert, dressed in the outfit of the clan which frequented the gate, wailed and cried out, "Ach, but we are struck with the terrible Wasting Sickness! But we are not alone. Many other in our camp have fallen to this terrible sickness, and many more are likely to fall ill from our presence. Please, sires, allow us into town so that we may fetch some herbs to remedy our troubles."

The guards at each gate refused adamantly, saying, "Take your disease away from Strabane! We cannot let you or your fellows in for your stay in our woods! Begone from the gate, and relay this message to your captain!" Eraich and Albrecht, to fully weave their tale, pleaded long and with many tears with the guards at each gate, but they did not relent. When they returned to the camp of Clan Norhest, all the gates of Strabane were barred and locked, and they intended to remain it so until the battle had ended.

Captain Flagheah saw the state of Eraich and Albrecht, and he asked them what terrible fate they had managed to invite on themselves and how in a single day they could become so malformed, thinking that they intended to escape the duty of the front line. Upon revealing their actions, Captain Flagheah was heartily amused and declared them both to be fine strategists as well as sources of pride to the name of Clan Norhest. Verily, with the closest supplying town now closed off to the camps, all the other three clans would suffer the weight of supplying their fiefbans over greater distances.

At the beginning of the twilight hour, the fiefban of Clan Norhest made its preparations for the strike. Captain Flagheah revealed that he had sent false messages to be intercepted by the other three clans, wherein he entailed his plans to make a double strike on Clan Keady and Clan Norfast with the majority of his forces, then to feint a takeover of the earl-manor opposing Clan Fairhill.

Captain Flagheah himself would lead the charge against the camps of Keady and Norfast, but he would only take the fewest of stallions, sixteen for each attack, and he would fall back quickly after fifteen minutes of fighting, as though routed. Instead of trying to take the earl-manor, the bulk of the fiefban would be directed at besieging the camp of Clan Fairhill, thirty-seven of their finest soldiers against the fifty-one of Clan Fairhill, all by surprise.

Captain Flagheah wished them all luck in their tasks, and he prayed for Ciollus to watch over them in battle and to grant them victory. With the prayer concluded, the groups separated.

Albert and Erich were positioned at the front. Albert confessed quietly a doubt as to whether they could rout the larger force, but Eric reminded him to have faith in Ciollus and to fight with his best fire.

After five minutes of traditional Ulster advancing, they arrived at the camp of Clan Fairhill. The guards did not see their initial advancement. Eric cried out first, and he led the charge out of the woods to the clearing of the camp. Eric reached the low stockade of the camp and leaped over it with a great effort, which inspired his comrades, who also leaped over the stockade instead of entering by the open gates of the camp.

The guards were caught by surprise and fumbled with their swords. Eric took his starry mace, and he swung it at a guard, knocking him square in the side of his helm. The guard fell over, unhurt, but shocked so that he stumbled back up and immediately ran to the tents. The alarm was raised. All the guards had been pushed back into the tented area of the camp.

Albert and five others charged along the outer edge of the tents, six more along the inner edge, and Eric and the remaining twenty-five marched through the tented area. They roused any struggling Fairhill soldiers with stinging blows and loud war cries. In twenty minutes, all the Fairhill fiefban was fighting to get back in their own camp.

The captain of the Fairhill ponies, named Cean Fairhill, ordered the full retreat of the Fairhill Clan, and his soldiers followed him leaving the battle. Albert wanted to give chase, but Eraich told him, "Besides, they will be back, and they will return in stronger formation. I saw that we encountered maybe forty-two of their force. Likely, thinking we were merely to dig in on the hill of the earl-manor, they sent their patrols out to harass the other clans. When they regroup, they will be back with full numbers." Albert agreed to this counsel.

Three Fairhill capall had fallen during the attack. As custom in Ulster, they were laid out on a great sheet, with their armor respectfully positioned next to them and their garments folded. They took not their gold and possessions, nor did they steal or destroy what belonged to Clan Fairhill. This was excepting food rations which Clan Norhest raided from the Fairhill supplies and the gates to the camp, the hinges of which they smashed to pieces.

The attack force returned summarily to the camp of Clan Norhest, whereupon Captain Flagheah did meet them. They related their successes and the bravery of their deeds, for which Captain Flagheah commended them. He said to the fiefban, in its wholeness gathered there, "Today we have sealed our victory. It is destined for Clan Norhest to have the Earldom of Strabane. All the task that remains is to ensure that the victory is not unsealed by misfortune. Clan Norhest is proud to have such warriors as you, and I submit that Owen Norhest will give the same praise."

That night, in the camps, there was much rejoicing, with beer and wine and bread and meat, but only in one camp was there truth in the celebrations.

The day next, Clan Fairhill sent a party to the town to replenish its food supply, for the Norhest fiefban had raided half of their stock. Also, their reinforcements were due to arrive later in the day, and they required even more food than they had provided.

Surprised were they, then, when the gates were firmly shut. They asked the guards if one of the clans had taken the city, but the guards refused this and instead commanded them to leave the gates until their sickness had been cleared from their camps. The Fairhill party denied the presence of any sickness and demanded to be let into Strabane, but none of the town guards would relent.

Such was the experience of Clan Fairhill, as well as for Clan Keady, and as well as for Clan Norfast. None were allowed into the city, and the next day, they were refused again at the city gates. Clan Fairhill and Clan Norfast, both long distances from their best supply, withdrew their contention for the earl-manor on the eve of the second day. Clan Keady, smaller and more determined, refused to withdraw its claim on the Earldom for another three days.

For those three days, Sire Eraich and Sir Albrecht led fierce charges on their camp and fought hard over the hill of the earl-manor. They scored many a victory, and even the blows they received were naught but scratches. For every brave Norjest stallion who fell and was mourned, two of the Keady Clan had fallen in front of him.

On that final day, Clan Keady sent a messenger to the camp of Clan Norhest, announcing its withdrawal of the Keady claim on the earl-manor. Captain Flagheah sent his thanks and well-wishes to Clan Keady, but there was uncontained rejoicing in the Norhest fiefban. At the news, the camp was packed and half the fiefban moved into the keep of the earl-manor.

And so the day was won for Clan Norhest by Eric the Brave and Albert the Vigilant.