TRIAD:

Live Action Role-Playing Game Rules

Table of Contents 

They came to Tir-na-n’Og.

Tir-na-n’Og, Isle of Youth in the ancient Gaelic or Celtic tongue, has had many different names in many cultures. Most often known as Faerie, it is the land that was given to Lilith when she and Adam parted ways. Since the time before the Great Flood, it has harbored strange and wondrous creatures, magical and otherwise, and many other beings that could not, or would not, live in a world that Humans, in their stupidity, were destroying. Collectively, these other-than-human beings are known as faeries, the Sidhe, or the FEY. The most powerful of these were the Children of Gaea, or the Tuatha Dé Danann, as they were known to the Gaels.

The FEY are the children of Lilith, and so are related to humanity, Eve's offspring. The FEY and Humankind went their separate ways, the one following the science of magic, while the other delved into the science of technology. The resulting sibling rivalry had far-reaching consequences.

Though for thousands of years the FEY freely crossed the borders between their land and that of Humankind, as time went on and the separation between Human and FEY grew greater, these visits brought about great woe to all concerned more often than not. More and more of the faerie folk retreated into Tir-na-n’Og, leaving Earth to their human cousins. The borders became more strongly guarded, and finally were closed altogether, leaving only a few gateways where magical passage was still possible. Even these were finally closed in 1492 A.D.

No one of this world who went looking for the way into Tir-na-n’Og could ever find it. Shielded by powerful spells that are as old as the land itself, the gateways can only be reached by following ley lines, the invisible lines of energy that criss-cross the earth, until they culminate at a nexus, or a place where two or more ley lines connect. Some say ley lines are magnetic in nature, some say magical.  Whatever their nature, ley lines can be tapped for their energy by those with magical abilities, and used to open magical Gates at the nexus.

It has often been thought that Tir-na-n’Og was everywhere, since a person could find themselves within its borders at any time, from any place, without warning, in the days before the FEY closed the Gates. Actually, Tir-na-n’Og is no longer part of this world at all, though some places that lie closer to it than others.  The Australian Aborigines know more of the secrets of Tir-na-n’Og that any other earth culture, but they do not tell them.

Although the human-inhabited part of Tir-na-n’Og has a radius of approximately 100 leagues, or around 300 miles, the Mists are always shifting, which continuously changes the face of any map one would care to use.

Originally, as human tales warn, Humans who found their way to Tir-na-n’Og were unlikely to find their way out again. Faerie was not a good place for the children of man to be, for the FEY never forgot that they had been driven from the earth by man. The legend of the Wild Hunt, where the Greater FEY ride out, laughing, to hunt down their hapless human prey, is still a dark and terrible story told throughout the world. For thousands of years, the refuge of the FEY was a place of death for mankind. Ohma, a half-Human, half-FEY woman, changed all that, by creating a chivalric code of behavior that re-shaped Human and FEY destiny.

As more and more Humans found their way to the land, Ohma, with the support and guidance of the Powers (the three greatest of the Greater FEY; some say the three first-born of all the FEY), directed them to areas where they could settle. Villages, towns, and later cities, sprang up, each with its own predominate culture. Each of these city-states is ruled by a special trio of human regents called a TRIUMPHANT. The TRIUMPHANTS, appointed by the FEY, administer the laws of the FEY and enforce the Code of Ohma in their jurisdiction to the best of their ability.

While most of the Human cultures transplanted to Tir-na-n’Og clung to what traditions they could, societies as a whole underwent drastic, necessary changes. Perhaps the largest change was the elimination of Human aristocracy. Kings, Queens, and hereditary ruling classes exist only in FEY society.

While the FEY, by and large, do not interfere directly with human affairs, and may allow individual battles, skirmishes, feuds, and raids to go on unchecked, the horrors of warfare such as those that have so often torn the Outside world to bloody tatters have been circumvented. The FEY, aware that war has an unfortunate tendency to cause Humans to become more inventive in their methods of destroying one another, did not wish that terrible cleverness to take root in their land. Without kings, it was reasoned, there would be none of the overweening pride that drove tribe against tribe, neighbor against neighbor. Humans would have to earn the respect of their fellows by their own efforts, and not by any privilege of birth. Only their rightful overlords, the FEY, were entitled to that.

It is not known whether the FEY have ever seen the irony in this.

There are Lords and Ladies among Humankind, to be sure, but these are made, not born. They may be merchants who create their wealth through successful commerce, and then go on to manage vast estates, not unlike small kingdoms, or former ADVENTURERS who discovered great wealth and survived to retire with it. The most honored of the Human nobility, however, are those special individuals who are members of, or have served in, TRIADS, and so have earned the privileges they enjoy.

Humans being what they are, attempts to establish Human dynasties have been made time and again. They always fail, for the laws governing the city-states--notably the one stating that all but the eldest child of each house must make a pilgrimage to the Temple of Ohma in Tir upon reaching their 16^th birthday--make it difficult for even the most ambitious of families to plan such a future. The dangers of travel and the vagaries of time within this strange and mystical land do the rest.

Tir-na-n’Og now has a Human population of approximately 300,000, scattered throughout 13 city-states and Tir itself. There are 13 major ethnic groups, as well as the various tribal groups, including the Koshka (an unfortunate human who has been altered by magic to resemble a lion or catlike humanoid), Sobaka (an unfortunate human who has been altered by magic to resemble a wolf or doglike humanoid), and the Elves (singular: Elf; an unfortunate human who has been altered by magic into a small, slender, pointed-eared humanoid. Most elves do not consider themselves unfortunate).

Although there are common trade languages (English and Latin), most of the city-states' populations are made up of at least 70% of one ethnic group or their descendants. Over time, the cultural influence of the FEY has modified many of these societies into something the original settlers would not recognize. Most city-states now hold stronger allegiances to the ideals of the 13 FEY Factions, represented by 13 different colors, than to the traditions of their ancestors.

The central city-state of Tir, which occupies a huge island in the center of the Inland Sea, is a mixture of all cultures and peoples, and is therefore not considered one of the 13.  Also, Nilka and Magdan, while separate cultures, actually occupy much of the same physical territory.

The FEY’S efforts to modify Human society have been successful, due almost entirely to a FEY Princess named Ohma, and the Code she composed in an attempt to allow Human and FEY to share Tir-na-n’Og in peace.

The Codes Of Ohma

Ohma – the name by which she is known throughout Human society--was the daughter of the FEY Lord called Lugh the Golden or Lugh of the Long Hand, a Tuatha Dé Danann, and the Human maiden, Bolianus, who captured his heart. Ohma was raised as one of the fairy folk and grew into a bright and beautiful woman--and her father's strong right arm. In the early days, when factions among the FEY often warred with one another, she fought beside Lugh on the field of battle. In some chronicles, she is even referred to as “the son of Lugh,” for she was a fierce WARRIOR and a cunning tactician whose courage, skill, and leadership turned the tide of many a battle. Her unswerving honor and chivalry won the respect of ally and enemy alike, a shining example of heroism.

It was her mother’s death that made Ohma aware that she was half Human. Though she had always been appalled by the casual cruelty with which her FEY kindred treated the weaker Human interlopers, it was only after she learned of her own heritage that Ohma realized that change was possible. After all, if she could adapt to the ways of the FEY and take their beliefs for her own, surely even full Humans could change and grow, could learn a new, better way of life, and eventually be embraced as true kindred by the FEY. All they lacked was the proper guidance.

With that thought in mind, she set out to compose a set of guidelines for the re-education of Humankind. Ever the apple of her father’s eye, she convinced him, and her aunt, Aine, that the way the FEY treated their shorter-lived cousins was not in accord with their own beliefs. With their backing, she set to work on the rest of her people. A long-time scholar and student of both Human and FEY philosophy and religion, Ohma sought a way to unite the best of the teachings and make them accessible to all. The Codes of Ohma, or sometimes just The Code, as they came to be called, were written in the years between her mother’s death and the time of the integration of Humans into selected city-states, somewhere between 1040 A.D. and 1275 A.D., by the Human calendar.

At first her entreaties fell on deaf ears, but Ohma refused to give up. How she did it no one will ever know, but somehow she enlisted the support of the Powers themselves. From that moment, the true revolution began.

Her first step was to have the Powers put a stop to the Wild Hunt, which had long been a favorite, and particularly brutal, pastime of the FEY. This won for her the gratitude and trust of Humankind, and they began to pay heed to her words. Ohma threw herself into the task of teaching them a new way of life, even helping to select sites for their towns.  Though eventually the effort wore her out and brought her life to a premature end, she lived long enough to see her efforts bear fruit. The Humans of Tir-na-n’Og adopted her teachings, and her FEY kindred came to understand, if not always to share, her vision.

The Codes of Ohma became a way of life in Tir-na-n’Og.  New arrivals were indoctrinated in their responsibilities to the Code. Those that could not or would not adapt were exiled, to be hunted as outlaws.

To most Humans, Ohma's early history has been overshadowed by her gentler legacy, the WARRIOR lost behind the vision of the maidenly scholar. She is considered in much that same way as one of the greater saints, her memory revered throughout Human society. Though not everyone follows the Code, most people at least pay lip service to them, and to curse Ohma or belittle her memory is a vile insult tantamount to blasphemy.  CAVALIERS, for instance--a class of WARRIOR dedicated to following the Code--will swiftly punish those who mock Ohma or her Code.

Certain of the Codes are universal, and their counterparts can be found in the Code of Bushido, the Codes of Chivalry, and the unwritten law of the Native American Nations, primarily the Crow, Cherokee, and Sioux. Naturally, many of the oldest traditions and mores of FEY culture have also found their way into the Codes of Ohma.

Although Ohma was both intelligent and wise, she had an idealistic, romantic side, and this inevitably affected what she wrote. As a result, the Codes that were to shape the behavior of Humankind and the very world were sometimes frivolous, and in a few cases totally unattainable. Nevertheless, they continue to be strictly enforced by the Triumphants.

In early times, human women were few in the land of Tir-na-n’Og, and Ohma wrote the first Codes with that imbalance in mind.  However, as time passed, women became both more numerous and more powerful, and many of the ways of the land came to reflect this change.  Although the Codes pertaining to the treatment of women were never changed, the actual following of some of them was no longer prudent.  Many of the inconsistencies in the Codes can be explained by the fact that Ohma never rewrote them; she merely added new ones to cover new situations.

The true meaning of some of the Codes are often heavily debated. For instance, many believe that all people, upon reaching their 16^th birthday, should make the pilgrimage to Tir. Others claim that only those who seek to become CAVALIERS, RANGERS, or MYSTICS, or in some other way to serve the FEY, are meant to go.  Differences in defining “abomination” have caused great strife; while many insist that the Code refers only to such things as Trolkien, others place the Tainted in that category as well.  And the definition of a “maiden” seems to change according to personal preference. We need not even mention the uncertainties that have arisen due to unfortunate inconsistencies in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

That not all Humans share the idealistic concept outlined in the Codes is a fact never mentioned in polite society.  Suffice it to say that the majority of the populace holds to this ideal, whether or not they choose to live up to it.

Some of the better-known Codes include the following:

z     A CAVALIER must honorably serve a just cause or a Lady or Lord fair.

z     A CAVALIER will honor his Lord and his Lord’s Lady, doing naught that shall bring shame or dishonor unto their house or name.

z     A CAVALIER must give service to his Lord or Lady with no thought of recompense.

z     A CAVALIER must willingly and with no thought of price go to the aid of the weak and helpless.

z     A CAVALIER shall attack not the weak or helpless, nor hinder them in their goings, for they deserve naught but pity.

z     A CAVALIER must always honor his word. An oath sworn apon the sword is an oath to the death, for the blade is the embodiment of the CAVALIER’S honor.

z     Place no lady in jeopardy either by word or by deed.

z     A maiden should not be left unescorted at any time, lest she fall apon an evil, for it is the way of things that men will be tools of the evil and tempt her.

z     Combat is glory. To win glory for thy name and the name of those in whose service thou art is all in battle.

z     Thy sword is thy honor and thy glory. Treat with others in combat with weapons of equal strength.

z     Use not the weapons of distance in any honorable combat or duel, nor use them against aught other than the beasts of the forest and field.

z     Strike thee only from the fore where all can see thy doings.

z     Cast not profanities apon the wind lest they be heard by FEY.

z     The first born of any house shall be the heir to all. But the siblings shall be trained as befits their calling and sent forth to make their own name and glory.

z     Should the first born of any house perish before his third year, the second born shall be as the first. If there is no heir, all lands and properties shall revert to the state, to be used for the good of all.

z     Apon thy sixteenth year, thou shalt begin thy quest for thy true calling. Make thy way to the temple of Tir to receive guidance apon thy path.

z     Treat thee with the land and the fauna as it were thy life.

z     Treat all above thy station with honor and respect thy peers.

z     Order the respect of all of a lesser station that they may learn from thy example. Obedience must be maintained, that the workings of the world can continue.

z     All challenges to thy honor or thy Lord’s honor must be met forthwith in the prescribed manner. Let no challenge go unanswered. As honor is the blood that flows in thy heart, death before dishonor!

z     Meet death without fear for it may come in the guise of a friend to protect thee from dishonor.

z     In a duel, if the challenger names the stakes then the challenged may declare the weapon of choice. If the challenger does not name the stakes, the challenged may do so and the challenger shall choose the weapons. If no weapon is in common an open duel may be declared.

z     Remember that an opponent who has met thee with honor should be treated with honor. Name no stakes that shall bring dishonor apon thy self or thy opponent.

z     Let all beware the duelists, for they will fall apon any that interfere with their honor and glory. Declaration of name and station, as well as those that are served, is proper.

z     Killing a defeated opponent is not honoring life or that which gave it. Those who yield are bound by oath and honor.

z     Craven is he that breaks oath and honor. These are outside the law and the ways of both man and FEY. Killing an oath breaker is like unto killing a trolkien, for both are without honor and therefore without right to life.

z     Blessed among both man and FEY is he that shows compassion.

z     Slay not needlessly, for life is a precious gift.

z     Follow the examples of thy betters. Learn from their years.

z     Suffer not an abomination to live, for they are the evil ones. Let them not into thy house nor apon thy fields.

z     Cast from thyself all ways of evilness. Be true to thy honor and to thy way.

z     To live by the sword is to die by the sword. Such is how a life should be lead for a leopard cannot change its spots.

z     Thou shalt not fight apon holy ground. It is forbidden!

z     Sanctuary is given to all who ask in the temples of the land. Those who are given sanctuary are guests.

z     A guest will do naught to dishonor his host.

z     As a host must serve both friend and enemies alike, so a guest shall not overstay his honest welcome.

z     A host will do his utmost to serve a guest and protect them from harm. But woe unto the guest who breaks the rules of the house, for he will bring dishonor on himself and his name.

z     The exchange of gifts is mete. Let those that may do honor apon their Lords and gift appropriately.

z     Refuse no gift, but be wise in the acceptance of it.

z     Strive not with a man without cause nor do harm if no harm hath been done thee.

z     Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thy hand to do it.

z    The knowledge of alchemy is a great gift and benefit to all. Thou shalt not pervert the study of alchemy with the pursuit of knowledge of the dark arts of destruction and violence.

At the very peak of the only mountain in Tir, Ohma’s tomb stands.  Around the original small pyramid where her body was laid to rest, the Humans who had loved her erected a temple in her honor; the Temple of Ohma, also called the Temple of TRIADS.  It is to this Temple that young pilgrims journey to learn their fates, and to which those who are Called to TRIAD service often go to meet their fellow TRIAD members and the patron FEY who Chose them. It is a fitting memorial to the woman now known as the Savior of Humankind.

Simply put, a TRIAD is a team of three people hand-picked to serve a specific FEY Faction. The creation of a TRIAD is the province of the Greater FEY. There are many Factions among the FEY, but there can be only one active TRIAD per Faction at a time. These agents serve their Patrons exclusively, marked, initially, by three small dots in a triangular pattern on the forehead, in the color of the patron FEY’S Faction. Being chosen brings with it many benefits; greater hardiness, strength, and other abilities. Being chosen also renders the new TRIAD members sterile or barren, ensuring that their loyalty remains undivided. The Greater FEY can and sometimes do reverse this condition, but never while the TRIAD is still whole and able to serve.

When a person is chosen, he or she has 7 days to reach the Temple of Ohma in Tir. There, he or she will usually meet the rest of his or her TRIAD, and the TRIAD’S patron FEY, who will then offer further instruction. As often as not, however, the individual will encounter the rest of the TRIAD on the way to Tir, and a FEY from the patron Faction will make an appearance, mark the newly chosen, and give them their first quest. Often, the quests of a TRIAD will benefit all, but this is not always the case. We cannot know the deeper purposes of the FEY, and while it is true that many of the Greater FEY care deeply for their Human charges and use their TRIADS for the mutual benefit of Mankind and FEY, it is equally true that others use their TRIADS solely for their own amusement or to further some hidden agenda. At other times, Patrons will send their TRIAD to interfere with the quests of a TRIAD that serves a rival Faction, sometimes resulting in the destruction of both TRIADS. In a sense, the members of a TRIAD are the patron FEY’S own private gladiators. They live or die at a whim.

Once chosen, a TRIAD member's life belongs to his or her patron FEY. TRIAD service is almost always brief and fatal, but since the FEY only choose those already "as good as dead"--whether from wounds or because they are in a situation where death is the certain outcome--it is considered the greatest honor, a desperately hoped-for chance to die gloriously and have one's name remembered in song and story for all time. To be chosen for a TRIAD means you are about to become a legendary figure, if you live long enough. Ordinary people are not chosen for TRIADS.

This theme pervades the art and culture. Phrases like, "chasing the pipes," or "following the music," which are used to mean pursuing your dreams or goals, originated from one of the legendary ways in which TRIADS are chosen.

The FEY make their selection from among all appropriate Humans and their derivative races, but always choose only one each of the available CAVALIERS, RANGERS, and MYSTICS.

The CAVALIER

The CAVALIER is the heavily armored WARRIOR/knight. The CAVALIER’S honor rests in his or her sword, and the loss of that sword is a grave affront. Usually the leader of a TRIAD, he or she is, ideally, the embodiment of chivalry. To the CAVALIER, honor is all that is important, to the point that life without honor is not worth living. By and large, it is the CAVALIERS who most ardently dedicate themselves to living for, and by, the Codes. To a CAVALIER, the Code, the quest for individual perfection, is almost a religious calling. CAVALIERS are neither monks nor hermits, but they have much the same dedication. The CAVALIER strives to become the living embodiment of the Code of Ohma and is, to the native Humans, a paragon: the ultimate in Human behavior.

To best understand the CAVALIER, try to imagine the Codes of Chivalry, the Code of Bushido, and the mores of Victorian gentlemen all combined with the ways and honorable beliefs of the Sioux WARRIOR.  If that boggles the imagination, add in the fact that not all CAVALIERS are men and that not all armored men and women are CAVALIERS, and you can understand why following the Codes of Ohma can be a tricky and uncertain endeavor, and why the life of a CAVALIER is a difficult one.  To the CAVALIER, however, it is all part of the challenge.

The CAVALIER is usually well armed and armored, and generally either came from a well-to-do family, or came to Tir-na-n’Og as a knight errant. This is because only the wealthy can provide their offspring with the quality of weapons, armor, and training that meet the impossibly high standards to which all CAVALIERS aspire.

All CAVALIERS are trained to use a variety of weapons including, but not restricted to, daggers, swords, maces, axes, polearms, spears, great sword, sword-and-shield, and the lance, as well as many lesser weapons.  CAVALIER training is usually in the CLASS 2 and CLASS 3 weapons, because these are generally thought of as being “honorable”.  A CAVALIER may know how to throw a knife or dagger, but would not do so save in extreme cases.  Missile weapons are generally not used in combat by CAVALIERS, and are thought of as being “beneath” them, but this doesn’t mean CAVALIERS are foolish enough to underestimate the potential of such weapons, or that they will not use them when the occasion demands; the throwing of a spear or javelin is a skill no CAVALIER worth his or her salt would be without.  THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE SLINGS OR CROSSBOWS.

CAVALIERS live to duel.  While dueling is commonplace throughout Human society, regardless of station, for the CAVALIER, the duel is elevated to the level of a sacred obligation. A duel is not only the favorite way of settling disputes or points of honor between individual CAVALIERS, it is also the primary way of showing one's mettle, and acquiring both wealth and status. CAVALIERS duel to test their skills, try out new weapons or tactics, for the pure pleasure of it, or for almost any reason one may imagine. A friendly duel is often a way to get to know a fellow CAVALIER, and may take place without any rancor or ill feeling at all, ending with nothing more dire than cheerful respect and mild chagrin on one or both sides. Dueling is not usually used as a method of punishment against transgressors; after all, most lawbreakers are not honorable, and therefore are unworthy of dueling. For CAVALIERS, formal duels are a privilege reserved for fellow CAVALIERS; they may accept the challenges of those beneath their station, for to refuse would be an affront to their honor, but they will only rarely challenge such. 

A formal challenge is the usual method of instigating a duel, and is strictly ritualized. The challenger must say to his prospective opponent: "By the Seven and by the Three, for Honor and Glory, I Challenge Thee." The correct response is: "For Honor and Glory, I accept," though some individuals may add their own variations. It is possible to refuse a duel, but sometimes difficult, and may even be dishonorable in some cases.  Stakes, weapons of choice, or other conditions, are decided upon according to the Code of Ohma; the challenged may pick any weapon, as long as it is one their opponent also possesses.  Occasionally, the duel will be fought as an open bout, allowing any and all weapons either participant possesses.

The terms of the duel are always defined in advance: the conditions, prizes, weapons, and whether to first blood, yield, incapacitation, or to the death.  Duels to the death are not all that common, but the death of one or both parties sometimes results from pure zeal, naturally.  But what is death compared to honor and glory?

Most duelists construct, and then contain the fight within, a dueling circle, or a 30-foot diameter circle drawn in the dirt. This is to protect onlookers, and also to prevent accidental interference. Because the CAVALIER’S honor is involved, no outsider--even fellow TRIAD members, if the CAVALIER is a member of a TRIAD--may interfere with a duel once it has begun. To do so is to invite dire punishment, even death, at the hands of one or both CAVALIERS.

The RANGER

The RANGERS are the woodsmen, the hunters, or the street-wise fighters who have learned to survive by their wits. It generally falls upon the RANGER to provide for his or her TRIAD as they travel on their quests.  Though each individual RANGER has his or her own favorite weapon and fighting style, the RANGER’S primary weapon is the BOW, SLING, CROSSBOW, JAVELIN, or other missile weapon. 

The RANGER is a bit more pragmatic than the CAVALIER, and is more likely to be from a lower station in life. Though they are sometimes as dedicated to the Codes and the quest for personal perfection as any CAVALIER, they are unlikely to have had the benefits of upbringing and education to assist them, and have learned to adapt to a different mode of life. This doesn't mean that every RANGER is automatically a liar, thief, and sneak, either, but one should not dismiss the possibility.

These hardy souls come from many walks of life, and often have an actual trade as well as their range weapon skills. Some RANGERS have even been raised on the streets, where they developed certain abilities useful in acquiring items for their TRIADS. The smart ones quickly learn to take care that these extra talents are not noticed by the honorable CAVALIERS. 

Though some RANGERS are swordsmen-or-women equal in skill to any CAVALIER, they do not usually fight with swords. This is because many CAVALIERS look upon the sword as a weapon of honor, and will kill any RANGER daring to use one. Long knives, short swords or archers’ swords, or axes, are the hand weapons most often found hanging from a RANGER’S belt.

The MYSTIC

The MYSTIC’S symbol is the STAFF. It is also the MYSTIC’S usual choice of weapon. There are several reasons for this, but the best reason is that most of a MYSTIC’S powers are channeled through the hands, which makes picking up a weapon that takes a lot of attention or manipulation a foolish thing to do. Staves are effective where magic is inappropriate, easy to discard, and easily replaced. And most MYSTICS can channel KI through wood quite easily.  A MYSTIC may choose to fight with other weapons similar to those of a RANGER, but most rely on that most potent of weapons--their magic.

The MYSTIC is one of the most powerful of all the Humans. At some point in the MYSTIC’S life, he or she became aware of the strange abilities that were manifesting themselves, and in attempting to understand these, discovered that there was much more to learn. The abilities of the MYSTIC are not truly "magic" in the same sense we use the word when referring to FEY abilities, but a combination of psychic abilities and alchemy. While an education in herbology and alchemy is usually acquired through apprenticing to another MYSTIC, the ability to channel the energy of the world is born within.

The average citizen has only the sketchiest idea of what MYSTICS are capable of; for this reason, MYSTICS are often treated with as much wariness as respect. Though their ability to heal is highly valued, their other abilities are often looked upon with a great deal of suspicion--particularly their telepathic abilities, such as the power of SUGGESTION--the ability to influence and even control the minds of others. Rumors of other strange and frightening powers abound, and many of these have at least a kernel of truth. Most people believe that a MYSTIC can tell when someone is lying to them, and that MYSTICS can enter the dreams of ordinary men and women and possess them. And anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a KI-BOLT knows how effective and unpleasant a weapon that is.

MYSTICS come from all walks of life and all levels of society. They may have been born to wealth and influence, or in the gutter. It matters little; the talent born inside them drives them to develop along certain paths. While not everyone with the "second sight" can become a true MYSTIC, no amount of desire or study will make up for the lack of it. Many MYSTICS have tried to guide their own studies in harmony with the Codes of Ohma and take the Code as seriously as any CAVALIER. Others have taken the more pragmatic approach adopted by the RANGER, and as a result have learned some of the same skills.

The ALCHEMY abilities are learned from other MYSTICS, and in part they are the same lotions, potions, tinctures, and tisanes used since the dawn of time, some useful, some not.  But when the first MYSTIC ALCHEMIST learned to combine KI with chemicals, the ages-old mixture called “Greek Fire” became Hellfire, and the FIREBALL was added to the MYSTIC arsenal, and also WARDS.

It is generally believed that the SCROLLS OF POWER were first introduced by one Faction of the FEY, and the other FEY Factions followed suit so as not to have their toys outclassed.  Now even MYSTICS not in service to the FEY have learned how to use the Scrolls.  The SCROLLS OF POWER are distributed by the FEY and their agents at temples and shrines throughout the land.

Most SCROLLS OF POWER are only functional on newly damaged--or demised--bodies; if a death or injury is more than three days old, no SCROLL will alter that condition.  The age and general state of health (prior to death or maiming, of course) often affects how well SCROLLS OF POWER will work.  Perhaps they are most effective only on those of an age to be useful to the FEY.

The MYSTIC WARRIOR

Broken, Ironlords and Triumphants

The few.  The proud.  The elite.  Every once in a while, a TRIAD member survives service long enough to learn the skills of their comrades, even to absorb some of their memories and abilities.  In many cases, they are, individually, the embodiment of all a TRIAD can be.  In some cases, they are also among the toughest single Humans in the land of Tir-na-n’Og.

The longer a TRIAD works together, the more bonded to one another they become.  This phenomenon is more than just a strong love or friendship, but reaches into the very souls of the members.  They not only begin to learn one another’s skills; over time, they actually begin to take on one another’s attributes, even beginning to think and act alike. 

Needless to say, the death of a member is more devastating than the loss of any other loved one, and many survivors are driven mad by the loss.  They may become apathetic, or surrender to drink or other vices, but they still bear the mark of the chosen, and are therefore still revered by the rest of Humanity.  They are, upon occasion, called to once again serve the FEY in one capacity or another, and they live for the chance to return to their former glory.

Of the very few who survive and achieve all levels of their evolution, the merest handful--those strong enough, clever enough, valiant enough--are spirited away into the Mists, to the homes of the greatest of the Greater FEY--some say to the realm of the Powers themselves. There they are tutored in the great mysteries, given secrets, knowledge, and abilities that no other Humans ever learn. When they emerge, they are no longer quite Human. Although the marks on their foreheads, replaced by a colored, oval stone of power) retain the color of the last TRIAD in which they served, no longer do they serve any one FEY Faction, but the Land as a whole. They have been forged into weapons of great power, with but one purpose. It is a purpose we ordinary people can't guess, and couldn't really understand even if we knew.  They are the IRONLORDS and the TRIUMPHANTS, and they are the ultimate Human power in the Land. 

The TRIUMPHANTS are given stewardship over the various city-states, and are considered no longer active as a TRIAD.  The IRONLORDS are lone wanderers, rarely encountered, and never forgotten.

Every TRIAD, and every MYSTIC WARRIOR, wonders if they will be among those who reach that impossible standard, that state of honor greater than all other Humans.

You, too, can become a MYSTIC WARRIOR, the most powerful of Humans!  Learn to serve the Code, to serve the FEY, and to serve the Land.

Time

Tir-na-n’Og is referred to as the Summer Country for the simple reason that there is no true winter. Snow is usually found only in the outlying mountain regions, and then only in the depths of autumn. For the majority of the land, the seasons move languidly from spring to summer, on to fall, then return to spring again.

Due to some property of its magical bonds to our Earth, Tir-na-n’Og revolves around its center, Tir, in a counter-clockwise direction, or widdershins as it is called. The seasons, therefore, pass at different speeds across the face of the land; so quickly as to be almost indistinguishable in the city of Tir itself, and more slowly the farther out one travels.

This also means that the sun appears to rise and set in different places every day, though at noon it is always over the Temple of Ohma in Tir.

Humans, clever creatures that they are, have developed ways of counting the seasons and telling one year from another; most towns and villages have stone circles, temples, or other constructions specially built for that purpose. The most commonplace method is the circle of standing stones, wherein each stone is carefully placed, sometimes with a hole drilled through it, so that each day the sun rise can be seen through a different hole or shines on a different stone, betraying the passing of a year.  A year in Tir-na-n’Og is perceived as 360 days in length, and Spring, Summer, and Autumn each take up one third of that time.  There are no phases of the moon; every night in Tir-na-n’Og is a full moon.

The FEY have carefully crafted every feature of the land to maximize and nurture their ability to use magic, to travel freely between dimensions even within their own realms, and to explore every possible aspect of the world in which they enclosed themselves. Because of this, the FEY have often been thought by their shorter-lived human cousins to be immortal.

But for Humans, the FEY’S handiwork has had other consequences; among them, some very peculiar properties where the passage of time is concerned. Many Humans fear travel, believing the passage of time to be a capricious and unpredictable thing that snares and betrays the unwary. A traveler may go on a journey believing himself gone but a few months, and return home to find that time has apparently gone on without him; his children are grown, his wife an old woman, childhood friends long gone. Or, they may meet one of their own ancestors, miraculously no older than the startled descendent.  But this side effect was not intentional on the part of the FEY, and in fact a certain pattern to the way time passes across the face of the land emerges upon closer study.

The land is roughly divided into a series of rings, one inside the other, where many of the dimensions through which the FEY travel lie close together, layer upon layer, creating what Humans experience as different time zones. These time zones add an extra hazard to travel through an already dangerous land. Though ley lines can be used to help travelers bypass the time differences, it is difficult to go from one place to another without leaving the ley lines at some point. Since, among Humans, only MYSTICS can perceive or manipulate the ley lines, the casual traveler is at the mercy of constantly altered time perceptions. Caravan routes, for instance, must be carefully navigated; otherwise, trade would be almost impossible.

Because of the time zone differences, those who live closer to Tir, in the center of the land, appear to age more swiftly than those who choose to wander or live in more outlying areas. But for every seven years spent in Tir, something closer to forty-nine years have passed in the mortal world!  Small wonder that the folk who dwell in Tir-na-n’Og are said to never age.

The Significance of Steel

 Fairy tales from many cultures remind us that the FEY are burned by the touch of cold iron. In most accounts of man's brush with malevolent FEY, the use of steel as a deterrent, or as even a cause of death, is well documented, and it remains a powerful force for dealing with those more unsavory members of fairydom. Although there are many accounts of heroes tricking or even destroying various types of bogey-men in many other fashions, none is more common than the use of iron.

For the most part, iron, and its successor, steel, were brought to the land by Humans who found their way there. The land itself yields up little iron ore to those that mine for it without a considerable amount of hardship, as if Tir-na-n’Og itself were defending the FEY in its own way.

This does not mean that there is no iron or steel to be had. Aside from that which is mined in Teticaca-Chao-Chao or Nilka, there are other sources. The barrows of the dead are a great source of wealth for those that can overcome the defenses. There are also the Mists, where many a traveler's bones may be found enshrouded in steel armor. Needless to say, the acquisition of iron or steel is not for the faint of heart.

Steel is actually worth more than its weight in gold. Armor and weapons of iron and steel are passed on from generation to generation, and even small bits of maille, broken swords, knives, etc., are sought after as great treasures, to be smelted down and remade. There is also another good reason to seek steel.

That steel absorbs fairy magic, thereby lessening its effect, is not a fact that the FEY were happy to see men discover. A shield covered in steel can actually deflect a magic spell, and a Human encased in armor leaves few targets for magical attacks. Granted, there are always exposed areas, and maille actually cannot stop magic, merely weaken it. But on the whole, this discovery greatly increased the value of steel and iron to Humans.

The most common metal from which tools and weapons are made, however, is called ALLOY. The secret of making alloy is one that belongs to the dwarfs, and they guard that secret zealously. They do, however, trade bars of alloy to Humans for food and other goods that Humans can make. Alloy has no magic-blocking properties, but it can hold an edge, and can be used to make everything from cooking pots and plowshares to armor. It doesn't rust, and is often a bit lighter than steel. It doesn’t stand up to mending as well as steel, however, becoming brittle if re-forged.

Steel and iron are, in most areas of the land, used as a form of currency called BITS. BITS are the actual little rings that make up maille, or, as it is sometimes called, chainmaille.  Coins of brass are also used; they are called just BRASS.  A BRASS is worth about 3 BITS.  A MARK is a coin made of one ounce of iron or steel.  It is worth 30 BITS. 

Brass is worth half as much as steel by weight.

The City-States

 Think of Tir-na-n’Og as a great wheel; at the outer rim are the Mists, surrounding and binding the land, a borderland to the Outside world. What lies within the Mists is largely a mystery to Humans. They know only that the Greater FEY live there, and other things not friendly to mankind. ADVENTURERS from Tir-na-n’Og sometimes enter the Mists in search of treasure, the wealth hidden in ancient burial mounds spoken of in hushed whispers and tales older than anyone knows. Rarely do any of these adventurous souls return. The Mists are an effective guardian as well as a barrier.