Ui Briuin Family/Eoghan Ui Briuin

Eoghan Ui Briuin

A Carefree Life

Eoghan was born the second son of a minor noble family whose plot of lands rested in the wooded hinterlands that bordered the provenances of Xavax and Enubec. Though technically of noble blood the Ui Briuin family had far more in common with the peasant class than those of higher society. The Ui Briuin did not attend any high functions, nor were they present beyond an official swearing of loyalty when the Imperium was founded. As such the youth of Eoghan and his brothers had little to do with what most noble children might have been accustomed to. As a child he was more often found with the local boys roaming the forests of his family land, or messing around with his bow than actual studies. Only on the occasion of a guest gracing the presence of Adare Hall did he even dress as befitting his station. In time this would change, as the boy grew older his interests began to shift more towards becoming the hero his grandparents were. His father also managed to hire a tutor to come when he was around the age of ten to try and educate his otherwise wild children. As such he proceeded into puberty with a little learning and lofty goals for his future. Day in and day out he would find himself either in his books or in the practice field honing his skills with his older brother. He discovered that he made for a remarkably average swordsman, but given the bow and there was not a hunter in the village that could best him. So it was that this was how the days of his youth passed, were it only to remain so. But time and fate move on grander scales and destiny would call Eoghan beyond the small world that he knew.

A Knight of the Black Swan

With the War of the Phoenix taking a turn against the Imperium the Xerarch sent out a call far and wide through her realms to bring forth the forces needed to combat the rising tide against Greater Xavax. As true patriots the Ui Briuin could not ignore the call of the Xerarch and so the current family head called his immediate family to meet. In the end it was Eoghan whose passion won out and he was sent forth with a portion of the family's guard and childhood friends to form the first iteration of his Sparrows to answer the Xerarch's call. Eoghan at the time was twenty and the fresh faced youth had been longing to step out of the shadow of his elder brother Caoimhín. So he served with great vigor in the first few engagements that the newly made Order of the Black Swan was called to. In the beginning the battles they fought were everything a young noble and warrior could have dreamed. To match under the Imperial standard, to take up his bow in defense of his land, and to show the world that a minor house from the hinterlands of Xavax would fight for their home. In the end those first few battles passed with only a few losses to Eoghan's own Sparrows, and yet each loss weighed heavily upon his heart as these were companions he had known most of his life. This also marked the first time in which Eoghan would take the arrows of his slain comrades to carve their names upon the shafts and retire the arrow. This tradition he would carry on throughout his entire military career, keeping with him the Quiver of the Fallen to carry his former soldiers with him always and to act as a memento mori.

After his second battle Eoghan had need to refill his ranks and for the first time true soldiers would march under his standards. This was also the first time in which Eoghan would come to meet his trusted Captain Roderic, although the gruff veteran had his misgivings about the young knight to begin with. Still they worked well together and with the fresh refit the army of the Phoenix of Xavax was ordered to march on Aeng to battle a bandit invasion pushing in towards the Imperium. This battle alone marked a major turning point in the life of the young noble for it was the battle of Aeng that taught him the true horrors of war. In the eve before the armies met messengers went out through the ranks of the army to deliver the arrangements for the army. While a few, including Eoghan, adjusted accordingly to the new battle formations many of the newer knights did not. What resulted from this was chaos on the field where a vast majority of the archer units were slaughtered to a man by the enemy cavalry. Eoghan watched in horror as people he had known his entire life were either struck down by arrows or decimated in the cavalry charge. Still he and his Captain tried to fight, to rally his Sparrows to his call so that the infantry might arrive. Alas both Roderic and Eoghan were struck down by arrows and had to be dragged off the field, they had been the only survivors of Eoghan's unit. What followed was a crushing defeat that left the Phoenix scattered to the winds, among them was the wounded Eoghan and his grievously wounded Captain. The young knight called upon all his knowledge from his youth to take the hidden paths among the woods and evade detection by the bandit forces. For two days he traveled while carrying his barely conscious Captain from Aeng, to Enubec, and finally to their home realm of Xavax. There Eoghan stayed for a night at the hall of his father while his Captain was tended to for his wounds. The Grizzled commander's life would be spared and as the dawn rose they made their way back to the Capital to refit and resurrect his Sparrows once more.

Finally returned to fighting form the armies of the Phoenix were called to action to assist their only ally in the war, Fallangard, in retaking territory lost to them by the forces of Vix Tiramora. So it was that the allies marched northward and had a minor string of victories over their gathered foes. The combined might of the Imperium of Greater Xavax and the Kingdom of Fallangard were able to defeat the forces at Abadan, and following the advantage the Phoenix marched on Moyale to guard their allies in their take over attempt. Alas the defense would not be able to hold as the forces of the Phoenix were running low on provisions and their equipment was damaged, and the armies of Fallangard were slow in their takeover of Abadan. Meanwhile the armies of the Vix were fresh and refit from their defeats and came at the Xavax forces with all they had. The battle of Moyale was one for the history books and both sides suffered heavily, but the Vix forces won the day and the defeated Xavax army retreated to Abadan where their allies waited. Weakened from their loss the combined armies met the Vix once more but in spite of their valiant defense, including a strong showing by Eoghan and his Sparrows, they were once again defeated. The Sparrows were one of the last units to keep fighting in spite of the retreating forces. Reliving their stalwart defense of the wounded and retreating from Moyale not three days before in Abadan now. Of the near fifty to march north only four would leave on their feet, and twelve in total survived the doomed campaign.

The Rise of the Flames

The defeat of their northern campaign acted as a sign of the rising tide against the Imperium during Eoghan's time of service. Already they had some major setbacks and tensions were rising beyond the eye of anyone in the Imperium. So it came to a surprise to everyone when Fallangard denounced Greater Xavax as warmongers and abandoned them to face the armies of the Vix, Perlone, and the two bandit armies alone. Within hours it was made clear what had happened when the Vix released documents showing that the King of Fallangard made a deal with their enemies to betray Greater Xavax for the land they couldn't claim for themselves. Eoghan and most of the Imperium felt the betrayal hard and the young knight swore vengeance for all the lives of his friends that were lost in Moyale and Abadan. It finally seemed like all the world was going against the Imperium when the announcement of a wedding with the Xerarch Selenia and the newly elected King of Perdan Caspian the "Far-Sighted" was announced. It seemed as if finally there was a moment of good news and with Perdan withdrawing from the conflict and a potential alliance in the works the Imperium unleashed their fury upon their former allies of Fallangard. Eoghan and the army took one of Fallangard's territory and the Vix had captured another one to leave them with one last territory to call home. Fallangard was on the ropes and it seemed finally that Perdan would side with the Imperium until fate turned once more and King Caspian the "Far-Sighted" disappeared from the East Continent and the potential alliance was left in tatters.

It was at this point that Perdan held a quick election and a new King would ascend the throne. This King was none other than the former traitor of Greater Xavax, Kellen Dodger, whom incited a civil war within the Imperium and fled upon losing. With his ascension to the kingship it was all but certain that Perdan would reenter the war once more. So it came to pass and five armies arrayed themselves against the Imperium once more. Eoghan took the news especially hard as he had spent the better part of a year fighting in the War of the Phoenix, and just as it seemed they would get a reprieve it was snatched away. He racked his brain trying to find a way out of the situation they had been brought to, and when he finally had one he sent a message to the Xerarch at once. It was not to be though as his proposal was rejected outright, and likely for the best. Instead he was tasked to use his position as a minor noble of the hinterlands to gather up friends and warriors to fight for the Imperium as he had done. Without hesitation Eoghan began put out his own call to any former friend who might answer. In time a few trickled in, then a few more, and before the First Great Battle of Leibo he had gathered five to his cause and formed a small cadre of knights known as Eoghan's Own a day before the battle. When the forces of the allied nations against the Imperium met with the army of the Phoenix the clash was devastating to both sides. With greater numbers the Imperium won the day, and even managed to wound both the Lord Vixer Jeames and the Bandit King Robb. But the loss of the heroic Phoenix Lord Uthred Mormont was an equally crushing blow to the whole of Greater Xavax. Eoghan had been there in his final moments, and he bore witness to the birth of the legend of Uthred the Unstoppable with his own eyes. Driven to a fury at the death of the great hero Eoghan and all those who remained on the field fought with renewed vigor. Their tactics ultimately allowed them to out maneuver the Vix and Bandit armies, and Eoghan and his Sparrows rained hell upon them with every arrow the could manage until the enemy lines broke. When the battle was over Eoghan volunteered as a pall barer to take Uthred's body back to their camp. He even gave a brief speech at the hero's body before turning his anguish upon the lingering enemies within the realm. Ultimately though this would all be for naught as the peasants spurred on by a priest of Vix Tiramora ousted the Imperium from the realm. A result that none within Greater Xavax could abide by. So the forces broke and moved to refit and recruit their armies once again. All the while more answered Eoghan's call until finally he hit the desired ten that he swore to Selenia he would bring. With his end upheld the Xerarch herself sponsored the formation of the second army within the Imperium's history, the Flames of Xavax, and named Eoghan its Marshal as reward for his service.

A Marshal, A Lord, A Hero

With the Flames of Xavax now formed Eoghan's band of fresh knights would be put to the test as orders were given for the reconquering of the realm of Leibo from the enemies of the Imperium. This, as a man who bore witness to the death of Uthred the Unstoppable, was an assault very dear to the newly made commander. He roused his knights to rally in Isadril and from there the newly formed Flames marched with the main army to Leibo once more to reclaim the land from the overthrow of the peasants which had been by the Vixan priest. Their work was quick enough that the land was reclaimed once more for the Imperium, and they were able to hold it for longer than three days which acted as a second boon. For it was in that time that Eoghan was given the great honor of ascending to Lordship and taking up the vacant seat that the great hero of Xavax, Uthred the Unstoppable, had left. This was in part a reward for his service in drawing the knights which now made up the Flames of Xavax to fight for the Imperium, and it was also in recognition for his deeds since he took up arms but two years prior. For in that time Eoghan was ever the stalwart soldier, never once missing a campaign, and in nearly every battle it was his Sparrows that would be some of the last to leave the field. So it was proclaimed by both the Xerarch and the Dutchess Beck Mozzoni that the title of Count of Leibo and all its lands would be given to Eoghan Ui Briuin as the second Phoenix Lord of the land. Eoghan's first act as the new Lord was the redistribution of the lands and the construction of new manors account for some of the landless knights of the Imperium. Eoghan himself elected to take one of the smallest of the new demesnes, Westcourt Hall, for himself as he wished to give any knight that would swear him fealty as much as resources as they needed in the times of war. This would be one of the few acts that Eoghan would be able to take prior to the return of the northern invaders into Leibo once again.

Just as with the First Great Battle of Leibo, the Second would find them on the defensive once more and just as with the First the Imperium managed to pull out a victory at a terrible cost. More so than before Eoghan felt the weight of the deaths that stained the field's of his land red with the blood of the fallen. He walked over torn and soaked fields as the cries of the wounded and the silence of the dead clamored about him and his Sparrows. It was there that he swore not to his Xerarch, not to the courts, or to any authority, but to the land itself that he would do all he could to see it rise to prosperity once more. The solemn event was witnessed by few and only further served to add to his growing fame. Rumors soon began to rise, and from them came stories, and with the stories came the calls for the young Marshal among the pro-Xavax factions of the people in Leibo for their heroic Lord. His deeds were recounted from the letter of his father, to the harrowing escape from the disaster of Aeng, to the fury and skill shown with his bow in both the First and Second Great Battles of Leibo. They hailed Eoghan with the title of Hero of the Imperium and when the word reached him Eoghan was humbled by the call. He understood full well how much the citizen's were hurting, how they needed a force to rally behind, and so once again Eoghan acted to rise to the occasion. He was twenty two years old, and had risen from a minor noble house of up jumped hunters to a Marshal of an Army, A Phoenix Lord of the Imperium, and a Hero to the people. Eoghan remained the Count of Leibo for another five days after taking up the role of a hero before the pro-Vix faction overthrew the region with the armies of Xavax away.

The Midnight Raid that Wasn't

The overthrow of Leibo was the beginning of a back and forward that would go on for a few months time, although the knights of the Imperium were not wholly aware of it at the time. So rallying their forces the Phoenix and the Flames marched for Leibo once again, and once again they would be forced to take Leibo back into the fold. The methods were surgical in their precision as the knights of the Imperium targeted dissenters and those who rose up to overthrow the land. It was at this time that Eoghan had been contacted by, and planned a meeting with, Sir Barahir Ridder in relation to the stories of Count Uthred the Unstoppable appearing sporadically throughout the Second Great Battle of Leibo to assist the soldiers of the Imperium. Eoghan had found them to be odd rumors at first, and almost dismissed them out of hand as phantom images brought on during the chaos of the four hour battle. Were it not for the sheer number of reports he might never have given it much thought, but as more came in the young Marshal began to have the tales recorded. Soon it appeared as a pattern revealing itself before his very eyes, and as if by providence the missive from Sir Barahir reached Eoghan as the first eye witness account from a landed noble of repute. So it was that a time was set where they might meet and discuss, and while the peasant revolt stopped them from gathering at Westcourt Hall the two did manage to meet at Sir Barahir's camp while retaking Leibo for the third time. Unfortunately the meeting was cut short as no sooner had Eoghan sat down to begin the discussion would a rider baring the Imperial banner ask to see him. As it turned out the rider initially missed Eoghan by but a few minutes when he left his own camp for Sir Barahir's. With him was an important message, a secret call to the Heroes of the Imperium to gather at Westcourt and attend the Xerarch herself. With such a call Eoghan could not delay, and so he bid his host farewell and rode for his home where he would be the third to arrive because of the delay in getting the message. Already attending the Xerarch was the Countess Gia Dragonfyre and her direwolves, as well as the bardic knight Liam. When their last compatriot arrived the Xerarch would begin the meeting by informing them all of the defection and subsequent capture of the former knight Gilth Gildre of Vix Tiramora. This would not stand by any account as Gilth had submitted himself to the Xerarch to be judged before seeing if he were worthy to become a Knight of the Imperium, and she would not be denied the opportunity.

Their time was limited as the news was getting older by the hour, and if Sir Gilth was taken beyond Abadan then all hopes of recovering him would likely be lost barring diplomatic intervention. So the Three Heroes, the Countess, and her direwolves rode and ran with all haste across the river and into the land of Abadan once more. Eoghan found himself acting as a guide through the back country due in part to his history, and in part because he had made use of the back country to sneak out of Abadan after the doomed campaign to assist the traitorous Fallangard a year before. Under the cover of a waxing moon the small strike force made their way ever closer to the camp of the Vix forces. Through guile, stealth, and in rare cases violence they managed to deal with the increasing patrols they came across. Until finally they managed to make it to the outskirts of the encampment. Each member of their band would split up in hopes of causing the most confusion so that one of their number might sneak in and free Sir Gilth. Eoghan, dressed in leathers and a dark hood and cloak, covered the bottom half of his face to hide his breath before drawing back his bow to start the raid. Yet before he could fire a commotion sprang up in the camp, aided by an unknown ally who had secretly joined the group without their knowledge. Seeing in this the moment to strike he let his arrows loose upon any commander or level headed Vixan soldier he could see as the cry of the direwolves filled the night's air. Any who might have restored order fell to his arrows, and as the chaos fed upon itself Sir Gilth managed to make his escape. For the heroes, they would linger for a time, keeping up the attack to buy time for Knight to get free of the camp. By the time any semblance of order was restored the band was already long gone and making their way back to the Leibo, the land freshly taken for the Imperium, and a special assembly of the court. Eoghan barely managed a few hours rest before the gathering took place, and there when asked who would speak for Sir Gilth to join the Imperium he was one of the many who stepped forward and spoke for the Knight. Recounting his valor on the field, personally attesting to his devotion while not explaining how, and offering him residence within Leibo should he ever wish to take up a position as a knight of the land.

It was, in the end, Sir Liam who spoke more candidly of the raid before being silenced by the Xerarch's stare. Thus the rumors began to spread of the Heroes' Raid that Wasn't.

The Ashes of Xavax

The Third Great Battle of Leibo came and went without any ground breaking clash like the first two had. It would go down in history as a hard fought battle, and one that Xavax barely managed to squeeze out a victory in. But the fight was one to reclaim the land lost once more to the Vix, this time by a take over of the realm properly and not a peasant revolt. Order was to eventually be restored and Eoghan would once more take up his role as the Count of Leibo. All in all his time as the ruler seemed sporadic at best, for the constant fighting over the fertile realm deprived both sides of the Phoenix Wars time and time again. It was ultimately the people of Leibo, Eoghan's people, who suffered the most during this time. With the armies frequent intervention from both sides it was hard to gain any stability. Any civil work that the Imperium tried to do to repair the damage was swept away before the projects could really go anywhere. Still Eoghan, remembering the vow he made to the land earlier that year, did his all to try and restore the people to this land. At the same time he also worked to expand his knowledge of tactics and of religion during this reprieve. Expanding his mind far more than he ever truly tried as a child, and finding especially in the religious texts so many questions that needed answering based off of what now he and many others within the Imperium experienced. The young Count would travel with his texts as he carried out the Talon's commands that sent him and his knights from one battlefield to the next. Eoghan was also at this time helping to mentor another rising star by the name of Sir Solomon Steele in being a Marshal. For it was this youth of seventeen who seemed to be walking the path he had blazed to gaining a third army for the Imperium.

In spite of the chaos of the war things were honestly seeming to settle for Eoghan in the bizarre rhythm that had been developing. In retrospect he should have seen the signs, that nothing ever remained constant in times of war. It seemed like any other day during the normalized routine of give and take that the war had taken on, and yet it would be one that would live on in the history of the Imperium. Eoghan and his army had been camping out in the region of Igno while their enemies of Vix Tiramora and Perdan looted and sacked their way across Leibo. The forces of the Flames and some of the Phoenix were not yet enough to contend with the strength the northern invaders brought upon his people. So it was that he was held while awaiting reinforcements from Xavax itself and fuming with every new report of the allied forces upon his people. Storehouses were raided of food in a recovering land, fields and homes were burned without discrimination, and there he stood helpless with his Sparrows just a few hours ride away from his lands. Then a new set of reports began to flood in, the bandit realms had made a deep incursion into the Imperium and sacked the Capital. At first it seemed almost too ridiculous to believe, but the field reports came one after another until the fated letter announcing the death of the Xerarch reached him. Eoghan for his part was stunned into a silence he almost could not recover from, and he viewed the letter as one might a cursed object. Yet there it was, the truth right before the hero's eyes, his ruler...his Xerarch had been slain. What managed to break him of the silence was a new report, hand delivered by his Captain of a Perdan Knight who commanded his men to rape and pillage a township within Leibo. It was just too much to handle and the fury within Eoghan burned hotter than ever before, in that moment he swore that should he get his hands upon the knight who committed such atrocious acts upon his people he would them their innards piece by piece until they choked on the bile. His anger raged hotter than it ever had before and were it not for his Captain to calm him Eoghan might have done far more damage than burying his knife into his table. With only some semblance of control regained Eoghan to pen a letter to the Arbiter of the realm swearing his loyalty to the Xerarch Selenia's heir, and in likely the wisest move he could make he acted against his impulses to await the Talon's orders instead of sending his men off in a crusade of vengeance.

((more to come))