O'Hlomhair Family
From Humble Beginnings
Farming is the lifeblood of a country. Without grain workers cannot toil, armies cannot march, and nobles cannot grow fat. It is from the tilled soil that the strength of a people come and from the reaper’s harvest that a country is made. It is from the fields of Wynford, in the great kingdom of Abington, from whence the family of O’Hlomhair arose. Like stalks of wheat, the O’Hlomhair family grew from the simple life as farmers into one of nobility.
Ask any man that works the land and they will tell you that in life there are three certainties: There is life, death, and those whom give and take it away. The O’Hlomhair clan is no stranger to these facts and many generations have witnessed the constant conflicts waged across their lands. Armies from foreign realms, lusting for the spoils of war, often pillaged the land for their own gains, and the particularly unscrupulous would burn everything that was within eye’s reach.
According to family legend, it was Kavan O’Hlomhair who was the first to rise up against those who would dare to invade his lands. Armed only with an old sword he found in his fields, encrusted with years of rust and neglect, he bravely set out to protect what he loved. Kavan met the enemy in combat and swung the blade, severing the head of the enemy leader before being run through himself. The rest is, as the scribes say, history. Since that day, the glorious “Day of Rising”, the tradition of defending the honor of the family at any price has been the mantra of the O’Hlomhair clan. The tenants, “never back away, fight to the end, and slay all those that stand against you,” have served the clan well, and every man of able age since the “Sacrifice of Kavan”, has carried on the honor of keeping the clan tenants alive.
Throughout the ages the O’Hlomhair clan has seen the rise and fall of nations and of its own sons. Each one revered in honor and remembered in song for the sacrifices made. Each one a hero of the clan and a testament to the O’Hlomhair name. From humble beginnings to a house of lords, the O’Hlomhair name stands as a measure for what honor should be.
The Sons of O’Hlomhair
Each generation of O’Hlomhair’s calls their men of able age, the “Son’s of O’Hlomhair”. These are men of the clan whom carry with them the crest of the family and the name of its fore bearers. There are other clans of other names that are consider “Kin” and considered part of the clan, but only those of O’Hlomhair blood can be called its “sons”. Here, within this family ledger, is the list of the current generation:
Naal
Brash, friendly, and an avid partaker of strong ale, the young Naal O’Hlomhair is the oldest of twin brothers and, by birthright, destined to inherit the clan as its leader. Although highly educated from boyhood, Naal had taken to the life of a soldier and often disregarded his studies for swordplay and adventure. Many in the clan equate the young Naal to be more like his uncle, headstrong and impatient, than the quiet and cold demeanor of his father. Naal speaks in the higher tongue of the nobility, but his love for the common soldier has given him an equal love for the speech of the grunt. He walks the path of a knight in the lands of the East Continent within the realm of Ibladesh, seeking fame and honor to prove his worthiness as a lord and future master of the clan.
He prefers to wear only his tunic and kilt into combat, favoring quick lightning strikes against his foes. Due to his natural admiration of the foot soldier, Naal prefers to fight at the head of his men on foot and lead the charge into his enemy, armed only with his Claymore handed down to him from his father. Some say that he is fearless, as he often disregards his own personal safety and hurls himself into enemy lines. Naal would say he is merely “fightin’ as any good soldier would”.
Daigh
The younger of twins, Daigh, seems the opposite of his brother. Refined, wise, obsessed with perfection, and taking to the life of nobility seems to describe the young warrior best. In everything he does, mastery is his goal. Whether it is in his personal training as a swordsman, or the constant drilling of his troops, the young Daigh seeks mastery in everything. The clan considers Daigh to be more diplomatic, much like his father, and if not for the fact that he was born only a day later than his brother, would make a fine clan leader. He, however, holds no grievance with this fact and seeks to make a name for himself within the powerful realm of Eston on the continent of Atamara. As one of the knights of the High Marshall of Eston, Daigh has already proven himself worthy of his noble title of Hero by the successful invasion of the realm of Falasan.
Like his brother, Daigh is fearless and refuses to back down from a fight. In fact, he craves combat and seeks it everywhere he goes. It is in his nature of achieving mastery that drives him to seek blood, and with every villain slain his skill grows ever more. Among the clan, Daigh is known as a swordsman and openly claims that “one day I shall be the greatest swordsman in Atamara”. Time will tell if his promise shall be realized, but his determination and relentless pursuit may see that claim true one day.
In combat, Daigh chooses to go against clan tradition and fight in the traditional half-plate armor of the knighthood and carries with him a bastard sword custom made by the master smiths of Hawthorne. What makes his “uniform” unique among the nobles on the field is the clan kilt that is worn around his waist, covering his greaves from view, and the lack of any helm. There are stories told from the few survivors that have faced the “Crimson Knight”, describing a “red-headed armored beast that hacks through the lines with crimson blade and crushes skulls under blood-stained feet”.
Family Bonds
The O'Hlomhair and the O'Deaghaidh families are neighbors whose lands border in the realm of Abington. Both families began their heritage as farming clans that tilled the land and fed the realm. However, constant rebel uprisings and invading armies would come and spread murder and strife, forcing those of stout heart to arm themselves and turn to the chivalric code to protect what they loved. At first, both families were seen as mere militias, protecting their meager borders with the weapons at hand, but with each successful defense and each slain enemy, the nobles of the realm took notice and offered, first O'Dea then later O'Hlomhair, admittance to the royal court in exchange for their continued loyalty to the Abington throne.
Through their shared burden of repelling incursions in the past, both families formed a strong bond and agreed to answer the call to arms to defend each other from any threat. It was common tradition for both families to send their sons to train together and even fight alongside each other in battle. In time, the sight of the two family standards together would be a signal to the enemy that their doom was nigh, or that any possible victory would be met with bitter loss as both families were known to never retreat and always fight to the last man.
For generations both families would send their eldest sons to serve as Knights of Abington, but years of continued peace and stability in the region would lead many of these young men to seek out injustices to right elsewhere in distant, more troubled lands. Leaving behind their families, many sons of O'Dea and O'Hlomhair would leave their homeland in search of honor and glory to their families and for themselves.
The Boar of the Rock
Patrick O'Dea was the first born of the last generation of the O'Dea clan and many would say that he was a natural born fighter. In his youth he was quick to a fight and hard headed; always using his great natural size and strength to get his way. Even those that challenged him found him a match to behold. His tenacity and courage would lead his family to bestow upon him the name of "Patrick the Boar". When he came of age he was paired, by family tradition, with the first born of the last generation of O'Hlomhair, a boy by the name of Ian.
Ian was immovable both in mind and in spirit. No words could penetrate him, no hammer break his bones, no sword cut his flesh, and no foe cast him down. Those who challenged him would bare witness to his untiring determination and immutable will and more often than not, would yeild out of exhaustion than to superior strength or skill. Being immovable, his family bestowed upon him the name of "Ian the Rock".
It seemed as though Ian was born to be brother to Patrick, as one was like a sword and the other as a sheild. In battle, the two seemed unbeatable as Ian provided the endurance that allowed Patrick to strike with great force.
The "Boar of the Rock" would become the immutable words that many bards would herald in song and revelry, telling stories of a great hero that could defeat entire armies wielding only a sword and round shield. Though legends heard in taverns are merely parables of the truth, the true strength and honor of the "Boar" and "Rock" would become well known among the commoners and nobility alike whenever the names of O'Hlomhair and O'Dea were spoken.
