the Aírdrígh (AIRD-REE)
The Aírdrígh is the mythological supreme ruler of the Brynd Tribes. They are reborn at times of great peril to the Bryndlands, some would even say all of Fahr Ryasc, to deliver the Bryndffolk from doom. The bards sing their deeds and the druids tell of their burdens. Even so, when an Aírdrígh rises, they do not save the Bryndffolk on their own, or by themselves. The Aírdrígh, so the druids teach, unites and leads the people who save themselves.
There have been eleven Aírdrígh who have come to Fahr Ryasc. In the two-thousand year history of the Bryndlands, only eleven. All three tribes and all four elemental ancestries have been represented. With one exception, no Aírdrígh has been a Ganigan Kælic Brynd. The druids divine a dark fate when this Aírdrígh comes, many fear they will be the last. Others reason that the cycle will be completed and the last Aírdrígh, they name the Deyaírdrígh (Bryndspek for "Last Aírdrígh") is the herald of the Doom of the World.
The Aírdrígh has not returned for over five-hundred years. The most recent being Aossic who bore the Ebon Scepter of Vakra and banished the Great Old Ones into their imprisonment.
Requirements
There must be a threat to the Bryndffolk which demands the return of the Aírdrígh. A candidate must be Bryndffolk, born of the people and the land.
Appointment
Once the druids have identified the candidate, they test them, and once those tests have been satisfied, they present the prospect to each of the tribes Rhæag. Finally, the prospect is bound to the land through the ritual of the Talav Nasc.
Duties
The Aírdrígh is the sovereign ruler of the Bryndffolk. They lead and direct the tribes through their Rhæag and when speaking with the rulers of other realms, they speak for the Bryndffolk as a whole. Should the Bryndffolk go to war, the Aírdrígh brings the warbands together into a single army, leading as a general.
Responsibilities
The Aírdrígh arbitrates disputes between the Rígh, applying justice on matters of law and honor and settling conflicts without the necessity of internal wars. They also pass judgement on any crimes deigned so serious as to affect the Bryndffolk as a whole. Finally, the Aírdrigh is the final appeal for any Bryndffolk who feel they have not been done justice.
Petitions in this last circumstance are brought to the Aírdrígh through the Druí Roth Mohr, or by the solicitations of bards.
Benefits
The Aírdrígh is given the prestige and respect due a Rígh. By tradition, the Kantor of each Rhæag surrenders their own Hall for the Aírdrígh's use when the Aírdrígh is in their tribal territories. Otherwise, the Taisech of each village loans their own halls to the Aírdrígh when they visit. The Aírdrígh travels with a personal warband of heroes, their "Bàloch".
The Bàloch are the Aírdrígh's bodyguard, their companions, and the executors of the Aírdrígh's policies and decrees. They are the warband who fights alongside the Aírdrígh in battle as well as the knights who act in the Aírdrígh's name on quest and mission.
History
Following the fall of Vakra, the Bryndffolk were lost within the ruin of what was once the Vakran Flats. The survivors faced a second disaster as the Marakhor Sea claimed the bones of Vakra. Different family groups of Brynd emigrated north and east, establishing petty realms.
When first Aírdrígh emerged ,the Bryndffolk were in a near constant state of warfare. They fought one another and the Tralfolk who also emerged from the devastation of Vakra's Fall. They fought the Vazaku colonies of the Zàqu Empire. Even the mighty Viyrd of the Kymric Mountains emerged to enforce their territorial claims.
The first Aírdrígh was one of these petty Rígh named Darus. Darus, with the support of the Druí Roth Mohr brought the scattered Bryndffolk together into a single people, he created a peace and common cause. Darus was crowned Aírdrígh and was bound to the land through the ritual of the Talav Nasc. Aírdrígh Darus, in turn established the three tribes of the Bryndffolk and their Rhæags, the council of Rígh that guided each tribe. When Darus died, it was the Anmohr of the Druids, Birged who spoke a prophecy that when the Brynd were at their greatest need, the Aírdrígh would return and lead the tribes again.
There have been a handful of Aírdrígh since. From each tribe and from every elemental ancestry, reincarnating with the wisdom of the Aírdrígh who have come before. Always returning in a time of great crisis for the Brynd. It was an Aírdrígh named Aossic who banished the Great Old Ones to their imprisonment, preventing the collapse of order in Fahr Ryasc. It was an Aírdrígh named Nykarn who slew the monstrous viyrd Ageakos. There were others, the druids know all their names.
Cultural Significance
The Aírdrígh is a figure of great significance to the Bryndffolk. They are mythological heroes who rise when the world is at it's bleakest, and leave the Bryndlands in peace and plenty with the promise of returning again. The legends of the Aírdrígh remain alive because of the bards and druids singing their stories, fanning the flames of myth.
One of the persistant traits of the Aírdrígh in their stories are their humble beginnings. Aírdrígh are not powerful Rígh from powerful families, born to rule. They are not mighty Anmohr who lead the Druí Roth Mohr. The Aírdrígh could be anybody and only when the need is greatest will the reborn Aírdrígh be discovered.
The Aírdrígh is a "High King" or King-of-Kings and enjoys a similar prestige of an Emperor, or the Zinj of the Old Xjinn Empire.
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