Cathal Riagain
A brutal man who places the survival of his Clan and country above morality.
Minister of Consecration Cathal Riagain
Description
Appearance
Some people have questioned whether Cathal is man or monster. At 7'3" tall and as broad as two average men, he strikes a titanic figure. His skin is a pale violet color and almost constantly marked with red warpaint. He has long and straight raven-black hair that falls to his shoulders which contrasts greatly with his golden eyes. Most striking are his large, stone-like horns that bring his height to above seven and a half feet. His left horn is cracked and broken off half way from his head from an injury sustained in his youth. He most often wears light iron and boiled leather armor emblazoned with the lion of Clan Riagain as well as a dark half-cloak. Cathal almost always wears a yellow and purple tartan kilt and great wrought iron boots. As a Tiefling of his Clan, his tail ends with a lion-like tuft of hair. In the past, he has carried Gaolbreaker in all circumstances.Personality
Cathal is best described as composed and intense, almost uncomfortably so. He acts the same in all forums from Clan Summits to barracks talk and discipline of his Knights. His words are simple and may even be described as cruel. Despite this, all of his subordinates claim that he is a good commanding officer. He prioritizes practicality. If his Knights are unwilling to do something, he does not force them - he will simply do it himself. The energy required to force it is meaningless and will result in a job done poorly. While fierce, he is not mirthless and is known to have a bizarre sense of humor. Cathal is strong-willed and stubborn, never standing down if he truly believes in something. Rumors claim that his is a quiet storm, brewing out-of-sight and breaking only when it is just overhead. Recent times have seen cracks in Cathal's armor, especially when his son Ronald is brought up.Biography
Background
Early Life (1006 - 1019 T.B.)
Born to Chief of Clan Riagain Sheehan Riagain and the clanless Tief Or Justice in 1006 T.B., Cathal was raised as heir to a nearly dead Clan. Over the course of the past 50 years, Clan Riagain had almost been thrown into obscurity from lackadaisical governance on the part of Lord Sheehan who was more of a poet than a man of action. He was not involved in the raising of his son even though his wife died during Cathal's birth. With little inheritance to claim according to his own father's minimal guidance, Cathal was considered a child of a dead legacy and even a curse. Rebuffs from old Clan Lords and cruelties from his peers on his origins and lack of inheritance weighed heavily upon him. His young life was fraught with struggle and little warmth. Sheehan Riagain left without warning when his son became of age in the eyes of the League, leaving behind a 13 year-old Cathal as Clan Chief. His first act as Chief was to request an audience with the newly raised Highlord, Lir Domhain. He requested a suspension of his authority until he was twenty-three years old, whereafter he would serve the Highlord personally as the new Chief of Clan Riagain. Domhain was fascinated by this odd request and granted it but with the stipulation that Cathal would act as his cupbearer when Lir asked. Cathal accepted these terms but immediately left Domhain City to join the Knights of Consecration, which the Highlord supposedly found hilarious.Knight of Consecration (1019 - 1029 T.B.)
On joining the Knights, Cathal showed immediate promise as a cadet. He was an incredible combatant with unnatural strength even at the age of 14, able to wield a greatsword in one hand by 15 and creating a fighting style that would come to be called 'The Iron Wall' by 16. He instantly attracted the attention of the Minister of Consecration at the time and was made their personal Squire. In the early 1020s, the Knights were best known as peacekeepers and law enforcers. They sometimes were responsible for capturing high-profile criminals, but this was uncommon. In the summer of 1023, Cathal was a member of a strike team attempting to capture a Fey insurgent known as 'Black Bellamy'. The entire squad perished, including the then-Minister, but Cathal was left alive. He made it his personal mission to capture the criminal alone. Somehow, he was able to do so in the following autumn and gained notoriety across the continent for this deed. Over the next 5 years, he became a Commander and captured more criminals in this time than any other Knight of his age ever before him. On his 23rd birthday in 1029, he was installed as leader of the Knights and became the Minister of Consecration upon his return to the capitol city.Minister of Consecration and Clan Resurrection (1029 - 1032 T.B.)
As the new Minister of Consecration (and cupbearer to the Highlord), Cathal immediately began completely evaluating and reforming the incarceration system of East Talamh. With the collaboration of the Highlord, Cathal reintroduced some ancient policies held by the League of Clans including the concept of reciprocal justice. In 1030, he was introduced to Lann Kelly and the Justiciar helped Cathal re-establish Clan Riagain. After gaining so much notoriety through the Knights, Clan Riagain became widely known once again, placed in charge of the new system of incarceration. Cathal created his own legacy, and now he would do anything to preserve it.Hand of the Highlord (1032 - 1041 T.B.)
In the ensuing decade, he would come to be Lir Domhain's most dedicated servant. He aided in the implementation of many policies through The Silver Court all while personally capturing criminals with his dedicated strike force. He launched a campaign against all Fey insurgents and tasked a special unit with illicitly eliminating Fey rebel presence in East Talamh. He privately dealt with threats against the Highlord and the government and served as a silent shield for the League of Clans. Cathal married Penelope Riagain and was forced to have an extravagant wedding by Lir Domhain himself. A man of his word, rumors say he still acts as the Highlord's cupbearer at meetings of the Council of Five even to this day.Flames of Insurgence (1042 - 1066 T.B.)
In early 1042, Cathal sired a son named Ronald. He was known to be a strong yet harsh father, raising his son to succeed him as heir and potentially a Knight himself. To create a safer world for his son, he joined Lir Domhain and Lann Kelly in instating more strict laws against Fey. In 1047 they succeeded together, legally sanctioning violence against Fey. Cathal took this opportunity to pivot the role of the Knights towards revealing and expelling any Fey in East Talamh. He did so without ceremony. Some members of the Knights left due to these policies, opposing them on the grounds that this was not the work of a Knight. He persisted, however, and began recruiting more from stranger places. Some even claim that he started to recruit even criminals as special operatives. Throughout the 1050s and early 1060s, Cathal and the Knights were personally responsible for almost entirely removing known Fey presence from East Talamh. In 1057, Cathal supposedly captured a Fey terrorist who led a group active across East Talamh. The Archcastellan and Minister began to devise a plan to deal with these insurgents and prove to the populous and insurgents alike that they meant business. In 1066, roughly 10 years later, he was able to reinstate the ancient practice of burnings to East Talamh.Disappearance (1067 T.B.)
Despite his professional and dynastic success, court gossips claim Cathal had many problems with raising his son. In 1067, Ronald Riagain was sent out into the world by Cathal on what the Minister claimed to be an 'educational excursion'. Some believe that he was truly exiled, but these claims are unlikely. In the autumn of 1067 after responding to a distress call from Belbally, Cathal seemingly disappeared without a trace. He has not yet been found, and Lir Domhain has claimed that this was the work of the Fey attempting to get revenge for Cathal capturing their leader 10 years previous. The populous grew angry at this - Cathal was their stalwart defender, a patriot and guardian of the people. They clamored for war, and the League answered. Cathal's disappearance was one of the leading factors that lit the fires of war, setting West and East upon each other once more after a millennia of tension. Now that the flames burn again, the world waits with bated breath for the destruction that only this conflict may herald. Whether Cathal is dead or alive remains to be seen.Relationships
History
Born in 1042, Cathal treated Ronald more like a cadet than a son. At the age of four, he began personally training Ronald in the sword and enrolled him into the tutorship program run by Aemon Catanach. As Cathal's role in the government evolved, he began to spend less and less time with his son and instead brought in some of the Knights as combat tutors and armsmasters. His involvement in Ronald's life drastically decreased for a period of a few years in the 1050s with their interactions becoming more widespread and more tense at the same time. After Cathal returned to Domhain in 1058 after arresting a notorious criminal, his relationship with Ronald began to take a notable downturn. The two struggled greatly with one another, a subject which became sensitive for both father and son. Cathal's issues in raising his own child became his only true vulnerability - Ronald refused to join the Knights and would not be a suitable heir for House Riagain in the way Cathal intended. The young heir became known for debauchery and carousing in lieu of more important duties, which attracted court gossip that Cathal loathed. In 1067, soon after a major fight, Ronald left Domhain City on personal leave. Some believe Cathal exiled him, but this has not been confirmed. With Ronald as a nationally-watched criminal, it is likely that Cathal has been pursuing him. Nevertheless, it is unknown if the two have seen each other since.
History
Cathal has been at Lir's side since the former was 13 years old and the latter 19. Their relationship began with Cathal as Lir's sworn cupbearer but soon evolved into a close camaraderie and partnership. Lir was instrumental in bringing Clan Riagain back from the brink by allowing Cathal to suspend his own authority and later providing financial means for the Clan to be re-established. He personally approved Cathal's ascendance to Minister of Consecration and Lord Captain Commander of the Knights of Consecration. Cathal, Lir, and Lann Kelly would go on to reinstate policies of reciprocal justice, reinforce the incarceration system, and entirely recreate East Talish policies as to Fey within their borders. Without Cathal at his side as his sword and shield both, it is unlikely that Lir Domhain would have been successful in many of these changes. Stalwart friends and confidants both, these men are tied by faith in each other and their ideals.
History
Married in 1035, Penelope Willsin and Cathal Riagain were a strong couple at their inception. Married based on an ancestral pact, the two had been peripheral acquaintances since childhood. Lir Domhain insisted on an extravagant wedding held for the two of them. Their home life is incredible private, but Penelope does not leave the house much in the modern day. She prefers to stay at home and mind the household while Cathal is away. Unlike most other Tiefling couples, these two do not work together extensively.
Cathal H.W. Riagain
Species
Tiefling
Non-Fey
Pronouns and Gender
He/Him/His
Male-presenting
Status
Missing
Age
Approximately 61 years old
Nationality
East Talish
Role and Life History
ProfessionMinister of Consecration
Titles
Minister of Consecration, Lord Captain Commander of the Knights of Consecration
Professional History
Chief of Clan Riagain - 1019 T.B.
Knight of Consecration - 1020 T.B.
Minister of Consecration - 1029 T.B.
Current Residence
Domhain
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