Oakenborn

The Oakenborn Darach-Rugadh Clan
The Oakenborn Crest
Lead By:	N/A
Culture:	Craftsmen
Religion:	Old Ways (Galui Paganism)
Common Name	The Oakenborn
Allegiance	N/A
Status.	Disbanded.
Successor Clans	Gabhatine

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The Oakenborn clan, or Darach-Rugadh in Galui, were an Elder Blood clan of the Galuyn people. Known as the teachers, scholars, and artificers of their people, the Oakenborn were the maintainers of their people's more mundane elements of their culture.

Usually remaining in the core of the Galuyn structure, the Oakenborn numbered immensely among their people, seen as one of the most numerous castes at the height of the Galuyn. Despite this, the Oakenborn were sectioned internally by their jobs. As merchantile work was maintained by the Wickenden, the Oakenborn usually were hired on to book keep for these people. Truely, they could be found in nearly all areas of Galuyn life.

Unlike most clans, the Oakenborn were indifferent to the outside nations. Many Oakenborn would travel beyond their clan to learn craft from other areas, returning with this knowledge to aid their people. Unfortuantely, their amicable attitude to other cultures and groups would lead to tragedy that would see the clan almost completely dismantled.

Overview

The Oakenborn are almost completely disbanded; the only remnant of their culture existing in the place of the Gabhatine. It is unknown as to how the Oakenborn conducted themselves in terms of leadership; though it is assumed that they followed the standard three-leader system of the Galuyn, as their descendants follow a modified version of it. They lived across all Galuyn lands, with other castes often taking on a resident Oakenborn clan to aid them. The mountain of Flame's Berth was seen as especially important to them, as it was here that they learned from the Ollmhor.

When the Second War of Thorns began, the Oakenborn were responsible for the construction of Ironwood Keep, a massive fortress lined with runic emblazoned walls and defenses. However, the Wicker King demanded much. Weapons of war and extreme sacrifice of the enemy to please Yolth for his blessings as well as heavy slave labor soured the stomachs of the Oakenborn. Eventually leading to unrest, the Oakenborn rebelled. The Wicker King responded by slaughtering any of the caste he could find, resulting in a near extermination of the clan. His intentions were to enslave and recreate the Oakenborn in their old capacity, only as slaves rather than fellows. The Everflame caste, which had been the greatest allies of the Oakenborn before their rebellion, were also enslaved before they could potentially rebel as well; leaving the Oakenborn on their own.

As a result of this extreme action, the Oakenborn allied with the Gilneans. This alliance proved fruitful, as they revealed the weaknesses of their various creations that were utilized by the Galuyn even after the extermination of the Oakenborn. The greatest weaknesses revealed were that of their magnum opus, Ironwood Keep; which allowed the Wicker King to be cornered and slain. In the aftermath of this, the Galuyn as a whole were shattered. The Oakenborn were left to an uncertain future. Many Galuyn saw the Oakenborn as traitors; unwilling to accept the utter madness that their king had proliferated. As a result, there was no place for them among the rest of their people, who had become hostile towards them. Gilneas offered safety, though at a price; they were to abandon their ways and assimilate with Gilnean culture. No longer would they be Galuyn, they would be Gilneans.

Many clans accepted this bargain, the strongest becoming Gilnean nobility in The Reach. These clans would become houses such as Darkoak and Marshoak; their culture intermingling to become a sub-group of Gilneans known now as the Reachmen.

Ultimately, those that rebuffed the Gilneans were not long for the world. Hostilities from the other Galuyn led to many Oakenborn being killed; and those that evaded this were preyed upon by Gilnean banditry. By the time of the Invasion of Gilneas, remnants of the Oakenborn were that of the Gabhatine; as the Elder blood clan had long since ceased to exist.

Clan History

Unlike many of the other castes, the Oakenborn did not originate from a single group of people; instead they were a caste created as the Galuyn were rallied by the gods. Their finest craftsmen, however, originated from the region of The Range; with the apprentices of the mighty Ollmhor. Though reclusive, the giants were not a warlike people. As a result, when humans found their mountain home of Flame's Berth, they were willing to take on the much smaller creatures as allies, and taught them their craft. It was from this group of people that they came to worship the twin gods, Kol'sir, as the Ollmhor shared reverence for the great bears that lived within their mountain.

During the era of the War of the Gods, the seer Raeok came to beseech the Gods for aid. During the unification and empowerment of the proto-Galuyn, many castes were created by the edicts of the Gods. These were the Gnarled, the Everflame, the Thorned, the Hearthsong, the Chillborn and the Wavewalkers. Each had been empowered by the gods to aid them in their battles against the great evil, Kil'zoth. It was in this moment of empowerment, however, that Kol'sir realized that they had neglected to include those whose skills laid in the mundane and craft. He gave his blessing to these workers, these creators, these artisans; deeming them Oakenborn. They were placed under the leadership of the great smith Gertrude, whose crafts would often come to life with runes sang to them by her and her craftsmen. Wielding a mighty axe, Bronntanas Iompróidh, Gertrude laid her strength to Raeok's cause. She was, unfortunately, one of the first companions slain in battle; her great strength and might used to hold back waves upon waves of dark forces as Raeok ascended to defeat Kil'zoth. Her bloodline continued on in her name, and glorified the great smith-warrior after the war had ended.

The First War of Thorns

Over time, the Nation of Galu had come to blows with a rival power known as the Empire of Arathor. Though initial relations between the Arathorian settlers and the Galuyn were calm; two families known as the Cobals and Stantons had become engaged in a bitter blood feud along the area known now as the Bite. Bleeding their households dry, the two families began to employ Galuyn warriors (primarily Dualach-laoch) to fight their war for them. Before long, both armies were almost entirely comprised of Galuyn fighting one another for a feud they did not have any hand in; and tensions were beginning to rise within the Galuyn as strife arose from those who supported the Cobals and those who supported the Stantons. During this time, the Dualach-laoch began to become known as the 'Gnarled' by those who spoke common; a reference to the fact that a Stanton lord reportedly described them as "being difficult to remove from their position, like a gnarled root".

With massive amounts of Galuyn blood being spilled, the Thorned Council ordered the withdrawal of all Galuyn from Arathorian conflicts as mercenaries; at risk of being outcast from society. This, however, did not sit well with the Cobals or Stantons. Primarily relying on the Gnarled; they continued to bribe warriors into fighting their conflicts with increasing amounts of hefty rewards or even lands and titles, starting to pull people away from Galuyn culture into that of Arathor.

The Wicker King, following his resurrection.

Unwilling to sit idle for this, the speaker of the Hearthsong known as Naith an Galubaile rallied his people together to remove the Cobals and Stantons from the land they occupied. Forming a faction that would come to be known as the Wickers, Naith managed to unite all of the clans under his sole leadership (a feat that had not been performed since Raeok) and was dubbed King of the Galuyn. Newly crowned, Naith and his followers swarmed the holdfast of Cobal's Hold. Defeating the Cobals, he imprisoned them and garrisoned within their fortress; though the defeat of their rivals only incited the Stantons further. With their treasonous Gnarled armies they attacked Cobal's Hold, but were rebuked by the much larger force that consisted of all seven castes. Defeating the Stantons and seizing their port-town of Karnsburg; Naith began to be known as the Wicker King by the Arathorians. Originally intending to release the families after seizing their land, unrest with the capture of their lords amongst the Arathorian population in the Ashen Coast forced him to keep them captive, thus drawing in the ire of the Empire; who believed that the Kingdom of Galu had effectively declared war upon them. Wicker support surged during this time, with the Hearthsong clan referring to their city as 'The Wickenden' in common, rather than its eponymous name. This eventually, in time, came to overtake the Hearthsong identity as a whole; the clan referred to as the Wickenden in common from then on. Led by the Wicker King himself, the Gnarled led a daring charge to slay the leader of the Arathorian offensive, Demeric Jaxon. The assault failed, the Gnarled unable to break the Arathorian ranks, and the Wicker King was mortally wounded by Jaxon himself after a duel in the field of battle.

At this time, the Oakenborn were an instrumental concept to their people. While they had made weaponry for a long time, it was their interactions with the Arathorians from before the war that aided them the greatest. When the drums of war thundered, it was Oakenborn labor that allowed them to thrive. Copying and improving upon weaponry they had learned of their enemies; the Oakenborn were seen as a key component to early Galuyn victories. As the war went on, the Oakenborn ensured that the Galuyn would be well armed and armored against their foes; innovating on designs with rune-laiden steelwork that would ultimately become weapon and armor of legend. Though it is unknown how some of these were crafted; some of these legendary crafts would survive even into the modern era, holding great prestige to their value.

Dragged back to Wickenden, the Thorned Council turned to the dark powers of Yolth to keep the Wicker King alive. Still deeply corrupted by the Old God's forces at this time, the power of Yolth revitalized the Wicker King, but transformed him into a half-plant half-man monster and twisted his previously understanding and charismatic personality into its polar opposite. The only benefit of this was that the purity of Naith's soul had at last broken the corruption inside of Yolth, but it was too late for the man himself. While the Ram god retreated back into his den to confront the steadily lapsing corruption on his mind, the Wicker King was fully revitalized through the powers of Yolth and the Soulweavers; who had believed the energies they were using to have been pure. When they discovered that they had been deceived by the Thorned Council, the Soulweavers departed Galuyn society. The ritual had also granted the Thorned Council a form of eternal life, placing their souls into the bodies of ents; from which they would rule over the Galuyn, in their minds, forever. With the infernal Wicker Crown atop his head, the Wicker King led a renewed offensive against the Arathorians; who had pushed them back to the mainland of the Ashen Coast.

The Oakenborn worked tirelessly to avenge the Wicker King with their crafts, but as the Wicker King commited greater and greater efforts of war; the Oakenborn could not keep up. The unsteady pace at which the Wicker King was rapidly expanding against the Arathorians gave the Oakenborn little room to breathe. The further the warline went, the longer it took for their supplies to reach the warriors that needed them. Oakenborn attempts at creating craft-outposts were dangerous; as these were often targeted by Arathorian soldiers as targets to set back the Wicker war effort. Even still, they continued to support their king; even as he began to drain their metal stores dry.

Slaying Demeric in their rematch, the Wicker King declared the Galuyn triumphant; intending on destroying the rest of the Arathorian host in the weeks to come. However, rather than falter as the King had hoped, the Arathorians rallied under the banner of their martyred leader and his son, Beleric. Just as his father before him, Beleric drove the Wicker King's forces to the brink; dueling the maddened man in hopes of defeating him. Still beleaguered from his previous siege, even with the mighty powers at his disposal, the Wicker King was defeated by Beleric; though encased himself in a prison made of thorns. Unable to get out, but the Arathorians were unable to get to him, Beleric started a massive fire around the Wicker King. Burning alive from within, the mad king was at last slain. Intending to present the Wicker Crown to his emperor, Beleric and his men took the crown; though were ambushed on the road by Chillborn forces sent by the Thorned Council. Crippled, but not slain, Beleric was dragged away by his men as the Crown was reclaimed by the Chillborn and returned to Wickenden. With the Wicker King slain, the Galuyn warhost broke. Any lands outside of the Ashen Coast were lost, and the Cobals and Stantons had united under one house, the House of Cobalstant, and were given dominion over the lands of the Ashen Coast. In the years that followed, the nation of Galu became reclusive; keeping to the forests and hidden places as Arathorian power grew and their settlements were either taken, destroyed, or convinced to join with Arathor's rising power.

Wars of Gilneas and the Second War of Thorns

The Galuyn identity continued on, even as they were replaced within their own lands by Arathorian blood. The Cobalstants fostered an extreme hatred of the Galuyn for what they had done to their ancestors, preventing any sort of reconciliation between the two. This, however, did not last into the War of Silverpine. As Arathor began to wane as an empire, the recently seceded kingdom of Lordaeron had begun aggression upon the territories of Gilneas. Unable to oppose Lordaeron, Arathor did nothing as Gilneas burned. Unwilling to have his people be punished, a lord from the area known as Aderic rallied the people of Gilneas under his banner. Peacefully breaking away from the empire, Aderic managed to rally all walks of life across Gilneas, from the Arathorians to the Galuyn and the various other pagan groups that still existed in the country.

During this time, the Oakenborn had thrived. Sharing their designs with many other cultures and going afar to learn their secrets; the Oakenborn had become unsurpassed masters of their craft. Oakenborn masters were sought out from as far as distant Arathi, seeking runelaiden weaponry and armor. As a result, when war rose, the Oakenborn being on the side of Aderic were seen as invaluable.

Following the War of Aderic, Aderic kept Gilneas unified through his lifetime; attempting to be fair to the people of Arathor and the natives of Gilneas alike, including the Galuyn. Lands were redistributed in the Ashen Coast to allow the Galuyn to hold ancestral areas; namely the Reach. This angered the Cobalstants, who had only begrudgingly worked with the Galuyn during the war. After the War of Aderic, peace lasted for three decades before the War of Silverpine broke out. Engaged between Gilneas and their rival, Lordaeron, other nations were also brought into the war as it spanned all of humanity's known territories. During this time, break aways from Gilneas that had become known as Kul Tiras reaved Galuyn lands as they invaded the southern part of the kingdom. The Galuyn defended themselves bravely, though, the Cobalstant forces ensured they had no support beyond themselves. In the aftermath of the war, the Galuyn were left bleeding again. In the years that followed, Aderic passed on and his son, Baelic, did not command the same respect his father had. Progressively declining rights for the pagan peoples of Gilneas were common, with worshippers of the Light overtaking them and forcibly converting their lands in some areas. The Cobalstants liberally began this as well; aggressing on the Galuyn.

Unwilling to see the end of their people, the Gnarled clan leader, Erik the Bear, began to attack Cobalstant settlements along the Bite's borders. Killing several Cobalstant cousins and even going as far as to light the port town of Karnsburg ablaze, the Gnarled tore a bloody path into the western half of the Bite as they aimed to claim the Cobalstant's seat of power, Bannhurst. Immediately rushing to the King with this slight, Baelic ordered the Gnarled to stand down, and in recompense to the Cobalstants, that they forfeit control of the northern half of the Reach. Outraged, the Galuyn people rebuked the Gilnean identity; declaring them the successors of Arathor and nothing more. Rallying under the Wickers once again, the Galuyn began a brutal war for independance. The Chillborn immediately withdrew from this conflict; seeking to not interfere in what they saw as a momentary bout of rebellion from hotheaded warleaders.

The Second War of Thorns was not nearly as successful as the first had been. The Galuyn were still reeling from their losses in the War of Silverpine, and many harbored mixed feeling about casting off Gilneas entirely. The Oakenborn and Everflame castes in particular had become close with the rest of Gilneas, and while they opposed the mistreatment of the Cobalstants, they did not believe it appropriate to branch this onto the entirety of the Kingdom. No more than five years after Aderic's death, the Galuyn were already casting away everything he had built for them. When an idealistic man from the Wickenden faction rose to rally the Galuyn people once again, they crowned him the second Wicker King. Though many had not realized the Wicker Crown had survived, it was crowned upon their new king's head. The dark magic within immediately possessed the poor would-be king, devouring him into the energies as it rebirthed Naith an Galubaile in his body. Claiming it to be a blessing of the Gods to their people, they rallied behind their resurrected king; seeing his return as a deific sign of providence.

The Wicker King, fully manifested upon his host.

The Gnarled immediately returned to their old ways of raiding and capturing thralls; enslaving Gilnean captives to work for them in their camps. While they would be promised freedom if they worked well, many warlords were bloodthirsty and eager for glory. Erik the Bear demanded the erection of a mighty keep on the edge of the territory that Baelic had demanded be forfeited to the Cobalstants. This massive citadel came to be known as Ironwood Keep, and was used as the Gnarled's main base of operations throughout the war. Gifting the citadel as a seat to their king, Erik pledged his loyalty to the Wicker King and became his right-hand man throughout the war. Unlike the first War of Thorns, the strategic mind of the Wicker King was addled by his rage and the throes of years of being trapped within the crown. As such, the war became less and less about independance and more about brutalizing and horrific acts of violence against their enemies. This further drove the wedge into Galuyn society. During this time, a clan from the Oakenborn caste split away and began to aid Gilneas by secreting away captives from the cruelty of the Gnarled. Known as the Darkoak clan, their betrayal of Galuyn society led to a brutal order from the Wicker King: the extermination of the Oakenborn caste. This action led to the disgrace of the Thorned Councilmember, Horith, who spoke out against the genocide of his people.

Even those seen as loyal to the Wicker King were soon questioned, enslaved, or slaughtered. The disgusting treatment of their people completely divided the Oakenborn in tatters; eventually leaving the whole of the Oakenborn to turn against the Galuyn.

In a massive purge of blood, the Gnarled began to slaughter and reave through entire Oakenborn caste villages. Decimating their population, the Oakenborn were driven en masse to the arms of the Darkoaks (and as such, Gilneas), to escape the Gnarled. Many fled east, to the holdfast of Flame's Berth, where it was said the gods Kol and Sir resided. Taking refuge in the mountains, the Oakenborn that fled here managed to evade slaughter, eventually turning into the Gabhatine clan. This decimation of their people was too much for many Galuyn to handle, beginning a brutal upheaval within their society that saw many fleeing the Ashen Coast and the Galuyn identity into Gilneas for safety. This only grew worse when the Everflame clan was later subjugated by the Gnarled as well. Without orders to do so, Erik the Bear killed the leader of the Everflame clan and burnt their villages to the ground. Fleeing into the Dark Woods, the remaining Everflame were effectively used as pawns by the Gnarled. While most of the Everflame would be able to find a new home in the Dark Woods, a place that killed many of them due to its treacherous nature, the Gnarled's cruelty was seen as a move of ultimate loyalty by the Wicker King. Driven to the brink, the House of Greyfield, the House of Cobalstant and the Darkoak clan managed to infiltrate Ironwood Keep. Slaying Erik the Bear, the group confronted, defeated, and burned the Wicker King a second time. Unlike Horith, the Everflame councilmember supported the purging of their people; seeing it as rooting out the weak.

The war shattered the Galuyn. The Oakenborn were driven to near extinction, with remaining clans unwilling to rejoin the rest of the Galuyn people or the Wickers. This led to their people being branded as traitors by the rest of the Wickers. The Everflame were deemed loyal, though no apology was ever actually given to them for the slaughter they received. This led to strained relations between the Everflame and the rest of the Wickers, especially as the clan struggled to keep its self together in the years that followed. Retreating back to Wickenden, which was masked by magical runestones in the Ethur'ok forest so that the Gilneans could not find it, the Wickers and the Galuyn as a whole began to fade from notoriety. The Reachman ethnicity in the Ashen Coast overtook where the Galuyn used to be in terms of Gilneas' placement. Born from the blood of the Oakenborn and other Galuyn clans that joined with Gilneas in the war mixed with the Gilneans themselves, the Reachmen were cursed by the Wicker King in his dying breaths. Known as the Reachman's Curse, the very real curse faded into myth over time; stating that an ancient king cursed the blood of his people to constant aggression and ambition to keep them from rising high.

This curse was implanted upon those of Galuyn blood by the Thorned clan, who were horrified by the ramifications of their actions in the years that followed. This led to a massive break of their clan, splitting into multiple clan identities with the main one being the Thornwinds; who remained to watch over their sacred tree of Hirene. Spared from the curse, the Thorned became reclusive in the Wicker faction as well. The curse, however, worked. The Reachmen and Galuyn alike became known for their internal fighting, hundreds upon hundreds of blood feuds spanning hundreds of years overtaking the area to the point it was never fully unified until the modern day again. In the wake of the war, the Chillborn imbeded themselves in Gilneas under the guise of being another treasonous group of clans. An ancient ploy by the Wicker King, the Chillborn were to eventually rejoin their people when the time was right to see the Galuyn rise again. In the meanwhile, they became the houses of Frostvine, Iomaire and Crithe; dominating over the eastern Reach region of the Frost.

With their people eviscerated, the Oakenborn dwindled over time. All that would remain was the clan known as the Gabhatine, who found safety with the Ollmhor. Even the bravest Gnarled warrior had found pause when confronting the giants, and few were willing to potentially turn another force against the Wicker King in the war.

Invasion of Gilneas and Onward

Kolrick an Dualach-laoch, successor of Gerand as the Gnarled's leader. Kolrick would eventually spark a rivalry with the Oakenborn that would lead to hostilities.

During the period of the Invasion of Gilneas and before; the Gabhatine remained entirely isolationist. As a result, they were uninvolved in the downfall of the Wicker King, the rise of Kolrick and his betrayal of the King, or any other matters concerning the rest of the Galuyn.

It was only after the downfall of the Wicker King that the Oakenborn would begin to resurface. Daughter of the High Runesinger, Oisin an Gabhatine, the runesinger Siegrun an Gabhatine had run away from her home of Flame's Berth. By the time of her escape, the Gabhatine had become extremely isolationist to the point that most of their clan was not allowed to leave the mountain. The Ollmhor had, for the most part, largely departed the mountain outside of the single Asgaut de na Ollmhori, and as a result they were maintaining the fortress on their own. Unfortunately; extremely conservative outlooks towards the sacredness of the mountain had led to its steady decline. Ancient halls were considered too-sacred to restore; as doing so may damage them. This mindset would lead to them ironically collapsing at times, or becoming inaccessible.

Driven by a prophecy that they would ultimately craft something worthy of awakening the slumbering gods, Kol'sir, the Gabhatine were feverishly dedicated to this goal to the point of near collapse. Seeking a dream of her own, Siegrun departed from the mountain and ingratiated into the Duchy of the Ashen Coast. There, posing as a random galuyn soldier, she enlisted in the Blades of Greymane as a method of seeing the world. This, unfortunately for her, coincided with the invasion of the Burning Legion; an invasion that would turn the Oakenborn upside down. Remnant nightmare corruption in the Ashen Coast began to awaken, seeking out the Gods in order to corrupt them. Kol'sir, who had long slumbered deep within the mountain, was one of their prey.

Siegrun struck up an unlikely friendship with Airell Woodcourt, a reachman half-Galuyn whose bloodline traced back to the Wicker King. A studious man, the two journied across the Ashen Coast and even managed to smuggle themselves back into Flame's Berth; where things were getting increasingly less stable. Unwilling to move away from the prophecy, Siegrun's father was leading the Gabhatine to a steady decline. Having become romantically attached to Airell, a love her people would never accept, the two departed; though Siegrun was struck with a vision when she left her runic mark upon the Runesinger altar (a rite of passage among her people). Seeing a vision of immense destruction led by a corrupted duo of bear gods, Siegrun and Airell escaped back to the Ashen Coast to warn the rest of the duchy of what was to come. This was spurred further when Siegrun's mother, Brigid an Gabhatine came to Wickenden City to confirm her daughter's prophetic visions.

Leading a team into the mountain, Siegrun, Airell and the Blades of Greymane sought to win the favor of the isolationist Gabhatine and bring them back into the Galuyn as a whole. They were aided by the Grand Preserver, Catriona; though Siegrun was suspect of Catriona's intentions. With the Wicker King defeated, the Galuyn had joined with Gilneas under the Mac Tire Caidre; and were seeking to right the wrongs of the past. Unconvinced, Oisin revealed he took his orders directly from Kol himself; who had awakened and was now commanding the Gabhatine to create hellish weapons of war. Confused as to why one of the Gods would demand such a thing of them, the group delved deep into Flame's Berth and found the other slumbering god, Sir, who was being preyed upon by the Nightmare. Defeating this amalgam, Sir awoke at last and revealed that Kol had also been set upon by the Nightmare; but none had come to rescue him. As a result, Sir led the group and any Gabhatine who would listen to fight his corrupted brother. Oisin was defeated and the veil lifted from his eyes, allowing the Gabhatine to aid in defeating Kol. During this time, it was found that Catriona had been playing both sides; trying to get herself in with whatever was the winning side. Purging him of the Nightmare, Sir set his brother into stone so he might heal; and revealed to the Gabhatine that there was no great work that the Gods demanded of them. Instead, they were supposed to rely on one another, to be family, and to bring works themselves without the aid of gods. Catriona was demoted out of her position, replaced instead by Asgaut, though she kept great influence over the Preserver caste of the Gabhatine.

As a result of this victory, Siegrun was appointed as the new leader of the Gabhatine, taking her father's place as High Runesinger. The great axe of Gertrude, Bronntanas Iompróidh, was also recovered. Having been wielded by Oisin as it was found alongside Kol; the axe was corrupted by the Nightmare to aid in clouding Oisin's vision. In Siegrun's hands, she purged it of the nightmare energy, and wielded it into battle alongside the rest of the Galuyn as she allied the last of the Oakenborn to their people for the first time in generations.

Downfall of the Confederation

In the years that followed the downfall of the Wicker King, a group known as the Gnarled Confederation continued to build up their forces and manpower as the Gnarled suffered on the mainland. Kolrick's betrayal had left many of the clans confused as to where to go, to follow the budding Mac Tire Caidre and the Council of the Coimeadai, or to abandon them and join with Kolrick and his confederation. As time went on, the clans began to bicker amongst themselves as no clear answer or leader emerged from the ruins. The strongest clans began to flock to Kolrick, remaining in the Reach to raid and pillage Gilnean and Galuyn forces alike. Those that stayed with the Mac Tire Caidre were often targeted by these clans, with some clans such as the Warheart fleeing to find refuge in the Fallow Crest, while others left to find safety with the Thorned in Hirene Marsh. Things reached a head as troubles concerning the gods continued to flow through the Ashen Coast, with the Gnarled believing that the Council of the Coimeadai were incapable of leading their people. When Ruileas was embroiled in blood feud, many clans departed to join with the Confederation, swelling Kolrick's numbers once again.

The crest of the Confederation, an altered version of the Gnarled's clan crest.

During this time, the position of the Rionasai was created and power split off from the Council after the waygates had opened and unleashed wicker creatures from Kul Tiras into Wickenden City. Linked through ancient waystones that were placed long ago, the creatures ran rampant through the city until reaching the Temple of the Gods. Killing the Grand Coimeadai of the time, Amyas (who had been appointed following the death of the Wicker King and had failed to rally her people), the Council fell under the unlikely control of the High Coimeadai of Yolth, Yori. Yori immediately allowed for the power to be split between himself and the new Rionasai, elected to be that of Aleyina Nathair. Calling for the reunification of the Galuyn people, Aleyina and the Mac Tire Caidre began to spread across the Ashen Coast to rally the various fringe elements of the Galuyn together.

The first group targeted was that of the Oakenborn; who had joined with the Galuyn but were still relatively isolationist. Heading to the mountain, the group endeavored to aid the Gabhatine in restoring elements of their home. At Siegrun's decree, the Oakenborn had moved out of Flame's Berth as their living space; instead living in villages that surrounded the mountain. Being away from the smoke-flooded mountain had improved the health of the clan dramatically, and they were eager to restore their home. With the Mac Tire Caidre's aid, they rescued the wayward Gabhatine brewer known as Niall; showing the rest of the clan that the group meant well. With trust behind them, the group set out into the deeper, dilapidated, areas of Flame's Berth to restore them. Led by Asgaut, the ollmhor believed he had found the resting place of Gertrude's tools; as well as her legendary armor. Delving deep into the mountain, they found not just the armor, but ancient inscriptions and instructions to create the Ceardai; stone constructs that Gertrude and her descendants had used to help maintain the mountain in lieu of the Ollmhor. The group continued to trek through the halls until coming upon many statues, ornate and well crafted. Upon inspection, a voice rang out through the halls that spoke the incantation in Galui, which the group had refrained from doing, bringing the statues, revealed as Golems, to life to attack the party. While they successfully defended themselves, the lead golem had been destroyed by the group, causing the Golems to begin to behave erratically. Speaking the incantation himself, Airell Woodcourt managed to take control oer the Golems; leading the group down the passage to the tombs of the original three leaders of the Oakenborn following Gertrude's death, including her daughter.

Spoken to by their revered ghosts, the phantoms stated that they had remained as spirits within the collapsed hall until the day their knowledge would be found by their 'children', meaning the Gabhatine, so that the golems, known as Ceardaí, could be used again. While able to be used as protectors, their main purpose was for the sake of aiding with craft. Bringing the golems out to the Gabhatine, Oisin expressed some reluctance at first to accept the gift as Airell was in control of the golems. Relinquishing control to Asgaut, the clan was thankful for the aid, as this would help with the problems of the mountain immensely.

Before departing again, Airell was pushed to do what he had been dragging his feet on, proposing to Siegrun. The two had been lovers for years, even having a child together, though he had been reluctant to propose due to Gabhatine culture requiring special rings to be made. While Airell had these rings, if they were to shatter when being runesang, that meant the relationship was doomed and was to be abandoned. Oisin was furious, having hated Airell for years, though the man did not relent and pushed for the ceremony of runesinging to be performed. While Siegrun was apprehensive about tradition being broken, Asgaut championed Airell, stating the Gabhatine needed to begin to move forward, as tradition was what Siegrun herself had stopped from destroying them. The ritual was successful, depicting a saga of a bear and owl. Runesang by Oisin himself, in hopes the rings would break as Airell promised to leave forever if they did, Oisin stormed off angrily, leaving Airell and Siegrun to embrace, and the Blades to celebrate. With both the constructs and this marriage; the Gabhatine sealed their pact with the Mac Tire Caidre in earnest, reuniting fully with their people at last.

This outreach from the Mac Tire Caidre held in line with Kolrick's own desires to build his own grouping of the clans. Sending emissaries across the Ashen Coast, the Gnarled combatted with the Mac Tire Caidre as they each attempted to win over the strong fringe clans that had yet to declare themselves. Kolrick's son, Ethevau, was sent to barter with the Gabhatine; though he had arrived too late, the recovery of the creation of the Ceardai had effectively won the Gabhatine over to the Mac Tire Caidre. Instead of attempting to fight against this, Ethevau appealed to the disgraced Catriona and her loyalist preservers. Promising Catriona great power and prestige if she allied with them, Catriona and her workers were almost swayed until the intervention of the Mac Tire Caidre. Convincing her to remain loyal to her people and attone for her actions, rather than betray them a second time, Catriona rebuffed Ethevau. In response, Ethevau nearly killed Airell in battle; enraging Siegrun who dedicated her clan fully to the dismantling of the Gnarled Confederation. Even as Ethevau escaped; he had ironically driven the Oakenborn further and further to rejoining the rest of their people.

The Thorned held no elements for the Confederation to recruit, instead the Gnarled targeted Gnarled successor clans such as the Descendants of Vardinok that had fled to the Thorned for protection. Attempting to deceive them by making them believe their near deific ancestor, Vardinok Sunborn, had returned in the name of the Confederation; the Descendants were convinced to not flip sides by the Warheart clan, the clan of Gnarled who had remained loyal to the Mac Tire Caidre and had become the face of Gnarled loyalists. Merging with the Warheart, their numbers swelled; putting a solid opposition force to Kolrick's own Gnarled firmly in the hands of the Mac Tire Caidre. The siege on Hirene failed to uproot the Thorned, thus leaving all avenues of attempted clan recruitment foiled. With only the Shark-Kin Wavewalkers and the Iomaire Chillborn on his side, Kolrick's gathering of clans was hardly the throng he had hoped for. To offset this, Zulizan convinced Kolrick to throw his people in with the Horde, inviting them to his isles and allowing them to establish forward bases. This drew the immediate attention of the Galuyn-Gilnean forces, who did not wish to see the Horde gain another foothold in Gilneas.

Gathering the now united Galuyn forces, the Rionasai and the Mac Tire Caidre invaded the Warrior Isles; taking the fight to Kolrick directly. Victory after victory, the Mac Tire Caidre chipped away at Kolrick's holdings that he had built up. Forces such as the Shark-Kin were annihalated, their clan leader being slain and their home completely destroyed by the Gilnean aligned Galuyn. Crumbling support was found within Kolrick's ranks as the northern most Gnarled clans refused to join with the fighting, seeing it as a lost cause. Amongst these was Kolrick's own son and previous heir, Ethevau, who the Mac Tire Caidre had turned from an enemy into a staunch ally. Invading Kolr-Coinnigh, the Mac Tire Caidre decimated Kolrick's warhost of Galuyn and Trolls, capturing his son, Tytos, and the Iomaire clan leader, Colin. The Shark-Kin's leader was slain, the second one to be slain during the invasion, leaving the clan to disband. Facing his foes outside of his keep, Kolrick was at last convinced to stand down, though was deceived by his majordomo, Zulizan. With the Horde having abandoned Kolrick after finding that he was simply using them, Zulizan had channeled the mass spiritual energy of those slain across the isles to empower himself and his tribe; possessing Kolrick to use him as a final holdout while he completed his ascension. The Warrior Isles began to shatter under the weight of Zulizan's magic; which threatened to lash out across the Ashen Coast. Finding that if they defeated Kolrick that they could prevent this, the Mac Tire Caidre battled with the possessed warlord, crippling him as they barely escaped the height of Zulizan's ascension. With this, the Warrior Isles were destroyed. Zulizan and his Barkhide tribe disappeared into the ethereal realms of the dead, and Kolrick was saved; dissolving the Gnarled Confederation.

The Oakenborn still remain defunct as a clan, but as a people they are strongly represented by the resurgent Gabhatine. Many old sins and grudges have been settled and forgiven; the Oakenborn standing with honor among their fellows. Some Gabhatine have decided to depart from Flame's Berth on their own, and have as a result, taken up the name of their progenitor clan. Most prominently among these was the former High Coimeadai of Faralani, Erlend an Darach-Rugadh; a seer that once journied with the Blades before settling in Wickenden. Those that take up this name, however, are not doing so to revive the old clan; instead it is just a method of separating themselves on their own path and to honor their ancestors.

Clan Rituals

A typical man from the Oakenborn.

A typical woman from the Oakenborn.

The rituals of the Oakenborn are largely lost outside of the Gabhatine. As a result, theirs are the only rituals that still survive.

The only surviving incantation of the time of the Oakenborn is that which is chanted during the creation of the Ceardai:

"Blessed Mountain, heed our call. Bare the greatest strength of all. Rock of stone and clay of earth, come and aid us, O, Flame's Berth."

"Blood of earth, infuse the stone. Let it move as Flesh and Bone. As the Bears did bid thee long ago, rise and aid us with our woe."

When inscribed with the correct runes, this would bring the golems to life.

Primary Clans

Oakenborn (Elder Blood, defunct)

Gabhatine