Emain Macha is the royal Freehold of King Finn of Ulster.
Overview[]
Legends refer to Navan Fort as Emain Macha (“Macha’s Twins”) and associate it with the dying curse of the fleet-footed wife of Cruinniuc. This powerful landowner once boasted that his wife Macha could outrun the fastest horse of Ulster’s King Connor. Despite Macha’s pregnancy, Cruinniuc forced her to make good his challenge. She won, but the exertion brought about an early labor. Near death, she gave birth to twins, uttering a curse against all the men of Ulster so that they would undergo the pangs of childbirth whenever threatened in battle. Those too young to fight and foreign soldiers, such a Cuchulainn, were exempt from the curse.
Seat of Ulster[]
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Upon his assumption of the kingship of Ulster, Finn of House Fiona claimed Navan Fort as his freehold and the site of the Ulster Court. Deep within the mound, he has constructed a chimeric reflection of his profoundly disturbed nature. Although his palace is beautiful, its odd geometry and the dark, rich colors of its interior induce a moodiness redolent with the weight of history and legend, full of latent violence and deep passion. In spite of this, however, there is a grandness attached to Finn palace that inspires hope in the midst of despair.
Duchy of Emain Macha[]
While Emain Macha is the court and freehold of King Finn, he also holds the title of Duke of Emain Macha. The duchy is small, stretching out perhaps two miles from Navan Fort itself. It incorporates a number of ancient sites and approximately 100 mortals, many of whom Fin enchants as he needs them to assist with festivals and other courtly affairs. The only Kithain in the duchy are Finn and his entourage (some six knights, two of them trolls). Finn also has a pact with the Fianna, granting them the rights to several caerns in Ulster, and three of them serve as his personal bodyguard whenever he leaves his stronghold. The treasures given to his vassal lords originally come from Emain Macha and are tainted by Finn's dark Glamour.
References[]
- CTD: Immortal Eyes: Court of All Kings, pp. 78,133.