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Caern of the Red Lake |
| Type/Level: Gnosis (Honor)/3 |
| Bawn: approx 650 acres |
| Totem: Otter |
| Benefits: Opening the caern grants an infusion of Gnosis (equal to Man+Rituals (7)). Gnosis rolls within the bawn have a -1 difficulty. |
| Local Gauntlet: 4 |
| Sept Structure: Exclusively Fianna |
| History |
| The caern has been occupied by Fianna for at least 2000 years. The old tales say the valley was a meeting place for the Tuatha de Danaan, who infused the place with their magic and made it ripe for caernbuilding. Legends say the sept was nearly overcome some three times (the last being during the Famine) but though the defenders have been bloodied, they’ve never been beaten. For several decades, the caern has been more refuge than battlefront, a place where traveling packs could rest and recover from missions. With the arrival of the EU, Galway has experienced an increase in population and the attendant environmental pressures that come with more people. And old enemies have returned to plague the Connemara – Wyrm Howlers, a debased race known as the Fir Bolg, and the Wyrm-possessed Fomori. |
| Geography |
| The caern is located in and around Lough Rua (and adjacent to Loch Leathanach) in the boggy lands between the Twelve Bens and the Maumturk Mountains in the Connemara region of County Galway, Ireland. The nearest village, Recess, sits on the main road south of the caern. |
| The Bawn |
| The bawn covers roughly a square mile, but the Garou claim much of the valley as their ground; visitors are under observation long before they reach the caern. There are no obvious landmarks at the bawn, but the perceptive Garou can feel when they cross it. |
| Assembly Area |
| On a low rise north of Lough Rua, there is a ring of earth enclosing a flat, bare dirt field roughly 60’ across. The inside of the 6’ wall is faced with drystone, with a several stone perches for guards. The ring may be entered from the east or the west, and several small standing stones mark significant solar and lunar alignments. In the center of the ring is a 5’ fire ring, with flat stones for benches surrounding it. One stone is larger than the rest, and this is the Righ’s seat. Several posts stand near the entrances; these often sport trophies such as hides or heads |
| Heroes' Cairn |
| The site is cunningly hidden, as the peat has mounded up in a great ring, hiding the heroes’ cairn from view until one is almost upon it. Hundreds of stones are piled and arranged in a circle, with an opening facing west. Each stone has a glyph on it, representing a fallen member of the caern; many stones have an additional glyph suggesting the hero’s end, such as defending the caern. The center of the circle is an open space about 8 feet wide. The stone pile rises about 4 feet, and are hemmed in by larger, flat stones that revet the pile on both the outside and inside of the circle, as well as the passage; these kerb stones have glyphs, weathered almost to invisibility, calling for praise and remembrance of those who fell for Gaia. |
| Attempt to summon ancestor spirits while in the center chamber are at –1 difficulty. |
| Caern's Heart |
| The heart of the caern lies in a small wooded island in Lough Rua. In the center of the island is a stone cairn 2’high and 4’ across. To reach the heart requires swimming or crossing in a sanctified wooden boat. |
| Umbrascape |
| The view in the Penumbra differs little from that in the physical world. Spirits large and small dart around the caern. Several moon paths wind away into the hills. On occasion, a Straight Track will flare on the hilltops. |
| Shrines |
| The packs have built shrines to improve their standing with their totems. Also, some shrine exist for the benefit of all. |
| Stoat |
| The shrine is a miniature Newgrange-like passage tomb (3’, 9’wide) high. The chambers contain the skeleton of a stoat and nine stoat skulls. |
| Epona |
| Nine short (1’) stones in a 7’ circle; in the center is a column of similar-sized stones rising 4’ topped by a weathered skull from a Connemara pony. Horsehair fills the chinks between the rocks. |
| Merlin |
| A scrubby fir tree has bits of pigeons and songbirds hanging by strings from the branches of a scrubby tree on a low hill near the edge of the bawn. There is also a limb suitable for perching, as the worn bark would suggest. |
| Stag |
| A dozen red deer antlers are interlocked and set atop a stone platform. While this is a pack shrine, others are allowed to use it to thank Stag when he sends deer for a hunt. |
| Hare |
| Hares being the only common prey animal in the valley, this stone carved in the form of a rabbit is attended to by all of the packs. |
| Spirit of the Pool |
| Here the water is oddly murky and weed-covered at its depth, obstructing the bottom of the pool. Here is where the sept makes offerings of valuables and requests for fair fortune and healing to the spirit of the pool. [-1 to summon or bargain with the pool spirit] |
| Defense |
| The land around the caern is fairly boggy, making access difficult. A couple of rough tracks allow access, but these are always watched. Perches on Lios Uachtair provide a commanding view of Recess, and much of the valley. Other perches on the Maamturk chain provide similar coverage for the north end of the valley. |
| Kinfolk naturally provide intelligence about strangers and goings-on. In time of need, a cadre of Kin can be called up to provide armed assistance. Known to the sept as “the Bens Brigade,” they are not IRA, but their commitment to the sept goes beyond politics. During moots, several Battalion members take up positions along likely access points, freeing up the Garou for other duties. |
| There are numerous spirits in the Umbra that also keep watch, and alert the werewolves at the first sign of anything untoward. |
| In a pitched fight, Otter will use the power of the caern to aid the defenders. Perhaps they can flit back and forth across the Gauntlet instantly (even avoiding blows by “vanishing” for a split second, or maybe attackers will find themselves hopelessly turned around and driven up to their necks in muck. Such overt action will weaken the caern until the grateful survivors rebuild its power |
| Living Quarters |
| There aren’t many places inside the bawn that are fit for houses. Several small stone shelters are found in the higher spots, but even these have been carefully covered with turf to blend in. On the northern flank of Lios Uachtair is a stone hut, its back dug into the mountain. Finally, several Fianna have claimed a straggling settlement that rises into the Maum Valley |
| Local Communities |
| Recess (Sraith Salach) |
| There’s not much to Recess. The “town”, which sits on N 59 between Clifden and Maam Cross, consists of a small group of buildings, with a petrol station/post office, general store/tourist shop, restaurant, and pub in one spot. Behind the buildings is a fenced garage with a bus and a handful of vans. Across the road, sitting picturesquely before Lough Glendollagh, is a monument of a bearded man sitting and glowering, with a plaque saying “On this spot in 1897, nothing happened”). Locals refer to the building complex as “Darcy’s” because the Darcy family pretty much owns them all. A few dozen other houses are scattered within sight (remembering of course that “in sight” can be a considerable distance), and several of them are rentals. Black-faced sheep wander around and sometimes have a lie-down in the road. Most of the locals are Kinfolk, but even those who aren’t know not to wander too far from the roads and to stay indoors when the moon is full. |
| The R344 runs up the western side of the valley. Lough Inagh has little development apart from a resort lodge and a few rentals. |
| The Sept |
| Sept Offices |
| Righ: Keegan Donoghue |
| Council of Elders: Keegan, Martin, Kelly, Jenny, Eamon, Danny |
| Warder: Martin Fahy |
| Guardians: Claws of Morn Pack |
| Master of the Rite: Kelly |
| Gatekeeper: Kelly |
| Keeper of the Land: Debra Lyons |
| Master of the Challenge: Eamon Skerritt |
| Master of the Howl: Keegan Donoghue |
| Songkeeper: Jenny Skerritt |
| Caller of the Wyld: Kelly |
| Truthcatcher: Aidan Burke |
| Talesinger: Jenny Skerritt |
| Wyrmfoe: Danny |
| Packs |
| Proud Horn Pack (Totem: Stag) |
| Keegan Donoghue (“Hears the Unspoken”)– Homid M Philodox (5) Fianna. |
| Martin Fahy (“Bows to None”) – Homid M Ahroun (4) Fianna. |
| Kelly (“Webripper”) – Lupus M Theurge (5) Fianna. |
| Jenny Skerritt (“Gatecrasher”) – Homid F Galliard (4) Fianna. |
| Eamon Skerritt (“Climbs the Brink”) – Homid M Ahroun (4) Fianna. |
| Claws of Morn Pack (Totem: Stoat) |
| Danny (Deathstone) – Lupus M Ragabash (4) Fianna. |
| Terri (Thousand Claws) – Lupus F Ahroun (3) Fianna. |
| Seamus Kelly (Tine Knife) – Homid M Theurge (3) Fianna. |
| Aidan Burke (Dewcatcher) – Homid M Philodox (3) Fianna. |
| Hilltopper Pack (Totem: Merlin) |
| Nola Lyons (Came Up Roaring) – Homid F Ahroun (3) Fianna. |
| Debra Lyons (Stone Oath) – Homid F Philodox (3) Fianna. |
| Connolly (Looked Last) – Lupus F Ragabash (2) Fianna. |
| Roseleen Madden (Hill Singer) – Homid F Galliard (2) Fianna. |
| Donal Connolly (Keens for the Lost) – Homid M Theurge (2) Fianna. |
| Tercel (Shoredancer) – Lupus M Ragabash (2) Fianna. |
| Bogjoggers Pack (Totem: Epona) |
| Mary Morris (Songrunner) – Homid F Galliard (2) Fianna. |
| Brendan Dean (Smoke Visions) – Homid M Theurge (2) Fianna. |
| Colleen Skerritt (Other Hand) – Homid F Philodox (2) Fianna. |