Tir Tairngire

The Oldwoods

Pronunciation: TEER tan-geer  /  CHEER chan-gi-ruh

Term for People: Tirs, Tairns

Names for Groups: Ålach, Clan, Kin, Kenetlom

Masks: Wooden masks, Greenman masks, Woad

Most Popular Event: Mòd

The Oldwood wears two faces – the first is that of family. Kenetlom, or Kin-groups are the pillars of Tir society. Elders, Vergobrets and War-chiefs are elected to rule by age and followship – Tairns swear oaths to their leaders in return for protection, education or in the case of vassals and desperate individuals, purely for survival. Fostering and adopting family members is rampant and extremely important for safety from monsters and other Clans, and for the fostered to learn exclusive knowledge from the new school of Kin-groups. Kenetlom suffer as a whole – Families share inheritance equally between heirs, successes are rewarded with equal spoils amongst all within a clan, and all Kin are chastised for the failure or lawbreaking of the individual. Those that break the Geissi, or sacred bonds to their chosen Elder, are punished individually – usually with permanent consequences. 

Beyond the boisterous friendly face, the second visage looms beyond – The Otherworld. They say the unseen world breathes miasma into the Oldwood and begets the Undead, Great Beasts and illusory creatures. Rituals here are often akin to parties or ballards, poet-historians (Fili’s) recount the oral traditions of their clans, using ghostlights, sacred-glades and natural stone circles to appeal to those that dance just beyond the borders of our sight. Stories are woven of the Phantom Queen, or a nightmare besetting the land since the time of the Undoing. Vergobrets that gain enough recognition are promoted to Rix or King-status, and married to the Gods or Goddess to symbolise their everlasting tie as a protector and keeper to their clans but those whose rule displeases the deities are claimed by the Queen. Druids act as guides between the Otherworld and the Oldwood, sometimes marrying or pledging loyalty between men and spirits to appease both sides and maintain wisdom and tradition of co-existence.