The Tuatha

Logo of the Tuatha faction in the Romance of the Nine Empires card game

The Tuatha are one of the nine factions vying for control over Countermay. "The Tuatha are not a homogenous group but a collection of the ageless fae — 'fairies' in the vulgar tongue — noble and cruel, beautiful and monstrous." Today, they are split into two sides, remnants of a civil war: the Seelie and Unseelie. The Unseelie "are skilled in weapons and the abilities of assassination."

History

Arrival in Countermay

The Tuatha are very secretive about their people's history. According to sources in Countermay, the Tuatha originally came "from beyond the Veil in the Mirror World that lies parallel to Countermay. Powered by their glamours and ability to slip beyond the Veil at will, the curious and mischievous Tuatha visited Countermay for their own purposes and found a life in local legend. It wasn’t until the Collapse of the Veil, with their ability to vanish lost, that the Tuatha found themselves forced to interact with the other empires and form a state." However, according to sources in Fartherall, the Tuatha were the first people of Countermay.

Civil War

"Though the Veil has since been restored, the trade and diplomatic bonds the Tuatha formed in the interim have had an indelible impact on their culture, one that escalated a longstanding internal schism into a full-blown civil war. The Seelie—the noble Sidhe and nymphs, helpful brownies and the like—found the mortal empires and their frailties and potential fascinating, and advocated for ongoing interaction with them. But their opponents, the Unseelie—the dark elves, the ravenous goblins, treacherous changelings and hags—saw weak peoples fit only for exploitation and enslavement. The resulting war was fought on both sides of the Veil. In the end, the Unseelie triumphed." Though the armistice agreement allowed the Seelie to remain under Unseelie rule, their conquerers betrayed them, and the Sidhe led most of the Seelie to flee through a black circle portal to Fartherall created with much entropium—enriched oblivicite. They emerged in the First Wood, later being known as the Ald.

War of the God-King

During the War of the God-King, Seelie prince Tuatha Dundareel helped Simm Buxtehude forge an alliance to prevent the Cult of Shad-Hujem from reaching The God Head Seat. Dundareel committed Seelie forces to help trick the God-King into committing his own.

Later, the ruling Unseelie considered Dundareel a traitor and attempted to negotiate with Holden for his extradition.