Nuada
| "Warrior's Friend, Silver Hand" | |
| Pantheon: | Celtic |
| AoC: | War, warriors |
| Symbol: | Silver hand on black field |
| Home P/L/R: | the Outlands/Tir na Og (Mag Tuireadh) |
Long, long ago when the Tuatha De Danann were still struggling to establish a foothold in the hearts and minds of their followers, Nuada led the charge against those who'd tried to dethrone the new gods - most notably, the powers of the giant-kin. In the battle, one of his fomorian foes struck off Nuada's right hand, and the budding deity was forced to retreat from the field of combat. The healer Diancecht fashioned Nuada a hand of silver, stronger and better than his old one. With the aid of this hand, Nuada drove the firbolgs and fomorians from the land coveted by the Celts.
Now, Nuada rules Mag Tuireadh, also called the Plain of Pillars - a vast, flat realm dotted with standing stones and menhirs of incredible height. Chant is the pillars are actually the guardians of the realm, each containing the spirit of one of Nuada's warriors. If true, the guardians take their duties seriously. The menhirs roll to menacing life whenever marauding creatures enter Mag Tuireadh. They can move twice as fast as a human can walk, plowing furrows through the ground and falling on the offending berks. The stones might just be activated my Nuada's will; no one really knows the dark of it.
The Plain of Pillars is usually covered by a thick mist that clings without being uncomfortable, obscuring vision beyond a few hundred feet. The grass underfoot is clean and green, growing to about shin-height.
In the center of the realm lies a low, rambling hall, and in the center room of the hall rests a stone upon which only Nuada or his rightful heir may sit. But though he's searched long and hard, Nuada just can't find a worthy successor. And he really does want to - he feels he'll move on to the next stage of existence as soon as an heir assumes the duties of his portfolio.
He might be right, too. Nuada certainly draws plenty of strength from his petitioners. Truth is, his essence so permeates the realm that every worthy petitioner merges with the power immediately. Those who aren't worthy wander out of Mag Tuireadh, never to return.
Nuada has no proxies, and it's dark as to what allies or enemies he's made among the other powers - except for his well-known aversion to the giant-kin. If a berk with giantish blood enters the land, the menhirs converge for Nuada's vengeance.