This was the Golden Age of Keltia. The mass emigrations ended at around Terran year 1350, and the dream of Brendan seemed achieved. There was complete equality, as he had intended; a strong central government and representative local governments; the beginnings of a peerage democracy; great advances in magic, science and art.
*
It could not last, of course. By Terran year 1700, increasingly vocal separatist movements sprang up in each nation, and, a hundred years later, the Archdruid of the time, Edeyrn, saw in the unrest the chance to further his own power, and the power of the Druid Order. A fiercely ambitious and unquestionably brilliant man, Edeyrn succeeded in engineering the discrediting and ultimate dissolution of the Fainne, in forcing the monarchy into hiding, and in installing those Druids loyal to him as magical dictators on all levels. Civil war broke out all over Keltia, and the realm was polarized by the conflict.
*
This was the Druid Theocracy and Interregnum, which was to endure for nearly two hundred unhappy years. Edeyrn and his Druids were joined by many politically ambitious and discontented noble houses, who saw in the upheaval a chance for their own advancement.
There was of course a fierce and equally powerful resistance, as many Druids remained loyal to the truths of their order, and joined forces with the Ban-draoi, the magical order of priestesses, the Fianna, the Bardic Association and some of the oldest and noblest Keltic families.
This resistance was called the Counterinsurgency, and it opposed Edeyrn and his Druids with strength, resource and cleverness for two centuries. Consistently outwitting the aims of the Theocracy, the loyalists managed to preserve the fabric of true Keltic society. Through the efforts of the Bardic Association, they also succeeded in salvaging most of the important lore, science, art and records of the centuries of Keltia's settlement, and the records from Earth before that.
The terrors of the Theocracy raged on for two hundred years, with the balance continually shifting between Theocracy and Counterinsurgency. The general population was sorely torn, but most did in fact support the loyalists, in their hearts if not in their outward actions. Then full-scale alien invasion, by the races called by the Kelts Fomori and Fir Bolg after their old Earth enemies, hit Keltia, causing enormous destruction and loss of life. But even in the face of this appalling new threat, Edeyrn continued to dominate, and some even said he was responsible for the invasions. Though he himself was by now ancient beyond all right expectation, his adopted heir Owain served as his sword-arm, and Owain was as twisted as ever Edeyrn was.
Though their most immediately pressing need was to repel the Fomori and Fir Bolg invaders, the Kelts had first to break free of the grip of the Theocracy; and in the midst of that chaos, a mighty figure began to emerge.
*
Arthur of Arvon, a minor lordling of a hitherto minor noble house of the Kymry, rallied boldly the forces of the Counterinsurgency. Arthur proved to be an inspired leader, and, more importantly, a military genius, and he quickly smashed Owain's Druids in the Battle of Moytura. The Theocracy, its military power broken, caved in, and Arthur was named Rex Bellorum, War-Chief, by the hastily reconstituted Fainne and the newly restored monarch Uthyr. Arthur then led the Keltic forces out against the invaders; the aliens were not prepared for such a concerted counterattack, and Arthur succeeded in utterly crushing the invasion.
*
But King Uthyr had died in battle. Arthur married the royal heir, Gweniver, and with her assumed the sovereignty of Keltia by acclamation. The wars behind him, at least for the present, Arthur turned his genius to political and social reform, establishing elective bodies of legislators, the Royal Senate and Assembly, restoring the House of Peers, formulating a new judicial system on the remains of the old brehon laws, and laying the groundwork for a standing battle force. He commanded a purge of the Druid Order, setting his closest advisor and old teacher, Merlynn Llwyd, to undertake the task, and he gave new power and prestige to the loyal orders of the Ban-draoi, the Fianna and the Bardic Association.
*
Arthur and Gweniver reigned brilliantly and successfully for nearly fifty years, and had two children, Arawn and Arwenna. Then, in Terran year 2047, he was betrayed by his own nephew, Mordryth, and the infamous Owain's heir, Malgan. Their treachery let in the invading Coranians, descendants of the Telchines, who had evolved into a race of sorcerous marauders whose savagery made the Fomori and Fir Bolg look like sheep. This was Arthur's first chance to test his reforms, and he was well aware that it might be his last also. He dealt with Mordryth and Malgan, then led a space armada against the Coranians, with devastating success. Tragically, he disappeared in the climactic battle, sending his flagship Prydwen against the Coranian flagship and taking both vessels and all aboard them into hyperspace forever. His last message to his people was that he would come again, when he was needed.
*
In the absence of proof positive of Arthur's death, he is still King of Kelts, and all succeeding monarchs have held their sovereignty by his courtesy and have made their laws in his name... for who knows when Arthur the King might not return?
The monarchy, after Arthur's disappearance, became a Regency, the only one in Keltic history. Arthur's sister Morgan, his wife Gweniver, and his mother Ygrawn ruled jointly, until such time as Prince Arawn should be old enough to take the crown.
All three women were strong characters, skilled in magic, but Arthur's sister Morgan, called Morgan Magistra, was the greatest magician Keltia would ever see.
*
After taking counsel with the Ban-draoi, Merlynn's newly rehabilitated Druids, the Fianna and the Bardic Association, and with her own co-Regents, Morgan undertook the immense achievement of the raising of the Curtain Wall. There was no other feat like it, even back to the days of the High Atlanteans.
The Curtain Wall is a gigantic force-field, electromagnetic in nature and maintained by psionic energies; it completely surrounds and conceals Keltic space, hiding suns, planets, satellites, energy waves, everything. Once outside its perimeters, it is as if Keltia does not exist. Space is not physically blocked off, and radio waves and the like are bent round the Wall, but any ship attempting to cross the region is shunted into certain corridors of electromagnetic flux that feed into the Morimaruse, the Dead Sea of space, and now no one goes that way, ever.
*
So the Keltic worlds and their peoples became a half-legend of the galaxy, a star-myth to be told to children or to anthropologists. But behind the Curtain Wall, the Regency carried on Arthur's work, and when in time Arawn became King, he proved almost as gifted as his parents. The dynasty he founded was followed in peaceful succession by the closely related royal house of Gwynedd, and that by the royal house of Douglas.
*
For fifteen hundred years Keltia prospered in her isolation--not a total isolation even then, for still there were out-Wall trading planets and military actions, and ambassadors were still received.
In the Terran year 2693, the Crown passed to the House of Aoibhell. Direct descendants of Brendan himself, the Aoibhells have held the monarchy in a grip of findruinna for eight hundred years, according to the law of Keltia that the Copper Crown descends to the eldest child of the sovereign, whether man or woman.
In the Earth year 3512, a Terran ship, a long-distance stellar probe, approaches the Curtain Wall and is hailed by a Keltic scout ship. Aeron Aoibhell, the seventeenth member of her House to occupy the throne, has been Ard-rian, High Queen of Keltia, for just under three years.
After three millennia, the Earth has caught up with the Kelts at last.
Glossary
(Words are Keltic unless otherwise noted.)
aircar: small personal transport used on Keltic worlds
alanna: "child," "little one"; Erinnach endearment
amada un: "fool"
An Claideamh Soluis: "The Sword of Light"; a Keltic constellation
an-da-shalla: "The Second Sight"; Keltic talent of precognition
An
Lasca: "The Whip"; the ionized northwest wind at Caerdroia
anwyl: "sweetheart"; Kymric endearment
Annwn: (pron. Annoon) the Keltic religion's equivalent of the Underworld, ruled over by Arawn, Lord of the Dead
aonach: an assembly, gathering or fair
ap: Kymric, "son of"
Ard-eis: the royal High Council of Keltia
Ard-rian, Ard-righ: "High Queen," "High King"; title of the Keltic sovereign
astar, pl. astari: gold currency unit of the Imperium
athair-talam: "father-of-the-ground"; a magic herb used by healers of the Fianna, with narcotic/analgesic properties
athiarna: "High One"; Fianna form of address to a superior officer
aurichalcum: (Hastaic) a type of metal-stone mined on the Imperial planet of Alphor and used extensively in building there
ballach: a saddle pass leading from one mountain to another
ban-a-tigh: woman householder
Ban-draoi: lit., "woman-druid"; the Keltic order of priestess-sorceresses in the service of the Mother Goddess
bards: Keltic order of poets, chaunters and loremasters
Bawn of Keltia: the space enclosed within the Curtain Wall (bawn: the area enclosed by the outer barbican defenses of a fortress)
Beltain: festival of the beginning of summer, celebrated on 1 May
bodach: term of opprobrium or commiseration, depending on circumstances
brehons: Keltic lawgivers and judges
brugh: a fortified manor house, usually belonging to one of the gentry or nobility; in cities, a town-palace of great elegance and size
bruidean: inn or waystation, maintained by local authorities, where any traveller, of whatever rank or wealth, is entitled to claim free hospitality
Cabiri: (Hastaic) Coranian magical order of adepts, similar to the Druids or the Ban-draoi
camur: feral scavenger canine; usually runs in packs
cantrip: very small, simple spell or minor magic
cariad: "heart," "beloved"; Kymric endearment
cath, pl. catha: military unit of 5,000 warriors
cathbarr: fillet or coronet; usually a band of precious metal ornamented with jewels
ceili: (pron. kay-lee) a dancing-party or ball; any sort of revelry
Chriesta tighearna!: lit., "Lord Christ!"; name of the Christian god, used as an expletive
cithog: "port," as on board ship (cf. deosil)
clarsa: Keltic musical instrument similar to Terran harpsichord
clochan: dome- or yurt-like structure used by the Fianna in the field
coelbren: magical alphabet used by Druids
coire ainsec: "the undry cauldron of guestship"; the obligation, in law, to provide hospitality to any who claim it
Coranians: ruling race of the Imperium, hereditary enemies of the Kelts; they are the descendants of the Telchines, as the Kelts are the descendants of the Danaans
coroin: unit of Keltic money (large silver coin)
corp-dira: fine exacted, according to the brehon law, for honor-price violations
Crann Tarith: "Fiery Branch"; the token of war across Keltia. Originally a flaming branch or cross; now, by extension, the alarm or call to war broadcast on all planets
creagh-righ: "royal reiving"; in very ancient times, the traditional raid led by a newly crowned monarch to consolidate his rule
Cremave: the clearing-stone of the royal line of St. Brendan
Criosanna: "The Woven Belts"; the rings that circle the planet Tara
crochan: magical healing-pool that can cure almost any injury, provided the spinal column has not been severed and the brain and bone marrow remain undamaged
crossic: unit of Keltic money (small gold coin)
culist: "back-room"; traditional best chamber in Keltic farmhouses
cursal: very fast light warship of the Keltic starfleet
Curtain Wall: the artificial energy barrier that encircles and conceals Keltia
Cwn Annwn: (pron. Coon Annoon) in Keltic religion, the Hounds of hell; the red-eared, white-coated dogs that belong to Arawn Lord of the Dead, that hunt down guilty souls
daer-fudir: "outlaw"; a legal term, used in banishment of a malefactor
dan: "doom"; fated karma
deosil: on board ship, the starboard side (cf. cithog)
Dragon Kinship: magical-military order of Keltic adepts
Druids: magical order of Keltic sorcerer-priests
duchas: lordship or holding; usually carries a title with it
duergar: in Kernish folklore, an evil elemental or place-spirit
dun: a stronghold of the Sidhe, the Shining Ones (also liss or rath)
enech-clann: brehon law system of honor-price violations
Englic: unofficial galactic Common Tongue
eraic: "blood-price"; payment exacted for a murder by the kin of the victim
faha: courtyard or enclosed space in a castle complex or an encampment
Fainne: "The Ring"; the six system viceroys of Keltia
fetch: the visible form taken by the spirit-guardian of a Keltic family
Fianna: Keltic officer class; order of military supremacy
fiant: royal mandate which cannot be altered by parliamentary action and from which there is no appeal
fidchell: chess-style game
fidil: four-stringed musical instrument played with a bow
findruinna: superhard, silvery metal used in swords, armor and the like
fior-comlainn: "truth-of-combat"; legally binding trial by personal combat
fith-fath: spell of shapeshifting or glamourie; magical illusion
Fomori: ancient enemies of the Kelts; sing., Fomor
Fragarach: "The Answerer"; moon-size laser-cannon emplacement that defends the throneworld system of Tara
fraughans: dark-red berries, similar to raspberries, often found growing wild in Keltia
fudir: "criminal", "outcast"; term of opprobrium
gallain: "foreigners"--sing., Gall; generic term for all non-Kelts
galloglass: Keltic foot-soldier
gauran: plow-beast similar to ox or bullock
glaistig: on the planet Scota, a legendary demon or hag-creature
glaive: (from Erinnach, claideamh) lightsword; laser weapon used throughout Keltia
goleor: "in great numbers, an overabundance"; Englic galore is derived from it
grafaun: double-bladed war axe
grianan: "sun-place"; solar, private chamber
guna: generic name for various styles of long robe or gown
gwrach: on Gwynedd, a spirit that sings mournfully to lament the death of one of the ruling family
hai atton: "heigh to us"; the horn-cry that rallies an army
Hastaic: the language of the Imperium
Hu mawr: Hu the Mighty; father of the gods in the Kymric pantheon
immram: "voyage"; the great migrations from Earth to Keltia
iron-death: curse inflicted upon anyone who refuses to take oath upon the Cremave (q.v.)
(I)'s e do bheatha: lit., "life to you"; traditional Keltic salutation
jurisconsult: brehon engaged in law-court cases
keeve: breaker or barrel
kenning: telepathic mood-sensing technique originally developed and used almost exclusively by Ban-draoi and Druid adepts
kern: Keltic starfleet crewman
lachna: heavy, superdense metallic ore with anti-magnetic properties
lai: unit of distance measurement, equal to approximately one-half mile
Lakhaz: the language of the Fomori
leys: lines of electromagnetic flux found in the Morimaruse (q.v.)
maenor: hereditary dwelling place, usually a family seat
"M'anam don sleibh!": lit., "My soul to the mountain!"; Keltic oath
marana: "meditation"; thought-trance of Keltic sorcerers
Marbh-draoi: "Death-druid"; Jaun Akhera's epithet among Kelts
marbh-fionn: "white death"; Keltic name for the virulently
poisonous, non-native snake known elsewhere as the annic
marca-sluagh: cavalry squadron; usually refers to the bodyguard of a Keltic sovereign or high-ranking commander in battle
marchra: "cavalcade"; small horsed company of a military or recreational nature
master-otter: a magical beast used by sorcerers
merrows: (An Moruadha) the sea people of Kernow
mether: a four-cornered drinking vessel, usually of wood or pottery
Morimaruse: vast electromagnetic void; the Dead Sea of space
moscra: animal of the equine family, similar to Terran zebra
nathair: generic term for any of various poisonous snakes of the adder type
nemed: "sacred"; one whose person is sacrosanct by law; usually a royal personage or a bard, according to tradition
nemeton: ceremonial stone circle or henge
ni, nighean: "daughter of"
ollave: a master-bard; by extension, anyone with supreme command of an art
palug: a graceful, red-furred, lynx-like feline, native to the island-continent of Mon on the planet Gwynedd
piast: a large amphibious water-beast found in deepwater lakes on the planets Erinna and Scota; the species was known to Terrans as the Loch Ness Monster
Plumed Dancer: the star Rigel
puca: mischievous, sometimes malevolent, spirit of darkness
quaich: a low, wide, double-handled drinking-vessel; can be made of metal, pottery or leather
rann: a chanted verse stanza used in magic; a spell of any sort
rechtair: steward of royal or noble households; title of planetary governors; title of Chancellor of Exchequer on High Council
rig-amuis: Fomori mercenary berserkers
righ-domhna: members of the royal family, as reckoned from a common ancestor, who may (theoretically, at least) be elected to the Sovereignty