History of the family

by **Brianna Silverweb** Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:08 pm

History of the Tormey family and their tribe the Spiorad An Dúlra

The Spiorad An Dúlra tribe are descendants of the small agricultural groups that began emerging around 4500 BC. Alongside the Irish populace they grew and changed. Come 2500 BC technology was changing, various new innovations sparked growth in populations across Europe and surrounding areas. Innovations like the wheel, harnessing oxen’s, weaving textiles, brewing alcohol, and the use of metals was becoming more and more popular in day to day life. Ireland became a part of a growing trade network, helping the spread of these new ideas into many other cultures. With this trade set up these other cultures were then able to begin leaking into other areas, different continents completely even.

The first whispers of the Celtic culture hit the shores of Ireland quietly around 2000 BC. Some of the tribes in the areas it trickled into began integrating the culture with their own; some took it up completely, giving up their own. One of these tribes was the blooming start of the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe. They fell much easier into this new culture though, than some of the other groups around them. It was believed that some of the members of their tribe, particularly the ones nearest the leadership, like the Tormey family, practiced the art of shamanism. Some of the tribes around them knew this or heard it rumored and when they found interest in the Celtic culture as well, they decided to join up and follow the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe.

By 1300 BC, the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe, especially the Tormey family, had become legends in their own rights. They were widely, yet quietly known for their many skills, while there were rumors known for their magic and abilities. As the Celtic culture continued to trickle its way into Ireland via the trading network, the Tormey family started to ascend to an almost royal standing among their people and some neighboring tribes. With people wishing to be close to them, to have a one on one relationship with them to some extent the Tormey family split up. Spreading themselves into smaller groups, the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe broke into smaller groups and migrated to various spots in Ireland. Not only was this because they wanted to keep a close relationship to all their followers, but this was to keep themselves relatively unseen by other cultures or invaders. Some of these new groups began to think of themselves as completely different entities with some space between the main hub and them, others continued to travel back home for large rituals and celebrations.

The Spiorad An Dúlra, was larger than ever by the year 500 BC, even with some of their numbers breaking fully away. The Celtic culture filtered far more heavily into the eyes of other cultures shortly after 500 BC. This caused the Tormey family to become further reclusive with their rituals and celebrations. Where their numbers used to climb fairly steadily, they now stopped accepting new families into the fold. Still though, they had a large amount of people and families under their wings and their population didn't see any sort of downturn.

Ireland shortly after started to hit a bit of stagnation. As a region they saw no growth or decline within their economy or culture. There was talk within the tribe that it was caused by their group shutting their doors to outsiders, instead of letting the energies flow freely. The Spiorad An Dúlra tribe took a hit culturally as well, mostly because of how thin they had spread themselves. Without the coin to travel and mingle with one another celebrations had to be held on a smaller scale, rituals as well. Some attributed the lack of growth in the tribe to the leaders of the time. Within the hundreds of years this stagnation held up, the leadership had fallen remarkably. Though the followers remained loyal, the Tormey family saw people walk from their way of life, they saw death, and they saw leaders that were so strict it stifled even those not living directly with them. The small collections of the tribe fell into petty bickers during this time as well.

Abruptly, in 400 AD, recovery from the ongoing stasis was seen. The leadership within the tribe also saw a turn for the better. The farms that the small collections resided on started to flourish as cereal farming became increasingly important. Raiders hitting Ireland are partially attributed to the recovery of the region. Using some of their abilities, the tribe was able to stay out of the grip of raiders for the most part. Their land sometimes did not fare as well though. The escape tunnels they built into the complexes helped aid in keeping all of their people safe. With some of the farms not having tunnels the groups had to move around a bit to avoid trouble. Many of the smaller collections condensed back into the main hub to keep numbers on their side. With the renewed growth came a new flourishing group within the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe, they called themselves the druids.

431 AD saw the rise of a culture that was quickly sweeping not only Europe but into the regions around it, including Ireland. Positions of power were falling to people within the churches. Pope Celestine l of Palladius took his seat this year. This growing culture sent the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe further into secrecy. The tribe once so widely known by name and family name had all but disappeared to most common folk. The Tormey family and those with them were merely rumors now. It wasn't until 670 AD that the tribe sparked back to life. All throughout the tribe, leader and common alike, eldest Tormey family member to the youths, visions sprinkled into their lives. Some this happened to while at market some dreamt them. Each person received it differently, but the message was clear as day and all the same. Visions before this were rare in anyone but the heads of the tribe. This scale of people receiving a message had never been seen before. By 700 AD the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe had all uprooted their lives and was determined to either fulfill these visions or stop them.

As the beginning of the war rolled in, in 770 AD, the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe was part way to the new world. In the middle of the sea their powers began to run haywire. Their connection to magic and other realms that they had come to depend on for generations dropped off. Those adept at maintaining a balance in life were thrown violently off course. Shortly after this, they were surrounded by foes hell bent on taking what made them special from them. Being the ones with a more natural touch at control the darker forces, they turned their focus from finding a compromise with the creatures, into a way to use their corrupted natures against them.

Using their unpredictable magic, they were able to turn most of the dark forces from them. Again, they were on their way with the help of those among them that could foretell the future. However, with their gifts going awry, the ones they had hoped would lead them towards land directed them the very wrong way. It was only by the grace of the gods that they came ashore in Bohemia in 785 AD. As soon as they hit land, some of their connection to magic returned, however it was not even remotely enough to balance them back out fully.

Throughout the war effort the Spiorad An Dúlra did what they could to help, their warriors fought steadily alongside the Norsemen already on the islands. With each addition of a new clan of people, the more of a connection they felt with the magic around them. They still lacked predictable magic, but still they did their best with what would work. It was obvious to many of the tribe that to win this war there would need to be a leader of leaders, a king. With this in mind, the Tormey family and the rest of the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe were the first to pledge allegiance to the Ulfrnson family and their tribe.

As the other tribes fell into infighting the Spiorad An Dúlra clan watched from the outside. They had no wish for power, but they did wish for the Ulfrnson's to remain in power. It was foretold long before things became hazy that they would be the guardians of the eclectic bunch. Sadly, not everyone shared that view and those there was nothing they could do but stand behind the Rannuflr tribe and its leaders.

With their backs turned and minds on present inward problems few of the prophetic members in the clan saw the devastation that would come next. Within four days more than half of their kinsmen and allies were taken from them. Leaders of tribes lay murdered in their beds only to be found the next morning. The king they had backed lay among the dead and while other tribes lashed out, the Spiorad An Dúlra lay the dead to rest properly.

As they worked, another of the Ulfrnson family stepped up, a boy at the youthful age of 10, younger brother to the king taken before he could ascend the throne. Faithfully, the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe did as they always had and stood behind him as he rallied the others back into a fight better fought together. As each tribe laid down arms and pledged a renewed fealty something in the island started to wake up. It then fully awakened after the tribes participated in several unity rituals. These rituals not only connected them to one another, but it connected them to the islands and to the power within it.

Out of devastation rose a renewal of magic and bonds and with this the balance of magic began slowly returning to something a bit more predictable. The Spiorad An Dúlra tribe was one of the first to feel it, their connection thrummed to life first in the Tormey family then it flew through the rest of the tribe. As the war came to an end in 870 AD, the gods having always held always held a strong bond with the Spiorad An Dúlra blessed the tribe with a weighted ability in their element, the element of spirit. The Tormey family, the leaders of the tribe, found themselves with a gift from Freyja herself, a gift of the purest, strongest form of their element flowed through them, through their bloodline. It not only empowered them but connected them and their magic with an artifact.

With this blessing though came a price from not only their tribe, but from all the tribes. One amongst them would be born as a child gifted with Freyja's sight along with many other gifts and taken from their family to study the art of Siedr. The first child born after the blessing was bestowed would be the one chosen, this child happened to be amongst the Spiorad An Dúlra. Seers were nothing new among their ranks, however a direct line to the gods like this would be was something not seen before, and not seen in any of their past visions.

With the awakening of a power source to rival all power sources, the Spiorad An Dúlra and the other five tribes were the chosen ones to protect and grow the magic. The formation of The Tribunal shortly after the war helped them do just that. The tribe stuck around Bohemia once all was said and done, though for the most part it was only temporary. Some however, did take up a more permanent residence in Bohemia. Those that did this were anyone from the more outlining of families to a few of the Tormey family themselves.

Those that did not stick around made their way back to Ireland. What they found when they got their though was an entirely different culture completely, two dominant cultures to be exact. Norsemen inhabited many coastlines while Christians inhabited the rest of Ireland. Families they had once known were either out-casted or called heathens, or they had fled to live amongst the Norsemen. In some cases, families were missing completely. The Spiorad An Dúlra were hard to frighten, though they did return to their secretive ways. Wishing to be close to the culture their ancestors had, had a part in was the main driving force to them taking up homestead and ultimately staying in Ireland. They did still hold ties to the land and their magic remained strong but nothing compared to the strength of their craft while in Bohemia. Because of this, many trips were made back to the islands.

At times, these trips back resulted in them finding other places to explore, very rarely was this because of them veering off course though. On one excursion the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe ended up in modern day Canada. Another took them south to South America. They never stayed in these places long though, instead continuing on their way, leaving as little trace of them being there as possible. With the passing of time the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe got larger and large, those cast out as being heathens to the new religions found their way into their ranks. Soon enough a good chunk of the tribe also resided in Scotland. As the large holidays started to be held in Bohemia, everyone in the tribe both from Scotland and from Ireland would make the trip over; many leaving livestock and farms to trusted neighbors who knew very little about who they actually were.

Their ease of life went undisturbed until the late 1500's, when the world around them severely shifted. The fear of witchcraft swept in from mainland Europe, though it was never quite as devastation, it still took many lives. Ireland did not see very many witch trials and those that did happen never happened to any within the Spiorad An Dúlra. However, the trails in Scotland flared with a life all of its own and many of the tribe's numbers were swept up into it. Living on the outside of the towns and cultures turned eyes on them as a whole after this. Quick on their feet they integrated themselves more fully into daily life, careful not to display any sort of power around or near someone outside the tribe. Many of the families pulled back to homesteads in Ireland, and by the 1820 they had fully removed themselves from Scotland.

In 1845, the tribe along with the rest of Ireland fell into a sever famine. Some within the tribe thought this the way for the gods to strike at those that had held the witch trials and lashed out at the tribe. For this reason, many of the tribe stayed in Ireland even as millions of people fled. This led to their many among them falling prey to the starvation. In such a large group they were unable to feed everyone. Their magic did little to help them and many died out before they had even reached adulthood. Death was something they were used to, many times though the Spiorad An Dúlra tribe members had very long lives, this famine did not care though. It took anyone and everyone, no matter the age. As their numbers fell, they knew it was time to flee. In 1847, they boarded their ships and fled to the protection of Bohemia once again.

The families easily integrated back into Bohemian life, bumping elbows with those of their ranks that called Bohemia a permanent home. They licked their wounds and settled down to help their population bloom again. As the years past though, America fell into the Civil war. Though their numbers were still hurting, they helped toss up the cloaking spell to cover the islands. When someone saw through it they did their part in helping remove them and keep Bohemia safe. It wasn't until shortly after the end of the war that they finally felt safe enough to make the long trip home.

Reintegrating into their homeland wasn’t as difficult as many feared. Ireland was in a land war, so the land they had left behind had been snatched up by someone else. However, this allowed the tribe to move on to bigger and better things. The families assimilated into society finding jobs at schools, and other various places. With time they were able to purchase a large home with land up against some woods, allowing them the privacy they wished for. The Quinn family and those with them moved either into this home or nearby, very few remained a distance away from the rest.

In the 19th century, the Quinn family and the rest of the Spiorad An Dúlra helped push the revitalization of the Gaelic culture to the forefront. Their efforts didn’t see much fruition though, even with the immense draw of supporters that they had. Those that could get jobs and keep them found work in places like Psych offices, hospitals, asylums, morgues, and schools. The Spiorad An Dúlra were not outwardly tossing their wealth about but as extremes were all that remained in Dublin, in the 20th century, it was pretty obvious where they sat in the economy.

The war for independence sent many members back into solitude as chaos ensued all over Ireland. Those that didn’t retreat into solitude took holidays from their jobs and migrated to Bohemia for the time being, taking solace in the calm of the place. To this day, many of the Spiorad An Dúlra remain in or around Bohemia, some have chosen to stay in the states while others returned to Ireland and the lives left behind there.