Macha, Horse-Tamer

Macha is a tribal chieftain ("cattle lord") among the Irish of Connacht; she shares the leadership of her clan with her husband. She is very proud, and sees the English colonization of Ireland as a humiliation which cannot be endured much longer. Macha is confident that the other clans of Connacht are just waiting for a leader to rise up and lead them to war, evicting the English forever. She considers her magical way with horses to be a sign of her own role in this uprising.

Macha's horse, Firemare, is a Magical Beast with the same stats as the Great Stallion of the Camargue (Might 15). It (and its herd) can cross vast distances in a day and leap up to 50 paces. She has forged shoes for Firemare which allow her to run over water or even empty air, leaving a trail of fire as she does so.

In 1227, Macha was approached by Aodh of Connacht, who asked for her support in his return. He flattered her and offered her a key position as leader of his cavalry. She accepted, and is now one of Aodh's most outspoken and influential supporters. Riding Firemare, she has spread the word of Aodh's return and has proven very persuasive to the lords of Connacht, who are in awe of her magical powers.

Age 38 (born in 1190)

Size 0

Confidence 1 (3)

Virtues & Flaws: Beast-Master of Hibernia (0); Knight (+1); Animal Ken (+1), Magical Mount (+1), Mythic Farrier (+1), Summon Animals (+3), Wealthy (+3); Ability Block: Academic (-1), Feud (-3), Proud (-3), Overconfident (-1)

Int 0, Per 0, Pre +1, Com +1, Str +1, Sta 0, Dex +2, Qik +1

60

Abilities: Animal Handling 4 (horses), Animal Ken 4 (horses), Athletics 2 (run), Awareness 1 (ambush), Bow 7 (from horseback), Brawl 2 (evasion), Craft: Farrier 5 (Animal), Etiquette 4 (clan), Gaelic 5, Hibernia Lore 3 (Connacht), Leadership 5 (Clan), Ride 5, Single Weapon 4 (sword), Summon Animals 5 (horses)

Combat

Sword & Round Shield Init +3, Atk +11, Def +9, Dmg +7; +3 to Atk and Def when mounted

Bow Init 0, Atk +12, Dmg +7; +1 Atk when mounted

Evasion w/Round Shield Init +1, Def +6

Soak: +9 (Armor)

Wound Levels: Light (1-5), Medium (6-10), Heavy (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)

Load 11 = Burden 5 - 1 Str = Encumbrance of 4; when Macha is not in combat, she has a -4 to most physical activity.

Gear: Sword, round shield, mail, rich clothing, knife, bow, 20 arrows.

Familiars

Macha has 3 coursers as her personal familiars. They permit no one to ride them without Macha's explicit permission. As a result, they usually accompany her on her travels. They understand, but cannot speak, Gaelic and have an Int of -3, rather than Cunning. Macha can enter a trance which allows her to see and hear through her familiars, but when she does this, she has no real sense of her own body and cannot perform actions.

Courser

Size +2

Confidence 1 (3: When ridden into battle)

Cun -2, Per 0, Pre 0, Com -4, Str +4, Sta +3, Dex +1, Qik 0

Abilities: Athletics 5 (in battle), Awareness 2 (bad footing), Brawl 3 (hooves)

Combat

Hooves: Init +2, Atk +7, Def +7, Dam +5

Soak +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0/0, -1/-1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Wound Penalties: Light (1-7), Medium (8-14), Heavy (9-21), Incapacitated (22-28), Dead (29+)

Summoned Horses

Macha can magically summon 3 coursers. To do this, she rolls Com 1 + Summon Animals 6. If she gets a 9, the horses arrive in an hour; if she gets a 12, they arrive in two minutes, and if she gets a 15 or better, they arrive in one round.

While wild horses can fight, they are not especially good at it, so Macha normally reserves the use of her power for emergencies: when she or her companions are wounded, her familiars injured or dead, she can call fresh mounts and escape to fight another day.

Mass Combat Notes

Macha's Mass Combat Modifier is 4. This represents a combination of her Stamina and her skill in large battles (Leadership).

She has a +4 bonus to Soak when attacked by someone shapeshifted into an animal form.