The Lands of Tír Nascath
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Mar 04, 2026 at 06:31:01 AM
Dia dhaoibh a chairde, hello friends! We're a little over a week into the campaign so we wanted to share a little more about the shadowed lands of Tír Nascath - the world you will be exploring when you play Beyond the Woods. Read on to learn more about this ancient world, and be sure to let us know what else you'd like learn more about. And don't forget to join the Discord to chat with me and all the other Beyond the Woods fans.
Tír Nascath, the Lands of Shadow
Tír Nascath (TEER nahs-kuhth or TEER nah-SKAH) is an ancient land surrounded by mist, and is said to have been discovered by the Tuath Dé (too-ah dey) millennia ago. These god-like figures founded Céad Darach (KAYD dar-uhk), the first Great City, and brought magic to the world. They lived in peace, making music and song until the Fomóiri (foh-mohr-ee) came. These darkly beautiful creatures emerged from beneath the earth and forced the Tuatha Dé to retreat into the Otherworld. With the interlopers driven back, the Fomóiri returned to their underground lairs and have not been seen since.
With the Tuatha Dé fled and the Fomóiri slumbering underground, Daoine (DEE-nuh) rose to power. Countless clans fought bloody wars across Céad Darach to try to claim dominion, until the warrior Medb (mayv) brought them all to heel. She claimed Céad Darach as her own and declared herself the first High Queen of Tír Nascath.
Centuries passed. Kings and queens rose and fell, new cities were founded with the fruit from the Great Golden Oak, and relative peace descended on Tír Nascath. Until the Sluagh came.
Bás an tSaoil
Tír Nascath had known almost a century of peace before Bas an tSaoil (bos on seel), or 'The Fall' as it is often called. One night, during the season of Samhain (sow-in), a seemingly endless tide of vengeful spirits erupted from the darkest, most ancient parts of the world. This sluagh na marbh (SLOO-ah na marv), or ‘host of the dead’, swept across the land, swarming over towns, villages, and cities. The Sluagh, as they came to be known, tore the souls from the living, leaving only rage-filled husks in their wake. These undead Marvach (marv-ahk) spread throughout the countryside, hunting down any who had escaped the Sluagh’s reaping.
Those who escaped fled to one of the Great Cities, where the light of the Golden Oaks could protect them. Unable to pursue their prey, the Sluagh host disbanded, spreading out across the land or returning to the Otherworld.
The survivors began new lives within the four Great Cities: Céad Darach, Darach Nua (dar-ok noo-ah), Baile Dé (bawl-uh dey), and Rath Badb (rath bav). However, of the four cities, only Céad Darach remains. No-one knows what happened to the other cities.
What Remains
The world beyond Céad Darach is vastly different to anything most of the heroes have ever experienced. It is wild and untamed, filled with danger, and haunted by the spirits of the past. There are overgrown ruins, old paths lie broken and destroyed by roots, thick webs filled with nests of spiders hang overhead, and the eyes of ever-hungry predators watch from the shadows.
People
There are precious few people living in the wilds beyond the city of Céad Darach. Any settlement still standing today survived for a reason. Some likely made deals with powerful faeries or creatures from the Otherworld, offering tribute or making bloody sacrifices to survive. Others may have had their own power and were able to drive the Sluagh back, such as a powerful mage who could defend or hide the settlement, or the werewolves of Ossory who used their primal might to survive.
Monsters
Tír Nascath has always been a land of monsters, spirits, and faeries. However, with the crowning of Queen Medb and the spread of civilisation, these creatures were pushed back to the shadowy places of the world. When the Sluagh came and drove people back to the Great Cities, these monsters crept out of their hiding places and spread across the world once more. They have lived this way for centuries and consider Tír Nascath theirs, and they do not take kindly to Daoine and other “civilised” folk encroaching on their territory.
Ruins
The lands of shadow are filled with the ruins of the old world. Countless towns, villages, watchtowers, and castles lie empty and overgrown. These ruins offer a glimpse into what life was like before The Fall and may even contain fragments of knowledge and power that could be used to reclaim the world. Of all that has fallen, the Great Cities of Darach Nua, Baile Dé, and Rath Badb pose the greatest mystery — and perhaps offer the greatest bounty. These cities were the centres of civilisation and magical power before the Sluagh came, and contain boundless knowledge. However, a journey to one of these cities is not lightly undertaken, and even once there you must contend with whatever force was able to extinguish the light of one of the Great Golden Oaks.
Flora and Fauna
Despite the wave of death that swept across Tír Nascath, much of the land is filled with vibrant life. The trees are heavy with deep green leaves, there are small groves of wildflowers, peculiar mushrooms grow on fallen trees, juicy blackberries hang from thornbushes, birds sing and chirp, and squirrels and other critters race among the branches and along the path. The animals roam freely, and many have not encountered people in years. Some are curious, while others are skittish and flee at the slightest movement. However, the predators have grown larger and hungrier than ever and may see unwary travellers as little more than their next meal.
