Manannan MacLir was the Old Irish god of the sea; the isle of Man was named after him. He may have been inspired by an actual merchant, celebrated as the finest pilot in Europe. Son of the Sea, Manannan was also associated with prosperous agriculture. it was he who gave Cormac MacAirt the Cup of Truth-Telling (q.v.). Renowned also as a cobbler, his magic awl penetrates any leather (including armor and any animal hide) almost effortlessly. His cloak is very useful for his journeys. When hung on a twig, the cloak and the twig miraculously enlarge to form a weathertight tent capable of sleeping five people. His chariot has the ability to travel over water as easily as it does over land. Its magic affects the horse or team so that they travel over the water as well. Waves are ignored as if they were gusts of wind; even in the stormiest sea, this chariot rides smoothly on. His helm of invisibility permits any action except an attack. If an attack is made with the helm on, it immediately loses its power of invisibility for 24 hours. His pouch is always full of either flour or wheat since he is associated with bountiful grain harvests. With this magical pouch Manannan never has to worry about bread for the lavish feasts that he likes to give. At the wearer's command the pouch will be full of either item, although a few handfuls must be emptied before a pouch that has wheat can become full of flour or vice-versa. The mantle of shapeshifting is employed in devious ways, for Manannan delights in impersonation. One legend has Manannan promising victory to Fiachna, King of Ulster, in his invasion of Lochlann in return for a night with his wife. Upon Fiachna's agreement, Manannan uses the cloak to impersonate Fiachna and begets on his wife a son who becomes King Mongan. Mongan probably was a historical king of the 7th century, so the interweaving of history and mythology continues to grow. The mantle can only be used once per week, and then only for a period of 8 hours. The appearance and voice are replicated perfectly, but there is a 20% chance per hour of contact with close friends or relatives that the deception will be noticed (the chance is only 5% for assassins because of their natural skill with disguises). There is no chance of detection by casual acquaintances or anyone merely familiar with the appearance or voice of the duplicated person. Appearance: The awl is larger than usual, nearly the size of a dagger. It is of a bright, glistening, silvery metal of an unfamiliar type, although incredibly hard. The cloak is described as a shoulder-coif, of a well-insulated forest-green wool, that has been enchanted to be waterproof. The chariot is made of the shelf of a giant clam, glistening like mother-of-pearl; it is large enough to hold the driver and three passengers. The helm is a round iron cap with a slight point and a nasal strip. on the top of the helm are inscribed godrunes of the sea. The mantle is a loose, sleeveless cloak of linen, dyed a light sea-blue. It transforms into some garment of the impersonated when the shapeshifting is in effect, but if that garment ever becomes physically separated from the person both revert to their normal form and the mantle's power cannot be employed for another week. The pouch is leather, with a drawstring to close it tightly; it has a capacity for about five cups of flour or wheat. Value: Awl 2,000 gold pieces. Cloak 4,000 gold pieces. Chariot 50,000 gold pieces. Helm 7,000 gold pieces. Mantle 400,000 gold pieces. Pouch 5,000 gold pieces. Back to Table of Contents -- Game News #6 To Game News List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1985 by Dana Lombardy. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com