"With the development of Tir na n'Og it became evident that I wanted another nation of Irish stock to accommodate human heroes such as Cu Chulainn. The legacy of Tir na n'Og was split between Eriu and Man and the remaining Sidhe became to Eriu what the Vanir were to Vanheim in later ages, a blessed ruling race with human subjects." –Illwinter

"When men came to the land of the Tuatha and the Fir Bolg, there was a drawn out battle which ended with the defeat and total withdrawal of the Tuatha. The Land of the Ever Young was forever lost to this world and Avalon was taken by the Witches of Man. The Sidhe, descendants of the Tuatha, retreated into strange twilight realms with entrances hidden in ancient mounds. The land of the Fir Bolg was split by the invading forces: Man and their Witches, and the Milesians. The Milesians named their land Eriu. Most of the Eriu population is composed of humans of Milesian ancestry, but a few Fir Bolg still survive in remote villages. With the coming of the New God, the Daoine Sidhe have re-emerged from their magical mounds to lead the Milesians. Eriu is now a nation of humans and Fir Bolg led by the awakening Sidhe." - Official Description

In the Lebor Gabála Érenn (also known as the Book of Invasions or the Invasion Cycle), there are six peoples who take Ireland. The first were the Cesairians, followers of one of the sons of Noah (from Noah's Ark), who were submerged with the Great Flood. The second were the Partholonians, who defeated a race of destructive gods known as the Fomorians but were then wiped out by a plague in a single week. The third were the Nemedians, who defeated the Fomorians four times but were then devastated by another plague, reduced to vassals of the Fomorians that were destroyed in a rebellion. The fourth were the Fir Bolg, who enjoyed independence for only 37 years; the fifth group, the Tuatha de Danann ("the tribe of the goddess Danu"), then swept in with supernatural powers and vassalized the Fir Bolg, contesting control of the island with the Fomorians until the legendary Lugh settled things for the Tuatha. The sixth and final group were the Milesians, the "modern Irish", who subdued the Tuatha's magic and then divided Ireland with them; the Milesians got the surface, while the Tuatha got the underside of Ireland and retreated to their new dominion through burial mounds known as "Sidhe".

Eriu (literally the Irish name for Ireland) is the Kingdom of the Milesians. In the Dominions version of things, the Sidhe (permanent residents of the under/otherworld in Irish mythology) were the noble descendants of the Tuatha and the direct Lords of the Fir Bolg, while the Tuatha preferred to stay on their favorite island, Tir na n'Og. When the Milesians arrived, they overwhelmed the Sidhe all at once, and the Tuatha failed to save the day with a heroic countercharge. Most of the surviving Tuatha fled to either Tir na n'Og or Ker-Ys, both of which vanished without a trace – Ker-Ys disappeared under the waves, but Tir na n'Og disappeared from the world altogether. The Milesians tried conquering Tir na n'Og instead of cleaning up, so the Sidhe and the last Tuatha that remained with them disappeared into faery lands underground through the mounds of ancient kings. The Fir Bolg were abandoned, of course, but the Milesians were firm in their position and interbred with their new vassals. Unlike the Witches of Man, the Milesians were unable to secure any of the Magical secrets of their conquered foes; luckily for them, the Sidhe have been encouraged to return to the world by a new Pretender, and the last of the Tuatha have followed them out.

If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know?

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
4 (Rare 5) 3 (Rare 4) 2 2 2 1 2	Hero 2142 222	Human & Fir Bolg infantry Light Chariots Sacred Sidhe infantry	Stealthy Darkvision Glamour Iron Vulnerability Spell Singer	Standard Forts Temples Cost 300

Capitol Gems: 23
Luck Limit + 1

Fir Bolg: Hit Points + 3, Magic Resistance + 3, Morale + 1, Strength + 2, Attack Skill + 2, Defense Skill + 3, Combat Speed + 1, Map Move + 4
Sidhe and Tuatha: Hit Points + 3, Magic Resistance + 4, Morale + 2, Strength + 2, Attack Skill + 3, Defense Skill + 3, Precision + 2, Combat Speed + 1, Darkvision 50, Stealthy, Iron Vulnerability, Glamour, Forest Survival

Eriu has some pretty-ridiculous heroes, considering how average most of the faction is.

Sprite	Unit Name	Abilities	Comments
	Ferdiad - Fir Bolg Hero	Berserker (+5)	When's the last time you've seen a unique hero who's worse than their multihero counterpart? Anyway, Ferdiad is odd for having normal Defense while Berserked. He also has 17 Strength and 20 Attack while Berserked.
	Cu Chulainn - Hero	Fire Resistant (15) Fire Shield (8) Awe (3) Berserker (+8) Regain Mount Mounted Berserker	An insane Trampler who still has 15 Defense while Berserked. He's the only Mounted unit who can go Berserk, by the way. His ludicrous Defense, Awe, and Fire Shield all make him a more-effective Trampler than most, at least at surviving; however, he doesn't have the HP of an Elephant, nor the size. Consider putting actual armor on him.
	Fay Horse Chariot	Sacred Fire Resistant (15) Stealthy (40) Animal Trample
	Tuan - Last Partholonian Earliest Arrival Turn (10)	214233 Sacred Darkvision (50%) Stealthy (65) Iron Vulnerability (1) Glamour Spell Singer Immortal	Calling Tuan "game-changing" for Eriu might be a stretch, but he's the star of the hero line-up. Virtually undetectable on the strategic map, immortal, and boasting Wailing Winds access without any extra gems or boosters; he can even cast Stygian Rains with a Water Bracelet. He even passes the threshold for summoning other Immortal Death-casters, if you have the gems to spare.
	Scathach - Trainer of Heroes	32217 Sacred Darkvision (50%) Stealthy (65) Fortune Teller (15%) Glamour Flying Spell Singer Female	Scathach is like Tuan, but with less magic in exchange for innate flight. You also have to be more careful with her, since she's not Immortal. Lastly, she's a better fighter than Tuan, but easier to instakill due to her lower Magic Resistance. If you don't need her, set her in your capital so she'll keep the bad events off of it.
	Fianna Multihero	Sacred Inspirational (+1)	Size-4 stats on a Size-3 fellow, owing to their Fomorian ancestry. Aside from that, they're like un-mounted Knights of the Stone or Bogatyrs; an excuse to not recruit new troop-leaders if you haven't gone 3.

• Geas (Thaumaturgy 3) 2
  Single-target magic that puts a stronger version of Rage upon the target, having them spend their rounds attacking random units nearby. Geas is very hard to resist with Magic Resistance (+4 to the penetration roll). Each round, Geased units may attempt a Morale check of some sort to shirk off the Geas; if they manage it, they get Cursed. The range of Geas is lacking, at least for mages far from the frontlines.

• Shillelagh (Construction 3)
  11 and 23
  A Hardwood Club touched by faeries. It provides Luck, a trait that makes 75% of all otherwise lethal hits do absolutely nothing, along with a single Sprite as a retainer. The Sprite does an Elf Shot every combat round, which can shut down enemies in single combat, (if their Magic Resistance is low enough).

• Gossamer Cloth (Construction 3) 12 and 510
• Singing Sword (Construction 7) 2 and 10

The following information supplements the National Summary at the top of the page. See Magic Access for more information.

Just comparing with its stepsibling, Man, Eriu has deeper access in many paths (other than Nature) but no Communions.

• 1 on one-in-four Milesian Mages
• 2 on one-in-four Milesian Mages
• 2 on one-in-five Bean Sidhe
• 2 on one-in-four Milesian Mages

• No astral magic
• No death magic (except for two heroes)
• 3 on one-in-five Tuatha (capital-only), 2 on one-in-five Bean Sidhe off-capital
• 4 on one-in-five Tuatha (capital-only), 2 on Sidhe Lords off-capital

• No blood magic
• 2 on Sidhe Lords

Eriu has the most reliable Faery Queen access in the Middle Ages, merely requiring a 4 Tuatha (or any Tuatha with a Gossamer Veil). The Faery Queen doesn't have much that Eriu lacks, but her summoning ritual can summon the Queen of Winter in Cold Scales, who expands magic access further.

Eriu's shallowest path, far beneath boostable levels, but still around for site-searching and crosspath shenanigans.

Air is also not climbable, but at least it's deeper than Fire.

The Queen of Winter gives Eriu 3; not that that's absolutely necessary, since a 2 Bean Sidhe can summon a Sea King with two Water boosters, but Eriu has many more glamour gems than water gems.

2 Milesian Mages can climb up to 3 with Earth Boots; however, climbing higher is tricky. A 233 Faery Queen with a Gossamer Veil and Earth Boots can cast Lore of Legends for one turn of 4, letting her summon a Troll King to lock 4 in.

Astral is very roundabout to get, but it's definitely possible through Death. A 2 Queen of Winter with a Skull Staff can summon Spectral Mages who may have 1 or 2.

Aside from the heroes – which Eriu is incentivized to wait for, since they can take 3 – there is the one-in-two chance of a Queen of Winter having 323. The rest of the climb is as usual.

If the one-in-five chance of a 33 Tuatha isn't satisfactory, there's the guaranteed 33 on Faery Queens. The rest of the climb is as usual.

Both generic Glamour boosters can be acquired; the Mirage Crystal is somewhat involved to acquire, however, requiring a 123 Tuatha with Earth Boots or a 233 Faery Queen. 7 (in one-turn bursts) is thus perfectly accessible, if pricey.

The most difficult path for Eriu to get into, ignoring bootstrapping.

How to win as the nation. Feel free to use the following sections, or delete them, or change them.

Different expansion options.

Early game options.

Mid game options.

Late game options.

What are the nation's weaknesses?