"So, my friend, you are interested in this group that call themselves Scots."
"The Clan Macgregor appeared in the Kingdom of Avalon late in the year of our Lord 1996. They arrived, as many have before them, through the mystical mists that surround Avalon. The strangers claim to be from some strange land called Scotland. Though I have to admit I know nothing of this strange land from whence they came, I do know someone who may be of assistance. Milady, I present to you a curious traveler." Eldarin gestures to one side.
Your gaze travels in the direction of Eldarin's wave to fall on a lovely young women entering the room. Gold cascades down to her shoulders and a cute, but impish smile adorns her lips, giving her the look of someone who is privy to a jest that you have yet to catch on to. Her bright, blue eyes give her the look of mischiviousness, but if you glance closer, you also see the eyes of someone who has seen much pain and suffering of her people. It is that look in her eyes, that tells you she will hold her people together and is determined to survive whatever trials this new land can throw at her. Her look is that of the calm that comes before the threat of a storm, for now.
"Greetings. I am Glendolyn MacGregor of the Clan Macgregor and Laird of the Barony of S'inn Fein. I understand you are interested in learning of my people."
(The following is a fictional account of history based, in part from actual, researched history of the Scotish Clan Macgregor. The story you are about to read is, in fact fiction and any resemblance to people or things, living or dead are purely coincidental. Historical information was researched and included to add realism to the story. We do not at any time, imply that this is all, in it's entirety, factual history.)
The Macgregors are descended from Gregory, who was heir to the throne of Scotland. When a law took that throne away from him, he and his descendants lost all their land and titles. For a long time they lived on the lands of allied Clans. However, they grew and became powerful, which enabled them to help a Scotsman of a brother Clan. Together, they conquered Perthshire and the surrounding lands (most of Scotland), and in return he gave them land of their own. This land had belonged to the Clan Campbell, and even though they had twice as much land as the Macgregors after they had been given that, they still did everything in their power to get that land back.
For over a hundred years, Clan Macgregor held this land by Right of the Sword, but eventually the Campbells, who were numerous and wealthy, gained political power. With this influence the Clan Campbell designed the destruction of several Clans. One that I know of was Clan Stewart, whose members were sent away on slave ships. (I asked a Stewart for help when researching Clan Macgregor and he told me that the Campbells did indeed do that.) The Campbells used their new allies and their old to gain control of the coveted Macgregor land. Then, they saw to it that a law was passed that said that clans no longer followed the laws of their laird (chief). Instead, they were to obey, or be punished by, the laird of the clan on whose land they lived. Since the Macgregors refused to submit, their laird was taken prisoner and executed at a great feast and celebration arranged by the Campbells.
One of the things that we added, which is very believable according to the records, was a tragedy personal to our personas. My persona is Gwendolyn Macgregor, whose beautiful older sister was raped and murdered by a group of Campbells. When the Clan took vengeance on those who had done this, their homes were burned while they slept. Any who made it out were faced by the Campbell army, and many lives were lost. The clan was split into small, tattered groups who fled into the wilderness with whatever they could carry.
Eventually, Gwendolyn became laird. The rest of her family was dead, and the Clan was being hunted by nearly all of Scotland, because there was a price on their heads. This is what was happening when they entered Avalon. The guardian spirit of Avalon greeted them, and granted them sanctuary. The first battle where the Clan Macgregor appeared took place while they were searching for a new home. They were ready to be attacked by anyone, and had no reason to try and talk to anyone first, for they still thought they were in Scotland!
The reason that the Macgregors put such an angry challenge in the newsletter is simple. They have known war, and little else, for countless generations, and it was all due to the fact that they wanted land of their own. In the second battle, while we were told that we were fighting invaders on the land that we had just settled, the Avalonians were told the exact opposite by the herald!!! So, at the first opportunity, Rimmer took Gwendolyn prisoner, (thinking that she threatened the king), and told her that her land belonged to Orion. With adrenaline and Wode pumping through them, and considering their background, what the *heck* do you think they would have done? I think we role-played quite well.
Now that things have quieted down, and the Clan Macgregor has had time to figure out where they are, things are different. They do not believe that another war would be worth all the destruction that it would cause. However, make no mistake, they do not fear war. In fact, some of them fear peace, because they've never seen it, and it's not something they know much about. War is. So, that explains all of that.