Ronan MacHood was a well-known figure in Hibernia. MacHood was known as a warrior of note, well-known for his skill with the bow, and even as a young man the bards sung of his feats in the wars against the giants of the north of Hibernia, and it is said his sword and arrows helped defeat the Giant-king O’Grummach, and sent he and his brutes howling back into the mountains and caverns to the north.

MacHood was also legendary as a bandit who fought invaders and helped to downtrodden. In decades past, portions of the west coast of Hibernia was invaded by the Kingdom of Many Isles. There is some debate as to whether this was an outright military invasion, or rather a case of several Hibernian chieftains of the west allowing the merchant fleets and associated men-at-arms of Kingdom islanders to occupy coastal towns, to provide themselves with advantageous geography, trading hubs and cheap Hibernian labor to enrich themselves and the Chieftains of the west, who it must be said were always a bit poorer than the Chieftains of the east and south.

In any event, for some decades Hibernia’s west was occupied by these outlanders and their allies, who grew rich off Hibernia’s land, cattle and people, taxed them relentlessly, and left them as mere peasants under the outlanders’ and greedy western Chieftains’ bootheels.

Thereafter, but some time ago - around a decade or so now, maybe longer, but after the wars with the Giants - MacHood then became legendary in the west as a “bandit” who relentlessly struck from Hibernia’s central forests into the west, leading a band of outlaws (“the Joyous Lads”) who raided merchant caravans, tax collectors and Kingdom Islander forces, seizing their gold and other valuables - and invariably giving those riches to the poor and downtrodden throughout Hibernia. MacHood and his men were known as archers unmatched throughout Hibernia (and all of Osgoth, they say), and due to their constant pressure on the Kingdom Islanders and their Hibernian allies, eventually the other Chieftains united and drove the Kingdom islanders away, reunited Hibernia.

Although peace reigned thereafter - relatively speaking, there were always giants and raiders from Alba, from the Kingdom Isles and northern raiders in their longships to contend with, not to mention wars and cattle-raids between the chieftains and their kingdoms - MacHood continued his robberies whenever he saw injustice, and continued to take from the wealthy and give to the needy and/or the Church of Dianechet (to Cathal’s church, he is still regarding as a heroic figure). Many say this was noble, and MacHood was a true man of the people.

However, it is said that MacHood and his lads took it too far, and would steal from anyone who gained wealth, any Chieftain who profited from their lands, any merchant who grew too fat, even hard-working folk who made some gold and were then punished by this outlaw for their success. Eventually the Chieftains of Hibernia grew tired of this righteous crusader stealing from anyone who had any kind of profit, because people need to make a living, don’t they? The Chieftains decided that it wasn’t MacHood’s place to redistribute Hibernia’s wealth at his whim. MacHood’s supporters (largely, the poor) cynically thought maybe the various Chieftains just didn’t like that someone other than them was redistributing the people’s wealth. At the end, the Chieftains all agreed, and MacHood was banished from the island.

It is said that MacHood and his men now roam the forests of Osgoth and continue to fight injustice by robbing the wealthy and oppressors, and giving that seized wealth to those who need it. Or maybe they are just lawless bandits. These debates go on in the pubs of Hibernia, but he has not been seen nor heard from, other than if you believe stories that he sends gold back to Hibernia through agents who give it to the needy, or in tales told by unfortunate merchants who returned to Hibernia from trading trips abroad, who tell of robbery by a talkative green-clad bandit with a Hibernian brogue and a horde of deadly bowmen…