One war down
New Year's Eve, 1067: A one-sided slaughter at the Second Battle of Nenagh leaves only 28 Desmondian rebels alive.
February 2, 1068: While Muiredach's brigands, outnumbered nearly ten-to-one and with nowhere to run, are being cut down, Duchess Alfhild gives birth. Murchad's second son, and first by Alfhild, is named Donnchad. Separated from his half-brother Brian by 20 years, he seems more a nephew than a sibling to Murchad's eldest.
On the 4th of the month, Muiredach's forces are killed to a man at Cloyne. The earl himself is nowhere to be found, but lacks any means of retaking Desmond short of a miracle.
May, 1068: Muiredach comes out of hiding and surrenders to Duke Murchad. County Desmond becomes a vassal, and the Duchy of Munster is made whole under one liege. The 252 brave survivors of the war are allowed to return to their homes and families. The 137 who gave their lives for their lord pass on into song and legend.
Thus concludes the first great undertaking of my reign. I now rule all three of the de jure counties of Munster, and the ua Brians have risen to be the most powerful family in Ireland. In my quest to become a king, however, I've hit a wall. I hold no valid claim, whether from law, marriage, or the church, to any further lands of the Emerald Isle. That means I'll need to put my chancellor, old Toirrdelbach, to work fabricating such claims.
For every year that Toirrdelbach stays in Connacht, he'll have a small chance of fabricating a claim I can press. Until then, Munster shall have peace. I begin this tranquil era by betrothing my infant son to marry the newborn daughter of Earl Gofraid ua Ímair of the Isle of Man.
Now I have a final order of business to deal with: what is to become of the rebel Earl Muiredach? He defied me, but now that I have won the war, his opinion of me is quite high. This means he is likely to send me lots of troops when I press a claim on Connacht, and it's not worth the hassle and unrest that would come with stripping him of his lands and titles. I risk gaining a reputation for being lenient of rebels, but as long as he's so unlikely to defy me again, I'm willing to take that risk.
