[ Eladrin ] [ Aestetica | Paragons | Court of Stars ]
Connla
The Wolfhound’s Son, Conlaoch (planar ghaele eladrin empyreal lord [he/him] / CG)
Portfolio: Tragic heroes, the geased, the anonymous
Realm: Outlands / Tir na Og / Wandering (including to Arborea)
Connla’s story is one of mystery and tragedy, sprinkled with a fair amount of ‘why on in the planes do powers behave like that?’ As the story goes, as a mortal Prime, Connla was the son of the legendary Cú Chulainn—who is now a demipower, but wasn’t aways that way. When Cú Chulainn was still a young mortal, he left his wife AÃfe Ardgeimm and child in order to learn the way of the warrior from AÃfe’s legendary sister Scáthach. As he left, he gave her a golden thumb ring to pass on to his son to wear when he was old enough, along with the instruction to travel to the land of the Celts. In order to make sure he did this, Cú Chulainn used a geas spell to impose three conditions. Once his journey had started, Connla should not turn back; he must never refuse a challenge; and he must never tell anyone his name. The reasons why these rules were chosen is lost to the mists of credibility, but we cannot argue with myths can we, cutter?
Of course, this plan ended up backfiring in a most tragic way years later, with Cú Chulainn challenging his grown son to combat, and not learning Connla’s true identify until after his death. Taking pity on the poor lad, the trickster-hag power Ceridwen—herself no stranger to filial accidents—transformed Connla into an eladrin.
Philosophy
As an empyreal lord, Connla’s philosophy embodies the tragic hero. He’s the patron of good souls who have been cast an unfair hand by the Fates but continue on their lives nonetheless. He’s the paragon who’s most often invoked by clerics who are trying to dispel magical compulsions, especially those from the fey.
Connla still abides by his three restrictions, although you’d assume the geas spell no longer has any real compulsion over him. He never turns back once he’s started a journey—in fact, he has no realm of his own to turn back to. He never refuses a challenge that’s put to him—be particularly careful of that one, as this blood knows his swordsmanship. And he will never tell anyone his name. His reputation does rather precede him these days though, and he’s also recognisable by the golden thumb ring that his still wears to this day. The most you’ll get from Connla is that he’s the Wolfhound’s Son.
Connla’s view of the planes is shaped by the duality of freedom and fate. He teaches that goodness is found in embracing life’s challenges with unyielding courage and flair, whether the conditions you find yourself in are fair or not. To Connla, virtue lies in the thrill of testing one’s limits—not for glory or conquest but to inspire others to break free from fear and mediocrity. His vision of goodness thrives in the heat of justified battle, the thrill of danger, and the joy of defying expectations. He teaches that morality is best expressed through action. You might guess that he’s popular with cutters from the Transcendent Order too.
Connla encourages his followers to wield their skills and talents like weapons, cutting through the bonds of oppression and self-doubt. However, he also embraces the inevitability of failure and loss, viewing them as nourishing ingredients for personal growth. To Connla, even defeat can be virtuous if it is faced with courage and style. His philosophy is tinged with an exhilarating sense of rebellion. He values freedom above all else—freedom to fight for what one believes in, freedom to challenge authority, and freedom to carve one’s own path through the cosmos.
Source: Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p23 (mention only); Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: In Celtic myth, Connla is the son of Cú Chulainn, the power of battle and challenges. Bit strange why his son would be an eladrin but hey powers move in mysterious ways, right? Including Ceridwen is a bit of myth that I made up, the rest is Celtic.