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Brother Dair, a Benedictine monk, was born in the village of Roghadal in the once-Norse Outer Hebrides of Harpelestane Shire. His Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) birth name is Þórmóðr Clainn mhic Leòid na Hearaidh, which roughly translates as “Norman, of the Clan MacLeod, of the Isle of Harris” – but only his late-mother ever called him that.
Because of the moral resolve that he showed, even as a youth, he picked up the nickname Diar which means “oak tree” in his native tongue – by which he is almost exclusively known today. He became a student at Iona Abbey at the age of eight, eventually taking his vows with the monks. Excelling in academia, Abbot Clement was granted permission from Oliver, Bishop of the Isles, to send him to study under his own former tutor, Cardinal de Marco, Archbishop of Venice.
Seven years later, de Marco was elected to the chair of Saint Peter as Pope Marinus (or Martin) III. Despite being offered a position in the papal household as private secretary, Brother Dair traveled westward with a mind to study with the Moors in al-'Andalus. While he was a guest of the Archbishop of Lisbon, however, Brother Dair could not pass the opportunity to join a group of Jesuit missionaries on their voyage to Japan. There, he was a personal guest in the household of Soga no Takashi, the Ō-omi (Lord Chamberlain of the Imperial Family), from whom he learned much during his several-year stay.
As a learned monk, Brother Dair’s travels have taken him throughout the known world. More recently, he has lived in Tirnewydd Marche (AS 13-32), Black Diamond Barony (AS 32-36), and presently resides in Quintavia Shire (since AS 36).
Brother Dair lives at the Our Lady of the Seven Hills Monastery in Quintavia. Although most of his brother monks live a rather cloistered life, Brother Dair spends almost as much time outside of the monastery as he spends within it. At the noble court of Quintavia, he is referred to as the Gilliflower Pursuivant of Arms in recognition of the assistance he gives to the Shire’s official Milestone Pursuivant of Arms, and occasionally to the East Kingdom’s Brigantia Herald of Arms. However, his solemn vow of obedience to the Church forbids him from accepting such an earthly title and he never refers to himself in that way.
Also of note: It is widely-rumored that Brother Dair is skilled in some form of martial art. It is not known if this is from his upbringing in Scotland or from the years that he spent in Japan, but stories persist of him once immobilizing three armed world-be attackers single-handedly with nothing more than his always-present walking stick. Brother Dair does not speak of this.
