Biography:
Wooden Heart: Ailann emanates when Ashtara becomes the Archon of Skarsia. Ailann’s branch is massive, and he assumes the physical role of the Living God of the Domha’vei. As such, he has access to remarkable reserves of power unavailable to the other emanations. He also has a natural talent for alchemy at an incredibly precise level, which makes him an excellent healer. The details of Ailann and Tara’s meeting will later be revealed in “The Vision of Night Waking, ” a short story at the end of The Poison Garden.
Ailann is invested as Archon on Eirelantra in a ceremony of much pomp and spectacle. During the procession, he is disturbed by the presence of a girl with a defective heart, and he heals her. That girl grows up to be Cara the Arrow, his most fanatical agent. The incident teaches him the value of miracles as propaganda.
When Tara wants to hire a portrait painter, Ailann is resistant. He becomes terribly jealous, (the first sign of a pervasive character trait) causing Ash to emanate the artist Driscoll Garrett.
Ailann tries to discourage Tara from re-opening the Skarsium mine, but she is interested in the equipment to produce the crystals. To his surprise, Ailann finds that he is concerned about the well-being of the miners in such dangerous conditions. Ashtara is only concerned with other people in that they factor into Tara’s destiny, but Ailann is discovering that his compassion is sincere – and occasionally inconvenient. Ash deals with the situation by emanating Owen, a mining engineer.
Tara tries to explain to Ailann the wisdom of the phrase, “You can’t always win.” When he proves incapable of understanding it, she tries to prove that it’s undesirable to always win – it provokes envy, resentment and lack of ambition in the losers. Ailann considers and conceptualizes this as, “The occasional loss can be part of a greater overall strategy.” When Tara says that it’s best for a leader to be both fearer and loved, Ailann replies, “The most successful rulers are needed; they make themselves indispensable.”
When Ailann believes that Tara has died in a shuttle crash, he wants to immolate, but realizes that if the Archon is destroyed, millions of people in the Domha’vei will die. He turns to alcohol until he cannot cope. When he has a breakdown, Ash emanates the mad Archon, Suibhne.
After her return, Tara confronts Ailann. She excoriates him for running out and leaving Suibhne in control, not intervening when Covey was pushing Suibhne towards suicide, and lying about what happened to Ross. Ailann reacts by getting a drink and Tara lambastes him for that. It turns into a horrifically ugly fight where they both bring up all the failures and tragedy of the past. The fight ends with Tara finally revealing that the man she’d seen as the fulfilment of the prophecy in her Gyre-induced visions was Ailann. Ailann realizes that he – and Ashtara in general – has been traumatized enough to affect his emotional stability. He reacts by emanating the psychologist Tarlach Tadgh.
Although Tarlach helps enormously with Ross, Tara and Ailann continue to fight. Ailann is the emanation present when the Atlas tree is bombed, resulting in damage to Whirljack and the loss of Owen. Lugh – the branch that grew to replace Owen – emanates as a moderating force, an emanation designed for emotional support. Tara confesses to Lugh that of all the emanations, she relies on Ailann most, but she can’t tell him how much she needs him to his face. In an attempt to fix Whirljack, BJ is emanated – this starts the series of events leading to Tara’s flight to Eirelantra, the emanation of Chase, and the coup putting Christolea in power.
After Tara recovers the Staff of the Matriarch, Ailann and Tara seek to restore the Skarsian Matriarchy. Although he has already assumed the role of Archon again, he creates an enormous show of power to impress the Skarsian citizens. Ashtara’s appearance in the Grand Atrium is spectacular and broadcast to all the worlds. When Ailann emanates, he is greeted as a liberating hero.
Tara has finally admitted to Chase that she loves Ash. Now she proposes to Ailann – she is already in a political marriage to Patrick, but she wants to marry Ashtara under Cu’enashti law, recognizing all the emanations as her husbands.
The wedding takes place at the Nau’gsh Festival, a spectacular affair planned by Driscoll, with the gardens redone by Jamey. As evening falls, the hills are alight with Eternium tara, a transparently glowing flower created by Davy which only appears annually on the first night of the festival. Ailann offers Tara an apple from his branch on Atlas, and they finally consummate their relationship. Tara discovers that Ash has imbued Ailann with a hidden talent – he can fuck like God.
After the festival ends, Ailann and Tara emerge from Court Emmere to discover a media disaster. Between the Two-day War, Patrick’s disclosure and their marriage, the news cycle has completely blown up, and they have to flee surreptitiously to avoid the flock of reporters.
When CenGov attacks the Domha’vei with the synthetic singularity, Ailann is finally chosen to deal with the problem due to his strength as Archon. He is able to create enough matter ex nihilo to cause the singularity to tear the fabric of spacetime (which is very thin in the Domha’vei) resulting in a secondary rip. The singularity falls through and vanishes; the rip persists, providing another source of nul-energy. Ailann buries it in the core of a planetoid; Davy covers it with a biosphere and names it Eden. (In “The Prophecy of Dogs,” Davy complains that the planet is flat and bland – Ailann didn’t put much thought into an attractive geography.)
Ashtara feels the need to develop some sense of self-reflection. In response, Driscoll begins a series of self-portraits (of the other emanations) and Ailann begins to write – although he isn’t very good at it, and the task is eventually assumed by Patrick – the resulting text is Wooden Heart.
Eden Blues: Tara is returning from Eden with Aran and a number of the K’ntasari when Ailann emanates. Unbeknownst to them, they have gotten closer to Atlas than Goliath, causing a shift in control of the emanations, a condition which persists until the two trees can connect. Ailann quickly sequesters himself with Tara, helps himself to a drink and breaks into tears. He is distraught that Ash was away from her for two years – Ailann believes that he did not anticipate some of the complications of creating a second tree. He is anxious about the prospect of a tree which creates emanations which are a part of Ash but unable to communicate with Atlas, and contemplates destroying Goliath, an idea Tara immediately shuts down.
Ailann begins to write a testimony, but just as in Wooden Heart, he struggles with the narrative. Cillian – the literary critic – calls him on it: Ailann is more interested in the process of writing than the story. Ailann then disputes with Dermot, who believes that Ash must’ve planned everything which happened – seeing it as too great a violation of n’aashet n’aaverti, Ailann won’t accept that possibility.
Ailann arranges a meeting with the Cantor to introduce Miranda and the K’ntasari. The Cantor rages against Ash for creating Goliath, saying that it is unnatural and that he has made himself into a laughingstock for abandoning his Chosen for two years and being cuckolded by another tree. Ailann is remorseful – he realizes that the Cantor may have a point. Is Tara really married to Goliath as well? Tara disagrees – she believes her marriage applies to all of Ash’s emanations, and she’s willing to have Ross fight it in court.
Since it is necessary to give an explanation for the disappearance of the Archon for two years, Ailann holds a press conference. As usual, it is a masterpiece of propaganda and showmanship, and is well-received. Ailann theorizes that the human heart hungers for miracles – the people want to believe in the omnipotence of the Archon.
Ailann and Tara have a disagreement over Goliath. Ailann points out that the Atlas emanations cannot share the experiences of the Goliath emanations – therefore, Tara’s liaisons with them are cheating. Tara accuses Ailann of jealousy. Ailann plans to avoid going into the proximity of Eden, claiming that it is for Tara’s safety – the Atlas emanations cannot afford to be cut off. They have a fight – when Tara leaves, she sees that he is drinking again, and notes that the aristos are noticing that Ailann has a problem.
Ailann doesn’t emanate again until after Malachi and Davy figure out how to connect Atlas and Goliath by using mycorrhizae from the blue moth mushrooms. Ailann tells Tara that Ash can now process sensory data from both Atlas and Goliath, and that the parallax improves his time perception. He experiences the vision of Tara’s Destiny, and tells Tara that it will happen in 1456 years.
CenGov positions a fleet of some six hundred ships just outside of the orbit of Dumati. Their intention is to keep ships from the Domha’vei getting far enough away from the inhabited worlds to evoke wormholes – effectively blocking them into their own system. But General Panic proposes a truce – she challenges Ailann to a one-on-one duel, and adds insult to injury by releasing the holovid of Ross. Clive correctly realizes that it is a trap, but Ailann sees a way to turn the trap upon her.
Ailann faces off against General Panic. He isn’t that good at combat, but his power as Archon is necessary for what Ash is planning. He duels with Panic, each getting the upper hand, until he allows her to believe she is in a winning position. He is trying to lure her ships closer to Eirelantra – she doesn’t realize that he can now draw power from Goliath, which is closer than Atlas. Aran emanates and disables some 200 ships in her fleet.
Ailann decides to keep the captured Cybrids at the old Tasean rebel base on the 4th moon of Rimbaud. He is too compassionate to kill them, but realizes that they can’t be kept within inhabited Skarsia – there is too much prejudice against cyber-modifications.
At the Ceremony of Admission for the K’ntasari, Ailann makes a rousing speech laying out his plan for an expansionist empire which is a hybridization of animal and plant. Clive comments that he finds the vision chilling, and yet inevitable – if Skarsia does not take advantage of the power of the Cu’endhari, it will be crushed by CenGov. Ailann then leads the new emanations in a press interview. The pundits debate whether the existence of Aran, as a second Archon, would mean that Archonism was no longer a monotheism. Ailann defend Archonism, saying that unlike the religions of old, it will grow organically according to the needs of the people.
Ailann is perceptive enough to predict the attack by the Floatfish/SongLuminants, and forces the emanation of Whirljack/Blackjack in response. This allows BJ to escape while WJ is put into stasis during the interrogation by the SongLuminants. Realizing that the SongLuminants are formidable adversaries, and that hiding anything from them is probably futile, Ailann encourages the most provocative and discursive emanations – Lorcan, Tarlach, Sloane, Suibhne – to speak so that Hurley can covertly use his abilities to gauge the reactions of the SongLuminants.
Owen realizes that Ailann is trying to stall, not just to buy time, but also that he has an “ace” to play – but mistakenly thinks it’s Wynne. In fact, Ailann is trying to get enough information for Driscoll and Davy to create Lucius, a new emanation capable of communicating directly with the SongLuminants.
The Poison Garden: Ailann emanates briefly after the bombing of Tom O’Bedlam’s in order to make an official statement. After Seth emanates and is named Archbishop, Ailann is interviewed by Bobert Crandon, who is quickly becoming the go-to journalist of the Archon and Matriarch. Ailann states that the Archonism is moving from monotheism to dualism, with Aran as the god of good and evil while he himself represents an enlightenment paradigm.
After Aran notes that Tara is emotionally exhausted from recent events, Ailann proposes changing the wording of the first priority from “Tara’s safety” to “Tara’s well-being,” and the other emanations agree unanimously. When Seth is investigating the nature of evil, Ailann confesses that he once considered cutting off Cillian’s branch. Realizing his mistake has taught him humility. He advises Seth to investigate the nature of love instead.
When Lugh is confronted with facing Lilith, Ailann tells him to access the skills of the other emanations. He is able to draw on Ailann’s precision to inflict a small but incapacitating wound to Lilith, causing her to drop the gun she had pointed at Owen.
Although Ailann is introduced in the first book, Wooden Heart, some background details are given in “The Prophecy of Meeting.” When Wyrd Elma makes the prophecy about Tara, she touches the child’s brow. The vision is transmitted – it is then that Tara first glimpses Ailann’s face. She has intermittent dreams about him through childhood and full-blown visions under the influence of Gyre including their first meeting and their wedding.
In “The Prophecy of Ash,” Owen complains that Tara should not have made Ailann into the Living God of the Domha’vei. He says that the people now expect miracles from him – which is why the occupants of Ventosty will not evacuate when their active volcano is about to erupt.
“The Prophecy of Departure” tells the story of a vacation flight to Chalkolo. Ailann and Tara are mobbed at the spaceport by devoted Archonists, causing Tara to resolve to build a private airfield. Not long after the flight finally departs, an SSOps agent makes an announcement – CenGov is under attack by a revolutionary army. Clive wants to return to earth immediately, until Tara points out that they are in mid-air. In the discussion that follows, Suzanna refuses to return home with Clive, and Ailann, while promising to take in Terran refugees, declines to get involved in the fight. “You want me to throw away our money and the lives of my people on a war that’s really none of our business?” Tara agrees, saying, “Earth is our past, not our future.” Clive, frustrated, dashes out of the shuttle the moment it lands – and runs into a throng of Archonists looking for a miracle from Ailann.
By “The Prophecy of Windows,” Ailann can no longer walk in public without being mobbed. There are also growing problems in the Domha’vei due to having an aristocratic class of immortals. Despite Tara’s objections, Ailann proposes starting a colony in the Draco cluster – there would be room for the Cu’endhari seedlings which wouldn’t fit in family groves on Dolparessa, and these trees would bond with the colonists, making them immortal. In addition, he believes that since the Draco cluster is full of nul-energy, they can’t afford not to colonize.
“The Vision of Night Waking” concerns Tara’s first meeting with Ailann. When she returns from the Northern Forests, she sees a man standing alone on the beach, and recognizes him as the one from her dreams. She realizes that his eyes – Ash’s eyes – have always been watching over her. It is then she proposes that he assume the role of Living God and part of the governance of Skarsia – she reasons that the Cu’endhari need to have a voice in government. She also proposes that she reconcile with her estranged husband, Prince Patrick.
The Perpetual Rose: Ailann’s first appearance is after the first visit to Nightside. Davy has devised a solution to the Denolin problem, and Ailann needs to sell it to the SongLuminants. He is also faced with Lorcan’s erratic behavior and the range of reactions to his new ties in the pleroma. Clive Rivers has evictium poisoning, and Ailann devises a course of treatment for him.
Ailann convinces the Combine of Sentience that Davy’s plan will work, and suggests setting off the Tucana cluster as a preserve for the Denolin. The SongLuminants refuse to help drill for nul-energy until Neliit promises that the Eer-gaaani will also join the Combine. They will do so only if Humans and Hreck are also included, and the species erasure process is discontinued. However, the current member species will be considered full members and any new species will have associate status. Elite and clannish by nature, the idea proves irresistible to the SongLuminants. Ailann announces Humanity’s inclusion in the Combine, and the celebratory gala is planned.
The Portable Grove: Ailann displays his jealous nature early in the novel when Tara is pining over Wynne. In the eighth experiment, when he is trying to pollinate WJ, Patrick mentions that Ailann is a lazy pollinator who relies on his superior height to get the job done. During the twelfth experiment, when Chase is confronted about his opium addiction, he complains that nobody ever calls Ailann out on his alcohol problem.
Ailann is a participant in experiment thirteen, supposedly to determine the strongest Archon. In theory, going by the power capacity of the individual trees, Tielo should be strongest, followed by Balin, Aran and Ailann. Ailann is emanated on Eirelantra to deal with Ipsissimal business. In addition to his busy schedule of press conferences, government meetings and Archonist ceremonies, Archbishop Venesti requires the participation of all the archons in a dedication of a new cathedral. He wants them each to say a short piece and perform a small miracle. The nature of the miracle turns out to be the test of strength. Tara is most impressed by Ailann’s miracle – giving all the congregants gorgeous singing voices – and she declares him the winner. However, the test of strength is actually a contest between the judges, Cillian and Callum, and Tara negates it. The chapter ends with the agreement that Ailann is the strongest archon because Tara wants him to be – but the strongest branch is actually Jamey. Ailann confesses, “If I’m not Tara’s dream, I’m nothing.”
Ailann is a reluctant participant in the second stress test. He is both unwilling to participate in the orgy and unhappy that Evan got a Gold Card. Tara realizes that the point of this stress test is to question the purpose of Ailann’s jealousy. Evan says that someone has to express it – as he once expressed Ash’s inhibitions – but that Ashtara can get over it if Ailann can. Ailann retorts that Ash requires Tara to exist, but Tara doesn’t need Ash, so that the jealousy is natural. Tara persists that even so, jealousy of the other branches is pointless. Daniel replies that Ailann’s jealousy and his drinking are distancing mechanisms he uses because he’s afraid his authority will be compromised if he gets too close to anyone. Daniel is afraid that Ailann will eventually be crushed by the responsibility and solitude of his position. He and Evan attempt to seduce Ailann, and Ailann allows it out of respect for them as the first and third emanations.
During the third stress test, Tara is still worrying about Ailann. Balin is confused, asking her why she always fights with Ailann, then defends him in his absence – Tara dodges the question. In the sixth stress test, Tara tells Ari that she likes his jealousy because it’s primal, but dislikes Ailann’s jealousy because she expects Ailann to be better than that.
Correspondence Chart Entries from The Portable Grove
| Denotation | Ailann Tiarnan (Gaelic: handsome; Gaelic; lord). |
| Numeration | 10th Emanation of Ashtara; 10th branch of Atlas; 64 in the correspondence chart. |
| Age | 44 |
| Hotness | 9/10 |
| Vital Statistics | 1.833 meters tall, cock size 17.78 cm when erect. |
| Description | Moderately short, wavy dark hair, bearded; he’s very handsome, but the immediate reaction is to be more impressed than attracted – he seems distinguished, wise, compassionate. Generally wears the ceremonial robes of the Archon, which are sumptuous and regal, embroidered richly in traditional Dolparessan designs. |
| Skills | Living God of Skarsia, controls power grid and defense system for the Domha’vei, also controls the weather on Dolparessa. Extremely good at small scale alchemical manipulations and healing. |
| Sexual Prowess and Kinks | Fucks like God. |
| Average Duration of Play | 1 hour, 34 minutes, 32 seconds. |
| Totem Tree | Cedrus atlantica, the Atlas cedar. |
| Fixed Star | Tchho’oom, the power switch (θ Sco; also A TI – the Trans-universal Inferometer, a constellation from Skarsian astrology); also called Sargas (of unknown meaning). |
| Color |  |
| Esoteric Symbol | The Minchiate trump Imperatore, the Emperor or Western Emperor (often called the Western Archon in Skarsian decks.) |
| Function | Adjudicative stabilization. |
| Official Title | His Most Sublime and Eminent Radiance, 2nd Archon of Skarsia. |
| His Prophecy | The surge of power when a circuit is connected. |
| Dessert | Tara Royale (molded nau’gsh roll slices filled with custard) |
Persistence of Weeds Addendum
| Branch Growth Characteristics | Supernormal growth spurt during the apotheosis of the Archonate when Jamey was incinerated. Used as a template for his half -brothers on Goliath, Aran and Lucius. |
| Nul-history | Originally bonded to Cillian. The root consciousness and driving force of the Atlas entity. |
| Proto-conscious Root Concept | Ambition, designated More. |
| Prime Number of Energy Resonance | 311 |
| From Self-Portraits Not-of-Me II: Baby Pictures by Driscoll Garrett |  |