The Bull Wars had ended however...

Maev had not forgotten Cuchulain nor would any treaty allow her to forgive him and soon enough the wife of the sorceror Calatin had given birth to six more of his children and she burned with vengance , half were male and the other half were female and they were just as wretched as Calatin and stronger in the dark magic than him or his other children. Maev sent these children to learn sorcery in Erin and Alba and down into Babylon and when they returned they were more powerful than even the druids of Ulster.

Maev had amassed other foes to fight Cuchulain such as Erc the son of Cairpre , Lewy son of Curoi the King of Munster whose hatred for Ulster's finest warrior came because his wife the Queen Blanid , was involved in a tryst with Cuchulain that led to her death. These two men were her new champions for Fergus was now consigned to a more advisory role, not allowed to enter combat until Cuchulain was dead.

The way the event transpired was like this. Blanid asked Cuchulain to take her from the emotionally abusive Curoi and Cuchulain with a band of his men attacked the men of Curoi's estate and made off with his wife but a bard of Curoi's ,Fercartna, followed Cuchulain and when the group made camp near a cliff he ran out and seized Blanid carrying her with him off the cliff.

Maev consulted her druids and learned that the Curse of Macha was to come again and it was then that she made her move.

The Children of Calatin used their control over the minds of men to cause Cuchulain to see visions of destruction across Murthemney.Everwhere he looked Cuchulain saw phantoms and demons and armies united against him and he fought these visions for two days straight but Cathbad the Druid came to his aid and bid him to retire to a solitary glen where Niam the wife of Conall of the Victories nursed him and made him vow he would not leave until she told him to.

One of the Daughters of Calatin whose name was Bave took the form of a handmaid of Niam leading Niam away from her home and placing a spell of straying on her so she became lost in the forest.Bave then took the form of Niam and went to Cuchulain crying out that Ulster was under assault by a powerful army and the Morrigan in the form of a crow flew in cawing of war and destruction.Cuchulain sought Laeg and asked him to set his chariot for war but Cuchulain's horse the Gray of Macha knowing it to be a ruse turned and attacked Laeg.

After some time Laeg prepared the chariot and Cuchulain rode forth to battle a foe that was only in his mind.Cuchulain saw smoke come forth from Emain Macha and rode out to see a sight that filled him with dread.Emer ,his wife, was lying atop a fortification dead.Cuchulain rode out to his home in Murthemney to find Emer alive with his mother Dectera and the two women asked Cuchulain to await the arrival of Conall but Cuchulain would not.Dectera offered Cuchulain a drink of wine laced with a drug to put him to sleep but as he rose it to his lips it turned to blood and he cast it down.

Cuchulain rode out to the Plain of Emania and in a ford he saw a young woman washing bloodstained clothes. Cuchulain looked upon her in horror to see that it was his clothes she was washing and at that she vanished.

Traveling further he came across three old women and each was blind in one eye.These old crones were cooking a dead dog over rowan wood and they called him forth to eat.Cuchulain told them no and they took offense saying that if they were young and attractive and had a great feast then he would oblidge them.Cuchulain did not want to appear rude so he sat with them to eat not realizing his mistake for he had broken his geis ( a magical injunction ) for it was forbidden for him to come to a fire and take food from it and it was forbidden of him to eat a hound for it was his slaying a great hound that brought him to the attention of the Ulstermen and as such he was reffered to as the Hound of Ulster.Once Cuchulain took the meat into his mouth the hand he ate with was stricken with a weakness he was now a normal man.