Research Galore.

So I came to an crossroads with my plot idea when I had 5 characters. My initial plot idea had been a character to represent each one of the old Kingdoms (Current provinces) of Ireland. Connacht, Ulster, Munster, Leinster. It was only four, granted two of my characters come from the same bloodline (their parents were siblings) my main character was supposed to be a product of two Kingdoms but I was stuck on what to do.
As I looked further into the history, into the Kings of Ireland and the ancient Kingdoms I came to a brilliant and all too convenient discovery. I stumbled across this map (which I've now pasted to the inside of my writing journal) and discovered there was actually a fifth Kingdom, and It was considered the 'High King' of the rest of them. Safe to say I dug further it and found exactly what I needed to complete my story. I know lots of writers have people who do this sort of research for them but there's something satisfying about doing it yourself and getting the exact results you need! Especially considering the fact I don't have anyone to do it other than myself.