In the first, Nessa, daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide, the then king of Ulster, asks the druid what it is an auspicious time for (as he had the ability to foretell the future).
[1][2] In the second version,[3][4] Cathbad, who is a leader of a band of fianna (landless warriors) as well as a druid, attacks Ness's foster-fathers' house, killing all 12 of them.
Because the culprit cannot be identified, Eochaid is powerless to do anything about it, so Ness forms her own band of 27 fianna to track him down.
[5] However, in this version, Ness's child is the son of her lover, High King Fachtna Fáthach, not Cathbad's.
Ness goes into labour, and Cathbad tells her if she can manage not to give birth until the following day, her son will be a great king and have everlasting fame.