Lore:Beldama Wyrd

The Beldama Wyrd (also known as the Beldama Coven  or Beldama Ward ) is a group of Breton witches, or more specifically, ward-sisters from the province of High Rock, specifically in the region of Daenia, and its political counterpart in the Third Era. They are a coven attuned to nature, known to venerate the ancient forest and commune with the Forest God of the Bretons, Jephre the Storyteller.  The Beldama are known to congregate around the eponymous Beldama Wyrd Tree, a gargantuan oak tree that serves as the heart of the coven's mystical crafts.  
 

Further Information
thumb|right|The Guardian of the Water
The Beldama Wyrd trace their origins all the way back to the  , when Y'ffre established the laws of nature and became the first of the  . They serve the purpose of safeguarding the forest, all the while guided by the   (Water, Fire, and the Earth) that are preserved by the Wyrd Tree and wholly protect the region.  They inhabit the vale that surrounds the Wyrd Tree, in the north edge of Daenia, at the base of the mountains. In this vale, they live in wooden huts draped in hanging moss, circling around the great-oak and the ring lake where the tree's roots are sprawled across.  The wyress are known to keep and breed  s, who often serve as their companions and guardians.  One of their most well-known members is  , an   that was able to predict the death of King   of   and King   of the  .  Despite the peaceful nature that the Beldama Wyrd exudes, the local Bretons and even the   find them dangerous. 

During the   in  , the   had invaded Glenumbra, in the hopes of conquering the land. One of their primary targets was the Wyrd Tree and the Beldama Coven, corrupting the tree to cut the connection between the guardians and the Wyrd. This caused the creatures of the forest to run rampant across Daenia, resulting in the burning of  . A group of wyress helped gather the village-folk in the mill and sought ways to quell the chaos. They garnered help from a  , who managed to calm the beasts and save the villagers. But without their connection, the coven was completely oblivious to the tampering in the tree. Wyress   began the ritual to communicate with them at the  , to learn of the true happenings and the Bloodthorn's involvement. The traveler was sent to the Wyrd Tree and was able to cleanse the corruption from within. 

The Beldama Coven continued its activities for many years, by  , the Beldama Coven was located in the north-central region of the duchy, near  . Many years ago, the Beldama wyress,   had fallen in love with the knight named  , who gave his heart to her to live together, with facing their faction's wrath. The Order of the Crypt of   had retaliated by directly attacking the Beldama Coven, forcing them east into   and slaying   that gave them refuge. When Simon died, he was buried on a hilltop somewhere in the Reach, where Daenella mourned the loss.  

Sometime in the Fourth Era, a Beldama witch named Daenalla fell in love with Simon Rodayne, a member of the Breton knightly order, the Order of the Crypt. The knight willingly gave up his heart to his lover, replacing it with poisoned briars, and was ultimately converted into a briarheart  through a ritual that involves communing with Hircine. 

The full story being clouded led to animosity between the Order and the Beldama, and their disapproval of the union between the lovers. The Wyrd thought Daenalla betrayed them to the knights,   while the Order thought that Simon was tricked into become  an abomination. Knowing that they were star-crossed lovers, they fled the wrath of both their groups. 

The Beldama Coven pursued the couple,   while the Order seeking revenge, extended its influence far beyond Shornhelm as they gave chase to the Coven, forcing the Wyrd to go east into the Reach.  The Order had taken a vow to not just guard the Crypt of Hearts, but the “hearts entombed in all of us, lest they be replaced with the briars of the unholy.”   In their pursuit for vengeance, the Order slayed any   that gave the Coven refuge. Eventually, Simon died, and he was buried on a hilltop somewhere in the Reach, where Daenella mourned the loss.  

Sometime in  , the members of the Order of the Crypt that were tracking the Beldama were wiped out, and the coven were able to find Daenella in the Reach after several years. She was brutally killed while she watched as her husband’s heart was defiled, so that they could not be reunited in the afterlife.  At  , the Beldama Coven were killed by an  . There, the adventurer recovered Simon’s heart, but it is unknown if they returned it to his grave tainted, damming him, or if the heart was cleansed, allowing the couple to reunite in  the afterlife.  

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See Also
For game-specific information, see the Daggerfall, Skyrim, and ESO articles.
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