The Reach The Reach is one of the nine Holds of Skyrim . Its capital is the ancient Dwemer city of Markarth , where the Empire - aligned Jarl Igmund resides and holds court in Understone Keep . The symbol of the Reach is a ram ' s head . The Reach is infamous for harboring the Forsworn , Reachmen who are fighting a long war of independence and seek to retake Markarth from the Nord s and free the Hold from Imperial authority . The Forsworn are the Reach ' s most common enemies and dwell in the majority of its locations . With the constant threat of Forsworn attacks looming over Markarth and its surrounding settlements , the Reach is often considered the most dangerous Hold of Skyrim , fit only for seasoned adventurers or hardened mercenaries . Geography . The Reach covers much of the western border of Skyrim , with High Rock and Hammerfell to the west . These are the Highlands of Skyrim , a rugged environment with few flat clearings , dotted with juniper trees and rich in valuable ores , especially silver . Surrounding Holds include Whiterun to the east , Haafingar past the mountains to the north , Hjaalmarch to the north - east and Falkreath to the southeast . History . First Era . During the First Era and the emergence of the Breton race from the Direnni Hegemony , the majority of Bretons established themselves in High Rock . However , a small group of Bretons that were said to have more of the Elven blood than their brethren ventured outward and settled in the western borders of Skyrim . Over the centuries , these Bretons would establish a separate and independent culture from their kin in High Rock and interbred with the local Nords , giving rise to a unique people known as the Reachmen , or the Men and Women of the Reach . This continued until the Nordic conquests of High Rock and Morrowind during the First Era . Around 1E 1030 , the Reach was ruled by ten warring kings . The legendary Reachman Red Eagle rose to prominence , and united the kings in his struggle against the Imperial invading forces of Empress Hestra . Following the collapse of the Alessian Empire , the Reach managed to maintain its independence up until High King Olaf One - Eye expanded Skyrim ' s boundaries when he conquered the Reach . Second Era . When Tiber Septim was known as General Talos , he went about conquering the whole of Tamriel and consolidating his rule . He also defended the Reach from the Reachmen . One of his famous battles was when he led a small band of Colovian troops and Nord berserkers against the Witchmen of High Rock in the Battle of Old Hrol ' dan . Though the Reachmen lost political control of their territory , they did not lose the right to practice their religion and culture . This status quo was accepted by most Reachmen , but not by all . Fourth Era . Independent Kingdom . In the Fourth Era , when the Mede Empire was in the midst of the Great War with the Aldmeri Dominion , troops from the Reach were called to join the war efforts in Cyrodiil . In the year of 4E 174 , hardline Reachmen took this opportunity to rebel against the Empire and slaughter much of the Nord population in the city of Markarth . The uprising gained momentum , pushing the Nords out of the Hold and removing the Reach from Imperial authority for two years . Between 4E 174 - 4E 176 , the Reachmen established an independent kingdom . The Markarth Incident . Desperate to reclaim the Reach , Jarl Hrolfdir enlisted the aid of Ulfric Stormcloak and his militia , promising them free worship of Talos in exchange for their assistance . Ulfric accepted , and his troops reconquered Markarth from the Reachmen soon after . The returning Legion , coming back to restore order in Skyrim after the Great War , was allegedly refused entry into Markarth until they granted free Talos worship . The Empire accepted , however , agents of the Aldmeri Dominion discovered the Empire was violating the terms of the White - Gold Concordat , and demanded the arrest of Ulfric and his militia . The disillusionment of Ulfric and his men over what became known as the Markarth Incident would prove to become one of the direct causes of the Skyrim Civil War . The Reachmen took on the name of the Forsworn after their defeat in Markarth , and those not imprisoned fled to the highlands to continue their insurrection against the Empire ' s control over the Reach .