Red Eagle Red Eagle ( Old Reach Native : Faolan ) was a legendary hero of the Reachmen , who despite being forsaken and exiled by the ruling elders of his people , managed to defend the Reach from legions of the Alessian Empire until Empress Hestra mobilized a force " unlike any before . " History . Red Eagle was born in the Sundered Hills , deep within The Reach , around 1E 1030 . As a boy , the village priests foresaw his destiny . He was to become a great warrior and leader , who would unite and lead the ten warring kings who ruled the Reach at the time . As the years passed , Red Eagle grew in power and influence and became a prosperous and well known leader . Invasion . Around 1E 1055 , Hestra , Empress of Cyrodiil , attempted an invasion of The Reach . The old kings resisted , but were either killed or bribed to fall under the banner of the Alessian Empire . Eventually , Hestra ' s legions arrived at Sundered Hills and envoys were sent to bargain for their surrender . Red Eagle refused to yield the freedom of his people , but the elders were afraid , cast him out , and accepted the Imperial yoke . Resistance . Despite his expulsion from Sundered Hills , Red Eagle still held great influence among his people . He gathered Reachmen loyal to himself and his belief that the Reach should be free from Imperial oppression . Together they formed a resistance and successfully carried out raids on the seemingly endless number of Imperial patrols and garrisons throughout The Reach . Briarheart . One night Red Eagle was approached by a cloaked stranger who revealed herself to be a Hagraven . She offered him power , for a price . Red Eagle agreed to the pact and sacrificed his heart , his will and his humanity to become a Briarheart . The Reachmen are allied with Molag Bal , but it is not known if his deal was with the lord of discord specifically . Nevertheless , from that day forth , his was a spirit of vengeance ; he was pitiless and beyond remorse . The Reachmen resistance grew in strength and numbers , and within two years Red Eagle managed to drive the Imperial Legions from The Reach . Hestra ' s return . Despite Red Eagle ' s initial victory , Empress Hestra returned to The Reach with an army unlike any before . For two weeks Hestra ' s generals laid siege to Red Eagle ' s stronghold until he emerged , alone and robed in nothing but his flaming sword . It was said that he fought well into the night and slaughtered a thousand Imperials before he was slain . His kin buried his body in Rebel ' s Cairn , a hidden tomb deep within the rock . According to legend , he presented his legendary sword to his people , and swore an oath : Fight on , and when at last The Reach was free , his blade should be returned to his tomb so that he might rise and lead them again . Legacy . In the Fourth Era , the descendants of the Reachmen , the Forsworn , draw several parallels to the struggles of Red Eagle and his oppression under an occupying force . As such , many of them extol the teachings and practices of Red Eagle and look up to him as a paragon . Indeed , the Sundered Towers became a stronghold for the Forsworn and Red Eagle ' s Fury was even wielded by their Briarheart leader . This leader was slain by the Dragonborn and the sword was claimed . It was then used to open Red Eagle ' s tomb and the undead Reachman was defeated . His sword then became Red Eagle ' s Bane . Interactions . Legend of Red Eagle . Red Eagle can be encountered in Rebel ' s Cairn at the conclusion of this quest , which is initiated by reading the book " The Legend of Red Eagle " . Approaching the coffin at the back of the room will cause Red Eagle to rise up along with four skeletal archers at different points around the room . He will typically appear as a leveled draugr boss , but may appear as a common dragon priest at higher levels . Walkthrough . Red Eagle wields a unique Nordic sword called Red Eagle ' s Fury , but sometimes it can be a Honed Nordic Greatsword of Burning . At higher levels ( approx . 40 ) , Red Eagle can be encountered as a dragon priest , though he will not drop a mask . Red Eagle uses the shouts Disarm and Unrelenting Force . If the Dragonborn is having trouble defeating him , circling around his coffin and using a bow or spells to damage him may be useful . Unrelenting Force or Ice Form shouts can be used to knock him down , giving free rein to the Dragonborn to attack while Red Eagle is down . Another possibility is using a Destruction - type staff such as Staff of Fireballs . Using it will make the battle a bit easier . Summons or followers can be very useful as well , distracting Red Eagle or his skeletons . An extremely effective way of defeating him is to back - track up the stairs , to the doorway of the secret door . Then use Unrelenting Force to throw him down the stairs , which will damage him quite a lot due to the height of the fall . Then run back and take back Red Eagle ' s Bane from the altar which you put Red Eagle ' s Fury into . This action results in the door shutting in his face . He will be stuck down there , giving the Dragonborn time to recharge dragon shouts . The door can then be opened when needed to shout him back down again . Repeat until he is defeated . Fire magic and shouts can be used to seriously harm him , as undead are weak to fire .