Reachmen The Reachmen are a race native to the Western Reach and later the Reach . They are often considered barbaric savages by the other races of Tamriel and are well known as the " Witchmen of High Rock . " While they are mostly Breton in stock , the Reachmen do not consider themselves as such . Biology . Due to the converging location of the Reach on the borders of Skyrim , Hammerfell , and High Rock the Reachmen share ancestry with many of the other Human and Elf races of Tamriel . Their origins can be traced back to when Men and Mer first began breeding within the Western Reach . During the War of Succession , the Elves of High Rock massacred the Nord population living in the occupied Western Reach , and because of this , the Reachmen owe most of their ancestry to Bretons and Elves . The Reachmen were also believed to have interbred with Nede s , Imperial s , Daedra , and Orsimer . History . First Era . It is stated that the Nords had never discovered Nedes or Manmeri until they first began entering the lands beyond their borders during the Skyrim Conquests . Because of this , it is likely that the Reachmen first began immigrating into the Reach of Skyrim sometime during or between the Conquests and the War of Succession , most likely when the western portions of Skyrim , including the Reach , had been conquered by the Direnni Hegemony , who had held control of the Reachmen ' s indigenous lands during the time . Sometime around 1E 500 , the Reachmen would begin a bloody uprising against the Direnni Elves , claiming the Western Reach and possibly the Direnni - occupied Reach of Skyrim , for their own kind . In this uprising , almost all the Altmer i inhabitants of the Western Reach were exterminated . The Reachmen were said to have taken up residence in Markarth shortly after the Dwemer disappeared around 1E 700 . Siege of Orsinium . During the Thirty - Year Siege of Orsinium , the Winterborn clan was allied with the forces of Daggerfall , Sentinel , Knights of the Dragon , and commanded by General Mercedene , the " Beast of the Reach , " as mercenaries hired by King Joile . The Winterborn were previously commanded by Evandene , who lost her title when she refused to kill civilians of a village . Her daughter Mercedene challenged her on the spot , killed her , cut our her heart , and ate it . Taking command of the Winterborn , she shot the villagers full of arrows and had her mother ' s corpse decorating an altar to Malacath . Sometime between 1E 952 and 1E 973 , Mercedene captured Rokaug , the brother of famed Orcish hero Baloth Bloodtusk . Under Joile ' s orders , she had to set up a duel between Gaiden Shinji and Baloth . To do this , she had Joile threaten Shinji that if he didn ' t accept , Lord Trystan would go in his place . She and Joile then manipulated Baloth by telling him his brother Rokaug died at her Winterborn forces , causing him to ally with King Golkarr of Orsinium . During the duel , as Shinji and Baloth were fighting , Mercedene had Joile ' s Archer s assassinate them both , eliminating the most powerful soldiers of both Orsinium and Hammerfell . Lord Trystan discovered this plot shortly before - hand , but was too late to save the heroes . He ordered Commander Reliana to kill Mercedene for her betrayal , and the Winterborn commander died at her hands . Trystan , Reliana , and Rokaug left Mercedene ' s body in Orsinium , where she would later rise as a Wispmother known as " Mercedene the Cursed . " Joile did not let Mercedene ' s sacrifice go in vain , and later executed his invasion of Hammerfell , but died during the Battle of Bangkorai Pass . The Red Eagle . The Reachmen rule over the Reach would continue on until the 11th century of the First Era . The Reach at this time was made up of ten , scattered , warring kingdoms , with the most notable of them being known as the Sundered Hills , where the Reachman hero , Faolan , better known as Red Eagle , was born . The Red Eagle was prophesied to bring peace to the ten warring kingdoms and unite them all into one , collective , kingdom . However , in 1E 1030 , the Reach was invaded by the Alessian Empress , Hestra . The Alessians conquered each kingdom , one by one , until only the Sundered Hills remained . The Empress sent envoys to negotiate a surrender with Faolan , but when he refused , the Elders of his kingdom exiled him and ceded the Sundered Hills to Hestra . In order to reclaim the Reach from the Empire , Faolan formed a resistance group made up of traditional Reachmen , using the Reach ' s myriad of cave systems to raid Imperial garrisons and the Reachmen that betrayed them . After being visited by a Hagraven , the Red Eagle willingly gave up his humanity to become , possibly , the first Briarheart and a spirit of pure vengeance for his people . The Red Eagle ' s rebellion would spread throughout the Reach , raising in strength and numbers , and after two years , the Reach had been almost completely removed of the Empire ' s influence . Fearing defeat , Hestra sent a much larger army to secure the Reach under her control and besieged the Red Eagle ' s stronghold for two weeks until Faolan ' s defense fell and the Reach was brought into the Empires control again . Reman Empire . After the first Akaviri Invasion in 1E 2703 , the Emperor Reman Cyrodiil moved his focus to the Reach , splitting the region between Imperial controlled High Rock and Skyrim in order to stop Reachmen raids on mines in the region . Armies from Evermore and Solitude were consistently brought into the Reach to keep stability in the area . Reachmen were said to raid locations as far as Bruma during this time . During the reign of Emperor Kastav and the Winterhold Rebellion of 1E 2804 , local Reachmen helped aid the Dragonguard with supplies in the two year long siege of Sky Haven Temple . Second Era . The Interregnum . Many years later , during the Interregnum of the Second Era , the Reach once again became an independent state . During this time , many border wars were fought between the Reachmen and the holds that surrounded the Reach . The Reachmen invaded Cyrodiil at some point , being led by a man by the name of Durcorach the Black Drake , and created a rather short lived dynasty of Reachmen commonly known as the " longhouse clan . " In 2E 541 , Durcorach attempted to expand his empire by invading High Rock . Durcorach conquered the lands of Bankorgai , Evermore , Hallin ' s Stand , and Camlorn . The young king , Emeric , was able to hold Wayrest through the invasion , and turned the tide of the war after defeating the Reachmen at Daggerfall . The Reachmen Invasion of High Rock helped to unify the province and was highly responsible for the creation of the Daggerfall Covenant . The longhouse clan would rule over the fractured Empire for almost thirty years before being deposed by Varen Aquilarios . During the Three Banners War of 2E 580 , some Reachmen were known to have aided Molag Bal ' s plot to fuse Nirn with Coldharbour , as well as pester both the Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact . In later years , some Reachmen allied themselves with the Second Aldmeri Dominion , while other Reachmen groups would , instead , come into conflict with the Dominion . The Reach was eventually reconquered by Hjalti Early - Beard in 2E 852 during the closing years of the Interregnum , and the Reachmen were forced to live under the rule of the new Septim Empire . During the period of early occupation , the Reach was put under the direct control of Provisional Governor Titus Alorius to see the region evolve into a new era of peace and prosperity . Fourth Era . The Forsworn Uprising . Since the Interregnum , the Reach remained a hold of Skyrim until the Great War when a group of rebellious Reachmen known as the Forsworn , believing themselves the rightful rulers of the Reach , captured the capital city , Markarth , in 4E 174 , with the intention of removing Nordic influence from the Reach and restoring the ' Old Ways ' to their people . With the armies of the Empire out fighting the war , the Forsworn easily took the Reach for themselves , establishing their own , self - proclaimed , independent kingdom . Their king , Madanach , ruled over the Reach . While some scoff at the idea of the Reachmen ' s government being anything more than a chaotic uprising , others claim that Madanach ruled relatively justly , with only a few crimes occasionally committed against former Nordic landowners . After the war with the Aldmeri Dominion , Madanach petitioned the Empire to be recognized as a legitimate kingdom . The Markarth Incident . Jarl Hrolfdir of Markarth and his son Igmund , in their desperate attempt to reclaim the Reach from their usurpers , organized a militia led by Ulfric Stormcloak , with the promise of free Talos worship within the city . The militia reclaimed the Reach from the Reachmen during the event later known as the Markarth Incident in 4E 176 , killing off a large number of those they considered associated with the rebellion or in any way responsible for the city ' s falling , and allegedly , murdered any citizen who did not do their part to fight the Forsworn , though this may just be hyperbolization in order to slander Ulfric Stormcloak . When the Thalmor found out about Hrolfdir and Igmund ' s deal , the Empire was forced to arrest all the members of the militia , as they were violating the White - Gold Concordat , causing the event to become a key cause for the Skyrim Civil War . A large number of the Reachmen fled the city , running to the hills to continue their rebellion , becoming the contemporary Forsworn . Jarl Hrolfdir attempted to make peace with them only to be murdered in the process , with his shield being gifted to Hagravens . Contempt for the Nords only grew , with the Forsworn now claiming they would kill off all the Nords that ruled the Reach . The Forsworn Conspiracy . After the Markarth Incident , Thonar Silver - Blood saw the potential usefulness of the Forsworn to advance his family ’ s control over the Hold , and used his influence to secretly spare Madanach from execution , making him , and the remaining Forsworn rebels , his personal puppets . This implies that Jarl Hrolfdir ' s assassination was possibly under Thonar ' s command . During this time , many mines and their owners were targeted by the Forsworn for the purpose of allowing the Silverblood family to take their lands under their own " protection " . Using his wealth to put the Markarth Guard s in his pocket , Thonar was able to effectively prevent the investigation of these attacks , as well as to hold the Reachmen within a low social - hierarchy to create a convenient , and cheap , labor force . Thonar would continue to use the Forsworn to benefit his own agenda of gaining widespread control over the Reach and its inhabitants , until 4E 201 when Madanach began to rebel against Thonar ' s orders and continued the ideals of the original Forsworn Uprising . The Old Ways . While by the Fourth Era , most Reachmen had given up their more extreme traditional values , some groups , most notably the Forsworn , continued to follow the traditions of their ancestors , being known as the ' Old Ways ' . These ' Old Ways ' are considered by many to be archaic and cruel , being said to only lead to ruin for the Reachmen . Religion . The traditional Reachmen are often described as being barbaric Daedra worshipping savages , that revere and placate Hagraven s . The exact gods that the Reachmen worship are not clearly defined , but they seem to worship their own distinct pantheon they refer to as the Old Gods . The Reachmen ' s glorification of Hagravens hints that they may worship Daedra , but various shrines to the Divines found in Forsworn camps seem to contradict this . It is highly likely that some Reachmen worship both Aedra and Daedra , or at least began worshiping Aedra in later years . Another possibility is that some of the previously civilized Forsworn tribesmen have not fully given up the gods of Imperial tradition . Traditionally , worship varied from tribe to tribe , as certain groups were known to center their worship on specific gods . For example , the Crow - Wife Clan situated near Evermore primarily worshiped the Daedric Prince Namira . The most commonly seen recipient of Reachmen worship is Hircine , with some clans seemingly developing entire pantheons around him based on his five stated aspects , Alrabeg , Storihbeg , Uricanbeg , Gulibeg , and Hrokkibeg , each represented by specified animal spirit . The Reachmen ' s worship of these more feral aspects of Hircine have put them at odds with some of the Witch clans of High Rock , who view him in a much less vicious light . Additional Daedra some Reachmen are said to worship are Malacath and Mehrunes Dagon , while none are known to worship Sanguine or Clavicus Vile . Some have even speculated that the Reachmen may even have their own unknown pantheon of deities , unidentifiable to other religions , worshiped through ancient totems and talismans . The observed Reachmen religion centers around the practice violent rites . Such rituals include self - flagellation , scarring , live burnings , bathing in blood , dismemberment , and possibly cannibalism , with some clans even being known to sacrifice children by cutting out their still beating heart . Werewolves and other such creatures are highly praised by Reachmen , being perceived as a blessing from Hircine , rather than a curse . Reachmen shamans often practice rituals with Hagravens in order to master certain nature magics , with some , known as Gravesingers , dabbling in Necromancy . Reachmen association with the Aedra has been noted with Forsworn clansmen , although their names for these gods , if any , are unknown . In Broken Tower Redoubt a Shrine of Dibella can be seen . At the shrine , a Forsworn Briarheart not only performs what appears to be blood sacrifices at the statue , but also kidnaps Fjotra , a Sybil of Dibella , and imprisons her in a cage . While possibly a barbaric form of worship , the ritual could also be interpreted as some purposeful form of desecration . Additionally , Fort Sungard , while under the control of the Forsworn , possesses a shrine to Kynareth ; while if the Legion controls it , it will be for Akatosh ; and if the Stormcloaks control it , a shrine of Talos will be present . Culture . The traditional Reachmen seem to have a very deliberate tribal culture , wearing animal pelts and living in tents made of fur . The Reachmen have a known disdain for the civilized societies and cultures of Tamriel . Despite owning both The Reach and the Western Reach at various points in their history , they were never known to have established permanent settlements , seemingly preferring to live in remote mountainous regions and caves . The Reachmen view the Reach as some form of holy land gifted to them by Hircine , and so is defended ferociously by their kind . The magicians of their tribes practice a variety of taboo magicks such as human sacrifice and the creation of Forsworn Briarheart s , a process in which is viewed as the pinnacle of warriorhood amongst the Reachmen . For this reason , they are known as the " Witchmen of High Rock . " It is believed that a large number of their taboo magicks were acquired through trade between the Reachmen of the Western Reach and the Orsimer tribes of the Wrothgarian Mountains . The Reachmen are said to posses their own language , though there is no evidence of any written form , as all primary Reachmen documents are transcribed from oral tradition . The most revered individual amongst the Reachmen is the legendary Red Eagle , who led the rebellion against the Empress Hestra in 1E 1030 . A prevalent Reachmen teaching is that subtlety and nuance are for the weak , and that the weak , in turn , deserve to be punished , this can be seen in many of their violent rites of passage . A fair number of Reachmen tribes are notably matriarchal . The traditional Reachmen are also described as being very cruel , often kidnapping the inhabitants of villages and enslaving them . Firsthand accounts say that even the Reachmen ' s humor was normally dark and malicious , being known to pull pranks that causes physical harm to others . During times of war , the Reachmen were known to pillage , massacre , and raze any settlements they came across and were normally known to use overwhelming forces and speed when attacking cities rather than siege tactics , as they lacked proper siege weaponry and naval forces to do so . When , raiding villages or other tribes , Reachmen are said to prefer sneak attacks , catching their enemy by surprise and then dominating them . The Reachmen have been said to enjoy being enemies of the other races . Despite this , some old Reachmen tribes were noted to have no problems trading peacefully with the cities of northern Tamriel . Clans . Throughout history , there have been multiple Reachmen clans . They are as follows :