Dalacard Rethwode

**Dalacard Rethwode**, known as the **Light of Solitude**, is a famed and legendary knight from Nimalten and a member of the Order of the Blades. Many consider him to be one of the most chivalrous warriors of Tamriel. He earned the alias of "Light of Solitude" when he intervened in the battle that led to the conquest of Solitude by the Covenant, starting the Covenant Wars.

Dalacard was Knight-Paladin Gabryella's closest friend and advisor before the Fall of Nimalten. He was the son of Sentinel Benteron Rethwode.

## Character

According to Asenath, Dalacard was the deadliest of the warriors of the Empire in her time. Thrynnîril Ael'druin, who had a rivalry with Dalacard, recalls that Dalacard had a power in magic that nearly equaled his. Kaillus Sicarius considers Dalacard to be an efficient commander.

According to semi-canon sources, Kaillus Sicarius and Dalacard were evenly matched with regular swords. However, if Dalacard wielded Goldbrand he would beat Kaillus.

## History

Dalacard wielded the Sunderblade of Nimalten as part of his office as a sentinel, a gift from Gabryella after a skirmish near Bthalft. Following his victory against the fearmongering spirit Goragham, he made Syndro Dracalla a thane of Nimalten, who would later be sent in assignment to Cyrodiil due to that honor.

## Recent Events

### *The Covenant Wars: Legendarium*

#### *Fall of Nimalten*

After foreseeing a war of large scale and having these visions confirmed by witches of High Rock, Azaron travels to the Shivering Isles to obtain an artefact. He brings that artefact, the Flame of Agnon, to Nimalten, where Dalacard lives, due to the magical properties of the land. Dalacard is chosen by Gabryella to welcome him at the border, and is accompanied by his companions, among them Volskyg Snow-Wing.

While Azaron was at Nimalten, Dalacard suggested to his liege that in exchange for holding the strange artefact, Azaron should be kept as a guest to ensure the safety of giving him favor. Due to this suggestion, Azaron was made a guest and starts to counsel Gabryella himself, speaking of far wonders and of the magic of forgotten Artaeum. When Dalacard is away with his sentinels, Azaron and Gabryella attempt a ritual with the Flame of Agnon that summons an Obelisk of Order into Tamriel. Though Dalacard rides with haste to help, greenfire had already desolated the city and slain most of its inhabitants.

In the aftermath, Dalacard attaches himself to the saddle of a mare and loses consciousness, being carried to Eastmarch, and found by Gull Asbrandottir near a settlement of the Vigil of Stendarr. There, the Vigil was already aware of the Fall of Nimalten, and convened with Quintus Petreia to discuss the ramifications of a Daedric invasion in small scale. Quintus offers to help Dalacard redress his loss, but Dalacard replies that he wants only vengeance. In time, he accepts to travel with the Grandmaster and the Vigil if only to gather men and arms to search for survivors and retake what is left of his home city.

Quintus brings Leander Boreas, Gull Asbrandottir, and Dalacard Rethwode to the ancient fortress of Athelham, the Sky Haven Temple. There, a dark spirit inside the weapon Goldbrand beckoned to Dalacard, and bartered with him: the spirit proposed that Dalacard should tell it all he knew about the Grandmaster who kept the weapon sealed and safe, and the spirit would grant him the location of Gabryella. Dalacard agreed, attempting to deceive the spirit, since he knew nothing of the Grandmaster, nor of the seals of the temple, but it is told that the spirit possessed Dalacard and led him to steal the Elder Scroll of Warp, being dislocated somewhere else upon touching the artefact.

Due to being possessed, the spirit suffered the consequences of using an Elder Scroll and remained dormant inside the weapon. Dalacard woke in Taarengrav, and being found by Azaron, discovers that though the destruction of Nimalten was not planned, Gabryella agreed to attempting the ritual that caused it. Azaron explains the reason for the ritual, saying that to avoid the impending war an army of Dremora should be conjured and put to guard the border between the countries of Skyrim and Cyrodiil. Taking no interest for it, and with disappointment for the naivety of Gabryella, he abandons Azaron and Taarengrav. Before he can leave Taarengrav, Gull, who was sent to find him, is imprisoned. Azaron grants them safe conduct, but the soldiers of Trolhetta attempt to keep her prisoner. Dalacard, influenced by the dark spirit of Boethiah inside his weapon, slays them and flees west with Gull.

During his journey, Dalacard's mind became ensnared by the spirit inside Goldbrand and began to lose sanity. When they arrived in Athelham, Quintus convened once again with the Vigilants and dispatched both Gull and Leander to siege Taarengrav, where they would attempt to imprison Azaron and force him to dispel the Knights of Order that held Nimalten. Making Dalacard a prisoner, Quintus travels east to Morrowind, where he acquires the Sunna'rah from Neloth of House Telvanni. Upon his return, Quintus used the Elder Scroll of Warp to dislocate into the fabric of Dalacard's soul. Inside, he found Dalacard subdued by the spirit of Boethiah and together they used the Sunna'rah to battle the foul spirit. After their victory, Quintus and Dalacard dislocated back to Athelham using Recall.

Dalacard begins his training with Quintus, and learns about the soul and the mystical arts taught in the Isle of Artaeum. While Quintus one day leaves at the summons of Terpsichore ald Direnni, Azaron dislocates into Athelham to be found by Dalacard. They speak of Gabryella, and that she is losing energy, soon to be unable to sustain the power of the Flame of Agnon, thus dying. When Azaron brings Dalacard to Nimalten, Dalacard rages to see Gabryella in such a state, and duels with Azaron, winning the contest. Attempting to free Gabryella from her prison, the Flame of Agnon falls to the floor, and its fire spreads.

With the fire spreading, Tamriel began to merge with the Shivering Isles, bringing hordes of Aureals and Mazkens to Nimalten. Realising that his efforts to avert the war are causing more harm than good, Azaron attempts to become the host of the Flame of Agnon himself, but due to his wounds, he fails. It is told by the stories that Dalacard then took the Flame of Agnon and Azaron and used a levitation spell taught to him by Quintus to peer beyond a star, a hole in the sky, and throw the Flame to Oblivion. Though these are only tales and legends, it is said that a colossal spirit of Oblivion dismantled the flame and stole its energy, moving away from Nirn.

Dalacard is saved from the fall from the sky by Quintus, and brought to Athelham to resume his training. In the course of the next months, they are visited by Kydonius Therin, who has been appointed as the head of the matter of the northern rebellions.

#### *Stand of Solitude*

When Numancia and the Bandit King kept hostage in Ragnvald a company of Wayward Guardians that travelled to Athelham to give Quintus Petreia the news of a prophecy they had seen, Dalacard led the company to rescue or ransom the prisoners. However, as a prisoner sacrificed himself to explode and set fire to the tower of Ragnvald, and Numancia had the Trolhettans march down on Markarth, Dalacard retreated. When Maenar Aquilarios asked him if they shouldn't intervene to the aid of Markarth, Dalacard said that this was the task of the soldiers and the warriors of that city, and between the quarrels of men equally unjustified, the Blades would not set out their hand to pick one or another.

When the Covenant decides to siege Solitude, the Blades remain in their policy of neutrality. When the siege is broken and the sacking of the city begins, although unknown if for his own will or by the order of Quintus, Dalacard uses the Elder Scroll of Warp to dislocate to Solitude. His use of the mystic arts disbands the hosts of robbers and outlaws fighting for the Covenant, and eventually he duels the Bandit King alongside Kydonius Therin and Kaillus Sicarius. The Bandit King evades them, though the real circumstances of the fight are unclear. Recorded history says that after escaping the enthralling of Dalacard's magic, the Bandit King was magically removed from Solitude with the use of the Elder Scroll of Warp.

After the fall of Solitude, Dalacard helped Kaillus and Therin board the ships that would cross the Padomaic Ocean to Leyawiin. Dalacard himself returned to Athelham to stay there until the end of 4E 224, when the Blades retreated to Cyrodiil as well.

#### *Refuge of Bruma*

In Cyrodiil, Dalacard was given command of the temple of Cumanarán, but charged Maenar Aquilarios to be its castellan and commander while he retired himself to the Imperial City. There he lived in the Dragonfire Cathedral, in the underground of the city, learning with Quintus. Dalacard was informed of the fall of one of the watchtowers of the Pale Pass and set to return to Cumanarán.

When he arrived, he helped Maenar Aquilarios fend off a group of mountain ogres that were attacking the gates of the temple. When he successfully defeated the ogres, he found ancient runes of forbidden magic etched in them. He has a disagreement with Maenar about their position on the war, and suggests that they should turn their eyes to the scrolls of old to discover why and how the mountain ogres were incited to attack Cumanarán. Learning that a Bosmeri among them, Alea Lasharel, is a spinner, he takes her to the Imperial City to curry favour with Thrynnîril Ael'druin.

Dalacard is met at the Imperial City in the manor of Viscount Thrynnîril by his guards of Duntûr, but is allowed inside. There, Thryn is concerned with the use of ancient magic, but promises to help them in exchange for an oath being sworn. Thryn demands that the Blades swear an oath to follow the Empire into war if it comes to it, knowing that Cumanarán is an impenetrable fortress. Dalacard offers to swear the oath, but Thryn claims that to Men oaths are nothing: Alea should swear the oath, as a Bosmer who breaks an oath is cursed, thrown in the tar-pits of the Ouze, and erased from the Song of the world.

Alea swears the oath and Thryn brings them to the Arcane University. Sabrina Arana resides here, the Archmistress of the Council of Mages. She assures the three that the ancient magic of the Wild Elves is a matter of her responsibility, and that all the tomes are safely kept in different parts of Tamriel. When Dalacard raises a concern that they might have been stolen, Sabrina reveals the location of one and suggests that Alea and Dalacard retrieve it, but warns them that they might die in the process, as she set magical traps to protect it. Dalacard and Alea then leave the Imperial City and set to the Jerall Mountains, searching for the tome hidden in the Frostcrag Spire. Alea's foresight and Dalacard's mysticism allow them to evade the traps and enter the magical fortress. Inside, they are met by the invader Numancia, the Witch of the East. She explains to them the incoming turning of kalpas, and offers them a place at Gaiar Alata alongside the selected to survive the doom. Though Dalacard sees reason in her explanation, Alea refuses and rebukes the offer. A short duel ensued, but being overpowered by Numancia, the two dislocated to Cumanarán, where they told Quintus of what passed in the Frostcrag Spire.

When Quintus departed to Oblivion to search for Gaiar Alata, Dalacard and Alea went to Telepes in Western Blackwood to seek the counsel of Thryn again, and request another audience with the Archmistress. Thryn received them and was all the more concerned to know that a servant of Mehrunes Dagon and of the Covenant had been inside Cyrodiil so freely, but denied discussing the matter with the Blades, preferring to keep his own counsel and that of his folk. He ordered his Duntûr to find accommodations for the Blades to spend the night. As all retired themselves to rest, Numancia followed the trace of Dalacard and Alea and arrived at Telepes.

The great burning of Telepes started, and much of the forests of the Blackwood were consumed by magical fire. Coming forth to stop her, Thrynnîril Ael'druin and Dalacard Rethwode battled the Witch of the East relentlessly. In time, gifted a vision by Y'ffre, Alea announced that she was in fact Sabrina Arana, the Archmistress of the Mages Guild. Feeling betrayed, Thryn advanced against her, but was moved by force of her powers to go against Dalacard. They crossed swords and stabbed each other in the heart, and were both defeated by Numancia and killed.

Recorded legends tell a tale that due to a pact made by Numancia with the Ideal Masters, both Dalacard and Thryn were sent to the Soul Cairn in the afterlife. According to the tale, Dalacard and Thryn were brought to audience with the overlords of this plane of existence by request of the latter. Thryn promised 100,000 souls to the Ideal Masters in exchange for his own and Dalacard's, and granted that being a commander of the wars to come, he would have power to take 100,000 lives. Dalacard protested, but the Ideal Masters said that a war had always two sides, and therefore they demanded 50,000 friends and 50,000 foes. None knows what happened after, but the souls of Dalacard and Thryn were brought back to their bodies.

Hunting Sabrina, Dalacard and Thryn found her in the Anutwyll, holding Alea hostage. After battling a horde of Dremora, Thryn and Dalacard ambushed and dominated her. Feeling the hold would not last, Dalacard dislocated himself and Sabrina into Goldbrand. Sabrina was maimed there, fighting Dalacard, and sent back handless to Nirn, where she was slain by Thryn as the first soul of his debt to the Ideal Masters. Still as per the tales, Dalacard remained in self-exile within his sword and swore not to return to Nirn until he had slain 50,000 foes in Oblivion.

### The Covenant Wars: Raze of the Bandit King

Thaggor, a watchman of the Bloodlet Throne for the Covenant, remembers seeing Dalacard cross Falkreath when the Blades retreated from Skyrim. He reckons that he alone led a group of five hundred, all mounted. He thinks Dalacard's claim of justice for Nimalten was no better nor more just than any man's who had their homes burned because of the war. When his ranging party is hunted and slaughtered by a man in a black cloak, Thaggor wonders if the man is wielding Goldbrand, but comes to a negative conclusion, as Dalacard's sword was bright as the Sun to behold, while the man's sword was as the night.

Gull Asbrandottir recalls her past interactions with notable figures at the Temple of Skyhaven. She had once engaged in a sparring match with Kydonius Therin, struggling to defend against his mace. The Blades, an elite group of warriors stationed at the temple, practiced combat relentlessly. Among them, Rethwode was particularly formidable, only ever bested by Leander in a spar. Despite Leander's rugged demeanor, his combat prowess was undeniable. Gull often reassured herself of Leander's survival instincts, though she acknowledged that being a skilled fighter, as demonstrated by Dalacard and Quintus, did not guarantee survival.

In Telepes, Alea experiences vivid and unsettling dreams. These dreams are filled with symbolic imagery: dark shadows, one resembling a dragon and another made of gold and white stone, and a boy she initially mistakes for Dalacard. Her dream journey takes her across various landscapes, from the Blackwood to the distant lands of Yokuda. In this dream realm, she sees Dalacard Rethwode, her mentor, practicing swordsmanship with a golden blade. She recalls Dalacard's words about ending the war, but struggles to remember the entirety of his message. A memory from four years prior in Telepes surfaces, where she and Dalacard discussed their acquaintance with Thryn Ael'druin. Dalacard recounts a tourney in Vahtacen where he was unhorsed by the Duke of Morahame, Mariber Sicarius, but spoke fondly of a squire named Il’thaen, who was saved by Thrynnîril Ael’druin. The dream then shifts to a more distressing scene where Mariber Sicarius stands over the fallen body of Dalacard, draped in the banner of Nimalten. Overwhelmed by grief and anger, Alea awakens.

In a dream, Kaillus Sicarius envisions a past battle where valiant knights, including Dalacard Rethwode, Alecor Valga, Brant Idolus, Maxar Costanni, Tarhilgor, and Temperr, fought against a formidable iron giant. Despite their combined efforts, the giant eluded them, and the knights retreated on a white ship. The scene shifts to a somber discussion between Kaillus Sicarius, Kydonius Therin, and Dalacard Rethwode. They reflect on the fall of Solitude and their dwindling forces, contrasting their current situation with their past victories. Kaillus mourns the territories they've lost, but Dalacard offers wisdom, suggesting that true possessions are not material but internal.

Legate Septimorian recounts the details of the Trial of Narfinsel to Gull. Lady Ashcrow, vocal in her criticism, believed the trial was harsher than necessary. The fate of Dinshar was determined by three key figures: Duke Godrich, Dalacard Rethwode, and Kydonius Therin. While the outcome seemed balance between Ashcrow and Therin, it was Rethwode's decision that ultimately sealed Dinshar's fate.

## Quotes by Dalacard

> *I will not stand by in the presence of evil.*
>
> —Dalacard to Azaron Hlaalu

## Quotes about Dalacard

> They whispered of Dalacard Rethwode, the Nimaltese, deadliest of the knights of the Empire, and of how their king had forced him into retreat.
>
> —Asenath, thinking of her crewmates

> **Dalacard**: Fight for a border if you will, but not at cost of my sight or life, for this is not my fight. What is it to me should Cyrodiil fall, or even your castle here on Athelham?
> **Quintus**: Do not have calm in face of wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with you. You should not stand by in the presence of he who is evil, and all workers of iniquity should you repel. Abhor the bloody and deceitful man, Nimaltese, lest they do to others what Azaron did to your kin.
>
> —Quintus Petreia and Dalacard Rethwode