The Eagleseer Clan is a prominent clan of Reachfolk that lives in the Reach, a region in western Skyrim. The Eagleseers are a proud, warrior clan that tends to feud with other clans for whatever reason, and even nurture these feuds like how other clans might nurse their children. While most clans view outsiders with contempt and annoyance, the Eagleseers pay no mind and are generally friendly to those they do not quarrel with. They view outsiders as unworthy of a good Reach feud.[1] For ages, the Eagleseers have been enemies of the Six-Ford Clan and vice versa, and it dates back to their foundation in years long past.[2]
HistoryEdit
In ancient history, there was a man and woman that were deeply in love and promised to wed each other. Together, they created the Lover's Coil, a totem of stone meant to symbolize their love but on the day of their wedding, it broke in half. Taking it as a sign of the spirits' displeasure, the two separated and grew to hate each other. The man's bloodline developed into the Eagleseer Clan while the woman's evolved into the Six-Fords. Both clans took one half of the coil and warred each other for the other half, and while the story of how it broke is contested, the history that took place after is engraved in Reach history.[2]
The battles fought in their conflict are mostly unknown, except for two, the battles at Faolan's Ire and Karthspire Lea, where the pieces of the coil were last located.[2] The Battle of Karthspire Lea was one of the bloodiest skirmishes in the conflict, so much so that the blood that stained the area looked black from afar. Unlike most battles in Reach history, this battle had no clear victory, and while most forces yield when defeat is nigh, both clans did not waver and fought like they intended to die. The chieftain of the Eagleseers at the time, Maddorfa was mortally wounded early in the battle from a spear through the leg. He insisted that his clan folk bind him to a nearby pillar to prop him up and continue to fight. Few people survived the battle and while Maddorfa's fate is unknown,[3] his piece of the Lover's Coil was buried at his post.[4]
When Caddach of the Blackdrake Clan became the Ard of Markarth in 2E 559, his power had only extended to the confines of his city while in the Reach proper, the strongest tribes at the time, such as the Eagleseers, the Six-Fords, the River-Elks, and the Thornroots had the most power. To the clans, the Ard was just another chieftain despite the Empire's authority over the Reach.[5]
By the spring of 2E 560, during the reign of Emperor Moricar, the clan was ruled by Chief Darragh and in that same year, a scholar from the University of Gwylim, Glabrian Tuliel traveled to the Eagleseers' dhun to study the Reach's way of life. His first time with the Eagleseers was in the early spring and witnessed the clan conduct a ritual to gain Hircine's favor for a post-winter hunt. After their hunt, Tuliel studied the clan's hunters for two weeks before returning to Markarth. They returned to the Eagleseers' dhun in the midsummer to find the village half-empty as the clan divided themselves to stock up on food and preserve their livestock from mountain beasts like ogres and trolls.[6]
Tuliel returned for the third time in the fall to see them prepare for the coming winter. They gathered roots and berries, as well as culled their herd to preserve the meats in smokehouses. The scholar had also brought a bunch of tools, such as knives and blankets, and offered to help the Eagleseers any way he could. Eventually, they had grown accustomed to his help and before the winter broke out, Tuliel left the village and returned for the last time in the midwinter. Three days before his return, the Six-Fords intercepted an Eagleseer hunting party and killed Chief Darragh, to which his former advisor, Aislin used to blame Tuliel and forever force him away from the clan. The scholar left and later documented his time with the clan four years later during Emperor Leovic's reign.[6]
After years of constant feuding, the chiefs of Clan Eagleseer and Clan Six-Fords decided to patch it with a handfast between their children, Eslyn of the Eagleseers and Madearn of the Six-Fords. The handfast was set to take place in Hroldan Ring and overseen by the Chief-of-Chiefs, Cannear of the River-Elks. The betrothed, however, could not go through with the ceremony, and the two escaped from the handfasting cave. Cannear had sent an outsider to retrieve the two but instead help them find Vateshan Barth and bring the Lover's Coil back together. Over time, Eslyn, and Madearn grew affection for each other, but it is unknown if they decided to proceed with the handfasting or not. And despite the cause of the feud having been resolved, it is unknown if their ageless conflict ended that day with the ceremony of handfast or started to slowly die out as more clansmen learnt about the origins of the feud.[4]
Members of the Eagleseer Clan joined the Arana's Wayward Guardians. They wanted to find glory in open battle against the forces of the Gray Host.[7]
Known ChieftainsEdit
See AlsoEdit
- For game-specific information, see the Elder Scrolls Online
article.
BooksEdit
- A Year Among the Eagleseer Clan by Glabrian Tuliel, University of Gwylim — A scholar's account of the Eagleseer Clan
- The Battle of Karthspire Lea by Vateshran Barth — An old story about an undecided battle of blood
ReferencesEdit
- ^ On the Clans of the Reach — Theopho Harvian, Imperial Scribe
- ^ a b c d Vateshran Barth's dialogue in ESO: Markarth
- ^ a b The Battle of Karthspire Lea — Vateshran Barth
- ^ a b c Vows and Oaths quest in ESO: Markarth
- ^ Politics of the Reach — Consul Cardea, the Ard's Administrator, 2E 578
- ^ a b c A Year Among the Eagleseer Clan — Glabrian Tuliel, University of Gwylim
- ^ Desola's dialogue in ESO: Markarth