Lore:Ulecia

Witch Ulecia
Race	Reachman	Gender	Female
Resided in		Druadach Mountains, The Reach

"Of the two sisters, the old Reach woman told me, Ulecia was the lucky one. She got to die free." —Cassia Volcatia

Ulecia was a legendary figure from the oral tradition of the Reachfolk. She was a witch of Reach origins known for her remarkable prowess in water magic and her ill-fated rivalry with her sister Tancia, an air mage of comparable power. Tancia and her sister were once revered as two of the greatest Reach witches, but their unquenchable desire for power ultimately drove them toward a perilous and destructive journey. The story of The Sister Who Turned Her Skin Red, named after Tancia's sister, served as a cautionary tale illustrating the dangers of an insatiable hunger for power.

History

Legend has it that Ulecia, the younger sister, challenged the leadership of the clan ruled by her elder sister, Tancia, who was chosen as the clan's leader due to her mastery of air magic. Both sisters possessed extraordinary magical abilities, with Tancia excelling in air magic and Ulecia mastering formidable water magic. The clan was reluctant to witness a conflict between these two powerful siblings, as they were a source of great pride. Nonetheless, their inability to reach an agreement on leadership plunged the clan into a quandary.

To resolve this problem, the clan devised a competition consisting of extraordinary magical tasks. Tancia and Ulecia engaged in these feats of magic, with each trying to outdo the other. Tancia summoned a powerful whirlwind capable of moving a cart, but Ulecia responded by conjuring a mighty river of water that uprooted a tree. While Ulecia sweetened the clan's water to taste like honeyed mead, Tancia lightened the hunters, enabling them to ascend into the sky and descend as if they were climbing stairs. However, Tancia pushed the competition to its limits. In her desperation to surpass her younger sister, she struck a pact with a Daedric Prince, offering seventy years of servitude in exchange for leadership of the clan. The Daedric Prince granted her request but went beyond her expectations. When Tancia returned to the clan's camp on the eve of the chief's nomination, her fair skin had transformed into a deep shade of blood-red, and her eyes glowed like fiery embers. Before the entire clan, she unleashed scorching air, incinerating her sister. Horrified by this gruesome act of violence, the clan disbanded. Immortal Tancia roamed the wilds where the clan once thrived, issuing challenges to anyone who might end her eternal lonely existence, devoid of clan or family. According to the tale she remained bound by her Daedric contract, cursed with immeasurable might and an eternal life that no one can terminate. Among the two sisters, Ulecia was considered the fortunate one, as she found freedom in death.

Legacy

Tancia and Ulecia's tale became a cautionary legend among the Reachfolk, preserving its presence through generations. At a certain point, during or shortly before the reign of Ard Caddach, an Imperial scholar and storyteller Cassia Volcatia embarked on a journey to converse with an elderly Reachwoman who shared this narrative with her. The scribe eventually compiled a collection of stories titled Scary Tales of the Druadach. These literary works garnered sufficient acclaim to draw the notice of Ard Caddach, the leader of the Reachfolk. He extended an invitation to the scholar, beckoning her to the capital city of Markarth, sometime after 2E 577. In Markarth, the scholar published a follow-up series of stories, with the intention of rectifying any misconceptions about the Reachfolk that may have been present in her earlier works.