Madanach

"This was our land. We were here first. Then the Nords came and put chains on us. Forbid us from worshipping our gods. Some of us refused to bow. We knew the old ways would lead us back to having a kingdom of our own. That is who we are. The Forsworn. Criminals in our own lands. And we will cut a bloody hole into the Reach until we are free." — Madanach, 4E 201


Madanach, also known as the King in Rags, was the leader of the Forsworn Rebellion. He once ruled all of The Reach as king, although only for a short time. Taking advantage of the Empire's preoccupation with the Great War, in 4E 174, he led the uprising to drive the Nords from power in the Reach. According to historians, this brief period of Reachman independence was peaceful, with only the cruelest Nord landowners being put to death, and the nascent kingdom made overtures seeking formal recognition from the Empire.

However, Igmund, son of the jarl that Madanach's forces had overthrown and killed, eager to reclaim the Reach, accepted an offer from Ulfric Stormcloak to retake it with his militia in exchange for the reinstatement of Talos worship in the Reach. Ulfric succeeded in 4E 176, when he successfully besieged the capital of the Reach, Markarth, capturing Madanach in the process.

Although Madanach's surviving supporters, now known as the Forsworn, dispersed throughout the Reach and continued agitating for Reachman independence through terrorist means, Madanach himself seemed likely to be executed. He only survived by agreeing to an offer from one of the Nord nobles, Thonar Silver-Blood, who offered him "a stay from the headsman's axe" and the ability to continue to lead his rebellion from within the prison, as long as the Forsworn served the Silver-Blood family's interests. Madanach thus remained imprisoned in Cidhna Mine for 25 years, all the while building a core of loyal followers among his fellow prisoners, most of whom were Reachmen, and ordering the murder of any who threatened the Silver-Bloods' interests.

In 4E 201, the Last Dragonborn discovered the shady relationship between the Forsworn and Silver-Bloods while investigating a Forsworn attack in the marketplace targeting a seemingly innocent Cyrodiilic visitor to Markarth, who was actually one of General Tullius' agents sent to wrest ownership of Cidhna Mine from the Stormcloak-sympathizing Silver-Bloods. The city guard, who profited from the situation, silenced the Dragonborn by framing them for the unsolved murders committed by the Forsworn and indefinitely imprisoning them in Cidhna Mine with Madanach and his followers. The Dragonborn sought out and met Madanach there. Madanach gave the Dragonborn the choice of helping him and the other imprisoned Forsworn escape Markarth so that they could finally stop serving the Silver-Bloods, or duelling him to the death to avenge the deaths Madanach had ordered, as well as his attempts to kill and silence the Dragonborn during their investigation. Although the Dragonborn's choice is unknown, they escaped Cidhna Mine and were pardoned, as the Forsworn's responsibility for the murders was revealed.

via "Madanach"