Dirca

A character from the Tapestry of Dark Souls novel, Dirca was the wife of Andor Merriwite, the sister of Ivar, the adoptive mother of Sondra for almost two years, and the would-be adoptive mother of Jonathan. Although Gundarakite, she resided in Linde with her husband and brother, operating the Nocturne inn. She, like many of the villagers of Linde, became a victim of Morgoth's feeding.

History

Like all Gundakites, Dirca knew the terror of Duke Gundar well. At that time, she was the wife of Torvil, and they lived together in poverty. Dirca and Torvil had two children together, both girls. Torvil ordered her to abandon them in the forest because he did not want to support caring for children that would be claimed by Duke Gundar's for not paying the girl tax. To prevent any future conceptions, Dirca bought a potion to render her irrevocably barren from Madame Avana for a measly pittance, as Avana showed sympathy for her.

The same night, Torvil came home on a pallet. He had become too inebriated and had a nasty fall, leaving him only half alive and unable to work. Sensing their deaths from starvation as a result of the tax Gundar would levy, Dirca allowed Torvil to catch his death of cold. However, her mariticide was detected, and she fled Gundarak with her brother Ivar. Eventually she met Andor, a fellow refugee from Gundarak, and married him. He was all too glad for her inability to bear children, for he was an infected werewolf, and any of their children would be cursed with the dread disease.

Because she was forever denied the ability to have her own children, Dirca became elated when Brother Leo delivered Jonathan to her to raise as her own son. Yet this elation became great sorrow and bitterness as the child failed to bond with them. Within a week, the Guardians claimed him back and took him back to their monastery. Internally, she could not let go that Jon was her child. The arrival of Sondra, her niece, into her household a number of years later, did not fulfill her maternal desire. If anything, Dirca held resentment against Sondra.

This resentment turned to envy when a 17 year old Jon entered their lives and took a liking to Sondra. Later, Morgoth used Dirca's maternal desire for Joan to enthrall her, and he commanded her to save an imprisoned Sondra and deliver her to him. Instead, Dirca attempted to poison Sondra, but she escaped. Only in the last moments before Morgoth's arrival did Dirca realize her transgression against Sondra. Dirca attempted to halt Morgoth's advance to Sondra, but he murdered Dirca and drained all her life away.