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Tecla Ibsen is a fictional character that appears in the W.I.T.C.H. comics. She's the primary villain of Arc 6: Ragorlang.

Personality[]

Tecla has two sides to her personality. At first meeting, she is a kind and funny older lady who enjoys making friends. But to her enemies she is cruel and merciless, willing to do anything to get what she wanted. It's hinted that before she gained the power of the Ragorlang, she was a kind and loving wife to her husband, Karl.[1]

As she loses more fights against W.I.T.C.H., she becomes more desperate and irrational. She also becomes cruel and heartless even towards Karl, brushing off his affections and mocking his feelings. Once she is freed of the Ragorlang and accepts herself as she is, she returns to her kind former self.[2]

Plot[]

Tecla gained the power of the Ragorlang sometime in her late adulthood, giving her a sense of power she'd never had. Though this dark power required her to steal the energy of other mortals, she didn't care as her ultimate wish was to no longer feel like a weak, helpless old lady.[2] She often wondered about the nature of these powers but wouldn't suspect until much later they were magical.[3] Her personality also changed to become more ruthless against her victims and enemies. Even so, her husband Karl remained faithful to her, doing everything he could to keep her healthy and happy.[4]

Tecla and Karl traveled to many cities so Tecla could steal people's energy. At some point, she began to sense someone following her (later revealed to be Edward Folkner, a Ragorlang hunter),[3] but she could never figure out who it was.[5]

Eventually, the Ibsens settled into Open Hill where Karl took on a job as a history teacher in the Open Hill High school. When the Lyndon family moved to Open Hill, the Ibsens made close friendship with them as their son, Eric, attended the high school where Karl taught. At some point, Tecla required more energy and Karl helped her steal the lifeforce from his own students at the high school, leaving many catatonic.[4]

The Ibsens attended dinner with the Lyndons while they were hosting Eric's friend, Hay Lin. Tecla gladly made friends with the visitor while Karl spoke with Charles about the recent "sickness" among the kids at the school. For unknown reasons, Karl mentioned the ragorlang as a theory, though Tecla's immediate disapproval and Eric's bad feelings about his friend's sickness led the conversation to end.[4]

After dinner, Tecla bid goodbye to the Lyndons and found Karl telling Hay Lin the legend of the Ragorlang. She cut into their conversation and hurried them home, though suspected Hay Lin had heard too much. That night, she sent her Ragorlang to drain her lifeforce as well. During the attack, Hay Lin called on the other Guardians and scared the Ragorlang away, not knowing the mark it had left on her. Tecla learned of Hay Lin's great powers and now determined to get her energy, led Karl to sign up for a teacher's conference in Open Hill. He passed on a note about it to Eric as an excuse to have Hay Lin return to Open Hill, somehow knowing of her connection to Dean Collins, a history teacher.[4]

On the conference day, Hay Lin arrived with Collins and Will Vandom. She sent her Ragorlang with Karl who successfully lured Hay Lin away from her friend and stole her energy. The Ragorlang fed on part of Hay Lin's powers, but couldn't take enough at once to leave her catatonic. The girl was brought to the Ibsen house where Tecla continued to drain her energy. Noticing Karl's anxiety, she blamed him for telling Hay Lin about the ragorlangs and asked if he was trying to warn her of Tecla's power, though he declared he wasn't. Both noticed that as Tecla took Hay Lin's energy, her form was becoming younger, meaning the girl had a special energy.[4]

The rest of W.I.T.C.H. tracked down Hay Lin and Tecla recognized them from the other night. Tecla’s monsters had the advantage over W.I.T.C.H. whose powers had no effect, until she was knocked unconscious by Will. With her down, the Ragorlang dispersed, releasing all its stored energy back to its victims. The explosion caused the house to collapse and everyone escaped, with the Ibsens fleeing from W.I.T.C.H. After losing so much energy, Tecla’s powers dropped to almost nothing and her appearance aged beyond her years, as well as leaving her unable to summon her Ragorlang. Seeking the mystic energy she got from W.I.T.C.H., the Ibsens boarded a train to Heatherfield to find the girls. Karl was concerned about her mummy-like state but she assured him she would be okay if he helped her capture W.I.T.C.H.[4]

At some undetermined point, Tecla found the island village of the Roamers who came to Earth to find a home. She slipped into the island and convinced the Roamers to wear her mirror charm jewelry which split their negative sides from the good to become her new ragorlang army. Roamer member Kader Peyton noticed her doing this but was unable to stop her as she used this army to attack the rest of the village and drain their energy. With this, she was able to regain some of her lifeforce and no longer looked mummified. Kader led most of the villagers to flee the island but his sister, Erin Peyton, was left behind. Tecla found the girl and convinced her that she was actually the one who rescued her, earning Erin's complete trust and loyalty.[1]

Tecla and Karl arrived to Heatherfield and Tecla began stalking Hay Lin, sitting in The Silver Dragon and following her to Ye Olde Bookshop. Hay Lin noticed her, but the other Guardians convinced her it was just her imagination. Unknown to any of them, Edward Folkner had also followed the Ibsens to Heatherfield, tracking Tecla by looking for the mark of her Ragorlang in the eyes of Sheffield Institute students.[6]

The Ibsens learned of the "Kate Cultural Exchange" with Sheffield Institute[6] and made a new plan to catch W.I.T.C.H. Tecla brought Erin to her new base in Heatherfield and lied to the girl that W.I.T.C.H. were the ones who attacked her village with the “shadow monsters”. As she filled the girl with hatred and rage, she asked her to attack Irma Lair with her powers and slowly take over the minds of the whole group. Karl disguised himself as a coordinator to the program, "Mr. Ritter", which even Erin did not know as she followed Tecla’s instructions and was assigned to live with Irma.[1]

Just as Tecla planned, Erin met W.I.T.C.H. and used her mind control powers to get them fighting. She gradually separated Irma from the rest, then took over her mind so that she controlled her thoughts, planning to use her as bait to take control of the others. However, W.I.T.C.H. managed to convince Erin that Tecla lied to her and even reunited her with her brother, thus taking the girl to their side.[1]

While waiting for Karl and Erin to bring W.I.T.C.H., Tecla bemoaned her lessening power and inability to summon a Ragorlang. Karl arrived alone and when she inquired about Erin, he told her the girl had turned against them. Tecla was distressed at not getting their power, becoming more desperate. Karl tried to comfort her that they were in this fight together and she laughed off his sentimentality, more determined than ever to get the girls.[1]

The Ibsens fled their hideout before Erin could lead Kader and W.I.T.C.H. to them, getting a room in a new motel. As Tecla was too weak to fight, Karl succeeded in putting her mirror pins on a group of boys with a grudge against W.I.T.C.H. In the night, the boys’ negative sides became Ragorlangs that attacked Cornelia Hale in her home, though the other Guardians saved her.[7]

Tecla's energy continued to deplete and she started to blame Karl for their defeats and setbacks. She could only hope that Uriah's instinctive anger at the Guardians would be enough to crush the girls so she could take their energy. The pseudo-Ragorlangs did lure W.I.T.C.H. and the Peytons to the amusement park, using the Hall of Mirrors to multiply. But W.I.T.C.H. trapped them all in a stone dome and without light, they faded to nothing, once again ruining Tecla’s plans. Without the new energy, Tecla grew older again.[7]

W.I.T.C.H. learned more about the eye doctor Folkner who had an obsession with Ragorlangs and an interest in Tecla. They believed the two were working together.[8]

The mark of the Ragorlang that remained in Hay Lin finally mutated the girl, slowly transforming her into a Ragorlang. Tecla could sense this happening as Hay Lin’s energy was filtering through the woman, giving her some strength back. If she could take control of Hay Lin completely, she could get enough strength to summon her true Ragorlang once more. When Hay Lin fully transformed, Tecla summoned her to an abandoned movie theatre as bait for the rest of W.I.T.C.H. to follow. There, Tecla had the air Guardian attack her friends whose magic had no effect. While this was happening, Folkner also arrived to the theatre to confront Tecla, revealing he’d been tracking her and wanted to capture her Ragorlang. With his Black Box ragorlang trap, he almost succeeded in draining Tecla’s shadow creature until Karl knocked him unconscious to protect his wife. W.I.T.C.H. managed to get through to Hay Lin and Folkner, once conscious, used his trap to remove the Ragorlang and free the girl permanently. This weakened Tecla and the Ibsens had to run away from Folkner.[5]

When the actions of We leaked Kandrakar magic into Heatherfield, Tecla could sense it right away. She soaked it up into her body and while Karl worried about the effects of this, she mockingly asked if he feared she would leave him if she was young and powerful again. Karl didn’t answer. Even after W.I.T.C.H. returned most of the magic to Kandrakar, Tecla had taken enough of it to finally summon her Ragorlang again.[9]

With all her new energy, Tecla aged down to a middle-aged woman which disturbed Karl. The Ibsens learned of Sheffield Institute’s trip to Noah’s Isle and readied to follow them as the chance to finally capture them. On the day of their departure, Tecla noticed Karl’s depressed mood. He admitted he’d hoped she wouldn’t attack W.I.T.C.H. anymore and just be satisfied with her renewed youth. However, she saw through his worries and assured him that despite her youth, she would not leave him as he was still useful to her. She also revealed that she could now summon five Ragorlangs instead of one and more than that, each one possessed an elemental energy similar to W.I.T.C.H., thanks to the Kandrakar magic. In order to feed these new creations, she would need more mystical energy, not just mortal anymore.[3]

The couple took a train to Noah’s Isle and set up their camp, expecting W.I.T.C.H. and Folkner – who Tecla now recognized as the one following her – to track them down. Once their enemies arrived to the camp, Tecla ambushed them, disarming Folkner of his trap and attacking W.I.T.C.H. with her new Ragorlangs to put them into battles against their own powers. After teleporting the Guardians away, she gloated about her new abilities to Folkner while Karl knocked him out and stole his Ragorlang trap. However, Karl refused to hand it over to Tecla, now seeing the danger she posed to herself and preferring she gave up on the Ragorlangs altogether. The woman proclaimed she loved her monsters, but Karl corrected that she only loved the power they gave her as true love was very different. W.I.T.C.H. returned at this point, having defeated the monsters, and Will tried to knock Tecla out again like she had in their first battle. The woman proved to be much stronger this time, getting up quickly and re-summoning her Ragorlangs for another battle. Since the girls had proven unity was the strongest power, Tecla had the Ragorlangs combine into one massive creature and in doing this, accidentally created a dark version of the Heart of Kandrakar. This dark Heart summoned the real Heart into a battle but ultimately, the real Heart won and absorbed its copy, taking back the last of Kandrakar’s powers. Tecla’s energy was removed and she was left at her original old age, with one very weak Ragorlang. What's more, Karl gave the ragorlang trap back to a revived Folkner, then held her back while he absorbed her Ragorlang. Now deprived of her dark powers, Tecla wept into Karl's chest even though he had betrayed her. They witnessed an obsessed Folkner merging himself with the Ragorlang and escaping into the woods. With nothing else to do, W.I.T.C.H. took the couple to the research center on the island, claiming they were just lost tourists. Karl hoped this would be their chance for a normal life, but Tecla was at a loss of what to do now.[3]

Sometime after their defeat, the couple was driving back to Open Hill to restart their lives. Tecla had no interest in living as a weak old lady while Karl insisted they put the past behind them and move forwards together. Tecla spied a billboard for the Karmilla concert in Heatherfield and suspected Folkner would attack the partygoers, a chance to get her Ragorlang back. Karl refused to get involved anymore, so she told him to go home alone as she would be going to Heatherfield.[2]

Without Karl's help, Tecla made her way to Heatherfield and into the house of the mutated Folkner. As he had already stolen the energy of the concert, he’d warped his own home into a maze and was attacking W.I.T.C.H. with Ragorlangs when Tecla arrived. Folkner, merged with a giant Ragorlang, revealed his plot to take over all of Heatherfield which outraged Tecla as she wanted all that power for herself. As W.I.T.C.H. raised a barrier to protect themselves and Tecla from the Ragorlangs, We revealed to have brought the Black Box with him. Tecla stole it and tried to recapture the Ragorlang, but it didn't work and Folkner tried to steal her energy. At that moment, Karl jumped into the way to protect his wife, declaring he loved her before going catatonic.

Taranee Cook scolded the woman for her foolishness but Tecla no longer cared, having now lost everything that mattered to her. She revealed her true wish was to have the same youth and power as the guardians, but they told Tecla she had many things they didn’t, such as her beautiful memories and the love of Karl. Touched by their speech and their determination to fight until the end, Tecla decided to aid them in the battle. She reclaimed the Black Box from Folkner, tossing it to the girls while telling them to use the light within their heart to weaken the monsters. As she left the safety of their barrier, her energy was stolen. She gave her apologies to Karl before she was made catatonic as well.[2]

W.I.T.C.H. followed Tecla's advice and trapped the Ragorlang into the Black Box, along with Folkner and his house. Everyone's energy returned to them, including the Ibsens who woke beside W.I.T.C.H. in the leftover crater. The Guardians took the couple to Kandrakar where they met the Oracle. A repentant Tecla apologized to him for all the trouble and offered to take full responsibility for what happened. However, the Oracle instead offered them a place in the fortress to truly start a new life. Irma, who was in a hurry, gave the two a playful warning not to cause any more trouble, then hustled her friends back to Earth so they wouldn’t miss the concert. Tecla was disappointed by this, wanting to thank the Guardians for all they’d done for her, but Yan Lin assured no thanks were needed.[2]

The two are not seen again but it’s assumed they lived peaceful lives together in Kandrakar.

Powers and abilities[]

Tecla can create a monstrous shadow, called Ragorlang. The Ragorlang is a creature that can devour the energy from humans and transfer it to the body of its creator. Tecla used the creature to devour the energy of other people, feeding her power. She later discovered that when taking the energy of someone with magic, such as Hay Lin it gave her greater strength and made her younger. The downside of this was that if her Ragorlang should be defeated, the release of energy would cause her to age drastically.[4]

Aside from her own personal Ragoralang, Tecla had other methods of using her powers. She could create little mirrors that, when placed against people, split their negative energies away from their bodies. The person, left with only positive energy, would become kind, chipper, and completely nonthreatening. The removed negative energy created a small, less powerful version of the Ragorlang which would attack whoever the person originally disliked. These smaller Ragorlangs could not steal energy, but when coming in contact with reflective surfaces, they could multiply into an army.[7]

Another of Tecla's skills was to infect those she attacked with Ragorlang energy. Over time, this would mutate the victim into a Ragorlang monster that Tecla could control.[5]

Gallery[]

Images of Tecla Ibsen.

References[]

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