Morrowind
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The province of Morrowind is in the north-eastern corner of Tamriel. It is divided into a large mainland and the island of Vvardenfell, separated by the Sea of Ghosts. It is the homeland of the Dunmer or Dark Elfs.
Morrowind is ruled by King Hlaalu Helseth from the city of Mournhold, although the Tribunal or Almsivi are a great influence in Morrowind's politics. It's larger cities include: Vivec, Mournhold, Balmora, Sadrith Mora, Ald'ruhn, Blacklight, Nocrim, Narsis, and Tear. File:Morrowind.jpg
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[edit] History
The earliest civilization of which there are records is that of the Dwemer. Sometimes called "Dwarves" by the ignorant, the Dwemer were the remnants of the early Aldmer who had settled the coasts, and developed a highly sophisticated and technological culture.
The rule of the Dwemer in Morrowind was contested by another group of Mer, the Chimer. The Chimer were, like the Dwemer, descendents of the Aldmer, and had followed their prophet Veloth across Tamriel from the west. Soon, they abandoned nomadic life and divided themselves into what were known as the Great Houses, tight-knit political clans that survive in Morrowind to this day.
Disputes over territory marked the early interactions between the two groups of Mer. These battles were fueled by the conflicting religious beliefs of the two cultures. While the Dwemer were an agnostic people, preferring reason to faith, the Chimer were staunch Deadra-worshippers, and considered the Dwemer's lack of belief an affront to their gods.
It was not until Nordic invasions of the First Era that the two groups of Mer were able to achieve peace. An alliance led by Nerevar of the Chimer and Dumac of the Dwemer was successful in routing the Nords from the land, and creating the First Council.
Ultimately, though, the cultural differences between the two groups were too great to allow for a lasting peace. The War of the First Council culminated at the Dwemer fortress of Red Mountain, although accounts of the final hours of the war varied.
It is known that Nerevar was slain during or shortly after the battle, although by whom remains a point of much contention. Dumac and all of his Dwemeri brethren were killed, but the exact manner of their extinction is still debated. Nor did the Chimer leave the battle of Red Mountain unchanged: their skins were turned to grey and their eyes fire-red. They would henceforth be known as the Dunmer of Morrowind.
Perhaps the most important consequences of the battle were the changes effected in Nerevar's closest advisors. His trusted Tribunal - Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec - were found to have attained great, even god-like, power. His general, Dagoth Ur, originally thought killed at Red Mountain, was later found to have attained similar degree of power. These four former mortal individuals were to become seen as symbols, champions, gods, and villains, sometimes revered and sometimes despised. The four, until recent years, exercised great influence over the development of the nation of Morrowind.
While most of the local governance of the province continued through the Great Houses, the Tribunal ruled the land indirectly through their Temple, and inspired the Dunmer with their status as Living Gods. The Daedra worship that the Chimer espoused was considered nothing more than a prelude to the new spiritual awakening of the land. Their powers were tested as they joined with the Reman Dynasty to defend the land from the Akaviri.
Though victorious, Morrowind's relationship with the Cyrodilic Empire did not remain cordial, and after steadily growing mistrust, The Four Score War erupted in the 2840th year of the First Era. The Tribunal, and Vivec in particular, demonstrated enormous power and leadership in battle after battle, yet neither side advanced for almost eighty years. In the end, it was the diplomatic skills of the Three that ended the war. Whatever the extent of the Tribunal's power, and how much fancy has been woven into their legend, there can be no doubt of their diplomatic prowess. While other provinces flailed in the chaos of the Second Era, the Tribunal kept the disparate Houses of Morrowind in check, and repelled yet another invasion from Akavir.
The Tribunal's diplomatic skills were put to the test yet again at the end of the Second Era, when they were faced with the external threat of Tiber Septim's rising Empire, as well as the internal threat posed when Dagoth Ur, after long slumbering, arose to take back his fortress of Red Mountain. Septim, not eager to fight three Living Gods and also worried about Dagoth Ur's return, agreed to a treaty, as described in the history section of this book. The treaty gave Morrowind autonomy and gave the Septim Empire the means to conquer the rest of Tamriel: an equitable solution for both parties involved.
A further concession was given to Septim's demand for a central authority in Morrowind: a ruler who could be his hand in the domain. Barenziah, daughter of the ruling family of Mournhold, was the first to be given the title of Queen of Morrowind. The title was largely ceremonial, but the young Queen and her consort, Tiber Septim's general Symmachus, proved to be extremely popular with the Dunmer people.
The Arnesian War was one of the many during the troubled time of the Imperial Simulacrum of Jagar Tharn. What started as a simple slave revolt in the House Dres lands of the south built on itself until the swampy plains erupted with blood and fire, pitting Morrowind against Black Marsh. During the chaos, Symmachus was slain, and Barenziah, rightly fearing for her life, fled across the Empire to the High Rock kingdom of Wayrest. The Queen abdicated her throne, leaving it to her uncle Athyn Llethan, a House Hlaalu noble.
The uneasy truce between Temple, King, and House was beginning to crumble. Dagoth Ur was ascending, the Tribunal was collapsing, and then, according to current popular rumor, a miracle occurred. Indoril Nerevar was reborn, and returned to Morrowind to set things to right
[edit] Current Events
Although the Nerevarine has currently left Morrowind, on an expedtition to Akavir, the repercussions of that arrival on the shores of Vvardenfell may not yet be fully realized. Dagoth Ur and two members of the Tribunal, Almalexia and Sotha Sil, were destroyed in the Nerevarine's fury. Vivec was also possibly killed, but his fate is currently undetermined.
During this time, another legendary figure, Queen Barenziah returned to Morrowind. The sudden death of King Llethan, and the subsequent coronation of Barenziah's son, Helseth, was the source of much discussion, but as one Nord diplomat famously put it, "The new king is manipulative, ruthless, and calculating. He is exactly what Morrowind needs."
The young king has been something of an enigma, both to outside observers and his own subjects. One of his first edicts as King seemed particularly designed to dismantle the traditional power structures of the Dunmer. In accordance with the longstanding wishes of the Empire, he outlawed slavery throughout Morrowind. The reaction to this was bloody, as could be predicted, though the alliances formed were far from expected. As Helseth himself put it in a speech to his people, "If there is to be a revolution, it is best done by a King." This led to a brief civil war, fought bewteen the alliances of House's Hlaalu and Dres, agaisnt the Redoran and Indoril. The Telvanni, interestingly enough remained neutral to this new law, not wishing to be brought into this conflict. The war has resulted in Helseth emerging, battered but his power consolidated and intact with House Indoril in complete Ruin, and House Redoran in overall decline.
Actions such as this have led many to view King Helseth as the latest in the lineage of Imperial figureheads, though some of his other actions would cast doubt on this pronouncement. Helseth's reformation of the Grand Council, which includes the heads of all of the Great Houses, was seen by some as a return to more traditional Dunmer ways.
The Great Houses themselves, long stagnant, are adjusting to the new powers in the land. Some, like Dres and Hlaalu, are on the rise, embracing the new traditions while welcoming the return of the old. Others, like Indoril and Redoran, are waning, unable to change with the times.
The City of Ald-Ruhn on Vvardenfell was also destroyed by the Daedra during the Oblivion Crisis, forcing the Redoran to move their capital to Blacklight on the mainland. House Redoran's terrioty on the mainland has also been subjected to heavy Nordic and Orcish mercenary raids.
[edit] Geography
Once a part of the First Empire of the Nords, Morrowind is now the land of the Dark Elves, whose origins are shrouded in mystery like the ash storms that regularly blanket their homeland. Savage and proud, the Dark Elves shun all contact with the outside world, even with their brethren from Valenwood and the Summerset Isles. The traveler, upon crossing Shadowgate Pass, may be forgiven for believing that he has left Tamriel and entered a different world. The sky is darkened regularly by furious ash storms belched forth from the mighty Vvardenfell volcano. The familiar flora and fauna of Tamriel is exchanged for bizarre and twisted forms that can survive the regular ashfall. Cloaked and masked Dark Elves tend herds of giant insects. A courier clatters by on the back of a 20-foot-tall, crab like creature. Everywhere, cowering slaves - Argonian, Khajiit, Imperial - scurry to carry out the barked commands of their Dark Elven masters.
Located in the north-east of Tamriel, much of the landscape is as twisted and mountainous as its neighbor Skyrim, but it is a hot, desolate land, even far from Vvardenfell and its famous volcano, Red Mountain. Previously named Resdayn, Veloth, Dwemereth, and Dunmereth, it was home to the mysterious, lost Elven tribe called the Dwemer, and their cousins, the Chimer of Summerset who became the Dark Elves of today. For the last two Eras, it has been called Morrowind.
[edit] Dunmer
The grey-skinned red-eyed Dark Elves seem admirably suited to their weird, ash-blighted region. They are known as the Dunmer in the Elven tongue, and now populate the great stretch of northeastern Tamriel between the Velothi Mountains and the sea, and between the southern edge of the Deshaan plain and the northern coast. But from whence these unusual people came, what were their race and lineage, or where their original home, ere they spread themselves over Morrowind and the Deshaan, are questions easier asked than answered. The Dark Elves must have split from the original trunk of the Elven race many long eons ago, for although unquestionably kin to the other Elves of Tamriel, the Dark Elves differ in many ways, not least in their striking appearance. His ash-grey skin and glowing red eyes makes a Dark Elf instantly recognizable, although few have seen one, as they rarely leave their homeland. Like all elves, they tend to be tall and gaunt, but the Dark Elves take the Elvish haughtiness to an extreme, viewing humans as no better than beasts, fit only to serve as slaves on the plantations of Tear.
They consider themselves superior even to other Elves, who in their estimation are effete and decadent specimens of the pure Elven race. The earliest human records bearing on the subject (which must remain our best source until the archives of the High Elves are opened to Imperial scholars) are the sagas and chronicles of the Nords. The Nords gave to the region the name of Dunmereth from being the land of the Dunmer; but in earlier ages it was called by themselves Resdayn; and Imperial Librarian Elba Laskee traces the foundation of the Dark Elven nation back to above 3,500 years from the present time. Morrowind was not given its modern name until after the first eruption of Vvardenfell.
[edit] Religion
[edit] The Tribunal Temple
The strange heathen religion of the House Dark Elves deserves special note. They worship three gods known as "the Tribunal", and believe these gods walk the earth and rule Morrowind directly. To an outsider, the priesthood of the Tribunal seems to be the true power in Morrowind. Each Tribune, who go by the names of Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, has an eponymous city dedicated to its worship, and a palace/temple within each city where the god supposedly resides. The priests of the Tribunal cult are all-powerful in Morrowind; strange processions of fantastically garbed priests roam the land, selecting new candidates to serve the Tribunal, who are seized without resistance and never seen again.
Only the highest of the tribunal priests, or persons of spiritual greatness chosen by a tribunal themselves, come into contact with these revered figures. Tribunal temples are in every native Morrowind city, generally in circular shaped buildings, and the Tribunal religion is often refered to as just the Temple. The Temple is spread to all great houses and is the religion practiced by all native dunmber, excluding the ashlanders which the Temple looks down upon.
Worshippers must go on a quest to many pilgrimages to become full, respected members of the Temple, many of these involve offerings to shrines. The tribunal and the dunmer saints of the religion are worshipped at three sided shrines which offer healing and blessings to the followers, with the proper offerings as necessary. The Temple has strict rules and is a formidable power in Morrowind, and it is dangerous to attack it in anyway, verbal or physical. The Temple makes strong campaigns against vampires, deadra worship, and necromancy, and is at all times trying to deminish their numbers.
Each god is a distinct figure to temple members. Vivec is known for his generosity and skill in battle, and a patron for rogues and artists. Almalexia is known for her kindness and healing nature. Sotha Sil is best know for his skill in wizardry and mechanics. A book series has been written about the events these gods and is called 2920, The Last Year of the First Era and also a book a religous series entitled 36 Lessons of Vivec. The tribunal has allied with three deadra lords; Azura, Mephala, and Boethiah; who are refered to as the 'anticipations'.
[edit] Daedra Worship
Daedra worship, or the deadra cult, is thought of as the antithesis of the tribunal. The religion is comprised of members who serve and worship god-like figures known as "Daedra Princes," or "Daedra Lords,". Outsiders, particularly Tribunal or Nine Divine worshippers, generally view daedra cultists as barbaric and sinister, which is in part justified by many hostile groups. People of all races are known to worship daedra.
Hostility from human deadra worshippers is directly related to the cruel nature of the Daedra Lords. Recognizable Daedra Lords include: Mephala, Azura, Boethiah, Clavicus Vile, Nocturnal, Vaermina, Sheogorath, Mehrunes Dagon, Malacath, and Molag Bal. Daedric Lords in Morrowind are worshipped at giant, easily recognizable citadels that are dedicated to specific Lords. A daedroth is a demon-like creature that serves a Daedra Lord, they come in many forms and are immortal, to a degree.
[edit] The Ashlanders
The Ashlanders beliefs are very different from other religions in Morrowind. They believe in an ancient prophecy involving the Nerevarine, that is meant to save the native dark elves from outlanders, or the empire. The temple believes them to be savages and kill anyone who would claim to be part of the prophecy.
[edit] Local Politics
The Politics of the province of the Empire is controlled by five clans, known as the Great Houses. They entirely control the politics and trade in Morrowind. In the past there were six houses. Each major clan is allied with numerous sub-clans, the alignment of which is more or less permanent, although it is not unheard of for a subclan to switch allegiances. In former times, the clans carried out their feuding with open warfare. This was forbidden under the Tribunal, but the clans still engage in bloody infighting through the unique institution of the Morag Tong, the sanctioned guild of assassins. Clans routinely hire the Morag Tong to eliminate their enemies, and the assassins of the Morag Tong may kill their assigned "marks" with impunity, as long as they conform to the obscure (but strict) rules of their guild. Such an arrangement strikes the citizen of the Empire as an outlandish barbarism, but, as with much in benighted Morrowind, seems well-suited to the savage temperament of the Dark Elves.
[edit] House Indoril
Clan Indoril claims kinship with all three of the legendary Tribunes, which doubtless accounts for Indoril's preeminence among the five clans. Indoril's capital is Almalexia, also the capital of Morrowind itself, and the Tribunal priesthood (which is one and the same as the bureaucracy of civil government) is dominated by the Indoril and their subclans.
[edit] House Hlaalu
Clan Hlaalu is the smallest and weakest of the five clans, clinging to Great House status in their ancient capital of Narsis. Traditional enemies of the Indoril, who have controlled the levers of government for 3,000 years, the continued resilience of the Hlaalu must inspire a certain respect. Merchants and traders in a land that despises outsiders, the Hlaalu nevertheless maintain a limited commerce with the Empire, trading stout Imperial broadcloth and Cyrodilic brandy for the elegant trinkets produced by the admittedly skilled craftsmer of Morrowind.
[edit] House Redoran
Clan Redoran guards the western flank of Morrowind, and are known as the best warriors among the Dark Elves. Each warrior of the house is sworn to a strict code of honor as to maintain the Redoran's warrior reputation. Redoran towns and strongholds generally have distinctive buildings made from the shells of large crab-like giants.
[edit] House Telvanni
Clan Telvani is the most xenophobic of a xenophobic race, shunning all contact with outsiders, preferring to tend their herds of giant insects amid the rocky hills and islands of the extreme northeast. Telvanni bug-musk is a highly prized perfume among the Dark Elves, and their riding-insects command the highest prices in the markets of Almalexia and Narsis. House Telvanni is controlled by a high council of wizard-lords. Each Lord has domain over his or her own stronghold, which is usually the center of a small town of which they also rule. Wizard-Lords are often extremely powerful dunmer wizards, often reigning for hundreds, or even thousands of years. Telvanni towns are often distingiuished by their towers which are entirely organic structures that are literally grown from the grown as plants. These towers often house the wizard-lords and their subjects who live nearby. The other dunmer clans give telvanni the worst reputation, mostly because they choose to stay out of struggles among houses and remain isolated, only caring for their own.
[edit] House Dres
Clan Dres rules the southern sweep of Morrowind, where the fertile Deshaan plain merges with the swamps of Black Marsh. The Dres are the great slave-traders and plantation owners of Morrowind. Thousands of wretched captives, mainly Argonians but including not a few khajiits and even Imperial citizens, pass through the infamous slave-pens of Tear, the Dres capital, from whence most find an early death on the plantations which surround that ill-omened city.
[edit] Military
Dark Elven warriors favor a wonderfully light armor made from the carapace of insects, covered over with a finely-woven cloak of spider silk, wrapped several times around the torso. A turban protects the head and face from the ubiquitous ash, with goggles of transparent resin; loose trousers and high boots completes the dress. While this makes for an outlandish appearance, the traveler will understand the utility of these garments the first time he is caught out of doors in one of the frequent ash storms without such protection. When indoors, Dark Elves shed these outer coverings, and luxuriate in a variety of richly-colored fabrics; sashes decorated with clan symbols are common, while cumbersome ceremonial costumes made from various parts of giant insects are the glory of those of the highest rank. It is also argued by Historians and Scholars, that aside from Cyrodiil, the Dunmer nation of Resdayn, was the most powerful province, in terms of military might, yet political division has always prevented this from being utilised effectively. Only during invasion has Morrowind stood united, and even when the Empire threatened it with war, it was divided as to how to condcut it's defence.
[edit] Culture
Morrowind has three main cultures, the native Dunmer culture, also known as the House Dunmer culture or Dark Elf culture, the Ashlander culture, and the Imperial culture.
Three major cultural groupings have settled Morrowind, the Ashlander nomads, the Imperial Provincial culture, and the Dunmer Great House culture. The smallest settlements are the Ashlander nomadic camps, comprimised of small, portable huts. Recent Imperial colonies like Pelagiad display the same half timbered homes and stone castles as might be found in Daggerfall or any other Western province. But the dominant culture is the Dunmer Great House Culture.
[edit] Population
On the Isle of Vvardenfell, which was only recently opened to settlement and trade, most of the island's population is confined to the relatively hospitable west and southwest coast, centered on the ancient city of Vivec and the old Great House district centers at Balmora, Ald-Ruhn, and Sadrith Mora. The rest of the island is covered by hostile desert wastes, arid grasslands, and volcanic badlands, and thinly populated by the nomadic Ashlander tribes.
On the Mainland, the Population is more evenly spread across the Province, with major cities such as Mournhold, Tear, Narsis, Necrom, Port Telvannis, Blacklight and Silgrad Tower holding very large portions of the Province's residents.
[edit] Economy
Morrowind was formerly an agrarian aristocracy, mostly free farmers and herders and fishermen ruled by Great Houses and their noble councils. But since the Imperial occupation, and especially on Vvardenfell, the Dunmer have developed a mercantile economy on the model of the Empire, ruled by the Emperor, law, and legions, but driven by trade in crafts and goods. Morrowind's production is based on the mining of Kwama Eggs , Ebony and Raw Glass. Morrowind is conisdered to have vast supplies of these rare resources beneath Red Mountain, yet these have been barely tapped, that is until the recent defeat of Dagoth Ur, which has opened Red Mountain up to expansion in the Mining industry. (to learn more about Kwama eggs look at the cuisine section)
[edit] Cuisine
The most popular source of protein are kwama eggs and the meat of the domesticated guar. The most popular beverages are mazte, a local beer brewed from fermented saltrice, and sujamma, a potent, bitter liquor.
Kwama eggs are a principal agricultural commodity of Vvardenfell district. Kwama live and breed in large communal subterranean colonies. Miners protect kwama eggs from poachers, predators, and raiding kwama foragers from other colonies, and harvest judiciously, preserving sufficient eggs to sustain colony growth. Consumed locally or exported by ship to the rest of the Empire, kwama eggs are eaten boiled, roasted, raw, and remain fresh for weeks.
The staple is the saltrice grain, usually eaten as a cooked porridge mixed with scuttle, a cheese like food from domesticated beetles. Hackle-lo, a hardy, succulent, edible leafy green, is a reliable year round vegetable, eaten cooked or raw, and bittergreen, a fast growing slime triggered by rain, is safe and nourishing when boiled, though highly toxic if eaten raw.
[edit] Appearances
The Elder Scrolls: Arena (First appearance) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
