Post by Lucien Lachance on Aug 4, 2009 17:38:16 GMT -5
Morrowind is the province in the northeast corner of Tamriel. It is dominated by the large island of Vvardenfell, but also includes territory on the continental mainland. The Sea of Ghosts lies northeast of Morrowind. Modern Morrowind is home to the Dunmer (Dark Elves).
History
Historically, Vvardenfell was inhabited by the Dwemer for long ages before the Aldmer arrived in Tamriel. When the Aldmer inhabited Cyrodiil, a group of them were exiled for their choice to worship the Daedra. These exiled mer were led by the prophet Veloth over a mountain range to Morrowind, where they became known as the Chimer and settled with the Dwemer.
However, the two would not live in peace, as disputes over land and religion led to conflict. "While the Dwemer were an agnostic people, preferring reason to faith, the Chimer were staunch Daedra-worshippers, and considered the Dwemer's lack of belief an affront to their gods." They would however unite against a common enemy when the Nords of Skyrim invaded Morrowind in 1E 401. Due to the efforts and budding personal friendship between Indoril Nerevar of the Chimer and Dumac of the Dwemer, the Nords were pushed out by 1E 416. This alliance born out of need formed the First Council and lasted for some time.
This uneasy peace, though, came to an end over the Dwemer God Numidium and the construction of the Heart of Lorkhan by Dwemer Tonal Architect Kagrenac, and the result was The War of the First Council in 1E 668-1E 700. The war climaxed at Red Mountain, the Dwemer main fortress, and ended abruptly when Kagrenac used the Heart and all Dwemer perished in an instant. Nerevar was killed at the end, or shortly after the battle by his former counsel, the Tribunal. Gaining access to Kagrenac's tools, Almalexia, Dagoth Ur, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, reached god-like powers. Daedra God Azura wasn't pleased by this use of the profane tools and cursed the Chimer, turning their skin ashen and their eyes a fiery red, hence becoming known as Dunmer. Red Mountain's massive eruption accompanied the climax of the war, drastically reordering the landscape of the province.
The Tribunal consolidated their power and succeeded turning their people from Ancestor and Daedra worship to the fold of the Tribunal Temple; until recently, the three have had great influence over Morrowind. Cyrodiil sought to incorporate Morrowind into the budding Empire of the Reman Dynasty, perpetrating the bloody Four-Score War. No such conflict occurred at the rise of the Third Empire, and Tiber Septim's ambitions of conquest were fulfilled through diplomacy. Vivec and Tiber Septim reached an agreement in the Armistice of 2E 896. The Dunmer became Imperial citizens and submitted to Imperial occupation and the incursion of Cyrodiilic institutions and business interests, but retained formal self-rule, house traditions such as slavery, and religious practices. Vivec secretly supplied the Emperor's agents with the golem Numidium.
Geography
Vvardenfell is the setting for the game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Vvardenfell is mostly a volcanic wasteland, but is swampy near the channel between itself and the mainland, and is slowly recovering after the death of Dagoth Ur. It is littered with Daedric shrines and Dwemer ruins. The focal point of the province is Red Mountain, the great volcano and former Dwemer capital.
Morrowind's Capital City, Mournhold, is the setting for Morrowind's expansion, The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal.
Morrowind is divided into six districts, namely, the Velothis, Vvardenfell, Telvannis, Narsis, Mournhold, and Deshaan districts.
Politics
With the coming of the Nerevarine, all was not well. "Dagoth Ur and two members of the Tribunal, Almalexia and Sotha Sil, were killed in the subterfuge surrounding the Nerevarine. Vivec too may have been killed, but his fate is currently undetermined." Queen Barenziah also returned from Wayrest around this time. The coronation of her son Helseth may have been a cause of this. "As one famous Nord diplomat famously put it, "The new king is manipulative, ruthless, and calculating. He is exactly what Morrowind needs."" He seemed to be particularly interested in dismantling the traditional power structures of the Dunmer. He even went as far as outlawing slavery in Morrowind, which led to bloodshed, as the Dunmer had been using slaves for centuries. Some would think of him as an Imperial figurehead, however he has also reformatted the Grand Council, (which includes heads for each Great House), that was a step toward traditional Dunmer ways. Some Great Houses, such as House Dres and House Hlaalu are on the rise, and embrace the new traditions. However, some Houses, such as House Indoril, and House Redoran, are waning because of their resistance to the new traditions, and the Redoran are at war with the Nords of Skyrim and their Orcish mercenaries.
Notable Places
Vvardenfell
Ald'ruhn
A Redoran city in western Vvardenfell, southwest of Red Mountain.
Balmora
A Hlaalu city in the southwest area of Vvardenfell, on the Odai river.
Red Mountain
The mountain in the center of Vvardenfell, and the former capital of the Dwemer.
Sadrith Mora
A Telvanni city on an island in the archipelago off the eastern coast of Vvardenfell.
Vivec
A major city off the southern coast of Vvardenfell. It consists of nine velothi cantons built in the water. It is controlled by the Tribunal Temple, but each great House with holdings on Vvardenfell (Hlaalu, Redoran, and Telvanni) controls one canton.
Mainland
Blacklight
A Redoran city on the Velothis district in northwest Morrowind.
Firewatch
An Imperial-controlled fort in the northern Telvannis district in northeastern Morrowind.
Mournhold
An Indoril city in the central Mournhold district in east-central Morrowind. The capital of Morrowind.
Kragenmoor
A Hlaalu city in western Morrowind, in the Narsis district.
Narsis
A Hlaalu city in the Narsis district, in southwestern Morrowind.
Necrom
A Tribunal Temple-controlled city on the eastern coast of Morrowind, in the Mournhold district.
Port Telvannis
A Telvanni city on an island in the far northeast of Morrowind, in the Telvannis district.
Tear
A Dres city on the eastern coast of the Deshaan district, in southeast Morrowind.