Organizations of The Elder Scrolls
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This is a list of fictional organisations featured in the Elder Scrolls universe.
Contents |
[edit] Imperial services
[edit] Blades
- Main article: Blades
The Blades are a group of spies under the service of Emperor of Tamriel featured in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. They have secret branches across Tamriel, gathering intelligence on the Empire's enemies. They take orders only from the Emperor himself and the Elder Council has no power over them. The Blades also serve publicly as the Emperor's bodyguards.
[edit] Imperial Legion
- Main article: Imperial Legion
The Imperial Legion is the main military force of the Cyrodiilic Empire. Its headquarters are in the Imperial City's Prison District. The Legion in Vvardenfel accepts players into its ranks in the Morrowind game, but players in Oblivion cannot join this organization.
[edit] Guilds
[edit] Fighters' Guild
- Main article: Fighters' Guild
The Fighters' Guild is dedicated to combat arts and mercenary business, offering its services for a payment. It is sanctioned by the Empire and has multiple chapters throughout Tamriel.
[edit] Mages' Guild
- Main article: Mages' Guild
The Mages' Guild is dedicated to the study of the five schools of magic, alchemy, and oftentimes other sciences and their links to magic. It is spread throughout Tamriel and is chartered by the Empire. The Morrowind section is headquartered in Vivec. In Cyrodiil, the Mages' guild's headquarters is the Arcane University, located in the Imperial City.
[edit] Thieves' Guild
- Main article: Thieves' Guild
The Thieves' Guild is an association of thieves and criminals. It has spread across Tamriel and established branches in most of the provinces.
[edit] Religious organizations
[edit] Imperial Cult
The Imperial Cult is a religious organization devoted to worshipping the Nine Divines and the Emperor Tiber Septim.
[edit] Mythic Dawn
The Mythic Dawn is a cult that features prominently in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Led by Mankar Camoran, these cultists attempt to destroy Tamriel and allow Mehrunes Dagon, the daedric prince of destruction, to rule it. They praise the deadras.
Mythic Dawn is most likely inspired by the very real Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn mystic order that has influenced many of the current day occult groups and belief systems.
[edit] Tribunal Temple
- Main article: Tribunal Temple
The Tribunal Temple is dedicated to the worship of the three god-kings of Morrowind, the goddess Almalexia, the god-poet Vivec, and Sotha Sil The Tinkerer. It is the dominant religion in the province of Morrowind.
[edit] Ordinators
- Main article: Ordinators
The Ordinators are a highly trained group of soldier guardsmen who work for the Tribunal Temple. They feature prominently in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
[edit] Organized crime
[edit] Camonna Tong
- Main article: Camonna Tong
The Camonna Tong is the native crime syndicate in the province of Morrowind. They play a major role in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
[edit] Dark Brotherhood
- Main article: Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood is an assassins guild that split off from the Morag Tong. They do not follow the customs of the Morag Tong and are illegal throughout the empire. They feature most prominently in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
[edit] Morag Tong
- Main article: Morag Tong
The Morag Tong is a secretive group that carries out legally sanctioned assassinations called "Writs" within the province of Morrowind.
[edit] Knightly Orders
[edit] The Knights of the White Stallion
The Knights of the White Stallion is based in and around Leyawiin, the southernmost city of Cyrodiil, and is chartered by the Count of Leyawiin. The organization was founded to help protect the city and its residents from the dangerous Black Bow Bandits. The Count handpicks the members of the order and grants 100 gold for every black bow brought in as a proof of Black Bow members killed.
Two mercenaries commissioned by the Count, an Orc by the name of Mazoga and an adventurer (the player character in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), killed the chieftain of the Black Bow clan, Black Brugo. They were both made Knight-Errant of the Order.
[edit] The Order of the Virtuous Blood
The Order of the Virtuous Blood is dedicated to ridding Tamriel of vampires, and compensates or hires people to hunt them. Their headquarters is in the Temple District of the Imperial City. The group pays a bounty of 250 septims for each vampire killed and membership is open to anyone who promises to help rid Tamriel of vampires. The organization was founded by the vampire Seridur as a ploy to misdirect vampire hunters and to use the group as a weapon against those who might discover his true identity. You have a choice to kill him. If you do in return you will become a member of The Virtuous Blood.
[edit] Order of Diagna
The Order of Diagna's major achievement was leading the siege of Orsinium. In fact their initiation ceremony is reinacting that siege[1]. The most famous member of the Order of Diagna was also the founder of the Imperial City's Arena Gaiden Shinji who died in the siege of Orsinium.
[edit] The Knights of the Thorn
The Knights of the Thorn are a group of knights that supposedly serve the needs of Cheydinhal County in Cyrodiil. In reality this Order has a reputation for doing little more than sitting in taverns and hassling the Cheydinhal Guard. There is only one known instance of The Knights of the Thorn taking part in serious combat: during the Oblivion crisis, Farwil Indarys led them on an expedition into an Oblivion gate. Most of the Order was killed during this mission.
[edit] Houses of Morrowind
[edit] House Dagoth
- Main article: House Dagoth
House Dagoth, also known as the Sixth House, was one of the six Great Houses of Morrowind.
[edit] House Dres
House Dres is one of the Great Houses of Morrowind. The house concentrates on agriculture and the slave trade and is located in the south-eastern part of Morrowind. Its influence on Morrowind politics has weakened considerably since Morrowind's surrender to the Tamrielic Empire. As it uses slave labour to keep its farms going and is particularly opposed to Imperial power and other races of Tamriel, it is greatly at odds with the values of the Empire (which forbids slave trade).
House Dres is the most conservative of Morrowind’s Great Houses, to the extent that the Daedra worship of the Chimer is still commonly practiced by its members. During the war in which Morrowind became a province of the Empire of Tiber Septim, it was one of the Houses, along with House Indoril and House Redoran, to resist Imperial forces.
More recently, after the events of Morrowind, House Dres has apparently undergone some significant changes. Since then, King Hlaalu Helseth has outlawed slavery in Morrowind, but Dres has allied with Helseth and is apparently finally accepting Imperial rule. Currently, the reasons and motivations for this change, as well as the effect of the outlaw of slavery on House Dres, are unknown.
House Dres holds no territory on the island of Vvardenfell. Its territory is all located on mainland Morrowind, along the southern border with Black Marsh. The capital of House Dres is Tear.
[edit] House Hlaalu
- Main article: House Hlaalu
House Hlaalu is one of the six Great Houses and a joinable faction in the game Morrowind.
[edit] House Indoril
House Indoril is one of the Great Houses of Vvardenfell. The great Chimer hero Nerevar was the head of this House during the early First Era. House Indoril is a staunch supporter of the Tribunal Temple, many of the Temple Ordinators and other Temple heroes are members of this House. This connection has given it a big influence on all political decisions in Morrowind.
Prior to Imperial conquest, House Indoril had been the dominant Great House throughout Morrowind’s history. During the war with Tiber Septim’s Empire, House Indoril was strongly against Imperial occupation. When Septim incorporated Morrowind into his Empire, Indoril refused to submit to Imperial rule. At the time the Lord High Councilor of the Grand Council, a council comprised of the heads of the Great Houses, was an Indoril and would not accept the treaty or step down, so he was assassinated and replaced with a member of House Hlaalu. More power struggles went on between the two Great Houses, with House Hlaalu, in support of Imperial accommodation, coming out the victor. Still unwilling to accept membership within the Empire, many Indoril nobles committed suicide, weakening the House.
In the game Oblivion, citizens of Cyrodiil speak of House Indoril being in ruins as the result of machinations of the new king, Hlaalu Helseth, and his House Hlaalu and House Dres allies.
Currently, House Indoril has no territorial holdings on the island of Vvardenfell, all of its territory is located on mainland Morrowind. Its capital is Mournhold, also the capital of Morrowind itself. Also, the city of Necrom, in eastern Morrowind, is one of their major cities.
[edit] House Redoran
- Main article: House Redoran
House Redoran, is one of the six Great Houses of Morrowind. It is a joinable faction in the game Morrowind.
[edit] House Sotha
House Sotha was one of the minor Houses of Vvardenfell until its destruction by Mehruhnes Dagon in the times of Indoril Nerevar.
Apparently House Sotha had ties to the Great House of Indoril since their main stronghold, Ald Sotha, was located not far from Vivec, the largest holding of Indoril. The only one who survived the destruction of the House by Dagon was Sotha Sil, who was rescued by Indoril Nerevar and later became one of his most trusted advisors.
[edit] House Telvanni
- Main article: House Telvanni
House Telvanni is one of the six Great Houses of Morrowind Province. It is a joinable faction in the computer game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
[edit] Other
[edit] Blackwood Company
The Blackwood Company is a mercenary organization featured in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It was founded by Argonians who where sent back to Black Marsh on an Imperial contract. After successfully ending the contract, they decided to set up shop in the City of Leyawiin in Cyrodiil. Their headquarters in Leyawiin is located on Guild Plaza, directly opposite of the local Fighters' Guild chapter, further annoying the heads of this ancient Imperial organization. The Company has established itself as the primary competitor to the Fighters' Guild regarding mercenary services, as they are known to take on any contract, even those that the Fighters' Guild refuses. This leads to a hot rivalry that develops between the Fighters' Guild and the Blackwood Company that will expand during the protagonist's journey throught the Fighters' Guild questline. The name of the company is possibly a reference to the US military contractor Blackwater USA. There is also the possibility of the name referring to the elite mercenary group in Glen Cook's The Black Company.
[edit] Twin Lamps
The Twin Lamps are an abolitionist group in Morrowind. The terms of the treaty by which Morrowind was annexed into the tamrielic empire allowed Morrowind to maintain its laws and culture which includes the legality of slavery. While the Imperials frown upon slavery, they are forced by the terms of the treaty to tolerate it within Morrowind. The Twin Lamps, which existed before the Imperials' rule of Morrowind, found aid in the form of the Imperial Thieves' Guild and specifically their leader, Gentleman Jim Stacey, who will often give players missions that aid the Lamps' goals. In addition, if players gain the keys to the slaves' bracers, they can free them, aiding the Twin Lamps significantly.
The player is not directly able to join the faction, but players may stumble across the opportunity to do several freeform quests for members of the guild as they progress through the game. To discover this opportunity the player has to have freed a certain number of slaves from custody. There are several user-made mods for Morrowind which add the Twin Lamps as a fully joinable faction offering a multitude of quests, similar to the standard guilds already in the game.
[edit] Knights of Stendaar
An order of knights who serve in the name of Stendaar. They are often referred to as Paladins of Stendaar. They have many bases, most in temples, in the provinces of High Rock and Hammerfell.
[edit] East Empire Company
| Company Ranks |
|---|
| Underling |
| Clerk |
| Stewart |
| Fixer |
| Agent |
| Negotiator |
| Officer |
| Deputy |
| Factor |
The East Empire Company is a massive "monopolistic mercantilist" trading company with holdings in many eastern territories of the Cyrodillic Empire, such as Morrowind or Solstheim. It is likely inspired by the real world 'East India Company'. It has a monopoly over trade in the Eastern Provinces, this is primarily due to the fact that the company is chartered (and probably funded) by the Emperor of Tamriel.
A chance to join the Company is provided in Fort Frostmoth on the frozen island of Solstheim in the Bloodmoon expansion of Morrowind. Numerous decisions and challenges await a player who decides to take up the East Empire Company quest.
Many senior ranking officers in the company are seen as corrupt and resented by some people in the provinces who see the businessmen as Imperial fatcats who rob the local natural resources. Otherwise, the East Empire Company does what it can to provide employment and financial stability for the Empire. House Hlaalu has ties with the East Empire Company in the ebony mining town of Caldera due to Hlaalu's acceptance of the Empire.
The East Empire Company has offices in Ebonheart, Caldera, Fort Frostmoth and the new ebony mining colony on Solstheim, Raven Rock. It is headquartered in the Imperial City in Cyrodiil and has large warehouses in the Waterfront District of the city. The East Empire Company may also control the trade of kwama, Telvanni bug musk, mazte, sujamma and other local products of Morrowind as well as imports like flin and Cyrodiilic Brandy. The high price of imports like flin may be contributed to the East Empire Company's complete control on price, due to lack of major competition. One of the possible reasons the East Empire Company flourishes in Morrowind is the legality of slavery in the mines and plantations in the province.
Every company chapter is headed by a Factor who directs and controls the affairs of the company in his area of influence. As a high-ranking official of the company, he has the right to construct an estate on the company premises. For instance, there is a large Factor Estate adjacent to the company's ebony mine in Raven Rock, Solstheim.
| Organizations of The Elder Scrolls | |
|---|---|
| Military/Mercenary: | Blades | Buoyant Armigers | Fighters' Guild | Imperial Legion | Ordinators |
| Religious/Mystical: | Mages' Guild | Tribunal Temple |
| Covert: | Camonna Tong | Dark Brotherhood | Morag Tong | Thieves' Guild |
| Houses of Morrowind: | House Dagoth | House Hlaalu | House Redoran | House Telvanni |
