Lore:Factions H

Overview | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

---

Haarvenu

Haarvenu is one of the vampire bloodlines of the Iliac Bay area.

Hands of Almalexia

The Hands of Almalexia are private temple guards for the Tribunal goddess Almalexia of Morrowind, chosen from the most skilled warriors in the Tribunal Temple. They wear enchanted High Ordinator armor and remain constantly in the High Chapel of Mournhold. Also called just "Her Hands", their bodies and souls are fortified by divine magic, and their armor and weapons bear fearsome divine enchantments.

Hörme

The Hörme was an underground movement based in Skyrim during the Third Era that believes Potema and her deposed son Uriel III to be the last of Tiber Septim's true blood. Under this principle, they lead raids against Imperial interests in the province and were considered to be part of the reason why the once prosperous Whiterun Hold fell into decline.

Host of the Horn

The Host of the Horn is the official military force of Lainlyn, a region on the south side of Iliac Bay. They are responsible for duties ranging from open warfare to espionage and tax collection. The current commander of the Host of the Horn is Baron Shrike, the ruthless ruler of Lainlyn.

Wanting to overthrow Shrike and end his cruel reign, his brother, Lord Kain, founded a rival knighthood, the Knights of the True Horn. However, Kain's forces were defeated in combat: Lord Kain himself was slain, and the remaining Knights of the True Horn were exiled and scattered throughout Tamriel. In a final attempt to restart the conflict, the necromancer Arielle Jurard resurrected Lord Kain. But when she sought to rally the remaining knights, Lord Jaren of Castle Battlehorn foiled her plans by entrapping both Arielle and Lord Kain in the grotto of his castle. Their fate was only discovered years later when a new owner moved into the castle and opened the sealed grotto. With the help of a host of hired knights, the undead Lord Kain and necromancer-turned-lich Arielle Jurard were finally defeated.

House Dagoth

'House Dagoth is the "lost" Sixth House. In the First Age, House Dagoth betrayed the other Great Houses during the War of the First Council, and was destroyed for their treason.' — Hasphat Antabolis

House Dagoth is what remains of the ancient, defunct, Sixth Great House of the Chimer, headed by the demi-god Dagoth Ur. The House briefly reappeared in Vvardenfell c. 3E 400 but was destroyed shortly thereafter by the Nerevarine. Dagoth Ur attempted to create a new god, Akulakhan, to conquer Tamriel. Their primary bases lay within Red Mountain, in the ancient Dwemer crater citadels.

House Dres

House Dres is an agrarian agricultural society, and its large saltrice plantations rely completely on slave labor for their economic viability. Always firm Temple supporters, House Dres is hostile to Imperial law and culture, and in particular opposed to any attempts to limit the institution of slavery. – Great Houses of Morrowind

"House Dres represents the past of pre-Tribunal Great House culture, a persistent tradition of Daedra- and ancestor-worshipping civilized Dunmer clans." – Vivec

House Dres is one of the Great Houses of Morrowind, with presence only on the mainland. It governed the Dres District of south-eastern Morrowind from the city of Tear. The district included the fertile Deshaan Plain, and bordered Indoril District and the swamps and marshes of Black Marsh.

The Dres had a mainly rural but still very wealthy agrarian agricultural society, maintaining vast saltrice plantations on the plains and marshes surrounding Tear. The Dres were also the Dunmer that enslaved and shipped slaves to the other Great Houses, keeping thousands of captives, mostly Argonians, in their infamous slave-pens of Tear and the surrounding plantations.

House Hlaalu

As a result of its close relationship with the Imperial administration, House Hlaalu has emerged as politically and economically dominant among the Great Houses of Vvardenfell and Morrowind. Hlaalu welcomes Imperial culture and law, Imperial Legions and bureaucracy, and Imperial freedom of trade and religion. Hlaalu still honors the old Dunmer ways -- the ancestors, the Temple, and the noble houses -- but has readily adapted to the rapid pace of change and progress in the Imperial provinces. — Great Houses of Morrowind

House Hlaalu was one of the five traditional Great Houses of the settled Dunmer. It governed the Hlaalu District of western-central Morrowind from its ancient capital of Narsis. In the District of Vvardenfell, the house's council seat was located in Balmora, with other Hlaalu-run towns at Suran, Hla Oad and Gnaar Mok. House Hlaalu could be characterized as adaptable and opportunistic, and any morals they might have had came second to business. Early in the Fourth Era, soon after the Empire released Morrowind, anti-Imperial sentiment and House Hlaalu's association with them amongst the Dunmer led to the stripping of its position as a Great House, and House Hlaalu was removed from the Grand Council of Morrowind. Their position on the council was filled by House Sadras.

The House was largely concerned with business and diplomacy, seeking to strengthen ties with at times unconventional allies such as the Empire, and although profit was often a primary objective, traditional Hlaalu practice recognized the value of a good reputation over money. This was their great strength - they were fast talkers and intelligent traders - and their great liability; most Hlaalu were bribable, either with gold or with other favors, with their leaders as no exception. House Hlaalu retainers were also masters of thievery, sneaking, lock-picking, blackmailing and backstabbing, both literal and metaphorical. While some councilors were honest and fair, others were more under-handed and corrupt. However, House Hlaalu's most distinguishing characteristic was its willingness to live in harmony with the other races, setting it apart from the other, occasionally xenophobic, Dunmer Great Houses.

House Indoril

[T]he Indoril are orthodox and conservative supporters of the Temple and Temple authority. House Indoril is openly hostile to Imperial culture and religion, and preserves many traditional Dunmer customs and practices in defiance of Imperial law. – Great Houses of Morrowind

"To my sister-brother's city I give the holy protection of House Indoril, whose powers and thrones know no equal under heaven, wherefrom came the Hortator." - Vivec

House Indoril is one of the five Great Houses of the Dunmer. It governed the Indoril District in the heartland of Morrowind from the historic capital city of Almalexia. Indoril District comprises the lands south of the Inner Sea and the eastern coast, including the city of Mournhold, located within Almalexia, and the town of Necrom with its City of the Dead. House Indoril has no territorial holdings on the island of Vvardenfell.

The Indoril were orthodox and conservative supporters of the Tribunal Temple and Temple authority, and have always held prominent positions within the Temple hierarchy. Throughout history, the fates of House Indoril and the Temple have been closely linked.

House of Dibella

Any temple dedicated to the Goddess of Beauty is referred to as a House of Dibella. The priests and priestesses within are epicureans and orgiasts who aspire for beauty of the form and mind.

A quotation from a follower of Dibella:

"At the House of Dibella, we seek truth through beauty and the worship of the embodiment of beauty, the Goddess Dibella. Dibella smiles on those who give generously to our House. She grants charm and grace to donors. In proportion to their generosity, of course. We are always interested in new initiates to the House of Dibella, though only those possessing skills in the promotion of harmony. To be honest, very few qualify."

House Redoran

House Redoran prizes the virtues of duty, gravity, and piety. Duty is to one's own honor, and to one's family and clan. Gravity is the essential seriousness of life. Life is hard, and events must be judged, endured, and reflected upon with due care and earnestness. Piety is respect for the gods, and the virtues they represent. A light, careless life is not worth living. — Great Houses of Morrowind

House Redoran is one of the five remaining Great Houses of the Dunmer. It governs the Redoran District of northwestern Morrowind from the city of Blacklight, close to the border with Skyrim. In the District of Vvardenfell, the House's council seat was located in Ald'ruhn, and all councilors lived there in the hollowed shell of a colossal prehistoric Emperor Crab, in the district known as Ald'ruhn-under-Skar. Other Redoran-dominated towns on Vvardenfell included Khuul, Maar Gan and Ald Velothi.

The main focus of House Redoran is maintaining the traditions of the settled Dunmer and, more specifically, the way of the warrior. Due to this focus, the Tribunal Temple was a natural ally. There is also mutual respect between them and the Fighters Guild and Imperial Legion. They have less respect for the other Imperial institutions, such as the Mages Guild, the Thieves Guild, and the Imperial Cult religion.

House Sadras

House Sadras is one of the five Great Houses of Morrowind. At the beginning of the Fourth Era, following the Oblivion Crisis of 3E 433 and the eruption of Red Mountain in 4E 5, the House Hlaalu was stripped of its Great House status and removed from the Grand Council of Morrowind. House Sadras, whose prior status and holdings are unknown, was selected to fill the fifth seat on the Council.

House Telvanni

The wizard-lords of House Telvanni have traditionally isolated themselves, pursuing wisdom and mastery in solitude. But certain ambitious wizards-lords, their retainers, and clients have entered wholeheartedly into the competition to control and exploit Vvardenfell's land and resources, building towers and bases all along the eastern coast. According to Telvanni principles, the powerful define the standards of virtue. — Great Houses of Morrowind

"House Telvanni matches the disposition of my brother Sotha Sil -- iconoclastic, profane, unconventional." – Vivec

House Telvanni is one of the Great Houses of Morrowind. It governed the Telvanni District of eastern Morrowind from the island city of Port Telvannis, and administered the eastern portion of the Vvardenfell District from its council seat in Sadrith Mora. The house comprises mainly highly egocentric and ambitious mages, and is known to many as the house of the master wizard. Here, it was common to rise through the ranks by eliminating or otherwise 'indisposing' other members. Of the Telvanni lords, only Master Aryon of Tel Vos seemed able to look beyond the end of his own nose and at the concerns of other people; the rest wanted little more than to be left alone to their research and ambitions. The other members were similarly isolationist in outlook and did not intend to be presided over by any of the other institutions, predominantly the Guild of Mages.

The Telvanni, in general, did not interact with other Houses or Guilds, nor did they have many enemies save for Abolitionists and the Imperial Mages Guild. In the Second Era, they refused to join the Ebonheart Pact, much to the chagrin of the other houses. On the other hand, the Telvanni did not have the usual hatred of vampires that most other factions had, and some of their lords and Mouths were willing to speak to them; wizards did not fear vampires nearly as much as others did.