Lore:Morag Tong

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Morag Tong seal.

The Morag Tong is an ancient guild which exists only in parts of Tamriel, celebrating violence and evil acts. The Dark Brotherhood originated from the Morag Tong. The Elven Morag Tong were responsible for the assassination of Reman's heirs which started the Akaviri Potentate rule of Cyrodiil.

The Morag Tong is an assassins guild sanctioned by the Empire to provide three varieties of execution: public execution, private executions, and House Wars executions. Constrained by ancient traditions and rigid codes of conduct, the Morag Tong only recruits candidates of proven skill and honor. The Morag Tong only accepts legally approved contracts called 'writs', but rumor hints at the execution of secret extralegal 'gray writs'. The Morag Tong is the sworn enemy of the Dark Brotherhood.

It is unique in Tamriel as the only legally sanctioned organization for assassins. It was said to have been founded by the Daedra Mephala ^[1]: the Webspinner and the Anticipation of Vivec. In Dunmeri legends, s/he teaches the early Chimer, who were a small faction and faced numerous enemies, how to evade their adversaries and destroy them with conspiracy and plots of secret murder.

Concept Art of a Morag Tong Assassin.

Later, the Tong was founded on these principles, as the Daedra forbade that the Chimer engage in open warfare with each other. Instead, as a means of resolving conflicts of such a grievous nature that no other course of action was appropriate, the Chimer were to approach the Tong and offer money for an honorable execution. Because of its official sanction, the Morag Tong has the authority to print legal bills known as Honorable Writs of Execution, which excuse a Tong agent of all legal misgiving associated with any Tong related business. As such, Morag Tong executioners are expected to give themselves up immediately following an execution even if the death itself would have remained a mystery, in order to legally absolve themselves and avert any possible long-term ramifications. Tong executioners who fail to do so are considered suspect by their order and may be subject to major internal investigations, as the Tong does not harbor criminals.

The Morag Tong is an ancient order steeped in tradition and secrecy. Although they are a society of murder, they have strict internal laws and ways of governing themselves. Early in the history of the order a splinter group broke away, calling itself the Dark Brotherhood; who turned from the original intent of the society: to prevent massive bloodshed with selectively calculated killings. The Brotherhood devolved into a death cult, turning from the original worship of the patron Mephala, into the worship of Sithis, the serpent god of death and chaos, who represents the worst of a variously interpreted "Void".

Since their inception, to the outside world the Morag Tong has become less of a sacred institution, largely because of the Dunmeri abandonment of Daedra worship, and more of a secularized enterprise of revenge. The Tong resents this fact, still taking itself very much seriously as the upholder of traditional Dunmeri law, and feels on the whole, that its services are undervalued, as anyone with a minor grievance and enough wealth can order the murder of anyone else, while the Tong, taking their traditional role as the impartial middle-man, is obliged to accept the contract.

Although the Tong is largely restricted to activity within Morrowind Province, due to the fact that no other Imperial governments recognize them as a legal faction, this does not mean that fleeing Morrowind will protect you. Tong executioners have been known to track their prey all across Tamriel, thanks in part to an extensive network of informants and contacts maintained by the Guild.

However, the Dark Brotherhood has a monopoly on illegal assassination outside of Morrowind, and Dark Brothers have been known to abduct Tong agents wherever they find them.