Morrowind:Raw Ebony

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"Raw ebony is one of the most precious substances in the Empire, and most of the continent's deposits are here on Vvardenfell. Raw ebony itself is an extremely hard, durable, black glass-like substance, said to be the crystallized blood of the gods. Raw ebony is protected by Imperial law, and may not be mined or exported without an Imperial charter. Ebony smuggling is a profitable but dangerous source of illegal wealth on Vvardenfell."

Raw Ebony is a very valuable commodity, mostly found in well-guarded Mines. It is not sold by any vendors*, though they will purchase it from you, despite such transactions being forbidden without a charter. Mines are still the best place to find the substance, though you have to keep an eye out for witnesses when you take them. The other hindrance to this practice is that Raw Ebony is tied with Scrap Metal as the heaviest ingredient in the game - 10 units. (Only Adamantium Ore in the Tribunal expansion is heavier.) You may quickly become encumbered and unable to run from the guards if you're not careful. However, its relatively high value makes it worth the effort if you're up to it. Also, if you have the Tribunal expansion, you can use it to have custom Ebony Armor crafted for you by Bols Indalen at the Craftsmen's Hall in Godsreach.

There is a special type of Raw Ebony, ID: ingred_Dae_cursed_raw_ebony_01, which can be found as offerings in Daedric Shrines. These are identical to standard Raw Ebony in appearance and effects, but they are cursed, and picking one up will cause you to be attacked by a Dremora Lord. These will also not stack with regular Ebony, and can be combined with it to make potions with all four effects.

*One vendor, Anis Seloth, actually does have 4 non-restocking units for sale. She keeps them in a small chest in her shop, rather than on her person, so you might be able to steal them instead.

[edit] Notes

• In real life, ebony is a type of hard, black wood, traditionally used to make piano keys and other such items. This is in no way related to the ebony in the Elder Scrolls series, which is a volcanic glass. A closer equivalent in real life would be obsidian, though ebony's use in making armor and weapons suggest that it is far less brittle than obsidian.

[edit] Locations

The best way to find Ebony is growing in ore rocks in mines. Each rock can contain up to 8 units of Ebony, though they average around 4. These ore rocks can be found in the following locations: Mausur Caverns (22 Rocks) Vassir-Didanat Cave (20 Rocks) Yanemus Mine (16 Rocks) Elith-Pal Mine (11 Rocks) Caldera Mine (9 Rocks) Sudanit Mine (7 Rocks) Abanabi (4 Rocks) Tukushapal, Sepulcher (3 Rocks) Maba-Ilu (1 Rock) Zenarbael (1 Rock) Additionally, mined Ebony may be found in chests and crates, mostly also in mines, but also in other places, such as smugglers ships (and shipwrecks). Each of these will contain 4 units of Ebony. These containers can be found in the following locations: Grytewake, Upper Level (2 Chests and 2 Crates) Caldera Mine (3 Crates) Grytewake, Lower Level (3 Crates) Mausur Caverns (3 Crates) Ald'ruhn, Drinar Varyon's House (2 Chests) Elf-Skerring, Lower Level (2 Crates) Ald'ruhn, Gildan's House (1 Chest) Ald'ruhn, Ilmiril's House (1 Chest) Arrow, Lower Level (1 Crate) Deserted Shipwreck, Upper Level (1 Crate) Desolate Shipwreck, Upper Level (1 Crate) Falvillo's Endeavor, Lower Level (1 Crate) Gnisis, Arvs-Drelen (1 Crate) Sadrith Mora, Anis Seloth: Alchemist (1 Small Chest) Sudanit Mine (1 Crate) Tel Uvirith, Menas' House (1 Crate) Tel Uvirith, Seleth's House (1 Crate) Vivec, No Name Club (1 Chest) Vivec, St. Olms Tanners and Miners Hall (1 Chest) Vos, Maela Kaushad's Farmhouse (1 Chest)

Loose samples can be found in the following locations: Abanabi (3) Sudanit Mine (3) Tel Uvirith, Omavel's House (3) Vivec, St. Olms Tanners and Miners Hall (3) Mausur Caverns (2) Onnissiralis, Shrine (2) Zenarbael (2) Ald Daedroth, Inner Shrine (1) Ashurnibibi, Shrine (1) Assernerairan, Shrine (1) Assurdirapal, Inner Shrine (1) Bal Ur, Underground (1) Bensamsi (1) Dagoth Ur, Outer Facility (1) Dreloth Ancestral Tomb (1) Dren Plantation, Rethan's Shack (1) Endusal, Kagrenac's study (1 on Dead Hero) Kogoruhn, Hall of Maki (1 on Dead Hero) Kora-Dur (1) Maar Gan, Outpost (1) Marandus, Lower Level (1) Omalen Ancestral Tomb (1) Shashpilamat, Shrine (1) Velas Ancestral Tomb (1) Yanemus Mine, (1 carried by Yan-Ahhe Darirnaddunumm) Yansirramus, Shrine (1) Zergonipal, Shrine (1) Cursed Raw Ebony can be found in the following locations: Assarnatamat, Shrine (1) Kaushtarari, Shrine (1) Onnissiralis, Shrine (1) Tusenend, Shrine (1) Zaintiraris, Shrine (1)

Finally, two other abundant locations are added by an official plug-in and an expansion.

• The Siege at Firemoth official adds a large number of Raw Ebony, both as ore and lying loose in the caves below the abandoned fort.
• The Raven Rock mine added by the Bloodmoon expansion is probably the single most abundant source of Raw Ebony in the game, and mostly un-guarded if you visit it at the right time during the East Empire Company questline.