Tamriel:Factions D

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[edit] Dark Brotherhood

The Dark Brotherhood is a guild of assassins shrouded in shadow and mystery. Their origins lie with the Morag Tong, but some time after the assassination of Potentate Versidue-Shaie by the Morag Tong in 2E 324 the Dark Brotherhood split away. They became powerful enough to warrant a mention in the journals of the Blood Queen Arlimahera of Hegathe, which puts their latest date of formation at 2E 360.

In 2E 431 they were involved in the murder of the Potentate Savirien-Chorak and all of his heirs, ending Akaviri rule over Tamriel and leading to the rise of Tiber Septim. Today the Brotherhood can be found all over Tamriel and, although their business is certainly not legal, they are almost universally tolerated. Whenever an individual with legal authority takes an interest in their dealings, the Brotherhood relies upon a combination of bribery, blackmail, coercion, and murder to keep their activities hidden.

In contrast to the Morag Tong's veneration of the Daedric Prince Mephala, the brotherhood worship the void - Sithis. In addition, they see their murders as more of a business opportunity than as a matter of religion and honor. These differences have caused bitter enmity between the two organizations.

The leader of the Dark Brotherhood in Tamriel is the Night Mother, but facts about her are almost impossible to establish. Some suggest that the current Night Mother is the ghost of the first, who is now the wife of Sithis. Others say that the title is merely an honorific given to the current leader.

Next in command beneath the Night Mother is the Black Hand; a Listener and four Speakers. The Listener relays instructions from the Night Mother to the Speakers who will dispatch a brotherhood member to carry out the murder. To obtain a contract with the Dark Brotherhood, it is necessary to perform a ritual to contact the Night Mother. The ritual involves stabbing some actual body parts (including a heart, skull, bones and flesh), within a circle of candles, with a dagger rubbed with the petals of a Nightshade plant, while whispering the plea, "Sweet Mother, sweet Mother, send your child unto me, for the sins of the unworthy must be baptized in blood and fear."

For more information, see the complete article.

[edit] Diagna Order

See Order of Diagna.

[edit] Dissident Priests

The Dissident Priests are a secretive cult consisting of Tribunal Temple members, who dispute the Temple's dogmatic foundations and question the process of the Tribunal's elevation to become gods. They also argue Temple doctrine and they are uneasy about the practices and habits of the Ordinators. One of the chief disputes between the Temple and the Dissident Priests is that the Temple hides the truth from its followers. The Dissident Priests' outline and their beliefs are manifested in the book Progress of Truth.

The Dissident Priests comprise ten or eleven members, led by Master Gilvas Barelo, abbot of Holamayan. All members are Dunmer except for one. The membership of Mehra Milo might not be perfectly clear, it is only known that the Priests care about her. One member, Malur Omayn, was thrown into the Ministry of Truth prison.

The Dissident Priests consider the Ashlander's prophecies of the Nerevarine as a primal site of study. However, their views are not shared with the Temple 'higher-ups' and they were persecuted and driven into hiding. The priests study and comment on the Apographa, which are known as 'the hidden writings', as opposed to the Hierographa, which are the 'public writings' of the Temple's dogma. These hidden writings contain secrets known only at the highest levels of priesthood and inquisition. They gathered as much of the Apographa as possible in their base, a secret monastery called Holamayan hidden in the wastes of Azura's Coast and protected by a magical barrier.

The Priests are not only committed to gather information and argue about the Tribunal's background, they also seemed to actively compete with the Ordinators on how to effectively confront Dagoth Ur. According to their head Gilvas Barelo, they sensed the despair within the people of Vvardenfell and thus also followed a practical approach to which the folks could look up to and spread hope by turning to the ancient pillars of faith and the prophetic visions of their Nerevarine. The Dissident Priests hoped for the Temple's and the people's support once they would have shown their ability to confront Dagoth Ur efficiently.

[edit] Dragon Knights

See Knights of the Dragon.

[edit] Drothmeri Army

The Drothmeri Army is a secret army that is building itself up in secret on the border between Cyrodiil and Morrowind. The army's goal seems to be the destruction of the empire (as said by renegade Telvanni Arch-Mage Frathen Drothan, in a letter to a steward). All the residents in the hidden Drothmeri village are Dunmer(or Dark Elf) but some Khajiit and Argonian labourers are also employed. The Drothmeri Army was mostly wiped out when its soldiers and leader Frathen Drothan were destroyed at Sundercliff Watch while trying to excavate Mehrune's Razor.