Lore:Great Houses

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Contents 1 House Wars 2 Current Great Houses 2.1 House Hlaalu 2.1.1 The opening of Vvardenfell 2.1.2 Lands and Titles 2.1.3 Other Business 2.2 House Redoran 2.3 House Telvanni 2.4 House Indoril 2.5 House Dres 3 Historic Houses 3.1 House Dagoth 3.1.1 Early History 3.1.2 The War of the First Council 3.1.3 The Re-awakening 3.1.4 House Dagoth and the Tribunal 3.2 Ashlander Clans

The Great Houses hate each other -- theft, murder, assassinations, secret raids, standard stuff. -- Hasphat Antabolis

In modern times Morrowind is ruled by five Great Houses: House Hlaalu, House Redoran, House Telvanni, House Indoril, and House Dres. Only three of these Houses have interests in Vvardenfell. The three Great Houses on Vvardenfell identify themselves by their traditional colors: red for Redoran, yellow for Hlaalu, and brown for Telvanni. Thus, members of House Hlaalu may be referred to collectively as Yellows.

The Great Houses traditions derive from ancient Dunmer clan and tribes, but now function as political parties. Differences are now rarely settled by armed conflict, but through squabbles in the Grand Council and through the execution of formal Writs by the honorable assassins of the Morag Tong. Dunmer Great House membership is largely a matter of birth and marriage, but Imperial colonists may also become retainers of a Great House, or may be adopted into a Great House. Initially an outlander may gain status in a house as an oath-bonded hireling, pledging exclusive loyalty to a single house and forsaking ambitions with all other houses. Later, after faithful service and advancement in lower ranks, an outlander may seek adoption into a Great House. Adoption and advancement to higher ranks in a Great House requires that a Great House councilor stand as sponsor for the candidate's character and loyalty. Finding a councilor to sponsor an outlander often involves performing a great service for the prospective sponsor.

The two remaining are House Dagoth, the Sixth House thought to be defeated and absorbed into other houses after the Battle of Red Mountain, and the clans of the nomadic Ashlanders, today without any formal influence.

[edit] House Wars

By the immemorial customs of Dunmer society, a House may challenge the honor of another House in the person of of one of the House's ranking nobles. The ranking noble of the impugned house is marked for death -- in ancient times, actually formally marked with a black banner, but in modern times, served with a formal written public announcement. If within the year of the challenge, the marked noble still lives, the challenging house must publicly forgo any further complaint or scandal on the matter.

Only a ranking challenging noble or a Morag Tong assassin may attack the marked noble: in modern times, Houses routinely engage the Morag Tong, taking out regulated contracts called Writs. this custom permits Houses to war upon one another on a small scale without threatening public peace and rule of law. Such violent disputes are called House Wars. Codes of behavior under House Wars are complex and subtle, and the Morag Tong specialize in the honorable and legal prosecution of these factional vendettas. House Wars are expensive, dangerous, and disruptive to all Houses involved, but on the island of Vvardenfell alone, a dozen or more Marked Challenges are being prosecuted at any time.

[edit] Current Great Houses

[edit] 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

In the great wind of progress, tradition cannot stand. Grasp fortune by the forelocks. When you see your chances, seize them. When you see a chance to turn a profit, take it. But do not follow money blindly. There is value in reputation, more than many young Hlaalu realize. This value must be carefully balanced against the more tangible coins in any deal. Theft and murder are bad for business. You can steal from someone, but will he trade with you after that? You can't bargain with a dead man. — Grasping Fortune

House Hlaalu can be characterized as opportunistic, any morals they might have come second to business. House Hlaalu is one of the five remaining Great Houses of the settled Dunmer, their House color is yellow. Its council seat is in Balmora, with other Hlaalu-run towns at Suran, Hla Oad and Gnaar Mok. Hlaalu public buildings — tradehouses and craft guilds, manors and council halls — are designed as simple multi-storied buildings roughly rectangular in plan, featuring arched entranceways and modest decorated exteriors. More modest one-story private dwellings follow the same plan, except with less decoration. Hlaalu plantation estates resemble Temple compounds, with walled precincts enclosing outbuildings for craftsmen and servants, dominated by a grand manor residence in place of a Temple shrine.

Its main concern is business and profit. This is their great strength - they are fast talkers and intelligent traders - and their great liability; most Hlaalu are bribable, either with gold or with other favors, and their leaders are no exception. House Hlaalu retainers are also masters of thievery, sneaking, lock-picking, blackmailing and backstabbing, both literal and metaphorical. While some councilors will obviously be honest and fair, many are under-handed and corrupt.

[edit] The opening of Vvardenfell

Historically, House Hlaalu was rather insignificant in the set ways of Tribunal-ruled, pre-Imperial Morrowind. Its holdings were centered around the ancient capital of Narsis in the southern region of Morrowind, on the fertile Deshann Plain. House Hlaalu's influence and wealth changed rather dramatically after the Treaty of the Armistice.

[edit] Lands and Titles

After the Armistice the ruling Lord High Councilor of House Indoril was assassinated, and replaced by a Hlaalu noble. Furthermore the role of the figure-head King of Morrowind was also filled by a Hlaalu, first Queen Barenziah and after her abdication followed by her uncle King Athyn Llethan. After Llethan's death the ambitious and ruthless King Hlaalu Helseth took the throne. Vedam Dren, another well-known Hlaalu noble, is the current Duke of the Imperial District of Vvardenfell. House Hlaalu is on the surface the most in favor of the Empire of all Great Houses, with allies in all the Imperial trade guilds.

When previously Temple-owned land on Vvardenfell was opened up for exploration and settlement in 3E 414, Hlaalu managed to grab the lion-share of the best lands in the Ascadian isles, and also got awarded the charter to the rich ebony mines in Caldera.

[edit] Other Business

These titles and close connections to the Empire and the East Empire Company didn't stop leading Hlaalu from being involved in the Smuggling and Slavery business. If one looks beyond the surface, close ties to the local criminal organization Camonna Tong are evident. And they are very close ties; the Camonna Tong's kingpin Orvas Dren is the brother of Duke Vedam Dren, and Orvas directly controls two Councilors. While Vedam disapproves of his brother's activities he does nothing to stop them. Of course, the majority of Hlaalu members do not know about the connection between their House and the Camonna Tong, nor quite how important it is, and indeed hate and fear the syndicate - for the majority believe they are doing quite well from their trade with the Empire, and have no wish for armed rebellion to disrupt their economic stability.

On the outside, House Hlaalu is also strongly against slavery, no doubt a side-effect of its relation with the Empire, but, since Morrowind is conveniently exempt, use slaves on their plantation, and the Camonna Tong also deals in slaves via connections to House Dres. The Telvanni, because of the many double-standards, have a generically low opinion of House Hlaalu, preferring Redoran's spirit and courage over Hlaalu's profit hunger and dishonorable dealings. One low-profile but well-connected member of House Hlaalu however is not just an abolitionist but a leader within the Twin Lamps movement. That's Ilmeni Dren.

Hlaalu relationships with the other guilds of Morrowind are generally neutral with exceptions to the other Houses and the Thieves Guild with whom they are hostile, and the Ashlanders, their only enemy besides the Vampire clans.

Among the Great Houses, the Hlaalu are also the most friendly towards foreigners, outlanders and non-Dunmer in general. In fact, at the present time, they are the only Great House to have non-Dunmer on their council: senior positions are occupied by two humans, the Imperial-born Crassius Curio and the Nordic-born Yngling Half-Troll.

[edit] 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.

The Great House Redoran is one of the five remaining Great Houses. Its council seat is in Ald'ruhn and all councilors live there in the hollowed shell of a colossal prehistoric Emperor Crab; the district is known as Under-Skar. Other Redoran-dominated towns include: Khuul, Maar Gan and Ald Velothi. Redoran settlements are designed in the Dunmer village style, built of local materials, with organic curves and undecorated exteriors inspired by the landscape and by the shells of giant native insects. Redoran villages are typically centered on Temple compounds and their courtyards, with huts and tradehouses gathered around a central plaza, as in the West Gash village of Gnisis, which is currently rented to the Imperial Legions. The only major Redoran city on the mainland is Blacklight, close to the border of Skyrim.

A Redoran's duty is first to the Tribunal Temple, second to the Great House Redoran, and third to one's family and clan. A Redoran noble must know the virtue of gravity. It is not the Redoran way to laugh at serious matters, for it shows disrespect. It is not the Redoran way to spread rumors, for they fester and breed dissention.

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 is a natural ally. There is also mutual respect between them and the Imperial Fighters Guild and Imperial Legion. They have less respect for the other Imperial Guilds (i.e. Mages Guild and Thieves Guild) and the Imperial Cult religion.

Conflicts often arise with the other Great Houses. The most obvious conflict is about the town of Caldera that was founded by the Imperial Caldera Mining Company with the support of House Hlaalu, but there is also bickering with the Telvanni concerning the foundation of certain new settlements in the Ashlands.

House Redoran's current leader, Bolvyn Venim, is somewhat unscrupulous for a Redoran. Few among the rest of the hierarchy actually like him, but the Redoran respect for strong leadership (which few Redoran leaders have displayed in recent history, hence the current weakness of the house) and prowess in arms ensures that he nevertheless retains his position.

[edit] House Telvanni

Traditionally isolationist, most House Telvanni of Morrowind wizard-lords pursue wisdom and mastery in solitude. But certain ambitious wizard-lords, their retainers, and clients have entered whole-heartedly into the competition to control and exploit Vvardenfell's land and resources, building towers and bases all along the eastern coast. The Telvanni think that wisdom confers power, and power confers right. — Great Houses of Morrowind

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

House Telvanni is mainly a house of highly egocentric and ambitious wizards. Here, it is common to rise through the ranks by eliminating or otherwise 'indisposing' other members. Of the Telvanni lords, only Master Aryon of Tel Vos - the youngest and newest councilor - seems able to look beyond the end of his own nose and at the concerns of other people, the rest want little more than to be left alone to their research and ambitions. The rest of the members are similarly isolationist in outlook and do not intend to be presided over by any of the other institutions, predominantly the Guild of Mages.

House Telvanni is among the staunchest defenders of slavery, which they see as an ancient Dunmer right. Their ideals and desires, evidently not concerning themselves, are left to the slaves to obey. However, both Khajiiti and Argonians, the two most common slave races, may join House Telvanni and advance with the same level of respect as other races. Many of the towns, notably Sadrith Mora and Tel Aruhn, house slave markets. Telvanni holdings are also worked by slaves, whereas the other Great Houses prefer to use generic workers. Telvanni are, therefore, strong enemies of abolitionists.

All of the Telvanni Councilors live in great towers which require levitation to ascend; one leader in each of their main towns: Sadrith Mora, Tel Aruhn, Tel Vos, Tel Mora and Tel Branora. All of the Telvanni towns are distanced of the Silt Strider routes - the only transport available to them is the boat; except for Sadrith Mora itself - which, being the only Telvanni town with a significant Imperial presence (located at nearby Wolverine Hall), can be reached by Guild Guide from another Mages Guild. House Telvanni area include Firewatch east of Tel Mora, and Port Telvannis on the Telvanni Isles that extend east into the Padomaic Ocean.

Sadrith Mora is the real capital of the Telvanni lands, even though the Archmagister, Gothren does not live there but resides in nearby Tel Aruhn. The Telvanni city of Sadrith Mora is home to the Council Hall, in which each Telvanni lord is represented by a lieutenant with the title of "Mouth". In general, the actual lords themselves live in their own towers and do not attend the Council. Even Master Neloth of Tel Naga, who resides nearby in Sadrith Mora, does not attend the Council. Some great Telvanni have opted out of the rat race for power within the Council entirely due to their isolationism. But, among those that actually care about who is the leader, the ever-procrastinating Archmagister Gothren of Tel Aruhn, few ever voice their opinions.

The Telvanni, in general, do not relate among other Houses or Guilds. Nor do they have many enemies save for Abolitionists and the Imperial Mages Guild - the Telvanni would rather have a monopoly on magical power in Morrowind. (Nevertheless, it is possible to join both, and complete all the quests for them other than one mage guild quest that doesn't need to be done.) On the other hand, the Telvanni do not convey the usual hatred of Vampires that most other factions have, and some of their lords and Mouths are willing to speak to them; wizards do not fear vampires nearly as much as others do.

[edit] House Indoril

"... the 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 initial seven Great Houses of Morrowind. After being founded during the early part of the First Era, Indoril was one of the strongest Houses with vast political power and many influential positions, due to its close ties to the Tribunal. It was the house of Chimer hero Lord Indoril Nerevar. Duke-Prince Indoril Brindisi Dorom was ruling Mournhold during its destruction by Mehrunes Dagon.

This time of influence came to an abrupt halt at the end of the Second Era. After the Armistice between Lord Vivec and Tiber Septim in 2E 896, many of House Indoril's leading members chose to commit suicide rather than accept the treaty. The Lord High Councilor of the Grand Council, himself an Indoril, rejected the treaty, and refused to step down. He was then assassinated in a plot, and replaced by a Hlaalu noble. Emboldened by the success of their new Imperial allies, House Hlaalu embraced the opportunity to settle some old scores with House Indoril, and a number of local councils and land holdings changed hands in bloody feuds. All these events caused House Indoril to lose power rapidly, and it was left severely weakened during the period of transition to Imperial rule.

The remaining members of House Indoril retreated into positions in the Tribunal Temple hierarchy. The predominately Indoril militant order, the Ordinators, protects Vivec and other Temple and Indoril holdings. Its main resources being tied up in Guard duty and the maintenance of defenses against Dagoth Ur, House Indoril, although not without influence, is far from its former glory.

Currently, House Indoril has no territorial holdings on the island of Vvardenfell, Indoril District occupies the heartland of mainland Morrowind, with lands south of the Inner Sea including the city of Almalexia or Mournhold, and the town of Necrom on the eastern coast with its City of the Dead. Indoril territory borders House Dres and the Deshann Plain.

[edit] House Dres

"House Dres is one of two houses without holdings or interest in Vvardenfell. Dres District is in the south of Morrowind, bordering the swamps and marshes of Black Marsh. 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-worshiping civilized Dunmer clans." – Vivec

House Dres is one of the Great Houses of Morrowind, with presence only on the mainland. Dres District is located in the south of Morrowind on the Deshann Plain, bordering House Indoril and the swamps and marshes of Black Marsh. The Dres have a mainly rural but still very wealthy agricultural society. The Dres are the Dunmer that enslave and ship slaves to the other Great Houses, keeping thousands of captives, mostly Argonians, in their infamous slave-pens of Tear, the Dres capital, and the surrounding vast saltrice plantations.

House Dres greatly opposed joining the Empire, but lost most of their support when their traditional allies, the members of House Indoril, began to commit suicide after the Armistice. Rumors can be heard in Oblivion discussing Dres' decision to give up the slave trade, seeking new allies in King Hlaalu Helseth and his House Hlaalu.

• The Arnesian War was one of the many during the troubled time of the Imperial Simulacrum of Jagar Tharn. What started as a simple slave revolt in the House Dres lands of the south built on itself until the swampy plains erupted with blood and fire, pitting Morrowind against Black Marsh.

[edit] Historic Houses

[edit] 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 the remains of the ancient, and defunct, Sixth Great House of the Chimer, headed by the god Dagoth Ur. The House briefly reappeared in Vvardenfell c. 3E 400 but was destroyed shortly thereafter by the Nerevarine champion. They form the major antagonism to the hero in Morrowind. Their primary bases lie within Red Mountain, in the ancient Dwemer strongholds.

[edit] Early History

As far as is known, House Dagoth was much like any other Great House of the Chimer. Its advancement was done via struggle and confronting its elders. There isn't much information on any Great House in the early First Era; it's not known what support it had prior to Nerevar and Dumac's establishment of the First Council governing Resdayn (Morrowind).

[edit] The War of the First Council

In the War of the First Council between the Chimer and the Dwemer, some sources claim that House Dagoth stood with the Dwemer and were defeated, others that there was a subsequent Dunmer civil war against House Dagoth, and yet others claim that House Dagoth betrayed both sides in the Battle of Red Mountain. In any case, when the other Great Houses, led by House Indoril and their Hortator, Nerevar Indoril, defeated the Dwemer, House Dagoth was likewise destroyed. This same Chimer-Dwemer war caused the Chimer to turn into Dunmer in the late seventh century of the first era.

House Dagoth's leader was Dagoth Ur. He was at first a good friend of Hortator Nerevar Indoril. The specifics of what happened in the Battle of Red Mountain are lost to history. It has been suggested that Dagoth Ur at first wished for the destruction of Kagrenac's Tools, while Nerevar sought counsel with his advisors -- Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec. The rest of that sordid history, including the three's obtaining godhood from those tools, is not really relevant to the Sixth House. Dagoth Ur had already experimented with Kagrenac's Tools and the Heart, fought against the Tribunal (and possibly Nerevar as well), and was driven underneath Red Mountain, beneath even the Heart Chamber, and the Tribunal kept Kagrenac's Tools.

Since Dagoth Ur had disappeared, and the rest of his house had been soundly crushed in battle, Great House Dagoth sank into obscurity until the late Second Era. Works such as Poison Song, record other "official" successors to the House of Dagoth. These may be romance novels but it is interesting to note that later sufferers of Coprus have described the powerful and compelling whispering of the God, Dagoth Ur in their dreams - despite the fact that they were not related to House Dagoth in any known way. It is clear that the House did not survive intact through the remaining 2220 years of the First Era, or the following 882 years of the Second Era. And the dispersion of the known surviving members of that House among the other Houses is known fact.

In the absence of other information therefore books such as Poison Song must stand. Therefore it is clear that the demi-God, Dagoth Ur did rest somnolent for a comparatively short period and then began gathering the members of his dispersed and devastated House to him through their dreams.

[edit] The Re-awakening

In the year 2E 882, at the close of the Second Era, Dagoth Ur and his Ash Vampires apparently became active again on Red Mountain, openly taking possession of the Heart Chamber. This year is known precisely because Almsivi, in their annual ritual to re-infuse themselves with the power from the Heart of Lorkhan, were opposed by Dagoth Ur and were ultimately unable to enter the Heart Chamber.

The arcane rituals that Dagoth Ur used to increase his own powers are not known. What we do know is that during the time of his quiescence he gathered large numbers of his people to him and made them into creatures of fear.

When House Dagoth re-emerged, it sought a worldwide theocracy based on an as-yet-uncreated god, to be named "Akulakhan". This would be a second attempt at creating Kagrenac's god "Numidium", so Akulakhan was also known as Second Numidium. The surviving, distorted members of House Dagoth would then be the priests of Akulakhan.

House Dagoth sought to gain the people's support both by religious support (like the Tribunal Temple did), and by promising the banishment of all outside governance in Morrowind.

The Sixth House demonstrated a tremendous amount of planning, and constantly looked toward long-term goals. Dagoth Ur typically maintained a "wait-and-see" approach to his later conflicts. While House Dagoth was ideologically incredibly expansionist, it was also extremely slow in its movements. Vvardenfell was largely uncolonized until its doors were open to non-Temple folk in 3E 414; during the more than 400 years of conflict with the Tribunal, House Dagoth hardly expanded from Red Mountain at all -- only to the lost Dunmer stronghold Kogoruhn and to some smuggling chains.

[edit] House Dagoth and the Tribunal

For the following four hundred years (roughly the first four hundred years of the Third Era), Almsivi sent raiding parties in an attempt to capture the Heart Chamber, but they were always unsuccessful. In the meantime, Dagoth Ur recruited followers by manipulating and controlling their dreams. Corprus disease appears in these 400 years, pioneered by House Dagoth. Blight storms progressively began to ravage more and more of Vvardenfell during this period. The growth of blight storms was practically exponential, posing a massive threat to the people of Vvardenfell. To combat this, at some time around 3E 400, Almsivi began the construction of the Ghostfence. Once constructed, it required most of the Tribunal's power for its own maintenance. It was completed some time before 3E 417.

The Ghostfence may have been part of House Dagoth's larger plan. With most of their power devoted to maintaining the Ghostfence, Morrowind was opened to non-Temple settlement in 3E 414, and Almalexia and Sotha Sil lost the artifacts Sunder and Keening while raiding the Sixth House Bases. Vivec's intervention was the only thing that allowed Almalexia and Sotha Sil to escape with their lives. Given these tactical strengths, it is not hard to believe that the expansion of the Blight was intended as a feint, to force the Tribunal to spend a lot of energy to stop said storms.

In keeping with the feint hypothesis, House Dagoth rapidly obtained the use of several smuggler bases and ships along the Bitter Coast. With these, they either imported or exported custom idols called "ash statues", which apparently had a sort of corruptive magic attached to them. They caused people to murder, to be aggressive, and possibly made it easier for Dagoth Ur to extend his dream influences. They also may have caused ash kin to be transported to a manor in Ald'ruhn.

In an event that was likely prior to the completion of the Ghostfence, in 3E 400, Dagoth Uthol took the old Dunmer fortress of Kogoruhn. The Tribunal were probably not aware of this until much later.

After the loss of Sunder and Keening in 3E 417, the Tribunal retired to their capitals and offensives were only carried out by the Temple priesthood. With the drain of the Ghostfence, the Tribunal could no longer raid within the Ghostfence. It is not known what their plan was; it is possible that they were waiting for House Dagoth to attack first, so that they could drop the Ghostfence and counterattack with more strength.

Dagoth Ur, though he held Sunder and Keening, lacked Wraithguard to bind them all together. The best he could have done would be to study Sunder and Keening's enchantments and attempt to duplicate them himself, later. This undoubtedly required some time; the next ten years are accordingly remarkably silent. Perhaps recognizing the Tribunal's strategy to wait for House Dagoth to make the first move, in 3E 427, his cultists became far more aggressive, and there was a sudden chain of assassinations. Curiously enough, these assassinations were all targeted at Imperials and at Great House Hlaalu's Imperial sympathizers. Presumably, these targets were chosen because of House Dagoth's opposition to the Empire and its belief that it would conquer all of Tamriel.

It is not known whether Dagoth Ur managed to grasp the secrets of Sunder and Keening sufficiently to immortalize himself. Prior to this, his actions had been on time spans longer than ten years, but that does not really prove anything.

[edit] Ashlander Clans

The Ashlanders are native Dunmer nomads. In the First Era, Ashlanders and Dunmer were very much alike and on equal footing, but after the formation of the First Council and the Great Houses, they have steadily been forced into the poorest and most hostile lands. They travel along with their herds, camping wherever is suitable. Additional resources gained by hunting the local wildlife are used to manufacture huts, armors, clothing and general household items. Unlike the settled Dunmer of the Great Houses, they do not acknowledge the power of the Tribunal. In fact, they believe the Tribunal betrayed Lord Nerevar at the Battle of Red Mountain and are kept alive by means of magic not unlike necromancy. Furthermore, the Ashlanders are very xenophobic and believe all outlanders should leave Vvardenfell. However, if an outlander performs a good deed for an Ashlander Clan, he may be named Clanfriend, and thus be adopted into the Ashlander faction.

The Ashlanders are divided into four clans: Ahemmusa, Erabenimsun, Urshilaku and Zainab. Each clan is traditionally led by an Ashkhan, whereas the spiritual leadership lies with the Wise Woman. The secrets of the Wise Women are passed from one generation onto the other. Several prophecies, in the form of verses such as the Stranger, have survived throughout the years. Many others are believed to have been lost, but, as rumor will have it, the Dissident Priests may have recorded them and thus preserved them for posterity. The Wise Women of the Ashlander clans interpret dreams as prophecies, another major difference with the Tribunal Temple. The Urshilaku Ashlanders form the core of the Nerevarine Cult.

If an Ashlander commits a crime against another member of a clan, he will be cast out of the clan. These outcasts flock together in small camps and will attack anyone who comes in their vicinity, and are therefore a major threat for the unwary traveller in the Grazelands.