Morrowind:Factions
Below you'll find detailed information on each of the factions in the game. Despite conflicts between many factions (especially across Imperial and native lines, e.g. Mages Guild versus Telvanni, or Imperial Cult versus Tribunal Temple), it is usually possible to join and advance in whichever factions you choose, if you are mindful of the conflicts and work around them. See the Reaction Table below, and be aware that you may have to notably raise Personality and its associated skill Speechcraft to mitigate negative faction reactions.
Great Houses
The Great Houses are the large establishments, throughout the Morrowind province, of extended lineages of "civilized" Dunmer, with many non-Dunmer retainers (and sometimes officers). The Great Houses' traditions derive from ancient Dunmer clans and tribes, but they now function something like political parties. Of the Empire's five recognized Great Houses, only three have a governing and commerce presence on the island of Vvardenfell in particular. A fourth, House Indoril (not covered below, as it is not coded as a faction in Morrowind), supplies the majority of the Ordinators.
Houses | Favored Attributes and Skills | Notes |
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House Hlaalu |
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House Redoran |
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House Telvanni |
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Sixth House |
No favored skills |
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Notes
- You can (without cheating) usually only join one of the three Great Houses. However, there is an exploitable bug that makes it possible to join Hlaalu and either Redoran or Telvanni.
- House Indoril is noted for making up a large percentage of Ordinators, and a member of House Indoril, Mehra Drora, can be found in Gnisis. House Dres has no in-game impact on the province at all. Neither House appears as a faction in the game.
- The original story featured all five houses of the Dark Elves, including your ability to join House Indoril and House Dres, but due to its scope this had to be cut.
Imperial Factions
The Imperial factions are all establishments relating to Imperial traditions and politics. Most such factions originate from Cyrodiil and have made their way to Vvardenfell.
Factions | Favored Attributes and Skills | Notes |
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Blades |
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Census and Excise |
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Dark Brotherhood |
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East Empire Company |
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Fighters Guild |
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Imperial Cult |
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Imperial Knights |
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Imperial Legion |
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Mages Guild |
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Talos Cult |
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Thieves Guild |
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Notes
- It is possible to join multiple Imperial guilds even when they conflict to an extent (e.g., both the Thieves and Fighters Guilds, or both the Thieves and Mages Guilds). See the individual faction and quest articles for more details.
Native Morrowind Factions
These factions are mostly establishments with long-standing regional Dunmer traditions, and usually have to do with reclaiming Morrowind for the Dunmer, and resisting the colonial Imperial culture. There are some internecine conflicts among these native factions (e.g., between the Ashlanders of Vvardenfell and the Tribunal Temple, and enmity between Ashlander tribes). The real odd one out is Twin Lamps, which is recent, comprised primarily of non-Dunmer in the region, and opposed to a particular Dunmer practice. Of Morrowind's endemic factions, only the Morag Tong has the character of a guild, and of them it is the only one with a history and presence outside Vvardenfell.
Factions | Favored Attributes and Skills | Notes |
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Ashlanders |
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Camonna Tong |
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Morag Tong |
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Nerevarine Cult |
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Tribunal Temple |
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Twin Lamps |
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Vampire Clans
Vampires are reestablishing themselves more openly on the island of Vvardenfell, after a long period of near-extinction and hiding. Each is dominated by a particular race, though with a mixed group of minions. The Vampire clans have no faction allies, not even other Vampire clans. There are three clans of Vampires that have made the greatest progress in staking out territory:
Clans | Favored Attributes and Skills | Notes |
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Aundae Clan |
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Berne Clan |
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Quarra Clan |
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- * Automatic after becoming infected by a member of the clan. However, you are not truly a member of the clan – while it's possible to use their services and feed from their "cattle", the clan will not appear in the faction list.
Notes
- In lore, there are over 100 kinds of vampires with different powers and weaknesses, and at least three different diseases that can cause vampirism. All three clans on Vvardenfell (along with independent vampires there) are of the same type and from the same disease.
Reaction Table
The following table describes the reaction values when dealing with NPCs from other factions. Find the NPC's faction on the lefthand column, then matching it up with your faction on the top row. Note that the values are not always reversible; for example, the Census people hate (-3) the Ashlanders, who are hard to find and tax, while the Ashlanders don't care about (0) the Census people, whom they rarely encounter. Positive (green) numbers indicate that the faction from the leftmost column likes the one from the top row, while negative (red) numbers mean the former dislikes the latter. The approximate level of like/dislike is listed below:
- +3 = beloved ally
- +2 = ally
- +1 = friendly
- 0 = neutral
- -1 = hostile
- -2 = enemy
- -3 = hated enemy
- -8 = enemy hated with a consuming passion
The reaction values are used to calculate the disposition (based on a 0 to 100 scale) adjustment on the following formula:
Disposition Adjustment = (Reaction * 5) * (0.5 + (FactionRank * 0.5))
Ashlanders
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Blades
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Camonna Tong
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Census and Excise
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Clan Aundae
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Clan Berne
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Clan Quarra
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Fighters Guild
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Hlaalu
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Imperial Cult
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Imperial Knights
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Imperial Legion
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Mages Guild
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Morag Tong
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Nerevarine
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Redoran
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Sixth House
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Talos Cult
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Telvanni
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Temple
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Thieves Guild
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Twin Lamps
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Ashlanders | +3 | -1 | -1 | 0 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -3 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 0 |
Blades | -1 | +3 | -2 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 0 | +2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
Camonna Tong | -1 | -2 | +3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | +1 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 0 |
Census and Excise | -3 | +2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Clan Aundae | -3 | -2 | 0 | 0 | +3 | -3 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -1 | 0 |
Clan Berne | -3 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -3 | +3 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -1 | 0 |
Clan Quarra | -3 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -3 | +3 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -1 | 0 |
Fighters Guild | -2 | 0 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | +3 | +1 | +1 | 0 | +2 | +1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
Hlaalu | -2 | 0 | +1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | 0 | +1 | +1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 0 | -1 | +1 | -1 | 0 |
Imperial Cult | -1 | +2 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | +2 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | -1 | -2 | +1 | 0 |
Imperial Knights | -2 | +2 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +2 | +1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | -3 | 0 | -1 | -2 | -1 | 0 |
Imperial Legion | -2 | +2 | -2 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | 0 | +3 | +1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | -3 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 |
Mages Guild | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +1 | +1 | 0 | +1 | +3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 0 | -3 | -2 | +1 | 0 |
Morag Tong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nerevarine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Redoran | -2 | 0 | -1 | 0 | -2 | -2 | -2 | +1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | -1 | 0 | -4 | +3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | +2 | -1 | 0 |
Sixth House | -3 | -3 | -1 | 0 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -3 | 0 | -3 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -3 | +3 | 0 | -3 | -3 | -3 | 0 |
Talos Cult | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Telvanni | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 0 | +3 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
Temple | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -1 | +1 | -2 | 0 | -1 | -2 | 0 | -8 | +2 | -3 | 0 | -1 | +3 | -1 | 0 |
Thieves Guild | -2 | 0 | -3 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | +1 | 0 | -1 | +1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | +3 | 0 |
Twin Lamps | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes
- If you are already in House Redoran when you become the Nerevarine, the faction reaction between the Redoran and Nerevarine factions becomes +4; the reaction value for the Tribunal Temple is also changed to +4, if you are already a member.
- The reaction value for being in the same faction nullifies the reaction values from other factions. Thus, you suffer no disposition penalties for being in two opposing factions. However, you also lose any disposition boosts from being a member of an allied faction.
Rank Titles
The below table lists all the titles for the ranks of all the factions in the game.
Faction | Rank 1 | Rank 2 | Rank 3 | Rank 4 | Rank 5 | Rank 6 | Rank 7 | Rank 8 | Rank 9 | Rank 10 |
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Ashlanders | Clanfriend | Hearthfriend | Brother | Initiate | Clanholder | Guide | Champion | Gulakhan | Farseer | Ashkhan |
Blades | Novice | Apprentice | Journeyman | Finder | Traveller | Operative | Agent | Spy | Spymaster | Grand Spymaster |
Camonna Tong | Bully | Tough | Thug | Brute | Lifetaker | Chiller | Hammer | Old Man | Strongman | Kingpin |
Census and Excise | Novice | Apprentice | Clerk | Taxman | Taxtaker | Operative | Agent | Excise Officer | Inspector | Grand Inspector |
Clan Aundae | Cattle | Neonate | Minion | Servant | Stalker | Bloodkin | Reaver | Lord | Elder | Ancient |
Clan Berne | Cattle | Neonate | Minion | Servant | Stalker | Bloodkin | Reaver | Lord | Elder | Ancient |
Clan Quarra | Cattle | Neonate | Minion | Servant | Stalker | Bloodkin | Reaver | Lord | Elder | Ancient |
Fighters Guild | Associate | Apprentice | Journeyman | Swordsman | Protector | Defender | Warder | Guardian | Champion | Master |
House Hlaalu | Hireling | Retainer | Oathman | Lawman | Kinsman | House Cousin | House Brother | House Father | Councilman | Grandmaster |
House Redoran | Hireling | Retainer | Oathman | Lawman | Kinsman | House Cousin | House Brother | House Father | Councilman | Archmaster |
House Telvanni | Hireling | Retainer | Oathman | Lawman | Mouth | Spellwright | Wizard | Master | Magister | Archmagister |
Imperial Cult | Layman | Novice | Initiate | Acolyte | Adept | Disciple | Oracle | Invoker | Theurgist | Primate |
Imperial Knights | Aspirant | Squire | Gallant | Chevalier | Keeper | Knight Brother | Commander | Marshal | Seneschal | Paladin |
Imperial Legion | Recruit | Spearman | Trooper | Agent | Champion | Knight Errant | Knight Bachelor | Knight Protector | Knight of the Garland | Knight of the Imperial Dragon |
Mages Guild | Associate | Apprentice | Journeyman | Evoker | Conjurer | Magician | Warlock | Wizard | Master Wizard | Arch-Mage |
Morag Tong | Associate | Blind Thrall | Thrall | White Thrall | Thinker | Brother | Knower | Master | Exalted Master | Grandmaster |
Thieves Guild | Toad | Wet Ear | Footpad | Blackcap | Operative | Bandit | Captain | Ringleader | Mastermind | Master Thief |
Tribunal Temple | Layman | Novice | Initiate | Acolyte | Adept | Curate | Disciple | Diviner | Master | Patriarch |
Notes
- The Blades' maximum attainable rank for the player character is 5 (Operative).
- The Dark Brotherhood has no ranks (and does not exist as a real faction) in the "vanilla" game. Those added in the Tribunal expansion, which makes it a real faction, are covered at the article Tribunal:Dark Brotherhood.
- The Nerevarine Cult just has a single "Nerevarine" pseudo-rank, as Rank 1 and 2, with no labels after that. This conflicts with lore, since there is only one Nerevarine, plus some False Incarnates, who are not actually in this faction. The Nerevarine Cult is coded as a faction simply to provide a way to provoke a negative faction reaction from Tribunal Temple and House Redoran toward members of this cult, as it has no effect otherwise, even from or toward other members of this same faction.
- The Sixth House does not seem to have a rank structure, other than that certain key (and no longer human) members of it are given the title "Dagoth". However, even these appear to be of at least two relative levels of authority, with the major Dagoths each bearing a 6th House Amulet, and playing more important roles. Some of this group have dialogue and are even technically blacksmith and merchant NPCs (though without goods or money), despite being Ash Ghouls. The lesser Dagoths are simply creatures, usually Ascended Sleepers who oddly have a higher soul-trapping value than the greater Dagoths (a factor of what type of creature they are).
- The Talos Cult has no named ranks.
- The Twin Lamps just has a single "Twin Lamps" pseudo-rank, as Rank 1, with no labels after that. Twin Lamps is coded as a faction simply to provide a way to give a negative faction reaction when faced with a member of the staunchly pro-slavery House Telvanni.
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