Morrowind Review

“Each event is perceived by prophecy. But without the hero… there is no event,” ( Zurin Arctus the under king) “ In the waning years of the third era of Tamriel, a prisoner born on a certain day to uncertain parents was sent under guard … without explanation, to Morrowind, ignorant of the role he was to play in that nation’s history.” ( Morrowind)

They tell often of history and the story of Vvardenfell, in the northeastern corner of Tamriel sits Morrowind. Home to the dark elves and the district of Vvardenfell. Cut off from the rest of Morrowind by the great rivers that crack through most of Tamriel. It’s great mountain of volcanic molten lava looms over Vvardenfell like a great monument, they call it red mountain.

In my travels through Vardenfell I have seen many things. Scarabs that are fierce but small creatures, large floating beasts that resemble jellyfish, giant mushrooms that tower over the land, and beast-like cliff racers. Scarabs are larva-like creatures that grow into such an interesting thing. It’s not very dangerous by itself, but it can paralyze its opponents. 

The jellyfish creatures are known as bull neches, and are about the size of a cow. Their calm nature and their ability to float makes them mesmerizing creatures. Bull neches are farmed much like cows are, their hide makes for good leather. 

And then there are cliff racers. These pterodactyl-like creatures have long tails and one shark fin that stretches across their back. They either hunt alone or in groups but they do not care what they eat or what they share their kill with. These cliff racers are relentless creatures that never give up and are hard to kill.

But why do I bring up all of this information? Why does it matter to you? Well if you ever chose to visit the great land of Vvardenfell, these are just a slim few of the things you will encounter. Almost everything is out to kill you, and little help is given. Especially to newcomers to Morrowind. These creatures will be more evasive, they will be stronger, they will be more skilled, and at first those who are called “outlanders” by the inhabitants of Vvardenfell, will almost always have great difficulty defending themselves against such foes. 

I have talked to the people of Morrowind, in the district of Vvardenfell to be exact. These dark elves or Dunmer, as they call themselves, are a very proud people. They believe in their traditions and morals. They do not trust outlanders even if the outlander is a Dunnmer. Most shop keeps will be kind, if only to keep their business. 

But I have also found that if you seek information, most will not hesitate to tell you. I learned so much history just by having a few simple conversations. I have learned that there are different factions, houses, and guilds you can join. All with their different requirements and  rewards. 

The guilds of Morrowind are strong and diverse. Take the thieves guild for instance, my first encounter with them was in the city of Balmora. I was introduced to the guild master of the Balmora thieves guild, her name was Sugarlips Habasi. I have met Kajihit before, a cat race with a fascinating culture, but she was unlike any other Kajihit I had ever met. From interviewing her I have found that this guild sends their new recruits to steal or fetch simple things. One of their missions, if you could call it that, is to steal a diamond from an alchemist shop across town. The guild seemed dull at first, but as I explored further into the guild, I discovered strange wonders.

Many other guilds are similar, but have their own goals in mind. I never got the chance to speak with the other guilds, but I did get a chance to talk to the Camonna Tong. Though I had no direct contact with the faction itself, I happened to talk to the people in the Balmora Council club. From what I have gathered the Camonna Tong works out of the Council club and is a crime organization. This organization is interlinked with the other guilds in some way, fashion or form, but I could not get much information out of any I spoke to. This faction does not trust any outlanders, regardless if they were Dunmer or not.

The people and land of Vvardenfell are ruthless and sometimes outright terrifying. Traveling through Vvardenfell is tricky. You don’t quite know what to expect while on the trails or in the mountains of this strange land. Yes the locals give you directions, but for an outlander with an empty map and no sense of direction, it creates meaningless confusion. There are many cities in Vvardenfell, and they all are very different from one another. I suppose that’s why it is so difficult to get your bearings in the bigger cities. Take the city of Vivec for example, it is one of the most stressful and boring cities to traverse through.

I was fascinated by the architecture of the buildings and the strange way of travel at first. But soon I grew annoyed with having to traverse this city. There are multiple different districts in this city that are built into large pyramid-like structures. And to get to further facilities and shops in the upper portion of a district is by going up large steep ramps and there are only two ramps on each level. So you practically have to hunt for the ramps just to talk to someone who happens to be on the next level.

But regardless of the frustration this land can give the people and outlanders of Vvardenfell, it’s hard to miss the beauty and uniqueness of this region of Tamriel. Especially when you’re climbing the high mountain tops above the mist and you catch a glimpse of the sun rising over the misty mountains, it makes even the simplest of travelers forget about the dangers of Vvardenfell.