History Morrowind / TropesDToL

* GameGourmet: Downplayed. Food items (both real and fantastical) are present in the game and can be eaten directly for mild effects (mostly Restore Stamina). They are treated as standard [[AlchemyIsMagic alchemical ingredients]] and can be used to make potions with various effects.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: The Beast Races ([[CatFolk Khajiit]] and [[LizardFolk Argonians]]) cannot wear shoes or boots. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that they are digitigrade and have differently shaped feet to humans, elves, and each other. Despite the justification, this would prove to be [[ScrappyMechanic rather unpopular with the fanbase]].

* DarkChick: Mages Guild Stewardess Ranis Athrys isn't outright "evil," but fits the trope. She is a red-eyed, dark-skinned Dunmer and she is a Nightblade, a class that supplements stealth with magical abilities. She has a WithUsOrAgainstUs, JoinOrDie attitude toward any mages who don't join the Guild as well.

* FlavorEquipment: There is some extremely low-end gear available which most players will pass over without a second thought. In particular, there are the Chitin weapons. The Chitin dagger, for instance, is even worse than the Iron dagger which you can pick up for free during character generation. It exists mostly to give the Ashlanders a unique form of weaponry. Chitin armor on the other hand is actually fairly decent early-game light armor, putting Netch Leather and Nordic Fur armor into this category. You can buy a (relatively inexpensive) almost-full set of the armor from Arielle in [[FirstTown Seyda Neen]]. Even worse are the ''[[JokeItem cloth]]'' bracers. (Think "shirt-sleeve" level of protection and durability...)

** The extremely [[GuideDangIt hard to get]] katana, Eltonbrand. It is basically an upgraded form of the legendary blade Goldbrand, keeping Goldbrand's fire damage while increasing its base damage, adding an additional "Fortify Attack" enchantment, and restoring the user's fatigue with every successful strike. (It's also an EasterEgg, named after former Duke Blue Devils basketball star Elton Brand, of whom one of the game developers was a big fan.)

* FameGate: More like a [[DungeonBypass Fame Bypass/Backdoor]]: Normally, you need to visit all Great House nobles and Ashlander chiefs to convince them that you are TheMessiah, and only then will the CorruptChurch listen to your claims. But if you are already famous enough (at least level 20, with at least 50 Reputation,) the archcanon will grant you a meeting immediately, allowing you to skip what would otherwise be a very long quest.

* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: Troops at Fort Frostmoth in ''Bloodmoon'' will sometimes say a variation of the trope name as idle banter.
--> "Join the Legion! See the world!" Freeze your arse..."

* FaceDesignShield: The Orcish shield and both varieties of Daedric shield sport nasty looking face designs.

* DarkMessiah: [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]], a deranged PhysicalGod, sees himself as this. In the same way as the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]], who is named the Hortator (a great uniter and war-leader to the Dunmer people) and who is prophesied to "destroy the false gods" of the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Tribunal]], Dagoth Ur believes this to be his destiny. He seeks to destroy the Tribunal, drive the Empire from Morrowind, and use [[HumongousMecha Akulakhan]] powered by the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]] to eventually [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination imprint his own twisted mind]] [[RealityWarper on reality]] (the "Dreamer")]]. However, according to Vivec (one of the Tribunal deities) in his ''36 Lessons'' book series, Dagoth Ur is the "Sharmat", a "false dreamer". Like the Hortator, they both seek to unite and destroy but the Sharmat is seen as false, the terrorist to the theorist. So Sharmat is often equalized to [[SatanicArchetype "The Devil" or "The Dark One"]], a long lasting and specific enemy.
--> '''The 36 Lessons of Vivec, Sermon 11''': ''"There is no true symbolism of the center. The Sharmat will believe there is. He will feel that he can cause years of exuberance from sitting in the sacred, when really no one can leave that state and cause anything more but strife."''

** By abusing the alchemy, enchantment, and spellmaking systems, it's possible for the player to become significantly stronger than any of the god characters in the game. You can fly around at hundreds of miles per hour, throw spells like artillery shells, open any door, charm or command any NPC, shrug off massive wounds, and even walk through walls and see levels from the outside if you move too fast for the game's collision system. All that and you can load saved games if you die, which is suspiciously similar to Vivec's description of coming back from the dead. Morrowind's game systems offer you the chance to replicate the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur's profane ascent to godhood.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec (cryptically and metaphorically) states in his dialogue and his ''[[InGameNovel 36 Lessons]]'' series that his "godhood" comes from realizing that he was in a video game and using that knowledge to edit the situation around him. He makes vague references to things like the PlayerCharacter ("The ruling king who only he can address as an equal"), pausing the game, console commands, and the Construction Set LevelEditor. His explanation on what happens if he should "die" also sounds a lot like reloading a saved game:
--> '''Vivec''': ''"When I die in the world of time, then I'm completely asleep. I'm very much aware that all I have to do is choose to wake. And I'm alive again. Many times I have very deliberately tried to wait patiently, a very long, long time before choosing to wake up. And no matter how long it feels like I wait, it always appears, when I wake up, that no time has passed at all."''
** One of the in-game books about the beginning of the world (The Annotated Anuad) mentions that most of Nirn was destroyed and sank beneath the waves before linear time began, leaving only the known continents behind. Bethesda's first attempt at a world map was literally destroyed by the building's sprinkler system, leaving the developers to piece together the existing game map from memory and start over on the world's history.

** One of the in-game books about the beginning of the world (The Annotated Anuad) mentions that most of Nirn was destroyed and sank beneath the waves, leaving only the known continents behind. Bethesda's first attempt at a world map was literally destroyed by the building's sprinkler system, leaving the developers to piece together the existing game map from memory.

** Almalexia, the most powerful and active of the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deities]]. She takes her godly powers and responsibilities the most seriously of the three, and is deeply hurt by the dwindling of her divine power as of the events of the game. [[Spoiler: Her attempts to remain in power after the disappearance of the Heart of Lorkhan push her into villain territory. When she finally attempts to kill the player she's struck down.]]

** All the Daedric Princes. While some like Azura, Boethiah, and Meridia aren't actively hostile to the player, they care very little about mortal ideas of morality. Even the "good" Daedra will curse and murder left and right without any remorse. [[Spoiler: Azura may act as the player's guide and ally, but she's aware that in bringing down the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur she's dooming Morrowind to a massive series of natural disasters that will destroy most of the game's setting. The player might care that most of the people they meet will be killed in a meteor impact or volcanic eruption, but to Azura this is not of much consequence. It's later revealed that she warned her priesthood... but kept sending them visions of more and more future disasters until they abandoned her worship or went mad.]]

** The non-Sixth House victims of the Corprus disease. In essence, it combines the effects of leprosy, cancer, and dementia. The two "positive" effects of the disease are that you stop aging and become immune to all other diseases. Combine these, and your only hope for relief once the disease has advanced is to be killed mercifully. Even the Ascended Sleepers who are able to control their transformation to some degree describe their experience of the mortal world as something like a waking nightmare. They are undergoing ego-death as they merge with the divine. Their own identities and events within the mortal world are no longer significant to them. Yet they're still forced to inhabit their distorted bodies in a real world that no longer matters to them. (And get killed over and over by the player.) That's the best-case-scenario for Dagoth Ur's mortal victims.

** The non-Sixth House victims of the Corprus disease. In essence, it combines the effects of leprosy, cancer, and dementia. The two "positive" effects of the disease are that you stop aging and become immune to all other diseases. Combine these, and your only hope for relief once the disease has advanced is to be killed mercifully.

** The Tribunal, Dagoth Ur, and the Nerevarine are all candidates for the Dark Messiah role, since their attempts to save Morrowind each end in disaster. Dagoth Ur is mutating people and driving them insane. The Tribunal's good intentions have ultimately led Morrowind to this dark juncture. And the player, by carrying out Azura's revenge and casting down all the upstart gods, will bring about the violent eruption of Red Mountain and the destruction of the game's setting.

* ItsUpToYou: Played Straight per series' standard. It's almost as if {{Quest Giver}}s are simply waiting around for the PlayerCharacter to come along. Granted, this can be considered Justified by the fact that the player character is always the Hero of the Age, foretold by prophecy and "blessed" with the ability to rule their own fate (also the justification for the players involvement), so effectively superhuman.

* HonorAmongThieves : All of the main joinable factions had an associated book which outlined their basic ideals and made the case for why you should join them. The Thieves' Guild's book is actually called ''Honor Among Thieves'', and indeed part of the author's argumentation is that the Thieves' Guild is this trope made official (the major other part is that they aren't the murderous, drug-dealing xenophobic slaver scum the Camonna Tong are).

%%* Fiv eMan Band - During the war between the Chimer and the Dwemer, we had this on the Chimer side:
%%** TheHero: Nerevar
%%** TheLancer: Vivec
%%** TheSmartGuy: Sotha Sil
%%** TheChick: Almalexia
%%** TheBigGuy: Voryn Dagoth

** The PlayerCharacter can join various guilds and factions, with [[SidequestSidestory their own questlines]] nearly as expansive as the main quest itself. Despite always joining as the lowest rank in the faction, the player character can nonetheless complete the questline and shoot up through the ranks in a matter of a few in-game ''weeks'', even despite the presence of other members who've been serving for years if not ''decades'' in some cases. AsskickingEqualsAuthority plays into this, as the player character is just that sort of omnicompetent badass who can resolve the questline's conflict and inspire the loyalty of the other members.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* HotScientist: Edwinna Elbert, the Stewardess of the Ald-Ruhn Mages Guild and researcher of the LostTechnology of the extinct Dwemer. She's a Breton with a pretty and young-looking facial sprite.

** [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Alfhedil Elf-Hewer]], master trainer of [[AnAxeToGrind Axe]], lives in the Falensarano Stronghold behind a trapped door.

* DifficultySpike:
** The BigBad FinalBoss (Dagoth Ur) of the main game is level 35. The final bosses from the expansions ([[spoiler:Almalexia]] and Hircine) are both ''level 100''.
** Even the non-bosses from the main game into the expansions spike. ''Bloodmoon'' especially, because even the local wildlife on Solstheim rivals the strength of enemies [[{{Mordor}} inside of the Ghostfence]] on Vvardenfell.
** The ''Bloodmoon'' expansion is especially guilty of this if you choose to complete the expansion's main quest as a werewolf. You're stripped off all your items and magic spells and have to face around 30 enemies who are all about as strong as you and attack in packs of 2-4. All without a chance to heal yourself. To make things worse, if you manage it, your reward will be ''lesser'' than it would have been if you took the easy path.
** Simply starting a new game with the ''Tribunal'' expansion installed, as a Dark Brotherhood assassin may spawn at any time when you sleep. The assassins do [[LevelScaling level scale]], but even the lowest leveled ones will be a major challenge for a brand new character.