| 1 | [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind Main Page]] | [[Morrowind/TropesAToC A to C]] | '''D to L''' | [[Morrowind/TropesMToR M to R]] | [[Morrowind/TropesSToZ S to Z]] | [[Characters/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind Characters]] |
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| 5 | '''Note:''' ''Elder Scrolls'' lore is generally not clear-cut. Reasons for this range from [[UnreliableNarrator biased]] in-universe sources intentionally only giving you only one side of a story, to sources lacking critical information or working from [[BlatantLies false information]], to the implication that AllMythsAreTrue, despite the contradictions, or that at least all myths are MetaphoricallyTrue. [[WordOfGod Out-of-game developer supplemental texts]] (frequently referred to as "Obscure Texts" by the lore community) are more trustworthy, but are frequently left [[LooseCanon unofficial]] and sometimes later contradicted. Because of this, it is entirely possible for two contradictory statements in the below examples to ''both'' be true. (And due to frequent events in-universe that [[TimeCrash alter the timeline]], both may ''literally'' be true in-universe.) |
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| 9 | [[foldercontrol]] |
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| 11 | [[folder:D]] |
| 12 | * DamageDiscrimination: Averted for [=NPCs=]. [[AnyoneCanDie Every NPC in the game]] [[LordBritishPostulate can be killed]] if you choose/are able to do so. This can actually render the main quest unbeatable if you kill a plot-important NPC (the game does pop up a warning message telling you to reload a saved game if you do kill one). Additionally, there is a "[[TakeAThirdOption backpath]]" method to beating the main quest that only requires ''two'' particular [=NPCs=] to be alive, but again, you can also kill them to render even this method unwinnable. |
| 13 | * DamageIncreasingDebuff: The "Weakness to ______" spells, generally used for reducing a target's elemental resistances, are capable of sending it into the negative, meaning that enemies now take increased damage from that element. Once you are able to create customized spells, combining high-intensity, short-duration "Weakness to _____" spells with damage of that element is an easy way to [[DiscOneNuke deal massive damage relatively early]]. |
| 14 | * DamageSpongeBoss: Gedna Relvel, a lich from ''Tribunal'''s "Crimson Plague" questline. She's capable of flinging a very powerful area of effect spell, is immune or resistant to every form of Destruction magic, and quickly regenerates lost Health, Magicka, and Fatigue. Worse, she's supposed to have Health equal to 100x the player's current level, but due to a programming error, she has ''800x'' that amount, making her virtually unkillable at higher levels. Worst of all, [[DudeWheresMyReward you don't even get a very good reward]] for killing her. |
| 15 | * DangerousDeserter: An Imperial Legion quest tasks you with hunting down such a deserter who is still StillWearingTheOldColors and is now in the employ of a witch as her bodyguard. |
| 16 | * DarkMessiah: |
| 17 | ** [[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. |
| 18 | ---> '''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."'' |
| 19 | ** 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, [[spoiler: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.]] |
| 20 | * DatingWhatDaddyHates: The quest to cure Vampirism plays out like this. Molag Bal will only remove the affliction if you kill his daughter, Molag Grunda, who is on Mundus "dating" a lowly Frost Atronach. (Since you can't actually "kill" a daedra, this will merely send her back to Oblivion to await Bal's punishment.) |
| 21 | * DawnOfAnEra: The ending of the main quest, along with the ''Tribunal'' expansion, appear to be one for the Dunmer people and for Morrowind in general. The ancient enemy, Dagoth Ur, has been defeated. The "false gods" of the Tribunal have been "cast down". The three Great Houses with holdings in Vvardenfell and the four Ashlander clans are united under the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine/Hortator]]. The hair-trigger persecution by the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] has been ceased. The Empire has eliminated the largest obstacle to their domination in Morrowind (the Tribunal Temple). However, [[HappyEndingOverride as later works reveal]], [[spoiler:severing the Tribunal from their divine power source started [[TraumaCongaLine chain reaction]] which ultimately ends up in the ''destruction'' of much of Morrowind, as well as forcing the surviving Dunmer to flee as refugees to even less hospitable lands]]. It ''is'' the dawn of a new era, but not one the Dunmer people would have wanted. |
| 22 | * DaywalkingVampire: Averted by the Vvardenfell strand of vampires, as they'll actually burn when exposed to the light of the sun. [[InvokedTrope Invoked]], however, by Dhaunayne Aundae (the Ancient of the Aundae clan of vampires.) She sends you to kill a vampire hunter in the city of Ald'ruhn... in broad daylight, as a message that not even the light of the sun will protect enemies of the vampires. |
| 23 | * DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Sotha Sil]] in the ''Tribunal'' expansion. |
| 24 | * DeadCharacterWalking: A particular glitch (substituting a torch or lockpick for a weapon in mid-swing) has the unusual effect of reducing the target to 1 hp but making them immune to all further damage. |
| 25 | * DeadlyDustStorm: The Blight storms near Red Mountain play with it. According to [=NPCs=] and in-game texts, the storms do spread the Blight disease to people and animals caught in them, as well as kill off vegetation. They were originally planned to give the player the Blight disease as well if he was caught in them without proper protection. However, in a combination of GameplayAndStorySegregation and DummiedOut, this feature is not present in the final release. The storms still do limit your range of view and movement speed, however. |
| 26 | * DeadlyEnvironmentPrison: The Ministry of Truth is a hollowed out moonlet suspended in the air above Vivec city. In the distant past, it was [[ColonyDrop hurled at the city]] by Sheogorath, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[MadGod Madness]], and frozen in place by the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec. It was hollowed out for the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] to use to imprison [[DefectorFromDecadence Dissident Priests]] and other religious criminals (their interpretation of this is deliberately vague). Simply reaching the Ministry requires Levitation, and since prisoners have their [[{{Mana}} Magicka]] magically drained and aren't allowed to keep scrolls/potions, this [[TheAlcatraz makes escape nearly impossible]]. [[spoiler:You thankfully never have to break out of it, but you do have to break ''in'' in order to free an ally during the main quest]]. |
| 27 | * DeadlyEuphemism: The Morag Tong literally translates to "Foresters' Guild." Its members don't cut down trees... |
| 28 | * TheDeadHaveNames: Unusually for the series, ''Morrowind'' gives nearly every NPC in the game a unique name. (What few exceptions exist are generic guards, Dreamers, and vampire cattle.) The games before and after instead give generic names like "Bandit" to these [=NPCs=], making them feel more like adventuring fodder than people. |
| 29 | * DeadpanSnarker: In ''The Horror of Castle Xyr'', which you actually have a chance to perform in the Tribunal expansion: |
| 30 | -->'''Anara:''' ''Please, serjo, go wherever you want. We got nothing to hide. We're loyal Imperial subjects.'' |
| 31 | -->'''Clavides:''' ''As, I hear, are all [[EvilSorcerer Telvanni]].'' |
| 32 | -->''(Note from the playwright: this line should be delivered without sarcasm. Trust the audience to laugh -- it never fails, regardless of the politics of the locals.)'' |
| 33 | * DeadPersonConversation: There are several occasions where you must communicate with ghosts or spirits in order to gain quest-relevant information. One of the most prominent takes place at the Cavern of the Incarnate, where you are officially recognized by [[BigGood Azura]] as the [[TheChosenOne Nerevarine]]. Afterward, you can speak to the spirits of those who [[MultipleChoiceChosen thought they were]] the Nerevarine, but [[ThePoorlyChosenOne died before they could fulfill the prophecy]]. |
| 34 | * DeadPersonImpersonation: An early House Hlaalu quest has you impersonating a deceased House Redoran agent in order to get coded information, with the specific identity varying depending on if you're playing as a male or a female character. The impersonation is made easier as the deceased agent always wore a closed helmet, which you are provided at the start of the quest. Notably, as they cannot wear closed helmets, you will not be offered this quest if you're an Argonian or a Khajiit. |
| 35 | * DeathMountain - Red Mountain is this mixed with {{Mordor}}. |
| 36 | * DeathOfAThousandCuts: The reason that Morrowind did not historically have the presence of Dragons? They were driven out by ''Cliff Racers''... Yes, those weak but hideously annoying creatures that are the bane of players everywhere were able to drive out powerful Aedric (angelic) beings who could command elements into existence with a few words simply through numbers and persistence. |
| 37 | * DeathSeeker: |
| 38 | ** Umbra, an Orcish hero who has accomplished everything he can in life and waits for a worthy opponent to kill him and claim his InfinityPlusOneSword. The sword eats away at the mind of its wielder, driving them to go all BloodKnight so it can be fed a constant stream of souls. Eventually, the wielder becomes just an extension of the blade and eventually pick a fight with somebody stronger than them. This just serves to propagate the sword further, as when they finally die the sword is going to be picked up by their killer, an even stronger warrior who can continue the cycle. The worst part? It not only eats the souls of those it kills, but also eats the soul of its wielder if they die. |
| 39 | ** The vampire Marara from the "The Weary Vampire" quest, who seeks death by the hands of a fellow vampire. |
| 40 | ** In ''Bloodmoon'', there is a cursed Nord who has spent 500 years searching for Sovngarde, an homage to the real life Valhalla of Viking lore. The player can give him a book detailing how Nords may reach Sovngarde: by dying honorably in combat. Delighted, the man asks the player to kill him, but only in real combat (and he's remarkably dangerous for a 500-year old man). [[spoiler:He can be encountered in Sovngarde [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim two games later]].]] |
| 41 | * DebugRoom: Several. |
| 42 | ** "Clutter Warehouse - Everything Must Go!" It's an area only accessible via console commands. It was used by the developers to speed up world creation. Since certain arrangements of furniture and items (such as plates on tables and bottles on shelves) are very common in the world, but take a long time to put together, they have been assembled in this area where they can be copied and pasted to where they are needed. |
| 43 | ** "Character Stuff Wonderland" A secret room used by the developers for testing which is accessible only through the console. It contains almost all of the armor and weapons in the game and is guarded by some high level monsters. |
| 44 | ** "Todd Test" A debug room used by the developers and accessible only through the console. When the player enters the room, a large light brown bowl is seen. This bowl, when activated, will make the player super strong and give him/her necessary items and spells to test various parts of the game. It will also infect the player with Porphyric Hemophilia (Berne variety). There are five leveled beasts, a Steam Centurion and six [=NPCs=], three of whom are Ordinators. There are also multiple treasure chests containing one piece of nearly every item found in the game (Artifacts not included). The room is a copy of the Puzzle Canal underneath Vivec's palace, without the water. Installing Bloodmoon will also add three chests for items only found in that expansion. Several quest items may be found here- there is a chest containing all the books in the game, which can be used to complete quests such as the Telvanni Stronghold quest where you are ordered to find the 'unique' book Secrets of Dwemer Animunculi. You can also find the Bittercup and Azura's Star containing the soul of an Ogrim on a table near the back of the room. |
| 45 | ** "Mark's Vampire Test Cell" Another room used by the developers and only accessible via console. It contains two vampires and a bed, presumably for testing the Vampire process and dreams. |
| 46 | ** Attempting to teleport to ''Tribunal'''s Mournhold City using console commands ("coc mournhold") will instead place you in a small, empty house with a door leading to a black void. |
| 47 | * DecoyDamsel: In one miscellaneous side quest, a woman calling herself a "lady in distress" asks you to help retrieve her ring from a pond, located in a small hole. However, the moment you pick up the ring, she and her partially-invisible archer accomplice will attack you, at which point your character realizes it was all a ruse as part of a robbery. |
| 48 | * DefeatingTheUndefeatable: |
| 49 | ** The main quest tasks you with finding a way to defeat Dagoth Ur, a legitimate PhysicalGod with CompleteImmortality thanks to his connection to the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]]. The Tribunal, three other physical gods, were unable to defeat him when [[KingInTheMountain he "awoke"]] and have thus been cut off from the Heart. As it turns out [[spoiler: he really cannot be defeated...at least directly. You must sever his (and thus the Tribunal's) ties to the Heart in order to finally kill him]]. |
| 50 | ** The ''Bloodmoon'' expansion forces you to take part in a "hunt" devised by the Daedric Prince Hircine. After surviving your fellow competitors as well as Hircine's "[[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent hounds]]", you must do battle with Hircine himself. Ultimately subverted, as Hircine doesn't consider it a fair hunt if the prey doesn't have a sporting chance, so he is WillfullyWeak when he fights you (though can still easily kill you). |
| 51 | * DefectorFromDecadence: |
| 52 | ** Out of the members of the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal]], Sotha Sil wielded his divinity lightly and was the least concerned with the affairs of mortals, spending much of his time withdrawn from the world in the seclusion of his Clockwork City. Vivec and Almalexia ([[spoiler:at least until they were cut off from the source of their divine powers]]) instead chose to live and work among their people, offering guidance and protection. If asked, Vivec will speculate that Sotha Sil may not even notice his godhood is gone once [[spoiler: [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] permanently severs their ties to divinity]]. |
| 53 | ** The Dissident Priests are [[TheHeretic heretics]] to the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]], disputing several points of dogma (though this appears to have been partly a response to being persecuted for questioning Temple ''policy'', which isn't exactly heresy even if the Temple called it that). The Tribunal Temple also persecutes the Nerevarine Cult as heretics (technically they are, just not really of the Temple, seeing as they developed in parallel in response to the same event and from the same source religion. It's actually the Temple who made the most radical changes of dogma, the Nerevarine Cult just explained away the new gods as false gods and added in a messiah figure). Both of those change towards the end of the main quest, with the Dissident Priests acknowledged as having had a point with much of what they said and the Nerevarine Cult recognised as being right about the messiah figure thing, both by one of the gods of the Tribunal himself. |
| 54 | ** In the backstory, St. Veloth, the legendary Chimer mystic and Dunmeri ancestor-hero, was born into a noble Aldmeri family in the Summerset Isles. However, he viewed his homeland with disdain as he believed Aldmeri society was founded on ambition, greed, and decadence. This, added to the visions he received from the "Good" Daedra, led to the Velothi dissident movement and eventually, their exodus to Morrowind. |
| 55 | * DegradedBoss: Ascended Sleepers. Various named Dagoths encountered in the latter half of the main quest are modified Ascended Sleepers, but they're actually ''downgraded'' from the normal enemy (which only shows up at extremely high levels - it is in fact the highest leveled non-unique monster in the game). |
| 56 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: All three members of the Tribunal, as well as Dagoth Ur, were once the mortal advisors to St. Nerevar. They went against his (and his Daedric patron Azura's) wishes by using the [[ArtifactOfDoom "profane" Tools of Kagrenac]] to tap into the power of the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]] to achieve divinity. |
| 57 | * DemBones: |
| 58 | ** Standard skeletons are a common undead enemy, found in most tombs and necromancer lairs. They range in strength from Crippled Skeletons to the standard "Skeletons" to Skeleton Warriors to Skeleton Champions. There are also Skeleton Archers, who may come armed with enchanted arrows, and unique skeletons such as the Skeleton War Wizard, the Worm Lord, and Beldoh the Undying. |
| 59 | ** Bonelords are tall, [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four-armed]], humanoid skeletons draped in brown robes who 75% resistant to all forms of magic [[KillItWithFire other than fire]]. They also tend to cast a barrier spell as soon as they've been aggro'd which makes them resistant to melee damage as well. |
| 60 | ** ''Tribunal'' adds Liches, who are powerful spell-slinging skeletons in dark brown robes. They're complete resistant to frost and poison damage, and 50% resistant to shock damage. Like Bonelords, [[KillItWithFire fire can still ruin their day]]. |
| 61 | ** ''Bloodmoon'' brings [[NonHumanUndead Bonewolves]], who are partially decayed undead wolves who Downplay it by still being rather fleshy. |
| 62 | * DemonSlaying: This is one of the duties of the Ordinators, the elite ChurchPolice of the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]]. They keep Morrowind safe from all manners of abominations, including [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]] and [[ScaryAmoralReligion Daedra worshipers]]. (Given their KnightTemplar tendencies, their definition of "abomination" is quite broad...) |
| 63 | * DepravedBisexual: |
| 64 | ** The [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec. In the backstory and throughout his ''[[InGameNovel 36 Lessons]]'' series, he is noted to have had sex with men and women alike, including fellow Tribunal deities Almalexia and Sotha Sil [[ThreeWaySex during a threesome]] and Molag Bal, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[TheCorrupter Domination, Corruption, and Violation]] (including ''rape''). Though he ends up taking on the role of SupportingLeader in the game's main quest, being the main opposition to [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]], he has a history of telling BlatantLies and MetaphoricallyTrue things, being a {{Jerkass God|s}} at times (the [[SwordOfDamocles Baar Dau situation]] comes to mind), at minimum betrayed (if not outright ''killed'') the original Nerevar, and spends the first three-quarters of the main quest trying to have [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] killed as well. (Though he explains this last item as necessary because he believes YouCantFightFate, and when the ''[[TheChosenOne real]]'' Nerevarine comes along, these attempts would be doomed to fail, verifying the Nerevarine.) |
| 65 | ** Crassius Curio, a Councilor of [[ProudMerchantRace Great]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive House]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Hlaalu]]. If the PlayerCharacter wants to advance in House Hlaalu, he ''will'' see them naked first. Regardless of gender. [[ExtremeOmnisexual Or species]]. To gain his support during the main quest so you can save the world, he'll ask for money to cover his expenses...or, if he likes you (disposition 70+), a kiss. Ultimately downplayed in that, despite his creepy predilections which would easily count as sexual harassment in the real world, he is one of the most {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}s in the game and does seem to care deeply about the PC. |
| 66 | * {{Descriptiveville}}: |
| 67 | ** The mining city of Caldera is built in/near a volcanic caldera. |
| 68 | ** Vivec is the {{Egopolis}} of the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec, who resides in the city's temple. |
| 69 | ** Balmora and Sadrith Mora are this in-universe, if you are familiar with the Dunmeri language or its [[ClassicalTongue predecessor language]], Aldmeris. "Bal" means "stone", while "Sadrith" means "mushroom". Mora means "forest". They mean, fittingly, "Stone Forest" and "[[FungusHumongous Mushroom]] [[MushroomHouse Forest]]", respectively. |
| 70 | * DevelopersForesight: |
| 71 | ** Normally, if you kill a councilor of a [[TheClan Great House]] outside of certain quests where it is required, you will offend the remaining councilors, making it impossible to be named [[TheChosenOne Hortator]] of that House and breaking the most straightforward way to finish the main quest. However, [[TheMagocracy House Telvanni]] practices KlingonPromotion, which means that if you are a member of the house, then kill all the other leaders, you will not be expelled; instead, the game gives you a journal entry in which you dryly note that as the last surviving councilor of House Telvanni, you have appointed yourself Telvanni Hortator. |
| 72 | ** The strait between Vvardenfell and Solstheim (the location of the ''Bloodmoon'' expansion) is completely mapped out. Therefore if you were so inclined, instead of taking a boat you could swim all the way to Solstheim. ''Why'' you would want to do that is a different question. |
| 73 | ** In an aversion, "The Egg of Time" illustrates two possible ways to use Sunder and Keening on the Heart of Lorkhan... neither of which actually does anything in-game. |
| 74 | ** In the ''Tribunal'' expansion, the city of Mournhold is modelled in a separate space from the main gameworld, similar to building interiors, and can only be accessed via teleportation. In order to prevent players from cresting the city walls and realising that the land around Mournhold isn't modelled, levitation magic can't be cast in the city. If you circumvent this by using console commands to fly, you will see a message box reminding you that you can't leave the city in this manner. |
| 75 | * DevelopersRoom: The [=ToddTest=] cell, named for developer Todd Howard, contains [=NPCs=] with such dignified names as Todd's Super Tester Guy and Pretty Kitty. The area contains one of nearly every type of item in the game and [[DebugRoom was used for testing the game]]. |
| 76 | * DevilButNoGod: The Dunmer have an interesting take on this. In general, they acknowledge that the Daedric Princes that they do revere - Azura, Boethiah, and Mephala - are actually ruthless, vicious and brutal entities; even Azura, the most benevolent of those Princes, still cursed the whole species for the actions of the Tribunal. At the same time, the Dunmer view everyone else, Aedra and Daedra alike, as either [[TricksterGod lying tricksters]], [[GodIsInept ineffectually weak]], or [[GodOfEvil uselessly malicious]]. (By comparison, Boethiah and Mephala are ''[[TrainingFromHell usefully]]'' malicious, as they [[HadToBeSharp taught the Dunmer how to survive in a harsh environment through their maliciousness]].) It's not really surprising that the only gods the Dunmer truly revere as benevolent are the DeityOfHumanOrigin Tribunal. |
| 77 | * DialogueTree: You can choose what to talk about with [=NPCs=] in a dialogue tree, including "Lore", "Background", and "Race". NPC responses on one topic can contain the names of topics new to the player, allowing the player to select those new topics in dialogue with any NPC having a response to that topic. Certain classes (and individuals) have more responses available: priests will talk about the gods, and savants will talk about pretty much everything in the game. Additionally, some topics are region-based, and will appear in a given NPC's dialogue tree because they had spawned in that region of the game world. |
| 78 | * DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu - Counting the expansions, the player ends up killing three (optionally four) gods. |
| 79 | * DiegeticCharacterCreation: The Nerevarine begins as a prisoner due to be released, and chooses their name by telling it to a fellow prisoner, and deciding appearance and skills by filling in some forms for Imperial census records. |
| 80 | * DimensionalTraveler: Divayth Fyr, ancient Telvanni wizard extraordinaire, is one according to the in game book [[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Doors_of_Oblivion The Doors of Oblivion]]. Fyr is one of the few "mortals" who can freely travel between the realms of the [[PhysicalGod Daedra]]. |
| 81 | * DiminishingReturnsForBalance: |
| 82 | ** Employed in general, as is series tradition. You increase your skills through successful use of said skills. Each time a skill is used successfully, the skill's progression will raise a percentage. (For example, if you strike enemies with a long sword, your Long Blade skill will increase.) Once that progression reaches 100%, the skill will increase one point. Once you gain ten skill increases, you go up one CharacterLevel. However, the higher said skills get, the long it takes to progress them. Essentially, it is very quick and easy to go from a total novice to adept in a particular skill, but is much harder and takes much longer to go from that point to maxing out the skill. Additionally, skill trainers charge exponentially more gold to train you at the very highest levels. This is why it is advisable to save [[RareCandy skill books]], which raise a certain related skill by one when read, until the skill is at a very high skill level. (Open your inventory and place them directly to save them for later, as picking them up directly will automatically open them for you to read.) |
| 83 | ** One major exception is Alchemy, which is severely unbalanced and is the perfect example of what can happen when this trope is not enforced. Not only can mass [[PotionBrewingMechanic potion brewing]] lead to numerous increases of the Alchemy skill (snowball effect), it will also give your base Attributes lots of free level-up multipliers, and, eventually, exponentially more powerful and expensive potions as your skill increases. Lots of money, lots of experience, powerful stackable buffs...all while doing very little. Additionally, this leads to the legendary [[TheSingularity Fortify Intelligence Stacking]] exploit and can ultimately result in a situation where the game crashes from mathematical overflow. |
| 84 | ** Due to a bug, the Mercantile skill is broken at 50. Up to 50, the price decrease of all merchants' goods makes sense, as a high skill level indicates that you are better at buying and selling. After 50, things start getting ''more expensive'' once again. Thankfully, many {{Game Mod}}s exist as unofficial patches to correct this issue. |
| 85 | * DirtyOldMan: |
| 86 | ** Divayth Fyr, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 4000 year-old]] wizard, has created four OppositeSexClone "daughters", who are alternately referred to as his "wives," in an odd combination of incest and ScrewYourself. However, potentially {{Downplayed}} in that it isn't played off as very {{Squick}}y, at least within his [[MageTower tower]]. |
| 87 | ** Crassius Curio, Councilor of [[ProudMerchantRace Great]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive House]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Hlaalu]], is one. He's a DepravedBisexual with CampGay dialogue and he can't be all that young, having risen to the top of House Hlaalu [[FantasticRacism as an outlander]].[[note]]This is no small (or quick) accomplishment, even in the most Imperialized Great House.[[/note]] If the PlayerCharacter wants his support in House Hlaalu and in the main quest, he ''will'' want to see the PC naked and can be bribed with a ''kiss'' if he likes the PC enough. That said, he's still one of the [[HonestCorporateExecutive least corrupt]] characters in the game and is a GuileHero ObfuscatingStupidity in order to accomplish his goals, which allows his rivals to think he's just an easily manipulated fool and thus, not one they need to worry about. |
| 88 | * DisadvantageousDisintegration: The "Disintegrate" Armor and Weapon spell effects. When used, they reduce the condition of the target's equipped [[ClothingDamage Armor]] or [[BreakableWeapons Weapon]], respectively. However, this is rather disadvantageous if you want to loot those items to use or sell. (While the item cannot be totally destroyed this way, you will need to pay a steep price to have it repaired or have a high Armorer skill to repair it yourself.) With a little creativity, the spell can be made useful and thus, this trope averted. Combining it in a custom spell with a non-hostile spell (like a healing spell) will allow you to cast it on [=NPCs=] without aggro'ing them. Cast it until their weapon and/or armor pieces hit zero condition. They will unequip the items at that point, allowing you to pickpocket them. You'll need to repair them before you can use them, but it allows you to get rare/unique equipment without having to kill. |
| 89 | * DiscOneFinalDungeon - Ilunibi has shades of this. It's a vast, sprawling underground dungeon where you will likely face the strongest enemies you have encountered to that point (if you've stuck to the main quest.) It even has its own DiscOneFinalBoss who [[spoiler: gives you the corprus disease and sets the next part of the main quest in motion.]] |
| 90 | ** DiscOneFinalBoss - [[spoiler: Dagoth Gares]] takes up residence here. |
| 91 | * DiscOneNuke: The combination of WideOpenSandbox and AlwaysCheckBehindTheChair means that a thorough and/or experienced player can, in many cases, equip themselves with upper-end gear at little or no risk. In a few cases a (cheap) Levitate potion, a nearby key, or a decent Security skill are needed, but little else. |
| 92 | ** In a few cases an upper-end item is owned by a relatively weak and non-hostile NPC - if you know [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential who to murder]], you can get unique and powerful items: |
| 93 | *** The Amulet of Shadows gives you 80% Chameleon (effectively invisible) for a decent amount of time and is found in the custody of an easy-to-kill archer in the middle of the wilderness. (If you aren't big on murder, you can get him to attack you first by completing his associated quest.) |
| 94 | *** The Masque of Clavicus Vile is one of the best heavy armor helmets in the game and boosts your Personality by 30 points (making everybody like you). It is owned by a relatively low-level wizard (though you'll need to deal with/sneak past his much stronger bodyguards). |
| 95 | ** The Mentor's Ring, which massively buffs your spell casting abilities, can be found in a tomb not far from the FirstTown and is guarded by low-level undead. Similarly, Denstagmer's Ring (which gives you 30% resistance to Fire, Shock, and Frost magic) and the Ring of the Phynaster (20% resistance to Poison, Magicka, and Shock) are likewise available in tombs not far from towns you can use boats/silt striders to access quickly. As you can only equip two rings at a time, it may be a bigger challenge to decide which two you want to equip than it is to acquire them. |
| 96 | ** It is possible to get Goldbrand, one of the most powerful swords in the game, by swimming in the correct place, spending a lot of gold, and then waiting about two in-game weeks. Save for any creatures which spawn in the ocean or near the construction site, you may not even have to fight anything to get it. |
| 97 | ** In Balmora, you can easily steal a Sword of White Woe, an enchanted Ebony broadsword, by jumping just out of line of sight of a nearby guard. Do so, and you'll have a weapon that can carry you through half the game in what will likely be the second town you visit. |
| 98 | ** Thorough players may notice that the three [[TheClan Great House]] cantons in Vivec (Hlaalu, Redoran and Telvani) each have their own vaults. The lower Redoran vault is easily accesible when you have the key, which is located in dresser on the top floor of the manor across the street. Stealing it doesn't get you a bounty, even if you're seen, and the items you can get there are made of Ebony and Glass, making it highly profitable if one repairs them and takes them to the [[LethalJokeCharacter Mudcrab Merchant]]. They also make great early game weapons to use, though get outclassed pretty quickly by even lower quality versions that have enchantments. |
| 99 | ** A character straight off the boat can acquire a Daedric (the best non-artifact grade of equipment) weapon of whatever type he or she favors by setting foot, however briefly, in the Vassir-Didanat Mine (see AbandonedMine) and then tracking down Hlaalu councilor Dram Bero to report the mine's location. He will reward you with your choice in Daedric weaponry. The only true obstacle is the (lv.50) locked door that must be picked (or opened by a spell) to get to Bero. |
| 100 | ** In the unpatched version of the game, you can obtain the Robe of St. Roris (a GameBreaking robe with a [[HealingFactor constant effect health regeneration enchantment]]) in a cave a short stroll from the FirstTown. The cave contains some relatively powerful enemies, but you don't have to fight them. As long as you have a couple lock-pick scrolls and buy some levitation potions, even a level 1 character could potentially get it. Bethesda seems to have noticed this, as the robe was heavily {{nerf}}ed in a later patch. |
| 101 | ** A Grand Soul Gem filled with the soul of a Winged Twilight can easily be stolen from the Mages Guild in Balmora, the second town you are likely to visit if following the main quest. In addition to being a powerful soul, it is worth a whopping 50,000 gold. (Though you'll probably need to do some extensive bartering to get anywhere close to that amount of gold for it, as no merchant in the game world has that much gold on hand.) There is also the nasty catch with the way the "stolen" flag works. Stealing that gem flags ALL Grand Soul Gems as stolen, meaning you could later lose all of those you earned honestly just by talking to a guard if you have a bounty. Thankfully, all guards in the game [[FailedASpotCheck fail their spotchecks]], which means you can drop your stolen items on the ground if you're about to be arrested (opening the inventory freezes game time), pay your fine, and pick your stuff back up. |
| 102 | ** With a bit of [[http://it-he.org/morrow.php luck manipulation]] it is possible to get a Ring of Toxic Cloud as early as level 6, which will single-handedly kill almost anything in the game that doesn't resist or reflect it, even an entire room full of hostiles at once thanks to its AreaOfEffect damage. |
| 103 | ** Due to a design decision to let buyers of the expansion set start the new content immediately, Dark Brotherhood assassins added by the ''Tribunal'' expansion may show up at any time to kill you in your sleep. This can even happen to brand new starting character. If you manage to defeat one (tricky, but possible for a starting character, because they scale according to your level) you can loot the corpse for an excellent set of light armor and a useful short blade. If you aren't using light armor, the gear is also worth several hundred gold (more useful, in some ways, than the best stuff because it's easier to find a merchant who can afford it.) |
| 104 | * DispelMagic: Exists as a spell and effect. When used, it will immediately end all magical effects on the target. |
| 105 | * DisposingOfABody: An option whenever you are looting a non-permanent corpse. Doing so will move all items in the corpse's inventory to yours and the body will vanish. (Exactly how you dispose of it is left up to your imagination.) |
| 106 | * DisproportionateRetribution - Unlike regular crimes (see EasilyForgiven), there are ways to get all the Ordinators howling for your blood forever. The first is to mention the Nerevarine Prophecy to them - that makes you a heretic. The other is to be wearing the armor of their Order, which is sacrilege to them. |
| 107 | * DivineIntervention: The name of a spell which will instantly teleport you to the nearest Imperial Cult shrine. Almsivi Intervention is similar, but will take you to the nearest Tribunal Temple instead. Both are great for escaping danger, but are more often utilized for [[ZipMode zapping around the island]] since there is no other fast travel option as well as [[MundaneUtility hauling more loot than you could carry on foot]]. |
| 108 | * DoesNotLikeMen: Telvanni Councilor Mistress Dratha. Exactly ''why'' she hates men is never explained, but it is her defining trait nonetheless. Her town of Tel Mora is staffed entirely by female retainers and merchants and completing the main quest as a male Nerevarine requires you to either beg at her feet for her support or kill her. (She'll support a female Nerevarine with no questions asked and even gives her several powerful summoning scrolls.) |
| 109 | * DomesticatedDinosaurs: Guars are vaguely therapod-like dinosaurids, about the size of a cow, which the native Dunmer farm for their hides and use as beasts of burden. |
| 110 | * DoomedPredecessor: |
| 111 | ** A Mages Guild quest has you visit the Dwemer ruins of Nchuleftingth to check in on an excavation team whose report is overdue. The father/daughter team has lost their native guide, who disappeared further inside the ruin, and that he has the report. After completing a puzzle using Dwemer cranks, you find his body and can recover the report. |
| 112 | ** Several Tribunal Temple quests send you off to dangerous places to recover holy relics from fallen crusaders. These relics typically take the form of artifact-class weapons and clothing. While you only need to recover the relic to satisfy the quest, there is nothing stopping you from taking revenge while completing the crusader's original mission. |
| 113 | * {{Doorstopper}}: |
| 114 | ** All of the [[InGameNovel readable books]] in the game all add up to about 1500 pages of material. |
| 115 | ** The strategy guide for the Game of the Year addition is roughly the size of a Bible. It contains incredible amounts of details about character creation, game mechanics, locations, quests, items, factions, backstory, and just about everything else there is to do in the game. |
| 116 | * DoorToBefore: Averted for most dungeons and other such locations in the game. You'll need to trek back the long way if you want to get out, or use a teleportation spell. |
| 117 | * DoubleCaper: One of the Mages Guild quests has you steal a valuable book, only to discover that it wasn't as valuable as it seemed; shortly after that, you get another quest to put it back where you found it. One of the Bal Molagmer quests, too, is to do the second half of a Double Caper: To put a stolen dagger and a note of apology in the chest from which it was stolen. |
| 118 | * DoubleSpeak: The Morag Tong operatives insist that they do not perform "assassinations," rather, they perform "honorable executions." Given that they are the high-class, honorable assassins in contrast to the gangly, thuggish Cammona Tong and the treacherous Dark Brotherhood, they do manage to keep a higher moral ground. |
| 119 | * DoUntoOthersBeforeTheyDoUntoUs: The ThievesGuild in general and especially Master Thief Gentleman Jim Stacey are normally violence averse. Despite their best efforts to bribe and/or blackmail their rivals in the [[TheSyndicate Camonna Tong]], they are [[MurderIsTheBestSolution forced to kill]] members of other factions that are planning to kill Stacey or other members of the Guild. |
| 120 | * DownerBeginning: You [[YouAllMeetInACell start the game as a prisoner]], but are quickly granted release on direct orders from the Emperor. However, your "release" more or less amounts to deportation to the backwater island of Vvardenfell, which is currently plagued by [[MysticalPlague the Blight]] and is full of Dunmer who are hostile to outlanders. |
| 121 | * DownerEnding: For Morrowind itself, caused by HappyEndingOverride. [[spoiler:As ''Oblivion'' and tie-in novels reveal, as a result of the player's actions the Tribunal are missing, the Ministry of Truth lost its power source and resumed its interrupted crash onto Vivec City, and that impact caused Red Mountain to erupt, destroying most of Vvardenfell. Then the Argonians came in and what few Dunmer couldn't flee were slain.]] [[BittersweetEnding But on the bright side]], for the rest of Tamriel, thanks to the Nerevarine, the world isn't a Blighted landscape ruled by an insane PhysicalGod riding a HumongousMecha. You may not have saved [[spoiler:Morrowind]] but you did save the rest of the world. |
| 122 | * DownloadableContent: In addition to the two expansion packs, there are several small pieces of DLC which are offered for free on the official site. This includes several rare armor pieces and weapons (Area Effect Arrows, Helm of Tohan, [=LeFemme Armor=] and Adamantium Armor), two mini-quests (Master Index and Siege at Firemoth) and an ambient sounds pack. |
| 123 | * DownTheDrain: You'll spend quite a bit of time questing in the sewers beneath Vivec and Mournhold. Though they're both justified cases of AbsurdlySpaciousSewer, they still contain the usual hazards of diseased creatures, being dark, and watery areas that can be hard to get back out of. |
| 124 | * DoYouWantToHaggle: Haggling is a gameplay mechanic when dealing with merchants. The item's intrinsic value, condition, the disposition of the merchant, and the player's Mercantile skill all play parts when buying/selling items. Making an offer that gets rejected by the merchant will actually lower that merchant's disposition, forcing the player to make a slightly more generous offer next time or break off the negotiation and try to sweet-talk them again. The Mercantile skill is also bugged. After the skill gets to 50, any further increases will actually make haggling ''more'' difficult. |
| 125 | * TheDragon: Dagoth Gares to Dagoth Ur. |
| 126 | * DreamIntro / DreamingOfThingsToCome: |
| 127 | ** The opening cutscene is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura. |
| 128 | ** When vampirism is first contracted, it will be a trivial common disease for 3 days until it becomes full-blown and incurable. If you rest at any point during this time, you'll have dreams about becoming a vampire (which is a clue that you are infected, in case you missed it when you acquired the infection.) |
| 129 | * DrugsAreBad: |
| 130 | ** [[FantasticDrug Moon Sugar and its derivative, Skooma]], are treated this way. Users are depicted similarly to real world drug addicts, with them being desperate for the drug to the point where it ruins their lives and are willing to resort to crime to get it. Additionally, any organizations which traffic or deal the drugs (such as the [[TheSyndicate Camonna Tong]]) are considered to be scum. |
| 131 | ** To the [[CatFolk Khajiit]], Moon Sugar is a borderline sacred substance. Those who control the Moon Sugar essentially control Khajiiti society. In fact, the only merchants who will buy Moon Sugar and Skooma from you are Khajiits. |
| 132 | * DryCrusader: Played with by Antonius Nuncius, the priest at Fort Frostmoth in ''Bloodmoon''. [[spoiler: It turns out he doesn't actually have a moral issue with alcohol, but he's hiding the shipments to the fort in the hopes of sparking a rebellion among the troops so that he can be reassigned to somewhere more hospitable than Solstheim. (Ironically if you tell the commander of the fort that Nuncius did it, the commander states that he would have approved the transfer if Nuncius had just asked).]] |
| 133 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: |
| 134 | ** If you complete the main quest and then join one of the factions, you'll still need to do that faction's beginner level quests while being treated like "new meat" by your new superiors and comrades even though you're a [[SavingTheWorld world-saving hero]] who defeated [[BigBad a foe]] ''[[PhysicalGod three other gods]]'' couldn't defeat. At least you can use the "Nerevarine" dialogue option to increase their disposition a bit so they'll be more pleasant. In other words, they do not give you the respect you deserve, but they do, at least, tend to react to you as a friend rather than as scum. |
| 135 | ** A big offender is being the head of the [[BadassArmy Imperial Legion]] on Vvardenfell. Imperial soldiers, who now technically report to you, will still treat you like you're a new recruit. |
| 136 | ** Likewise for [[TheClan Great House]] [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]], though at least it's Justified as completely in-character for them, seeing as how they're a group of magical {{Mad Scientist}}s with InsufferableGenius and ForScience traits. |
| 137 | * DudeWheresMyReward: |
| 138 | ** Master Neloth of House Telvanni gives a quest to retrieve the Robe of Drake's Pride from the servant of another House Telvanni councilor. Killing the servant is the only way to get the robe, and you'll need to taunt her into attacking you first to prevent being expelled from House Telvanni. She turns out to be a moderately powerful spell caster, and the robe gives her several advantages when fighting magic users, which your character likely is if you've advanced in House Telvanni. After you take the robe back to Neloth, he'll reward you with... ten septims. The robe itself is worth 205 and has several enchantments a magic-using character would enjoy. |
| 139 | ** The ''Tribunal'' side quest, "[[MatchMakerQuest The Match Maker]]," has you assisting a woman who is too busy with work to find a husband. There are three men you could set her up with, with a [[LuckBasedMission 50/50 chance of success]] each. (Giving them advice can increase it to 67%.) Even if the date is successful, one of the men offers you nothing as a reward. |
| 140 | ** ''Tribunal'' has this in the "Crimson Plague" side questline. What starts with [[RatStomp killing some diseased rats]] and [[FetchQuest delivering a potion]] ends with you needing to defeat Gedna Relvel, a monstrously powerful lich. She's capable of flinging a very powerful area of effect spell, is immune or resistant to every form of Destruction magic, and quickly regenerates lost Health, Magicka, and Fatigue. Worse, she's supposed to have Health equal to 100x the player's current level, but due to a programming error, she has ''800x'' that amount, making her virtually unkillable at higher levels. What do you get for killing this notorious DamageSpongeBoss? Her enchanted Robe of the Lich (which [[PressXToDie deals 600 damage to you as soon as you put it on]]) and a once-per-day spell that restores a small amount of Health, Fatigue, and cures Common Disease (which, if you've gotten far enough in the main game's main quest, [[IdealIllnessImmunity you're immune to anyway]].) |
| 141 | * DuelToTheDeath: Several occur throughout the various questlines in the game. See GladiatorSubquest for examples that take place in Vivec's arena. |
| 142 | * DugTooDeep: The Dwemer in the backstory. They dug deep beneath Red Mountain, uncovering the Heart of Lorkhan which would eventually be the downfall of their race. |
| 143 | * DumpStat: Personality is the most worthless Attribute. Both it and the skills it governs (particularly Speechcraft) [[CharmPerson can be increased temporarily by numerous means]] (spells, potions, enchantments, racial powers, etc.) when needed. Since [[TalkingIsAFreeAction the game time freezes when you enter into a conversation]], you can easily/cheaply create or cast something to increase Personality considerably for 1 second. Use it, then immediately enter the conversation. The effect will persist until you leave the conversation. |
| 144 | [[/folder]] |
| 145 | |
| 146 | [[folder:E]] |
| 147 | * EarlyBirdCameo: |
| 148 | ** There are no Trolls in ''Morrowind'', but there is Trollbone Armor. The helmets (which are hollowed out Troll skulls,) have three eye-sockets, just as trolls had from ''Oblivion'' onward. |
| 149 | ** The in-game book ''Children of the Sky'' is the first in-game mention of the idea of "the Voice" in the series and its use by the Nords[[note]]the first mention in the series as a whole is in the "First Edition Pocket Guide to the Empire", a paper booklet included with the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsAdventuresRedguard Redguard]]'' GaidenGame[[/note]]. Two games later in ''Skyrim'', the Voice shows up in-game and the PlayerCharacter can use it. |
| 150 | ** Each of the expansions gives a taste of what is coming up in the next two games in the series. |
| 151 | *** The ''Tribunal'' expansion could be seen as a sneak peek of what ''Oblivion'' would be like, since the city of Mournhold bears many similarities to the Imperial City: Multiple districts in closed-off cells as opposed to being in the same cell as the surrounding wilderness, an AbsurdlySpaciousSewer down below (that are actually part of the ruins of a former city upon which the current city is built), the presence of Goblins, Liches, and the Dark Brotherhood in full-force, no Levitation, and even Royal Guards in plate armor, which was how the Imperial Legion would be portrayed throughout the next game. There's even {{Foreshadowing}} of the Oblivion Crisis at one point in the [[https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Tribunal:Eno_Romari questline]]. |
| 152 | *** Solstheim in the ''Bloodmoon'' expansion is essentially a cameo for ''Skyrim'' two games in the future. It's snowy, full of Nords, werewolves, spriggans, draugrs, and mead, all things that show up in ''Skyrim'' prominently. (Solstheim itself then shows up again as the setting for the ''Dragonborn'' expansion to ''Skyrim'', having been populated by Dark Elf refugees and being something of a nostalgia trip for Morrowind players). |
| 153 | ** A number of High Elf mages working in glass mines, only one of whom actually featured in a quest, reappeared in later games in far more prominent roles. |
| 154 | *** Umbacano of Yassu Caverns was a wealthy, eccentric noble in ''Oblivion'' with an interest in the extinct [[AbusivePrecursors Ayleids]]. |
| 155 | *** Volanaro of Dunirai Caverns would go on to join the Bruma Mages' Guild in ''Oblivion''. |
| 156 | *** Nelacar of Dunirai Caverns would reappear over 200 years later in ''Skyrim'', where he was a scholar studying the powerful artifact Azura's Star. |
| 157 | * EarlyGameHell: Things are very hellish for a while after leaving the [[EasingIntoTheAdventure easy-going]] [[FirstTown starting town]] of Seyda Neen. Even the standard local wildlife will be a challenge until you increase your skills and acquire better equipment, and anything stronger will serve as a BeefGate. It's encouraged to complete first few assignments in the main quest, as well as the first few missions for the local guilds, as these are largely easier quests and are rewarding enough to purchase training and the aforementioned better equipment. Progression is largely lopsided, however, and once you start increasing in levels, you'll go from schmuck to god-slayer very quickly. |
| 158 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Technically more like "mid-installment weirdness", but as it is ''Morrowind'' that really sets up how the now-console franchise (and its "Fallout-Scrolls" [[VideoGame/Fallout3 second]] [[VideoGame/Fallout4 cousins]] [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas once-removed]]) would work going forward and was the first game in the franchise to transition to a fully 3D, "Quake-style" rendering scheme instead of the "Doom-style" rendering and control of ''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'', there's a number of places where Bethesda was still working out how best to do things: |
| 159 | ** The first and most obvious is combat. Specifically, ''combat hit chance'' and there being an RNG element to hitting an opponent on top of having to aim with the mouse/controller. In previous games, an RNG made sense because facing the foe and being in "hit range" was fairly obvious due to the Doom-like control scheme. With the move to full fluid 3D, however, it became often unclear if you were missing the enemy due to the RNG, or if you were actually ''missing'' the enemy's hitbox entirely. Ranged attacks experience this especially bad. The enemy AI, being rather squirrely and moving around a lot, doesn't help either. Later games would address the complaints about this and make accuracy purely twitch-based, a model every game which has followed in both series has adhered to. |
| 160 | ** Active defense of any sort is not present; shield blocking is simply something that happened passively based on your Block skill. Needless to say, this makes combat feel even more single-button and non-reactive. Later games would include active blocking with a mouse or trigger button. |
| 161 | ** There are only two kinds of movement, walking and running, and the default movement pace is walking. Running consumes a small but constant amount of Fatigue. Combine the lack of map-based fast travel (you have to use [[ZipMode silt striders, boats, or Mages Guild teleports]] instead), the lack of mounts, and further compounded by the fact that movement speed is ''tied to a specific attribute'', this means that getting around Vvardenfell can take a while. The following game reintroduces map-based fast travel, while the next would do away with Speed as a hated numerical, level-tied stat, and has player movement divided into ''three'' speeds: a brisk jog as a default speed comparable to the ''Morrowind'' run pace, walking, and a sprint that drains the Fatigue/Stamina bar much faster than ''Morrowind'' running does. |
| 162 | * EarnYourTitle: |
| 163 | ** Bridging "TheChosenOne vs. TheUnchosenOne" debate in regards to whether the player character truly is the Nerevarine is the idea that whoever does what the Nerevarine is prophesied to do ''becomes'' the Nerevarine. The series' lore includes the act of "[[BecomingTheMask Mantling]]" to describe this action on a cosmic scale. |
| 164 | ** Rising in rank in any of the guilds or factions brings with it a skill check, essentially requiring you to actually be competent in at least a few of the preferred skills relating to that group. For example, unlike some other games in the series, a barbarian who can barely cast a spell won't be able to rise to the rank of Mages Guild Arch-Mage. |
| 165 | * EarthDrift: For the series, ''Morrowind'' has by far the most unconventional and alien setting. The wildlife has few real-life analogues and the land itself is primarily blasted ashlands, lava scathes, disease-ridden swamps, and tons of small islands. |
| 166 | * EasilyForgiven: |
| 167 | ** Minor crimes result in the guards demanding that you pay on the spot. More serious stuff may have you living on the run until you can find somebody (often Thieves' Guild) who can, for a substantial fee, make your wanted status 'go away'. But once it does, it never crosses anybody's mind that you might go out and commit more crimes. This is discussed in certain dialogue trees: the money from the fines the guards charge criminals go to the victim of the crime/their surviving family, and if the crime was enough they'll often hire the Morag Tong (a legal assassins' guild) to kill the criminal.[[note]]Perhaps not coincidentally, the reward for performing an execution for the Morag Tong is exactly the same as the fine for murder[[/note]] [[GameplayAndStorySegregation However, no one ever sends them against you]]. |
| 168 | ** You can be expelled from any of the three Great Houses for a variety of infractions from stealing from your fellow House members to outright ''killing'' them. [[ProudMerchantRace House]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Hlaalu]] allows you back in for 500 gold (plus paying whatever fines you were assessed by the authorities) and you can do this an unlimited number of times. [[EvilSorcerer House]] [[MightMakesRight Telvanni]] allows you back in simply by asking any member ranked higher than a Mouth, and you can do this an unlimited number of times as well. [[ProudWarriorRace House]] [[ReligiousBruiser Redoran]] allows you back in with a simple apology, but only ''once''. Get expelled again, and you're out for good. |
| 169 | * EasingIntoTheAdventure: Probably the best example out of the series, since it is the only one without a true starter/tutorial dungeon you must escape. You simply get off a boat, pick your name, race, class, and birthsign, then get released into a very easy-going starting village. Even the quests you can pick up there and the nearby enemies are extremely easy. [[EarlyGameHell Once you leave that town, however...]] |
| 170 | * EasyLevelTrick: At the end of ''Tribunal'', you acquire the legendary FlamingSword of Lord Nerevar, Trueflame. It's easily the best one-handed sword in the game, dealing base damage equivalent to the game's best two-handed swords, while also dealing fire damage. It is every bit [[spoiler:the "god slayer" it's intended to be]] in that expansion, however, it proves ''even better'' in the second expansion, ''Bloodmoon''. Taking place on the frigid island Solstheim, it has numerous fire-weak ice-based enemies throughout as well as the annoying [[PlantPerson Spriggans]], who must be killed three times but are devastatingly weak to fire. Trueflame will cut a swath through them all, negating much of the challenge of an otherwise difficult expansion. |
| 171 | * {{Egopolis}}: All three Tribunal deities indulge in this. Both Vivec and Sotha Sil created their own namesake cities. Almalexia instead chose to settle in the pre-existing capital of Morrowind, Mournhold, but over time the city grew outward and was renamed Almalexia. Mournhold now refers to the central compound that houses the Temple and the royal palace - meaning the only part of the city you can actually visit. |
| 172 | * ElaborateUndergroundBase: Dozens of caves and grottos exist in the game, some of which get quite elaborate, and are usually home to smugglers, bandits, or worse. Dunmer Ancestral Tombs and Dwemer ruins are also typically build into the ground. |
| 173 | * EleventhHourSuperpower: Pretty far along in the main quest, an event occurs which grants you IdealIllnessImmunity. Given that the setting is positively rife with Common and Blight diseases which lower your attributes and hinder progress, this is an extremely helpful power to gain. |
| 174 | * EldritchAbomination: Those in House Dagoth. Dagoth Ur is a PhysicalGod who uses the divine power of the Heart of Lorkhan to twist his followers into abominations. On another level, per some interpretations of the ''36 Lessons of Vivec'' regarding Dagoth Ur, the implication is that [[spoiler:Dagoth Ur somehow achieved an unspeakably dangerous middle ground between [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence CHIM]], [[TheOmnipotent Amaranth]] and [[CessationOfExistence Zero-Sum]] where he exists in a godlike state because of his awareness of Anu's dream, but he lacks the ability to maintain his individuality and exist within it like someone who has achieved CHIM, and he hasn't simply faded into the Dream like someone who Zero-Summed. This leads to a situation where Dagoth Ur's consciousness ''[[LeakingCanOfEvil is being imprinted on the Dream of Anu, until eventually all of reality becomes just an extension of his twisted and broken mind.]]'']] |
| 175 | --> ''I PUT A STAR'' |
| 176 | --> ''INTO THE WORLD'S MOUTH'' |
| 177 | --> ''TO MURDER IT'' |
| 178 | --> ''TEAR DOWN THE PYLONS'' |
| 179 | --> ... |
| 180 | --> ''AND ORBIT ME'' |
| 181 | * EliteMooks: The "Ash Vampires" to [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]]. Each are the most powerful of his minions and a few have been trusted to guard the [[ArtifactOfDoom Tools of Kagrenac]]. |
| 182 | * ElvesVersusDwarves: Prominent in the backstory between the Chimer and the dwarves, though with the "dwarves" in this case being a sub-race of elves known as the Dwemer, in the ''Elder Scrolls'' tradition. Nerevar rose to prominence when he managed to unite the two races in an EnemyMine to drive out the invading Nords who threatened both races. Following a period of peace, the two races came into conflict again when the Daedra-worshiping Chimer learned that the {{Naytheist}}ic Dwemer were planning to use the Heart of Lorkhan to create/become gods. |
| 183 | * EmergencyEnergyTank: |
| 184 | ** There are different qualities of potion ranging from "Bargain" at the bottom to "Exclusive" at the top. The rare "Exclusive" Restore Health and Restore Magicka potions restore your health or magicka (respectively) by 200 points. |
| 185 | ** Only two Potions of Heroism exist in the game. These potions both fortify your health and fatigue by 50 points each, as well as give you a HealingFactor that restores 5 points of each per second for 60 seconds, for a total of 300. Furthermore, it both fortifies your attack and gives you a magical shield for its duration as well. TooAwesomeToUse, indeed. |
| 186 | * EmergencyWeapon: If all else fails, which given the presence of BreakableWeapons is quite possible, you always have your fists. Unless you've been training up your Hand-to-Hand skill, they aren't likely to be very helpful. |
| 187 | * EminentlyEnigmaticRace: Invoked in-universe. The Dunmer people once shared Morrowind with the enigmatic Dwemer (Dwarven) race. After an initially antagonistic relationship, they formed an EnemyMine to drive out the invading Nords. This was such a success that the two races formed one nation, Resdayn, under the leadership of the First Council, with Indoril Nerevar at the head. However, after discovering the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]] beneath Red Mountain and attempting to tap into it to become gods/create a new god, the Dunmer waged war on the Dwemer. Exactly what happened next is [[TheRashomon recounted differently by the surviving parties]], but the Dwemer vanished, Nerevar died, and the Tribunal and Dagoth Ur used the Dwemeri tools on the Heart to [[DeityOfHumanOrigin become gods]]. The Tribunal then actively demonized the Dwemer while surpressing knowledge of their technology and culture to consolodate their rule and prevent anyone from learning too much about their means of divinity, further adding to the enigmatic nature of the Dwemer. |
| 188 | * EmpathicEnvironment: Since Dagoth Ur's return to a physical form, Red Mountain has been encased in a permanent Blight storm, which spreads the blight and corprus diseases. [[spoiler: After his defeat, clear skies will be seen over Red Mountain for the first time in centuries.]] |
| 189 | * EmpathicWeapon: The in-universe explanation for why so many legendary artifacts keep finding new masters. The blade Umbra, in particular, is said to have a mind of its own which takes over the mind of its wielder until s/he is slain, and it finds a new wielder. Several Daedric artifacts are also said to have natures like this, leaving their bearers when that person begins to abuse the artifact, or becomes too reliant on the artifact. |
| 190 | * TheEmperor: A benevolent one is described but [[HeWhoMustNotBeSeen not shown,]] since the game takes place far from the Imperial City. |
| 191 | * EmpoweredBadassNormal: |
| 192 | ** The Nerevarine has the options of Vampirism or Lycanthropy (with the ''Bloodmoon'' expansion). The [[BlessedWithSuck drawbacks are significant]], but the "Empowerment" is quite powerful in each case. |
| 193 | ** During the main quest, [[spoiler:the PC will become infected with the [[MysticalPlague Corprus Disease]]]]. On the positive side, it will make you TheAgeless, give you IdealIllnessImmunity, and, if you allow it to advance, permanently boost your Strength and Endurance. However, the negatives include a severe case of BodyHorror and having your mental faculties decreased to animalistic levels. [[spoiler:As part of the main quest, the negatives are cured while the positives remain]]. |
| 194 | * EmptyLevels: The leveling system is such that for every 10 increases of your major/minor skills, you'll gain a level. However, attribute increases are tied to all skills that use that attribute. The result is that if you don't remember to train your miscellaneous skills in addition to your major/minor skills, you can end up with a character with a high level but pitiful attributes. The most effective builds end up tagging many of the least used (or at least hardest to level) skills as primary ones, so that you won't "accidentally" level and cheat yourself out of attribute bonuses. |
| 195 | * EmptyPilesOfClothing: ''Tribunal'' includes a Dwemer ruin beneath the city of Mournhold which has been untouched since the day [[RiddleForTheAges the entire Dwemer race disappeared]]. Included are piles of ash next to empty suits of Dwemer armor and weapons dropped onto the floor. |
| 196 | * EndOfAnAge: After ruling over for Dunmer people for some 4000 years, the main quest ends with the Tribunal losing their divinity. ''Tribunal'' then ends with [[spoiler: two members of the Tribunal dead]]. |
| 197 | * EnemyChatter: Through use of stealth, it is possible to initiate conversation with normally hostile-on-sight enemies. Most, like the corprus monsters, just babble incoherently, but some of the stronger ones, such as the Ash Vampires, have some amusing chatter - among other things, inviting the player for a drink before the fight (from which you actually gain a bottle of the rare and valuable Dagoth brandy.) |
| 198 | * EnemyDetectingRadar: Various "Detect" spells exist and, when used, have the effect of causing enemies to show up on the mini-map. |
| 199 | * EnforcedColdWar: The Imperially sanctioned [[MagicalSociety Mages Guild]] and the native Dunmeri [[TheClan Great House]] [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]] find themselves in this situation. The Mages Guild has a monopoly on magical services and training throughout Tamriel, though the independence of the Great Houses, which was maintained as part of Morrowind's [[VoluntaryVassal Armistice]] with the Empire, means that the Telvanni are permitted to offer these services to their members. This results in no shortage of friction, which must be dealt with in the [[SidequestSideStory questlines]] for each faction. Moles and spies are common, both parties appeal to neutral mages to get them to join their side (by force, if need be), and sabotage is not out of the question. One option toward the end of the Mages Guild questline has you break the "cold war" part of the trope by [[spoiler:outright murdering all of the Telvanni councilors]]. |
| 200 | * AnEntrepreneurIsYou: |
| 201 | ** Beyond the standard treasure hunting business of a freelance adventurer, you can put your item crafting skills into great use by making items to sell. Potions and enchantments are two highly profitable ventures. Additionally, many merchants sell damaged weapons and pieces of armor for for less than the items are worth in pristine condition. Buying them, fixing them up via the Armorer skill, and re-selling them can be very profitable. |
| 202 | ** ''Bloodmoon'' brings the East Empire Company questline of building up the ebony mining colony of Raven Rock. You get to choose the types of services available and get to pick where to build your own "Factor's Estate" mansion. |
| 203 | ** After completing a few side quests, you get the opportunity to run the Thirsk mead hall. You can return every few days to collect your share of the profits. |
| 204 | * EpicFail: The sorcerer Inwold was hired by some smugglers operating out of Palansour to summon Daedra to use as muscle. However, his Ogrim and Scamps got out of control, killed all of the smugglers, and left Inwold imprisoned in nothing but a skirt and a hat ([[AndYourRewardIsClothes which he offers you for freeing him.]]) |
| 205 | * EquipmentBasedProgression: Overlapping with AndYourRewardIsClothes, after a certain point, the rewards for the main quest (and some other quest lines) become things you can wear, intended to be symbolic of recognition as a great war-leader, occasionally with a marginally decent enchantment or other bonus. |
| 206 | * EquipmentHidingFashion: Putting on a robe hides whatever armour you wear underneath: including the extremely bulky and pointy ones like the Daedric plate mail. |
| 207 | * EquipmentUpgrade: Equipment including weapons, armor, and accessories can be "enchanted" to provide a magical effect. Weapons, for example, can be imbued with a magical element to increase their damage upon striking. Armor, clothing, and jewelry can be enchanted with "On Use" effects which need to be activated from the magic menu or "Constant Effect" effects which provide a passive bonus while worn. |
| 208 | * EscapeRope: The Divine and Almsivi Intervention spells. When used, they teleport the player to the nearest Imperial or Tribunal Temple shrine, respectively. They're good for making a quick escape in a sticky situation or, perhaps more commonly, transporting more loot that you could otherwise carry. |
| 209 | * EscortMission: Quite a few. The combined ArtificialStupidity and SuicidalOverconfidence of your followers will drive you crazy, and they fit in nearly every category on the trope page. Your escortee is usually painfully slow compounded by awful pathfinding. Your escortee is typically very fragile, which is the entire reason you're escorting them in the first place. However, that doesn't stop them from being TooDumbToLive and going full-blown LeeroyJenkins on every enemy you run into on the way, even if it could kill them in one hit. You'll be thankful when you have the ability to tell the follower to "wait here" while you run ahead and clear out the path ahead, but that isn't always an option... |
| 210 | * EternalEngine: The {{Steampunk}} machinery in Dwemer ruins is still running some 4000 years after their disappearance. (Justified, as they were known to tinker with the laws of time in order to preserve their creations for a long, long time.) |
| 211 | * EternalEnglish: In the Cavern of the Incarnate, the player will encounter the ghosts of the "failed incarnates," who thought that they were the Nerevarine but were killed before they could fulfill the prophecy. They are each Dunmer from different time periods, yet the player is able to communicate with them all without issue. |
| 212 | * EthnicGod: The Dunmer worship a trio of formerly mortal {{Physical God}}s (Vivec, Almalexia, Sotha Sil) known as the Tribunal or ALMSIVI. Thousands of years ago, they were the advisors of the [[LongDeadBadass ancient Chimeri]] ({{Precursors}} of the Dunmer) hero, Lord Nerevar. Though every surviving party [[TheRashomon has their own version]] of the events surrounding Nerevar's death and the Tribunal's ascension, the Tribunal would greatly influence the affairs of the Dunmer people for thousands of years after, including protecting them in times of war and performing miracles. (As a result of the events of the main quest and the ''Tribunal'' expansion, [[spoiler:they are cut off from the source of their power and two of them are killed]].) It's the first in a long, ''long'' TraumaCongaLine for the Dunmer in the centuries that would follow... |
| 213 | * EtTuBrute: In the backstory, according to one of the [[TheRashomon conflicting accounts]] of his final days, Lord Indoril Nerevar is betrayed and murdered by his trio of trusted advisors, the Tribunal, who then go against his (and Azura's) wishes by tapping into the Heart of Lorkhan to become gods. In-game, in conflict with the Tribunal Temple's official story, Vivec will openly admit to the betrayal. In one of his writings, hidden in metaphor, he goes on state that he (as Vehk the mortal) murdered Nerevar. |
| 214 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: In ''Tribunal'', King of Morrowind Hlaalu Helseth is a ManipulativeBastard of the highest order with no qualms about [[MasterPoisoner poisoning rivals]] or [[MurderInc siccing assassins]] on threats to his authority. Despite this, he is still highly protective of his mother, Former Queen Barenziah, and, though she publicly maintains that she has backed away from politics, it is believed that she still wields massive influence through Helseth. |
| 215 | * EverybodyWantsTheHermaphrodite: The [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec claims that this is the case for himself. Though typically referred to as male, Vivec is a hermaphrodite. Throughout his ''[[InGameNovel 36 Lessons of Vivec]]'' book series, he has sex with numerous men and women, as well as his fellow divine Tribunes (one male and one female), and even the technically genderless [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of Domination, Corruption, and ''Rape'', Molag Bal. That said, Vivec is a notoriously UnreliableNarrator and is known to [[MetaphoricallyTrue bend the truth]] to serve his goals, so these claims should be taken with a grain of salt. |
| 216 | * EveryoneIsBi: When using the Admire option in conversation, your part of the dialogue is never seen, but the NPC's responses are, and more often than not they seem to be a response to a pick-up line or come-on. |
| 217 | * EverythingFades: Corpses are set to disappear after 3 in-game days have passed. They can also be disposed of immediately by the player while looting them. |
| 218 | * EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Orcish armor is essentially heavily stylized Samurai armor. |
| 219 | * EverythingIsTryingToKillYou: The main game isn't too bad with this, as there are at least some enemies that are non-hostile unless you attack them and deadly terrain features (steep falls, lava pits, etc.) are generally easy to avoid. However, ''Bloodmoon'' cranks this way up. You can't travel one map square without facing a pack of 8 wolves, 2 plague bears, a snow bear, 2 Fryse Hags, a Berserker... And due to the nature of the East Empire Company quests only becoming available every couple of days, the local wildlife ''WILL'' respawn as you wait. |
| 220 | * EvilCounterpart: The Camonna Tong to the Thieves Guild. The Dark Brotherhood to the Morag Tong. House Telvanni is regarded as this in comparison to the Mages Guild by most Imperial factions. |
| 221 | * EvilFormerFriend: The Chimer and Dwemer were ancient enemies. When Morrowind was invaded by the Nords, the Chimer and Dwemer formed an EnemyMine to drive the invaders out. During this time, the Chimeri leader Lord Nerevar and the Dwemeri leader Dumac became FireForgedFriends. Their people prospered under this alliance, with Dumac attending Nerevar's wedding and the two of them even attending the coronation of Emperor Gorieus representing their combined nation (Resdayn). However, the Dwemer Chief Tonal Architect, Lord Kagrenac, had discovered the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]] beneath Red Mountain, and planned to tap into its power. Nerevar's advisor, Voryn Dagoth, convinced Nerevar that Dumac had become evil. Nerevar confronted Dumac, who demanded that Nerevar leave or be killed for questioning the motives of the Dwemer. This led to the [[GreatOffscreenWar Battle of Red Mountain]] and, as with [[TheRashomon many details surrounding that event]], the truth is likely lost to history. |
| 222 | * EvilIsHammy: This is a trait of the Dremora, an intelligent race of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]]. They are essentially a race (the ''MasterRace'' if they are to be believed) of LargeHam {{Blood Knight}}s with [[EvilSoundsDeep deep]] [[NoIndoorVoice "outdoor" voices]]. Anhaedra, spoken to if doing the Tribunal Temple questline, is perhaps the prime example: |
| 223 | --> '''Anhaedra''': ''"After I kill you, [[BlackComedyRape I will rape your corpse]]. Don't worry. I'll be gentle."'' |
| 224 | * EvilOverlord: BigBad Dagoth Ur is a [[ZigZaggedTrope complicated example]]. He tics almost all boxes for the trope like [[VolcanoLair living active volcano]] surrounded by [[{{Mordor}} a blighted wasteland]], and many [[BodyHorror twisted mutants]] serve as his [[{{Mooks}} minions]] and [[ReligionOfEvil worship him like a god]]. He is a [[PhysicalGod legitimate supernatural force]] rather than a mere mortal warlord and plots to take over Tamriel using Akulakhan, a HumongousMecha created from the blueprints of the Numidium and powered by the [[GodIsDead heart of a dead god]], while also spreading the [[TheCorruption Corprus Disease]]. But as it turns out, he has a somewhat [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds sympathetic backstory]] and he has shades of being a WellIntentionedExtremist, since he wants to [[OccupiersOutOfOurCountry liberate Morrowind from the Empire's influence]]. Of course, since we only have his word on those points, and he is both untrustworthy and not remotely sane... |
| 225 | * EvilPlan: [[spoiler:Almalexia's]] plot in ''Tribunal''. Her [[GoMadFromTheRevelation declining sanity at the loss of her godhood]] plays into it. |
| 226 | * EvilRedhead: [[spoiler:Almalexia]] in ''Tribunal''[='s=] main quest. She undergoes a FaceHeelTurn as a result of [[GoMadFromTheRevelation her deteriorating sanity due to the loss of her godhood]]. By the final confrontation at the end of the expansion's main quest, she has reached full blown AxeCrazy status. |
| 227 | * EvilSorcerer: You don't have to be one to join House Telvanni, but Evil Sorcerers thrive there due to its [[MightMakesRight lenient code]] [[KlingonPromotion of conduct.]] Most are not evil in the villainous sense of the word -- some, like Aryon and Baladas, are quite reasonable -- but many are rude, self-absorbed, arbitrary, callous, and in one particular case, AxCrazy. Throwing annoying guests into the dungeon is a common pastime even among the nicer lords. It should be no surprise that they hold the reins of power through force, since leadership skills are in short supply. |
| 228 | * EvilSoundsDeep: |
| 229 | ** Main quest BigBad Dagoth Ur speaks in a deep, booming baritone. |
| 230 | ** Several of the "bad" Daedric Prince speak with deep voices, including Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, Malacath, and Hircine in ''Bloodmoon''. |
| 231 | * EvilUncle: Orvas Dren, to his niece Ilmeni. As leaders of the Camonna Tong and the Twin Lamps, respectively, they are inevitably at odds over slavery. |
| 232 | * EvilWeapon: Umbra, a massively powerful soul-stealing blade crafted by an evil witch. It has the nasty habit of driving its owners into becoming insane [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]]. |
| 233 | * EvilerThanThou: The Dark Brotherhood versus the Morag Tong. Both are MurderInc, but the Morag Tong is [[ProfessionalKiller government contracted and has a strict code of ethics]], while the Dark Brotherhood is comprised of PsychoForHire criminals who practice a ReligionOfEvil. Ditto, to a lesser degree, for the ThievesGuild and the Camonna Tong: the former has a strict code of ethics as well and favors clean, stealthy burglary and smooth talking, while the latter is made of [[TheSyndicate xenophobic thugs who just kill and plunder]]. |
| 234 | * EvolutionaryRetCon: ''Morrowind'' makes drastic changes to the appearance of [[LizardFolk Argonians]] and [[CatFolk Khajiit]] from earlier games. Later works add in-universe justifications for these changes, as the Argonians can be altered physically by drinking [[WiseTree Hist]] sap while Khajiit are comprised of a number of sub-species with some more popular outside of their homeland than others. |
| 235 | * EvolvingMusic: ''Morrowind[='s=]'' main theme, "Nerevar Rising," has been remixed and used for every main series game since. |
| 236 | * ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The Boots of Blinding Speed are enchanted boots which, when worn, significantly boost your speed while also making you totally blind. |
| 237 | * ExcaliburInTheRust: A thorough player may stumble upon a unique "Rusty Dagger" with pitiful stats and that will break after a single hit. However, return it to a specific shrine to Mehrunes Dagon, and the [[GodOfEvil Daedric Prince of Destruction]] will restore it to its true, ''powerful'' glory. |
| 238 | * ExoticEquipment: Series' lore states that male [[CatFolk Khajiit]] have tiny barbs on their penises, similar to those of real-life cats. One of the exotic dancers in Suran will make a comment along these lines if the PlayerCharacter is a male Khajiit. She'll complain "not another Khajiit, I'm still smarting from the last one." |
| 239 | * ExpansionPack: Two - ''Tribunal'' and ''Bloodmoon'' - adding additional areas, quests, and possibilities (as the title hints, the character can become a lycanthrope in ''Bloodmoon''). However, they also update the game .exe to include additional functions not present in patches for the original game, introducing unfortunate dependencies on the expansion packs for the vast majority of the enormous selection of ''Morrowind'' {{Game Mod}}s created by the community. The Game of the Year Edition includes these both out of the box. |
| 240 | * ExpansionPackWorld: ''Bloodmoon'' adds the island of Solstheim to the northwest of Vvardenfell. Solstheim never previously appeared on any of the game-world's maps. (Years later, this allows ''Skyrim'' to avert the trope with its ''Dragonborn'' expansion, which revisits Solstheim.) |
| 241 | * ExponentialPotential: There are a near unlimited exponential potential of spell effects. There are over 100 obtainable spells in the game which use or combine over 100 spell effects all broken down into six schools of magic. Get into customized spells, Alchemy, and Enchantment, and number of magical possibilities becomes near-infinite. Alchemy and Enchantment in particular offer a plethora of Game-Breaker options, allowing speed runs of mere minutes in a game with hundreds of hours of content. |
| 242 | * ExposedToTheElements: ''Bloodmoon'' adds the frigid isle of Solstheim to the game world. The northernmost regions of the island reach full-blown Arctic conditions including frequent blizzards. However, the PlayerCharacter can run around stripped to their underwear with no ill effect. Additionally, there are Berserker enemy [=NPCs=] who live in this frozen wilderness and wear very little clothing. They at least have the justifaction of being [[HornyVikings Nords]], who have an inborn racial resistance to the cold. |
| 243 | * ExpositingTheMasquerade: Partway through the main quest, [[spoiler:the player character is infected with the dreaded Corprus Disease]]. Thought to be a death sentence, your QuestGiver sends to you meet with the [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld ancient]] [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]] wizard, Divayth Fyr, who runs a "Corprusarium" to provide refuge for the infected. It turns out that Fyr has been studying the disease for years. It saps the mind of those infected, leaving them with little more than animalistic intelligence, while also causing their body to bloat and grow cancerous, leprous chunks. It also makes the suffered into TheAgeless and gives them IdealIllnessImmunity. He has been [[FindTheCure working on a cure]]...but it has killed every test subject so far. When he uses it [[spoiler:on the PC, it works...at least according to what he was trying to do. The PC still has the disease, but the negative aspects have been cured, leaving the positive ones of biological immunity and complete disease immunity]]. |
| 244 | * ExpospeakGag: "Council of Mages without Digits within Bowels". |
| 245 | * ExtremeOmnisexual: Crassius Curio, a quest-giver and high-ranking member of [[ProudMerchantRace Great House Hlaalu]]. He insists on calling the PC things like 'dumpling' or 'pumpkin pie,' no matter the gender, and his first order is to see you naked. However, it's largely implied [[LovableSexManiac nothing]] ''[[LovableSexManiac really]]'' [[LovableSexManiac happens]]...he does this regardless of player race, including CatFolk Khajiit, LizardFolk Argonians, and full blown [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Blizzard-style]] Orcs. One of the {{Running Gag}}s of the series is that one of ''the'' most published manuscripts on all of Nirn is ''The Lusty Argonian Maid'', a play (with a sequel as of ''Skyrim'') in three acts written by none other than Crassius Curio. (With the main character named "[[HerCodeNameWasMarySue Crantius Colto]]".) For added comedic value, Crassius just so happens to be one of the very few [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure genuinely noble characters]] on the island of Morrowind, despite his rampant peculiarities. |
| 246 | * ExtremeOmnivore: The player can eat things such as leprous meat, diamonds, poisonous mushrooms, raw hearts, human flesh, ashes of burned vampires, and animal hides, with varying effects. If you aren't going to carry it with you, you might as well, since partaking makes you better at alchemy on the premise that experiencing their alchemical properties will increase your knowledge on their effects. Particularly jarring with Dwemer scrap metal and ebony ore, since we're talking about wolfing down ten pounds of metal or twenty pounds of rock. |
| 247 | * EyelessFace: Ash Zombies and Ash Ghouls, both lesser minions of the Sixth House. Ash Zombies have had the entire upper section of their faced gouged out. Ash Ghouls have some sort of proboscis sticking out. |
| 248 | [[/folder]] |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[folder:F]] |
| 251 | * FaceDeathWithDignity: A House Redoran quest has you convincing another member of the house to do this via a duel to the death in the arena. He will almost certainly die (unless you aid him from a distance.) |
| 252 | * FaceDesignShield: The Orcish tower shield and both varieties of Daedric shield sport some nasty-looking angry face designs. The one on Orcish tower shield is showing off its fangs and wagging its tongue. The Daedric tower shield sports some spikes and a scowl, while the regular size version has some pretty gnarly, almost ''Film/{{Predator}}''-like manibles and RedEyesTakeWarning. Notably, these are all sculpted onto the shield, instead of just being paint. |
| 253 | * FacialMarkings: Some of the default faces for the Dunmer and Nords have them. A PlayerCharacter of either race may choose to have these during character generation. |
| 254 | * FakeLongevity: |
| 255 | ** There is no map-based fast travel, so you need to rely on fixed-location transportation (boats, silt striders, Mages Guild Guides) or one-way teleportation (spells and scrolls). Solstheim and the northeastern side of Vvardenfell have very few of these transportation points, so you will end up doing a lot of walking towards your objectives in those areas. There are also no quest markers, so you have to rely on notes and NPC directions which are sometimes very cryptic or [[TheComputerIsALyingBastard inaccurate.]] This can make it very easy to get lost finding your objective. |
| 256 | ** Your movement speed is dependent on your Athletics skill, which slowly increases the more you run or swim in the game, as well as your Speed attribute, which you must increase via level-up. Unfortunately this can make your character move at a snail's pace if they have low athletics, which can be worsened if they are wearing heavy armor and/or carrying enough items to put them near the encumbrance limit. This makes moving around the map very tedious at early levels especially if you don't have any teleportation spells or scrolls. |
| 257 | * FallenHero: |
| 258 | ** Depending on [[TheRashomon which version of Nerevar's life]] you believe, Dagoth Ur. He was originally a trusted member of Nerevar's council and ''may'' have been fulfilling his duty by guarding the tools, only using them after being corrupted by them. |
| 259 | ** [[spoiler:Almalexia]] in ''Tribunal'', undergoing a FaceHeelTurn as her sanity deteriorates into [[AxeCrazy Axe-Craziness]]. |
| 260 | * 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 TheChosenOne, 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. |
| 261 | * FanRemake: Multiple comprehensive efforts have been made to modernize the game. The ''Morrowind Overhaul'' is a complete collection of texture, mesh and gameplay updates for the existing game. ''Morroblivion'' is a mostly complete mod that imports ''Morrowind'' into the ''Oblivion'' engine while ''Skywind'' is an ongoing effort to import ''Morrowind'' into the ''Skyrim'' engine. [=OpenMW=] is an ongoing project to recreate Morrowind's engine. |
| 262 | * FanserviceExtra: The House of Earthly Delights in Suran, essentially a strip club, has three exotic dancers dressed only in their underwear who have unique dance animations. Throw on one of the ''many'' "full nudity" {{Game Mod}}s to take this to another level. |
| 263 | * FanservicePack: Azura inverts the trope. In ''Daggerfall'', her sprite is actually topless. Here, her statues are topless but [[NippleAndDimed lacking in detail]], while her avatar is much more modestly dressed. |
| 264 | * FantasticDrug: |
| 265 | ** Moon Sugar, which is similar in appearance and effect to real world cocaine (with some properties of actual sugar, including a sweet taste). Skooma is a drink made from refined Moon Sugar (thus, sort of an unholy combination of crack and alcohol). Both are illegal in the Empire and if you have any in your possession, most merchants will outright refuse to do business with you. ([[FailedASpotCheck You can easily just set the drug on the counter in front of them, transact your business, and then pick the drug right back up with no repercussions.]]) |
| 266 | ** Hackle-Lo Leaf shares some similarities with tobacco and Coca leaves. It is chewed by the natives for a boost of energy, and can be chewed by the player (or brewed into a potion) to restore Fatigue. |
| 267 | * FantasticFruitsAndVegetables: Several are native to Vvardenfell and are cultivated by the Dunmer. For example, Comberries are bitter-sour berries used to make alcohol. Ash Yams are root vegetable similar to potatoes with a very distinctive odor. Saltrice is a white/gray stalk vegetable said to be very "tasty and nutritious". Muck is a fibrous slime harvested from fungus-like "muckspunge" plants that is mildly toxic, but if properly prepared, can be used to cure common diseases. Marshmerrow is a leafy green with modest healing properties. Trama Root is a bitter-tasting shrub root used to brew tea. Numerous other examples are found throughout the game as well. |
| 268 | * FantasticHonorifics: A slight variation on the gender-neutral "ser" version: The Dunmer use "sera", "muthsera" and "serjo", in increasing order of politeness. Less common are "Sedura" (appears to be associated with wealth) and "Kena" (appears to be associated with scholars or wizards). They can "stack" as well, such as the example in the in-game play "The Horror of Castle Xyr." One character is "Sedura Kena Telvanni Hordalf Xyr" (Hordalf Xyr being the character's name, and Telvanni being his House). |
| 269 | * FantasticLivestock: The Dunmer farm/use several varieties: |
| 270 | ** They use silt striders (insectoids resembling giant fleas on stilts) to move both people and cargo. |
| 271 | ** They farm large insectoids called kwama for their eggs. |
| 272 | ** They raise [[LivingGasbag flying]] jellyfish-like creatures known as netch for their leathery hides and paralytic jelly to use as [[CraftedFromAnimals armor]] and alchemical ingredients respectively. |
| 273 | ** They're also known for using bipedal reptilians known as guar as mounts and beasts of burden similar to horses and donkeys, but also for their hides. |
| 274 | * FantasticRacism: Being an Outlander in Morrowind is a bad thing, there are multiple words for it, N'wah and Swit are just two slurs used. You will also occasionally be insulted for your race in a fashion befitting what form of human, lizard, cat, elf you are. Even if you're a Dark Elf you won't be liked because you're not a native. (Though this last one has a bit of GameplayAndStorySegregation to it. While you are told that this is the case, playing as a Dunmer will still get you the standard +10 disposition increase with members of the same race even if they are native Dunmer.) |
| 275 | * FantasticRankSystem: Every guild and faction in the game has their own set. Details of each are available on the trope page. |
| 276 | * FantasticScience: |
| 277 | ** Divayth Fyr is a Telvanni wizard who has dedicated himself to studying the Corprus Disease, opening a Corprusarium to house its victims while working to find a cure. [[spoiler:He does, in a way, during the main quest after the Nerevarine catches the disease. It only cures the negative effects, leaving the Nerevarine as TheAgeless with IdealIllnessImmunity, but kills every other test subject he tries it on.]] |
| 278 | ** This is prominent throughout the game with various magical groups, including the Mages Guild and Great House Telvanni, which treat the study of magic as a science. You can find magical notes (at one point being tasked to steal some in the Mages Guild questline) which closely resemble scientific papers on fantastic subjects such as necromancy, energy between realms, Daedra summoning, and more. |
| 279 | * FantasticSlurs: The Dunmer have a few. "Swit" seems to be the least offensive, and is used similarly to calling someone "a shit" or "bitch." "Fetcher" is the next step up, being a derogatory term for a slave seemingly mixed with the "f-word." "N'wah" is at the top of the list, being an incredibly offensive term for a foreigner, along the lines of the "n-word." |
| 280 | * FantasticTerrorists: The Sixth House uses bioterrorism in the form of Blight storms and Corprus to try to take over Morrowind. |
| 281 | * FantasyCounterpartCulture - Imperials are the Romans, Nords are Vikings, Bretons are... Bretons, Redguards have African and Arabian cultural traits, and the Dark Elves bear an extremely strong resemblance to the biblical Israelites/Jews, starting with the Abraham/Moses hybrid Veloth and all the way down to the Nerevarine/Messiah prophecies producing lots of wannabes during an occupation by a powerful foreign empire. Older Dark Elf societies, such as the Ashlander tribes and the Sixth House, have a more Mesopotamian connection however, with names sounding like they came straight from ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh''. |
| 282 | * FantasyKitchenSink: ''Morrowind'' is where the series begins to downplay this trope. After ''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'' use fairly standard fantasy settings drawing heavily from ''[[TableTopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'', ''Morrowind'' distinguishes itself from the [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy typical fantasy setting]] into its own ConstructedWorld. |
| 283 | * FantasyMetals: Two types are prominently mined in Vvardenfell. |
| 284 | ** Ebony is a dark grayish/brownish/purplish mineral with some characteristics of volcanic glass. It's extremely dense, worth more than gold when used as bullion, and forges into some of the most powerful weapons and heavy armor available in Tamriel. Trade of ebony is strictly regulated by the Empire, meaning that a permit to mine Ebony is extremely valuable to any organization in Morrowind that can get one. (Several faction quests involve sabotaging the ebony mines of political rivals via, for instance, igniting a slave uprising.) Lore scholars have long theorized that ebony may in fact be the petrified blood of the dead creator god Lorkhan, as its greatest deposits are near Red Mountain where Lorkhan's heart fell from the sky. |
| 285 | ** Glass is a lightweight greenish mineral which, like ebony, sees its trade also tightly controlled by the Empire. It can also be forged into some fantastic weapons and one of the best light armors available in Tamriel. |
| 286 | * FantasyWorldMap: The game and both expansions come with a paper map of the setting. Each is designed to look as though it was drawn by an in-universe cartographer. |
| 287 | * FashionableAsymmetry: As each piece of armor (with the exception of boots) can be equipped individually, some [=NPCs=] wear mismatched sets of pauldrons and gauntlets, leading to this effect. The player is also free to engage in this. |
| 288 | * FastForwardMechanic: The wait and rest features. Waiting can be done anywhere that enemies are not present, but does not restore your health or magicka, nor allow you to level up. Resting must be done in a bed or in the wilderness, but will restore your health/magicka and must be done in order to level up. |
| 289 | * FateWorseThanDeath: |
| 290 | ** What the Tribunal Temple considers Vampirism, regardless of what the Vampire him/herself may think. It's why they consider death as the only "cure" for the disease. |
| 291 | ** 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. |
| 292 | ** 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. |
| 293 | * FauxSymbolism: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. [[https://www.imperial-library.info/content/thirty-six-lessons-vivec-sermon-one The 36 Lessons of Vivec]]. They are a series of 36 books, supposedly penned by the man-god himself. (Game writer Michael Kirkbride is the real life author.) In them, he uses oodles of biblical imagery to make sure that, if you take it seriously, there is NO WAY a person could see Vivec as anything less than the absolute god of The Elder Scrolls universe (which, of course, isn't necessarily true). Doubles with BreakingTheFourthWall, {{Anvilicious}}, Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, and a sprinkling of InJoke. |
| 294 | * FeaturelessProtagonist: Generally played straight with the PlayerCharacter, as you are free to customize your protagonist in terms of race, sex, class, appearance, etc. However, a few background facts are confirmed that make him/her eligible for the Nerevarine prophecy. The Nerevarine was a prisoner, he or she was sent from the Imperial City's prison to Morrowind, there was something special about his or her day of birth ("born on a certain day"), and his or her parents are unknown. A Dunmer Nerevarine wasn't born in Morrowind, either, which still makes him/her to be qualified since the lost prophecies said that the Nerevarine would be an outlander. |
| 295 | * FetchQuest: About half the quests in the game are either this trope or its "[=FedEx=] quest" variant. Some are easy ("Go down the street and purchase a ceramic bowl") while others are a bit more challenging ("Acquire the InfinityMinusOneSword from a hostile, high-level mage.") |
| 296 | * FictionalCurrency: |
| 297 | ** The series' standard [[CheapGoldCoins gold coins]], known as "Septims" for having Tiber Septim's face on them, are the official currency of Tamriel. They are also sometimes referred to as "drakes", due to the [[AnimalMotifs Imperial Dragon]] symbol on the other side. |
| 298 | ** The ancient [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]] coins are another, but they are treated as ShopFodder which can be sold for the standard gold coins. |
| 299 | * FictionalDocument: [[http://www.imperial-library.info/books/morrowind/by-category Loads and loads of them]] that you can simply pick up and read. Some advance the plot, some fill in the {{Backstory}}, and some are just entertaining short stories. |
| 300 | * FictionalZodiac: The birth signs fit into one, as is series' tradition. Each sign gives those born under it different powers and Attribute bonuses. |
| 301 | * FighterMageThief: Basically every joinable faction except the JackOfAllTrades Imperial Cult and the Blades fits into one of the three archetypes, and even the Imperial Cult has different questlines for the different archetypes: |
| 302 | ** Fighter: The Fighters' Guild, Great House Redoran, the Imperial Legion, Imperial Cult Shrine Sergeants, and Vampire Clan Quarra. |
| 303 | ** Mage: The Mages' Guild, Great House Telvanni, the Tribunal Temple, Imperial Cult Lay Healers, and Vampire Clan Aundae. This is a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation, since although a Mage will be allowed and even encouraged to join all of these factions, the first three canonically hate each other. |
| 304 | ** Thief: The Thieves' Guild, Great House Hlaalu, the Morag Tong, Imperial Cult Almoners, and Vampire Clan Berne. |
| 305 | ** Present in the three members of the Tribunal. Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec fit the Fighter, Mage, and Thief archetypes, respectively. |
| 306 | * FightingAShadow: In the battle against [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] at the end of the main quest. In your first battle against him, [[spoiler:he can be slain, but his body disappears and reappears in the next room. This time, he is at full blown PhysicalGod power and cannot be killed. Instead, you must sever his ties to the source of his power, the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]], which kills him for good]]. |
| 307 | * {{Filth}}: |
| 308 | ** ''The Lusty Argonian Maid'' is a semi-pornographic play about an Argonian maid, her human lord ([[HerCodeNameWasMarySue who is an expy of the book's in-universe author]]), and his 'spear'. You can meet said author and get a quest to find an actor willing to perform in the play. |
| 309 | ** ''Boethiah's Pillow Book'' is a book apparently so pornographic that "no words can describe what you see, or what you think you see". It's involved in a ThievesGuild quest where you must steal it from the daughter of a Dunmer noble, with the QuestGiver intending to use it as blackmail against them. |
| 310 | * FinalBattleInducedShirtLoss: Ironically inverted when it comes to the hero/villain dynamic. While you can certainly choose to play it straight by removing your shirt/armor before the final battle, the ''villain'' in the final battle of the game and each expansion is shirtless. Dagoth Ur (main game) and Hircine (''Bloodmoon'') are both completely shirtless, while Almalexia (''Tribunal'') wears only a bra with pauldrons. |
| 311 | * FinalDungeonPreview: There is nothing stopping you from entering [[BigBad Dagoth Ur's]] citadel as soon as you are strong enough to deal with the [[BeefGate powerful creatures guarding it]]. However, if you lack the [[MacGuffin Tools of Kagrenac]] necessary to actually defeat him and beat the main quest, he chastises you for coming unprepared and won't speak with you further. One {{Sidequest}} for the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] actually sends you inside, though the item you are there to retrieve is in an exterior part of the facility and you don't need to go all the way to Dagoth Ur's chamber. |
| 312 | * FindersRulers: Downplayed with the Moon-And-Star ring, an iconic item of Lord Nerevar which has been blessed by Azura to kill anyone other than him who tries to wear it. [[spoiler:The Nerevarine acquires it during the main quest and can wear it]]. Downplayed in that simply being able to wear the ring doesn't automatically make you the Hortator (a Dunmeri war leader, Nerevar's old role), but it does make you the most legitimate candidate to date. You'll still need to jump through numerous hoops to get the Great Houses and Ashlander tribes to recognize you as such. |
| 313 | * FindTheCure: If you get turned into a vampire or infected with Corprus, even finding those who can cure those particular diseases is a challenge, let alone actually getting the cure. |
| 314 | * {{Fireballs}}: [[PlayingWithFire Fire-based magic]] is a staple of the Destruction school of magic throughout the series, [[ElementalPowers rounding out]] the FireIceLightning trio with [[AnIcePerson Frost]] and [[ShockAndAwe Shock]] magic. The most basic form of a ranged fire spell is a simple fireball. Such a spell (with a small AreaOfEffect) is available for purchase in the FirstTown. Much more powerful versions can be acquired (or created) later. |
| 315 | * FireForgedFriends: A backstory example between the original Nerevar and the leader of the Dwemer, Dumac Dwarfking. The two formed an EnemyMine when Morrowind was threatened by the invading [[HornyVikings Nords]], and the two became close friends after. Dumac even attended Nerevar's wedding and gave [[FlamingSword Trueflame]] as a gift to Nerevar. It wouldn't last though, as the {{Naytheist}}ic Dwemer discovered and attempted to tap into the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]], which the devout [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedra-worshipping]] Chimer saw as a blasphemy. The two went to war and, while ''exactly'' what happened next is [[TheRashomon recounted differently by the surviving parties]], the Dwemer disappeared and Nerevar was slain. |
| 316 | * FirstTown: Seyda Neen is the town where the player starts, gets initial quests, and acquires his/her first set of equipment. However, Balmora (the second town visited if following the main quest) fits the "central location" part of the trope as there is far more to do there and many reasons to keep coming back to it. |
| 317 | * FishingForMooks: Ranged attacks while sneaking have a bonus chance of landing a CriticalHit. For a sneaky ranged attacker, it's not only viable but rather easy to sneak through a dungeon dishing out such hits. If the target isn't killed on the spot, you can back up to draw them away from other enemies, perhaps get a few more ranged attacks in, and then finish them up close. Rinse and repeat for the rest of the dungeon. |
| 318 | * FissionMailed: A Tribunal Temple quest requires you to go to a specific canal in Vivec and [[spoiler:allow yourself to drown to death in order to reveal a hidden shrine. It's a test of faith and you'll be fully healed immediately after.]] |
| 319 | * FiveFingerDiscount: Possible and even encouraged for players in the Thieves Guild. See KleptomaniacHero for more. |
| 320 | * FlamingHair: [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec is described in [[InGameNovel in-game books]] and depicted in Temple frescoes as being "bald except for flame." However, this is not the case when you meet him in the game, [[GodNeedsPrayerBadly possibly because of his declining powers]]. |
| 321 | * FlamingSword: |
| 322 | ** As is standard for the series, you can find numerous swords enchanted with fire damage or enchant one yourself. (And it's not limited to swords either, you can enchant any weapon with such an effect.) Downplayed in that they won't actually be ''on fire'', but they will have a slight orange sheen and will inflict fire damage upon strike. |
| 323 | ** ''Tribunal'' has you tasked with reforging [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement Trueflame]], the flaming iconic weapon of the original Nerevar. Unlike a standard fire-enchanted weapon, it does actually burn with flames. (The flaming component turns out to be a rare tar that burns eternally when set alight, but has become LostTechnology since the blade was originally forged, complicating matters.) Almalexia carries its twin sword Hopesflame. [[spoiler: Which you can claim for yourself after you kill her at the end of the expansion.]] |
| 324 | * FlatCharacter: Most of the hundreds of {{Non Player Character}}s don't do much but walk back-and-forth (and some not even that) all day and dispense already-known exposition and rumors when spoken to. Fans call them "walking information kiosks." |
| 325 | * FlatEarthAtheist: |
| 326 | ** Per series' tradition, the Dwemer are described as being this. While they acknowledged the existence of some of the entities that the other races considered "gods" ([[OurGodsAreDifferent Aedra, Daedra, etc.]]), the Dwemer refused to ''accept'' their divinity. They were said to especially despise the Daedra, mocking and scorning the "foolish" rituals of their followers (primarily their greatest rivals in Morrowind, the Chimer). They would even summon Daedra [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu specifically to test their divinity]]. The science and reason focused Dwemer even extended this skepticism to ''reality'' itself, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality refuting anything as truly "real"]]. It is implied that this belief is a core element of how [[{{Magitek}} their technology]] functions. They devised technology that [[RealityWarper ignored the laws of reality or outright manipulated the tonal architecture of the Earth-Bones]] (the spirits of creation who gave their lives to set up the laws of nature and physics) simply through [[TheDeterminator sheer refusal to accept physical and magical limitations]]. |
| 327 | ** One Dwemer tale, ''Azura and the Box'' (notably written by an UnreliableNarrator), tells of a Dwemer who tricks the Daedric Prince Azura with a box containing a mirror. After she correctly guesses what the box holds, he opens the box and the mirror makes it appear as if the box was empty,[[note]]It's an old magic trick, the mirror is at an angle ergo when you look in the walls of the box are reflected and look like the other sides, so it looks like the box is empty.[[/note]] 'proving' she is fallible and so not a god. He dies that night, a smile on his face. The Dunmer tell a different story: Azura sees through the tricks and strikes him down there and then. |
| 328 | ** The [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] ends up [[spoiler:outright killing 2-3 {{Physical God}}s during the course of the main quest and ''Tribunal'' expansion while gaining some borderline god-like powers him/herself]]. Some [=NPCs=] even seem to believe ''you'' are a god, but the [[TheUnchosenOne circumstances]] around these events can lead the player to believe that this is not the case. |
| 329 | * FloatingContinent: The Ministry of Truth, actually a [[WeirdMoon floating]] ''[[WeirdMoon moon]]'', is this same concept. In the backstory, [[MadGod Sheogorath]] hurled it at Vivec city. Vivec, [[PhysicalGod the Tribunal deity]], froze it in time suspended over the city. [[spoiler: In part due to the player's actions during the game, Vivec disappears early in the 4th era, causing the moon to continue its uninterrupted fall with its original momentum, destroying the city and causing Red Mountain to erupt, destroying most of Vvardenfell.]] |
| 330 | * FlowerFromTheMountaintop: |
| 331 | ** One side quest has the player looking for 5 unique flowers known as "Rolands Tears." The good news is they're not exactly inaccessible — they're actually fairly close to where you can receive the quest. The bad news is that it is a Daedric ruin, and Daedric ruins have a reputation as some of the most dangerous places in all of Morrowind. |
| 332 | ** One quest in ''Bloodmoon'' has the player seeking a Wolfsbane flower. Only one grows in all of Solstheim, on top of large mountain. |
| 333 | * FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Netch are a LivingGasbag species native to Morrowind. They look like giant, floating jellyfish. The Dunmer farm them for their leather. |
| 334 | * FolkHero: Ancient FounderOfTheKingdom Indoril Nerevar is one to the [[NobleSavage Ashlanders]]. They've even kept alive an ancient prophecy foretelling his {{Reincarnation}} despite it being suppressed by the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]]. |
| 335 | * FollowTheWhiteRabbit: One sidequest for an Ashlander involves following a white guar in this fashion. |
| 336 | * ForcedLevelGrinding: There are a few points in the main quest with sudden jumps in difficulty. Luckily, your quest giver generally tells you that you're about to head into a particularly dangerous situation and recommends training and/or buying new equipment to compensate, so these are easy to see coming. |
| 337 | * ForcedTutorial: A very short and subtle one at the beginning of the game where you learn the various controls and menus during character creation. It can actually be taken advantage of in order to steal multiple valuable items with no repercussions. (See KleptomaniacHero for more.) |
| 338 | * ForeheadOfDoom: This is common for female models, especially female Nords. Heddvild in Balmora is an especially prominent example. Apparently, bangs are out of style during this era in Tamriellic history. (Notably, male models do not suffer nearly as badly from this.) |
| 339 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: |
| 340 | ** "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." [[spoiler: By the end of the game, you are ''still'' ignorant of the role you were to play, i.e. that you've indirectly caused Morrowind's destruction.]] |
| 341 | ** The very first sound you will hear when loading the game, even before the main menu appears, is the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJD-Ufi1jGk rumble of a beating heart]]. |
| 342 | ** When Caius [[spoiler:is recalled back to Cyrodiil]] he tells you, "[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion when the Emperor dies, nine hells're going to break loose.]]" |
| 343 | ** The local Nords of Solstheim are a bit peeved that the Raven Rock mine was built on an ancient burial mound. When Raven Rock is revisited two games later, guess what the player finds in the mine? |
| 344 | ** Near the end of the game, you have the chance to meet an old Imperial soldier named Wulf [[spoiler:who is implied to be an avatar of Talos]]. When questioned on a comment about the Empire's future, he will lament that it is old and maybe it is for the best that it be allowed to collapse so new ideas can be tried out, even if things get messy. [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Fast forward two hundred years]] and the Empire is a '''wreck''': a resurgent Aldmeri Dominion took over Valenwood and Elsweyr, Hammerfell and Black Marsh seceded, Morrowind [[spoiler:is pretty much gone]], High Rock is only tangentially aligned with the Empire now, and Skyrim is the scene of a CivilWar between Imperial loyalists and Nord secessionists. |
| 345 | ** One quest in ''Bloodmoon'' has you rescuing the "friend" of a seer, Geilir the Mumbling. He will reward you for completing the quest by telling you your future. If you complete this quest after completing the ''Bloodmoon'' main quest, he will give you this cryptic fortune: |
| 346 | ---> [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion When the dragon dies, the Empire dies. Where is the lost dragon's blood, the Empire's sire? And from the womb of the void, who shall stem the blood tide? So long as the Blood of the Dragon Prince runs strong in her rulers, the glory of the Empire shall extend in unbroken years. His heart's blood bleeds in darkness. For once the portals are opened, who shall shut them upon the rising tide? For Lord Dagon forever reborn in blood and fire from the waters of Oblivion. Find him... and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion.]] ]] |
| 347 | * ForkFencing: The Fork of Horripilation[[note]]"Horripilation" means "to have goose bumps"[[/note]]. It's a [[JokeItem pitifully weak]] weapon which drains ''your own'' Magicka when you use it. Naturally, it's involved in a quest for [[MadGod Sheogorath]], and you can trade it in for a ''much'' better weapon once you've completed it. |
| 348 | * ForScience: |
| 349 | ** The Dwemer in the backstory. They were ruthless, amoral and arrogant, hostile to every other race they encountered and not above using them for experimentation and slave labour. Their scientific scepticism with Daedra and gods and reality itself eventually extended to encompass themselves, and in the First Era, their chief "Tonal Architect" Kagrenac attempted to make the Dwemer into immortal ascended beings by breaking them down to their base elements and then reforging them - it's possible Kagrenac succeeded or got the reforging step of the experiment wrong, but whatever the case, the entire Dwemer race simply vanished from the face of Nirn without a trace. |
| 350 | ** Great House Telvanni is a [[TheMagocracy Magocracy]] whose [[MightMakesRight lax]] [[KlingonPromotion rules]] create a breeding ground for EvilSorcerer types. With the ''ES'' universe treating [[FunctionalMagic magic as a science]], much of what they do crosses into MadScientist territory. Many of their Mage-Lords use foul magics to [[WizardsLiveLonger extend their lives]] and enjoy [[SummonMagic summoning]] [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]] and/or practicing {{Necromancy}} to create guards and test subjects. |
| 351 | ** Though downplayed compared to the Telvanni, the Mages Guild dabbles in this. Their members have a habit of putting themselves and others in danger through the reckless research and testing methods they use to study their fields of FunctionalMagic. [[SummonMagic Summoning creatures]] and then losing control of them is a common example. |
| 352 | * FounderOfTheKingdom: Lord Indoril Nerevar is treated as this by the Dunmer people as the great unificator of Morrowind. The Tribunal rule in his name ([[TheRashomon even though they very likely may be responsible for his death]]) and he is revered as a saint in the Tribunal Temple. |
| 353 | * FriendOrFoe: |
| 354 | ** Allies and escorts with ranged attacks or spells have no compunction against using them, even if you are current between them and their target. This gets even worse if they have large AreaOfEffect spells... |
| 355 | ** This is one of the contributing factors to the game's notorious {{Escort Mission}}s. The SuicidalOverconfidence of your escortees mixed with their ArtificialStupidity leads to them [[LeeroyJenkins running off to attack every enemy in sight]]. If the enemy doesn't outright kill them, a stray blow from you likely will. If they survive it, there is a good chance they will then turn on you for attacking them. Either way, mission failed. |
| 356 | * FreudianTrio: The members of the tribunal with Almalexia as the id, Vivec the ego, and Sotha Sil the superego. |
| 357 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Gaenor, the beggar Wood Elf in ''Tribunal'', initially seems harmless when you first meet him, until your refusal to give him money causes him to become irate and vow vengeance against you, and a couple days later, he returns, a level 50 warrior clad in a full suit of ebony armor, with master rank stats in several combat skills, absurdly high Strength and insanely high Luck, and will proceed to gleefully challenge the PC to arguably the single hardest fight in the entire game. |
| 358 | * FrontlineGeneral: Lord Indoril Nerevar, [[FounderOfTheKingdom revered ancient hero]] of the Dunmer people, was one of these. [[TheRashomon Most accounts]] have him personally leading forces into the [[OurDwarvesAreDifferent Dwemer]] stronghold at Red Mountain. It also helped lead to [[PlotTriggeringDeath his death]], either from wounds suffered there or by the betrayal of his allies within. (Again, depending on the version of the story you are reading.) |
| 359 | * FullBoarAction: ''Bloodmoon'' includes Tusked Bristlebacks, an aggressive boar species native to the isle of Solstheim. |
| 360 | * FullFrontalAssault: Sixth House Dreamers fight in this fashion, most often using a club or simply their bare fists. If encountered during the day, Solstheim's unaffiliated werewolves will be completely naked [=NPCs=] (who are obviously much easier to kill than when in their night-time forms.) This is also an option for the player should it be chosen. |
| 361 | * FungusHumongous: Tree-sized mushrooms are a common sight in Vvardenfell. Telvanni settlements consist almost exclusively of mushroom houses, and many homes (there and elsewhere) have potted mushrooms as decoration. |
| 362 | * FunSize: |
| 363 | ** Scamps are the [[TheGoomba weakest]] known form of [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]], and also the smallest, standing just over half the height of an average man. That said, they have gained some fans due to their "cuteness", particularly the [[LethalJokeCharacter Scamp merchant]] Creeper. |
| 364 | ** Rieklings, a blue-skinned race of humanoids native to [[GrimUpNorth Solstheim]], stand only about half the height of an average man. Their diminutive size and gibberish language tends to get them the UglyCute treatment. |
| 365 | * FurAgainstFang: Possible to invoke in ''Bloodmoon''. You can become a vampire and then take on Hircine's werewolf hordes, or become a werewolf, then return to Vvardenfell and attack the three vampire clans. |
| 366 | [[/folder]] |
| 367 | |
| 368 | [[folder:G]] |
| 369 | * GambitPileup: |
| 370 | ** The Fighters Guild questline includes one of these for the corrupt leadership and [[spoiler:their Camonna Tong backers]]. Had the player character not showed up to be a SpannerInTheWorks, it's likely that they would have wiped out the rival Thieves Guild. |
| 371 | ** The House Hlaalu questline has a similar one, also involving corrupt membership and [[spoiler:the Camonna Tong]]. Again, the player character showing up foils their plans. |
| 372 | * GameBreakingBug: |
| 373 | ** The "Sunder/Keening Bug" which if you have an item that adds attributes to you while wielding and rapidly switch it with another item and back to that item, at enough switching speed the attributes are not removed when unwielding it but instead stacked. You could get insane amounts of attributes. That's how speed runs of less than 5 minutes are possible. The bug was removed in later version though. |
| 374 | ** In addition to a number of bugs that could break certain quests, installing ''Bloodmoon'' after ''Tribunal'' would cause a bug with a certain character's dialogue, causing it to loop endlessly and cutting off the rest of the ''Tribunal'' main quest. This bug was thankfully patched. |
| 375 | ** One Tribunal Temple quest has you asking a woman who has contracted corprus to leave the city. If you choose to kill her instead and search her corpse, you end up contracting incurable corprus yourself, leaving the game [[UnintentionallyUnwinnable unwinnable]]. |
| 376 | ** In early August 2020, an issue made the backwards compatible [=XBox=] One copy of the game available through the [=XBox=] store stop working. Microsoft support gave refunds to the affected gamers who complained, suggesting that they re-purchase and re-install the game. Results were mixed, then the game was temporarily removed from the store. Even after, many gamers reported that their save files were gone once they got it working again. |
| 377 | * GameFavoredGender: Massively [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] overall. A female player character will have a slightly easier time finishing one part of the main quest, as well as when completing another miscellaneous quest not far from the starting village. Conversely, a male player character has access to another miscellaneous quest line that a female player character will not. Otherwise, there is very little difference between the genders while playing. |
| 378 | * GameMaker: The Construction Set LevelEditor can be used to create complete overhaul mods in this fashion. |
| 379 | * GameMod: Thanks to a strong cult {{fandom}}, a simple but extraordinarily flexible level editor, and over two decades in which they could be developed, there are tens of thousands of ''Morrowind'' mods available on the internet. |
| 380 | * GameOfTheYearEdition: Has one packaged with both expansions, as well as all patches and DLC (which, at the time, were free downloads from the Bethesda website). |
| 381 | * GameplayAllyImmortality: Notably averted, leading to some of the most challenging and frustrating {{Escort Mission}}s in gaming. |
| 382 | * GameplayAndStoryIntegration: |
| 383 | ** Ordinators hold their Indoril armor sacred, and consider it blasphemous and punishable by death if someone not of their order wears it. Don't speak to them while wearing it unless you want to have them attack you. |
| 384 | ** In the Imperial Legion questline, your superiors will refuse to give or accept quests unless you are in uniform - i.e. wearing body armor of a specific type that Legionnaires must wear while on duty. |
| 385 | ** [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]]'s rising power doubles as AntiGrinding, with stronger ash creatures and blighted fauna appearing more and more as you keep leveling up. |
| 386 | ** [=NPCs=] sometimes recite unique dialogue depending on how much health you have left, or if you have a disease. For example: |
| 387 | -->''"Those wounds you've incurred are nothing compared to what you'll receive if you continue to bother me!"'' |
| 388 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: |
| 389 | ** Moon Sugar and Skooma are highly addictive drugs, but the player can consume them will no negative long term consequences. |
| 390 | ** It is possible to become the leader of two Guilds or Factions which hate each other. For example, take the Mages Guild and House Telvanni. One quest for the Mages Guild requires you to root out a Telvanni spy within Guild leadership. You can be the Archmagister of House Telvanni, root out the spy who now technically works for you, and be rewarded by the Mages Guild for your good work. Another example, you may be the Mages Guild Archmage, but a House Telvanni quest will have you get the Mages Guild's monopoly on magical training dropped. |
| 391 | ** Several characters will comment that outlanders are not well liked by the native Dunmer. This supposedly includes foreign-born Dunmer. However, a Dunmer PlayerCharacter will still get the standard +10 "same race" disposition boost when interacting with native Dunmer [=NPCs=]. |
| 392 | ** The legendary sword Umbra is described as an evil EmpathicWeapon that slowly corrupts and drives mad the person who wields it. The player can use it for the entire game after earning it and suffer no ill effects. |
| 393 | ** One mission during the main quest requires the player to rescue an Argonian being bullied and threatened by racist Dunmer. The Argonian says they refuse to listen to anything he says because of his race. Despite this, the player character can talk to the Dunmer and convince them to leave the Argonian alone, even if the player character is an Argonian him/herself. The racists don't even mention this. |
| 394 | ** At one point in the main quest line, the chief of the Urshilaku Ashlander tribe advises you that the Great Houses and Tribunal Temple would not take kindly to you being named Nerevarine, and makes it sound like the Ordinators would actually hunt you down. In reality, all this amounts to is a decrease in disposition if you just happen to brag to people about being the subject of a heresy. |
| 395 | ** Mistress Dratha, the Telvanni lord of Tel Mora, ''really'' DoesNotLikeMen. All of the retainers, merchants, and citizens in her city are female, with one exception: a single generic Telvanni Guard. Justified, as there are no female generic Telvanni Guards, and only generic guards can arrest the player if a crime is committed. |
| 396 | ** After completing the "Cure for Vampirism" quest, Molag Bal will brag about how he has an eternity to punish his wayward daughter... even if you trapped her soul in a gem rather than send it to Oblivion. |
| 397 | ** Keening and Sunder are stated to damage the health of anyone who uses them if they aren't wearing Wraithguard. Not a problem if you are wearing the version of Wraithguard you obtain from Vivec, but due to a bug in the vanilla game, the jury-rigged version is worn on the left hand[[note]]it also has the apperance of a left-hand Daedric Gauntlet[[/note]], and because the game only allows your right hand to use weapons[[note]]the PC version does have mods that allow dual-wielding, but the second weapon counts as a shield[[/note]], you'll technically be using Sunder[=/=]Keening unprotected and suffer no consequences from holding it without wearing Wraithguard[[note]]although you ''will'' suffer a massive debuff to your total health if you use the jury-rigged version[[/note]]. |
| 398 | * GangUpOnTheHuman: This is played with considerably. You can find instances of [=NPCs=] and/or creatures attacking one another. Typically, if you stay out of their way, one will kill the other, allowing you to attack the weakened survivor. However, this is far from a guarantee. Venture too close, and it is possible that they'll forget about whatever grudge they had and and attack you. |
| 399 | * GargleBlaster: One of Dagoth Ur's top henchmen will offer you a bottle of vintage brandy before you two duke it out. And by "vintage" we mean "brewed so long ago it'll completely sap your Intelligence and Willpower attributes". |
| 400 | * GarnishingTheStory: 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 [[StartingEquipment pick up for free during character generation]]. It exists mostly to give the [[NobleSavage 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...) |
| 401 | * GatelessGhetto: ''Tribunal'' takes place in the city of Mournhold, the capital of Morrowind, which is stated to be massive. However, you're only able to access five sections and the sewers beneath them, [[HandWave supposedly]] because the city is under quarantine from the Blight. Levitation magic is also forbidden by orders of Almalexia in-game (but really, it's because the city is in an [[SkyBox enclosed cell]].) The only way in and out is via teleportation. |
| 402 | * GenderBender: [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec claims to be a hermaphrodite. One of his stories claims that he produced offspring with [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]] (the tale of this includes a part where they compare the size of their "spears" and engage in "piercing of the second aperture"). The Dissident Priests explain that Vivec just [[UnreliableNarrator made most of that stuff up]] in order to appear more divine than "some guy who stole his Godhood while betraying his friend". There are even some holes in his story, such as the aforementioned "having kids with Molag Bal" as Daedra ''can't create life''. However, you can be sent on a quest by Molag Bal himself to banish a ''daughter'' of his back to his realm... stories dealing with gods in the ''Elder Scrolls'' universe can get very [[MindScrew Mind Screwy]]... |
| 403 | * GenderedOutfit: Initially averted by the game, as the clothing and armor would remain the same in appearance for both genders. After installing ''Tribunal,'' the cuirass for certain armor types (netch leather and steel, amongst others) would change in appearance when equipped to female characters, becoming more form fitting. |
| 404 | ** The official LeFemm Armor plugin, as the name implies, adds a few more alternate models for female versions of base armor. It also adds two more armor sets 'specially tailored for the ladies', but these go back to averting the trope, appearing the same on male characters corsetry and all. |
| 405 | * GenderIsNoObject: Gender is purely aesthetic for 99.9% of the game. The only times it matters are some slight differences in starting attributes (small enough to be made up within the first few levels if you choose to do so), for one set of quests in Pelagiad that is only available to male characters, and for one portion of a late-game quest where female characters have easier requirements to finish it and get a slightly bigger bonus for it. |
| 406 | * GeneralRipper: [[MagicalSociety Mages Guild]] [[TheArchmage Archmage]] Trebonius Artorius is one. He ''is'' an extremely talented [[MagicKnight Battlemage]], but was so incompetent at running Guild affairs that his superiors [[KickedUpstairs put him in charge]] of [[ReassignedToAntarctica the Guild Branch in the most backwater district in the Empire]] to minimize the damage he could do. In dealing with Great House Telvanni, a native Dunmer {{Magocracy}} made up of [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld extremely old]] and [[EvilSorcerer somewhat amoral]] wizards which rivals the Mages Guild in Vvardenfell, Trebonius decides that the best way to deal with them is to simply ''kill all of their councilors''. (You can comply, or take a different quest path which gets you around having to do this.) |
| 407 | * GenericEthnicCrimeGang: The Camonna Tong are a native Dunmeri [[TheSyndicate crime syndicate]] fiercely opposed to any foreign presence in Morrowind. They're involved in all manner of [[TheMafia Mafia-esque]] illegal activities, including smuggling, [[FantasticDrug drug running]], "protection" rackets, bribery, and won't hesitate for a second to resort to violence if other methods fail. They're also one of the driving forces of Morrowind's (technically legal but frowned upon by the Empire) [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slave trade]]. They are led by Orvas Dren, [[CainAndAbel brother]] of Vedam Dren, the Imperial appointed and [[TheGoodKing quite upstanding]] Duke of Vvardenfell. Orvas has two [[TheClan Great House]] [[ProudMerchantRace Hlaalu]] councilors in his pocket, effectively giving him veto power over major House Hlaalu policy changes. The Camonna Tong are involved in a gang war with the ThievesGuild, and are the primary adversaries in that [[SidequestSidestory questline]]. Further, [[spoiler:due to what are implied to be gambling debts owed to Orvas by Sjoring Hard-Heart, the leader of the Vvardenfell branch of the [[AdventureGuild Fighters Guild]], the Fighters Guild are effectively the muscle for the Camonna Tong. Dealing with this corruption can be done as part of either the Thieves Guild questline or the Fighters guild questline itself]]. |
| 408 | * GentlemanThief: ThievesGuild Master Thief [[MeaningfulName Gentleman]] Jim Stacey is one. He dresses in a full suit of "extravagant" clothing, speaks tactfully, and wants to revive the Bal Malogmer, an ancient group of JustLikeRobinHood thieves practice [[KarmicThief Karmic Thievery]]. |
| 409 | * GetOut: Caius Cosades, [[TheSpymaster Spymaster]] of the Blades in Morrowind and the primary QuestGiver for the first act of the main quest, will go berserk if you kill a fellow Blade or kill one of the informants he sends you to talk to. While SuddenlyShouting, he will tell you to get out forever, breaking the standard way of beating the game's main quest. |
| 410 | * GhibliHills: Both played straight and subverted it in different areas. To note: |
| 411 | ** Vvardenfell has large tracts of unspoiled wilderness between cities and towns, much of which is quite beautiful. However, because Vvardenfell is a sparsely populated island which only opened to outside settlement a few decades before the start of the game, many of these areas are still wild, untamed, and dangerous. |
| 412 | ** Vvardenfell also has other less-pleasant but still unspoiled (by settlement) areas, such as the ashstorm-blasted Ashland deserts and the [[LethalLavaLand lava scathes]] of Molag Amur. Several characters in these place still mention them as being beautiful in their own ways. |
| 413 | * GhostlyChill: |
| 414 | ** Inverted with the spirits summoned to the mortal world. According to the in-game book "Ancestors and the Dunmer," spirits who are summoned to the mortal world feel it to be "cold, bitter, and full of pain." |
| 415 | ** In the Sandas Ancestral Tomb you'll find the skeletons of 2 noble guards. You'll find a key on one of the skeletons and a another on a pillar next to the other skeleton which lead to a room and a cursed chest respectively. If you open this chest you'll receive a message saying "You suddenly feel quite cold...". The skeletons become alive and will attack you. |
| 416 | * GhostlyGoals: You can meet several ghosts throughout the game from both "types" (friendly and malevolent). The friendly ones give you quests to return lost items or to bring justice to their killers in order for them to be at rest. The malevolent ones need to be put to rest by force. |
| 417 | * GiantEnemyCrab: |
| 418 | ** Mudcrabs are a species of crab native to Morrowind, about the size of a large tortoise, and serve as low level enemies along the game's coastal regions. |
| 419 | ** Though now extinct, Vvardenfell was once home to Emperor Crabs, a house-sized giant crab species. Their hollowed out shells are now used as homes in the Redoran districts. The most famous Emperor Crab, known as Skar, was many times larger still and his shell now [[BiggerOnTheInside houses the entire]] Ald-Ruhn Manor District. |
| 420 | * GiantMook: |
| 421 | ** Dwemer Steam Centurions are large golems made of metal which stand a full head taller than the player character and pack quite a punch when fought. |
| 422 | ** Among the various Daedric enemies you'll face are the Ogrims and the even larger Ogrim Titans, huge [[FatBastard overweight]] ogre-like Daedra who serve Malacath. They're quite slow and lumbering and can't use magic, but they can dish out some serious damage with their blows while [[MightyGlacier being able to take a lot of punishment themselves.]] |
| 423 | ** Near the end of the ''Tribunal'' main quest, deep inside [[spoiler: Sotha Sil's Clockwork City]], the player will battle the Imperfect, a gigantic machine enemy twice the height of the player character. |
| 424 | * GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler: Karstaag]] feels like this. Unlike the other participants in Hircine's hunt, you don't get to meet him until you have to fight him in in the glacier. [[spoiler: He has a unique model: a giant, four-eyed yeti monster with horns, which is unlike anything else in the game.]] Where he came from or what he actually is never gets discussed in-game. (A popular fan theory from the time stated that he may be a Kamal, one of the Akaviri "snow demons" who staged a failed invasion of Morrowind in the distant past.) [[spoiler: ''Skyrim'' later reveals that Karstaag was a Frost Giant, an offshoot of Giants that are native to a place called The Forgotten Vale. How he got himself to Solstheim? Still a mystery.]] |
| 425 | * GirlInTheTower: Great House [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]] councilors have a habit of kidnapping the loved ones from the leadership of the other [[TheClan Great Houses]] and keeping them trapped in their magically grown [[FungusHumongous mushroom]]-like {{Mage Tower}}s. Master Neloth keeps the daughter of [[ProudWarriorRace Redoran]] councilor Miner Arobar in his Tel Naga tower while Divayth Fyr keeps the daughter of Redoran Noble Arethan Mandas in his Tel Fyr tower. Both can be rescued during the House Redoran questline. Potential Telvanni Councilor (if you join the Great house) Baladas Demnevanni simlarly keeps an Imperial Legion tax collector in the dungeon of his Velothi Tower, Arvs-Drelen, and she must be rescued during the Imperial Legion questline. |
| 426 | * GiveMeASword: A Tribunal Temple quest has you visit the shrines of Vivec's virtues. One requires you to reenact a moment when Vivec displayed his courtesy by giving a silver longsword to a Daedra Lord. The other actor in this is a dremora who views the entire thing as demeaning and tedious. He has a chest full of the swords next to him, showing that he has to do this often. He doesn't mind if you take one from the chest and give it to him instead of one brought from the outside. |
| 427 | * GiveMeYourInventoryItem: The ''Tribunal'' expansion has Gaenor, a Bosmer pauper who asks you for increasingly large sums of money (and/or rare items) until he refuses to believe that you'd actually have the cash/item and storms off even if you have the cash. [[spoiler: He then shows up a few days later wearing a full set of one of the most powerful and rare armor sets in the game and tries to kill you - and is nearly invincible due to the armor and his cosmically high Luck score.]] |
| 428 | * GladiatorGames: Vivec contains a gladiatorial style combat arena, but the fights witnessed or participated in during the game subvert the trope, being duels over honor rather than bloodsport. |
| 429 | * GladiatorSubquest: You will need to fight several battles in the Vivec Arena in order to advance through several factions. [[spoiler: In particular, you'll need to do this to achieve the highest rank of the Imperial Legion and to become Archmaster and/or Hortator of House Redoran, and it is one of two possible ways to become Arch-Mage of the Mages' Guild. You'll need to battle Dram Bero's champion in order to gain his support in House Hlaalu as well.]] |
| 430 | * GlamourFailure: Vvardenfell's strain of vampirism brings instant monstrous changes regardless of feeding. There is no hiding the fact that one is a vampire, which means being cast out from civilized society. Given the influence of the Tribunal Temple, which considers vampires to be nothing more than monsters to be killed on sight, this forces vampires to retreat into remote wilderness areas and abandoned ruins where they form their own clan societies. |
| 431 | * GlassWeapon: "Glass" is one of the series' FantasyMetals and is an iridescent green in color. Similar to obsidian, it can be mined directly, mostly from around the Red Mountain volcano, though deposits can be found elsewhere. Glass weapons are a high quality weapon type available in everything from swords, to axes, to bows, and even ''maces'' (in addition to being crafted into high quality light armor). |
| 432 | * GlobalCurrency: The ubiquitous Septim, a simple gold coin. Lampshaded by the Ashlanders, who consider the "settled" people to be fools for trading them useful items in exchange for small chunks of metal with no practical use. Of course, they still accept gold as a form of payment. |
| 433 | * GlorySeeker: Edwinna Elbert, Stewardess of the Ald-Ruhn Mages Guild Hall, studies the LostTechnology of the extinct Dwemer. During one of her quests, you can find a unique book which gives insights into Dwemer technology. If you show it to her, she implies that a major reason she studies the Dwemer is because she wants to build [[MechaMooks Dwemer centurions]] as she believes it will make her famous. |
| 434 | * GlowingFlora: Several types of mushrooms that can be harvested are luminescent, including the Violet Coprus and the Luminous Russula. |
| 435 | * AGodAmI: All three of the Almsivi in the backstory, plus [[spoiler: Dagoth Ur]] to some extent. [[spoiler: Almalexia has this attitude in the expansion.]] |
| 436 | -->[[spoiler:'''[[BigBad Dagoth Ur]]:''' What a fool you are. I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence!]] |
| 437 | * GoWaitOutside: A good number of quests require that you leave the area the quest giver is in and wait before you can get another quest out of them. Some, like part of the main quest involving the Ashlanders and one in ''Bloodmoon'' involving the Skaal shaman, allow you to simply leave the quest givers hut and come right back in to continue. The most notable is Boethiah's quest to rebuild his shrine. It does actually take about two in-game weeks for the {{sculptor|s}} you've hired to complete the statue. You can just Rest/Wait until you get the journal message that the statue is complete, however, you must first leave the building the sculptor is located in, otherwise, the event flag won't trigger and he won't move to the construction site. |
| 438 | * GodCouple: Almalexia spent time coupled with each of her fellow PhysicalGod members of the Tribunal. Neither coupling lasted all that long (at least, on the godly scale of time), with her relationship with Sotha Sil lasting slightly longer (though more intermittent due to his MadScientist nature). Almalexia did a lot of coupling, but considered Nerevar to be her lover long after his death. |
| 439 | * AGodIsYou: Notably averted. Despite being in possession of the three tools necessary to to become a god in the presence of [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]] where godhood can be extracted, you're never given instruction on how to do so. [[spoiler: You're only choice is to use the tools to destroy the enchantments on the Heart, unbinding everyone who had previously used it to achieve godhood, including [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]].]] It's not all bad though, as you get to keep your SemiDivine status, including being TheAgeless and having IdealIllnessImmunity as a result of [[BeneficialDisease the disease]] you have which was based on the power of the Heart. |
| 440 | * GodEmperor: |
| 441 | ** While they don't legally count themselves as the emperors, the Dunmer worship the Tribunal, a trio of living, flesh and blood gods. They exert great influence, and each has a royal title, but they aren't officially the government - there's a separate King of Morrowind, who reports to the Emperor. Additionally, the Great Houses retain much of their autonomy as a result of favorable terms in the armistice signed between Morrowind and the Empire. |
| 442 | ** Tiber Septim, founder of the current empire, is a more literal example. [[spoiler:A minor character, 'Wulf', can be met late in the game who is actually Tiber Septim - or his avatar - incognito.]] |
| 443 | * GodInHumanForm: During the [[SaintlyChurch Imperial Cult]] questline, several of the Divines appear as unassuming victims. You can help them escape their captors/dangerous situations by giving them a [[WarpWhistle Divine Intervention scroll]], after which they will reward you with enchanted artifacts. At the very end of the main quest, Talos will appear as an old Imperial soldier named Wulf within Ghostgate. He'll wish [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] luck and give them his lucky coin, which imbues a power that dramatically increases the LuckStat for a short time. |
| 444 | * GodIsDead: Lorkhan, the "creator god" of Mundus, is dead. [[PhysicalGod The Tribunal]] and [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] [[DeityOfHumanOrigin extracted godhood]] from Lorkhan's still-beating heart deep beneath Red Mountain, [[spoiler: and by the end of the game and first expansion, three of the four of them are dead as well]]. |
| 445 | * GodIsEvil: |
| 446 | ** In the main quest, BigBad Dagoth Ur is a true PhysicalGod, having tapped into the power of the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]]. He channels his power from it, and has essentially become an EldritchAbomination. [[spoiler:The implication is that Dagoth Ur has discovered an unspeakably dangerous middle-ground between [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence CHIM]], [[TheOmnipotent Amaranth]] and [[CessationOfExistence Zero-Sum]] where he exists in a godlike state because of his awareness of [[GodOfGods Anu]]'s Dream but, unlike CHIM where he exists as one with it and maintains his own individuality, Amaranth where he exits the Dream to make his own, or Zero-Sum where he simply fades into the Dream, Dagoth Ur's ''twisted, traumatized and broken mind is being imprinted on the Dream of Anu'']]. Naturally, the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] must sever his (and the Tribunal's) ties to the Heart in order to stop him. |
| 447 | ** In the ''Tribunal'' expansion, the main quest ends with the Nerevarine [[spoiler: having to kill Almalexia, one of the Tribunal gods. The loss of her divine power has driven her mad. She has already killed another Tribunal god, Sotha Sil, and wants you to die as a martyr.]] |
| 448 | * GodJob: The Tribunal are a trio of formerly mortal Dunmeri {{Physical God}}s. They served as advisors to the ancient Dunmeri hero [[LongDeadBadass Lord Indoril Nerevar]] and wield their divine power as the indirect leaders of the modern Dunmer [[TheTheocracy Theocracy]]. |
| 449 | * GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: [[spoiler: Almalexia in ''Tribunal.'']] AxeCrazy and [[GoMadFromTheRevelation completely out of her mind]] after [[spoiler: losing her divinity.]] |
| 450 | * TheGodsMustBeLazy: |
| 451 | ** As per series tradition, the Daedra avert this by regularly influencing the mortal world, though not always directly. (Most often acting through agents.) |
| 452 | ** Averted for most of the Tribunal's reign, as they were [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] who lived and worked among their people. However, Dagoth Ur's re-awakening has cut them off from being able to replenish their divine powers, forcing them to retreat from the affairs of mortals. (By the time of the game, only Vivec remains channeling his power into the Ghostfence, the only thing keeping Dagoth Ur's influence at least somewhat contained.) |
| 453 | * GodsNeedPrayerBadly: |
| 454 | ** This is the case for the Tribunal (a trio of Dunmeri {{Physical God}}s) after [[spoiler:[[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] severs their ties to their divine power source (the Heart of Lorkhan)]]. Unlike [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]], who is [[NoImmortalInertia destroyed]] by this process, the Tribunal are able to persist with a trace of their divinity in tact thanks to, as Vivec states, the faith of their followers. Vivec actually has this going on in a second instance as well: In ages past, Sheogorath, the [[MadGod Daedric Prince of Madness]], hurled the "rogue moon" Baar Dau at Vivec's new {{Egopolis}}. Vivec used his power to freeze it in place above the city, and told his followers that it was held in place by their love for him. (A theological precept affectionately called "Love Vehk or Die" by some fans.) [[spoiler: Due in [[BittersweetEnding no small part to the player's actions]], Vivec disappears early in the 4th Era. After some temporary measures fail, the moon [[ColonyDrop continues its descent with its original momentum]], destroying the city and causing Red Mountain to erupt, destroying most of Vvardenfell and choking much of mainland Morrowind with volanic ash for centuries to come]]. |
| 455 | ** Boethiah's Daedric quest is for this exact reason. His shrine has been destroyed and sunk beneath the sea, meaning he isn't getting as much worship as he used to. He tasks the player with rebuilding it so that he can once again receive worship. |
| 456 | * GodWasMyCopilot: One may encounter an old man named Wulf in Imperial armor at Ghostgate on the way to the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. After a pleasant chat with him regarding the future of Tamriel, he'll give the PC his "lucky coin" and ask him to take it with him to defeat the BigBad. This old soldier happens to be an incarnation of Talos, aka Tiber Septim, and accepting the coin brings with it a special power that drastically increases your LuckStat for a short time. |
| 457 | * GodzillaThreshold: By the time Vivec [[spoiler:sends the Nerevarine to Dagoth Ur]], the temple had been on the losing side of a war of attrition with House Dagoth for ''years''. Admitting that the Nerevarine Prophecies were true essentially required him to completely reform Dunmer society (which had been ruled for millennia by the Tribunal), and for all three of them to lose their godhood. |
| 458 | * GoingNative: The Player Character is encouraged to do this as part of his/her cover story. Joining a Great House — even the most Imperialized House, Hlaalu, is still at core a Dunmer house based on Dunmer traditions — and just looking out for the interests of Morrowind's people first, prominently mentioned when [[spoiler:Caius Cosades is recalled, leaving you the highest ranking Blade in the area]]. It's entirely possible to go full-blown, avoid all the non-Blade Imperial factions, and join just a Great House and the Temple (unless you go native in the Telvanni — their traditions discourage giving more than the absolute minimum of tolerance to the Tribunal). |
| 459 | * GoingThroughTheMotions: The variety of motions allowed by the game engine is rather...lacking. This leads to a lot of repetitive wooden animations. |
| 460 | * {{Golem}}: Atronachs are a type of [[ElementalEmbodiment elementally aligned]] [[OurDemonsAreDifferent lesser Daedra]]. The [[FireIceLightning Flame, Frost, and Storm]] Atronachs appear as creatures made of fire, ice, and lightning (typically mixed with metal or rock), respectively. |
| 461 | * GoMadFromTheIsolation: Azura and Sheogorath have made a bet about whether or not this is the case using one of Azura's loyal followers as a test subject. Azura's quest given at her shrine sends the player to ensure that Sheogorath doesn't skew the results. |
| 462 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler:Almalexia does ''not'' take the loss of her godhood well.]] |
| 463 | * GoneHorriblyRight: The enchanter Tarhiel wants to create a ''powerful'' jump spell that will allow him to leap hundreds of miles at a time... and he ''succeeds''. Unfortunately, the scrolls he creates for this spell wear off after 7 seconds. He decides to test them without taking the ability to safely land into account and... splat. You can find his body and loot the remaining scrolls not far from the FirstTown. |
| 464 | * GoneSwimmingClothesStolen: This happens to a miner in Gnisis when a rival steals his pants. He'll reward you if you get them back for him. |
| 465 | * TheGoodKing: |
| 466 | ** Duke Vedam Dren, who exercises the Empire's authority over Vvardenfell, seems genuinely interested in protecting his people, he even says as much when asking him for a construction contract for your stronghold. If the player is in House Hlaalu, the two quests he gives involve getting some overzealous Ordinators to back down and getting his crime boss brother, Orvas, to grant the player control over the Camonna Tong. |
| 467 | ** Averted by Helseth, the actual King of Morrowind, who is a ManipulativeBastard [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] who has lied, cheated, and murdered his way to power. Despite this, he is still the [[BlackAndGrayMorality Gray]] to [[spoiler:Almalexia]]'s [[BlackAndGrayMorality Black]] in the ''Tribunal'' expansion. |
| 468 | * GoodMorningCrono: The game begins with the player being woken up on a ship to Morrowind by another prisoner. |
| 469 | * GoodOldFisticuffs: |
| 470 | ** The "Hand-to-Hand" skill influences the effectiveness of fighting bare-handed. Doing so decreases the target's Fatigue rather than Health. It takes a really long time to kill anything this way, and there are very few ways to improve the damage it does, so it isn't useful for much other than role-playing. |
| 471 | ** The [[TheSpymaster Spymaster]] of the Blades in Morrowind and primary QuestGiver for the first act of the main quest, Caius Cosades, specializes in this. He's PlayingDrunk and ObfuscatingInsanity with his cover identity as a [[FantasticDrug Skooma]] addict, which leads to him being perpetually shirtless and unarmed. However, he is quite skilled in Hand-to-Hand combat and the Unarmored fighting style, which he can train the player in. |
| 472 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: |
| 473 | ** Facial scars are an option for the Player Character during creation for a few races. These range from small, somewhat clean blade cuts to borderline mutilations (especially for some of the Dunmer faces). Whether these are good or evil is up to how you play. |
| 474 | ** Jiub, your fellow prisoner aboard the Imperial Prison Ship at the start of the game who wakes you up and asks your name, has a gruesome scar over his eye that looks very much like an "evil" scar. As revealed in later works, this is initially played straight as an "evil" scar given that he was a Skooma addict and freelance assassin before ending up in prison. In ''Skyrim''[='s=] ''Dawnguard'' DLC, it is revealed that [[spoiler:after his release, he sought to atone for his "sordid" life, and became a legendary hero by eradicating the much reviled Cliff Racers from Vvardenfell]], subverting it. |
| 475 | * GoodShepherd: Nearly all of the lower-ranking priests of the Tribunal Temple count, despite the Temple itself having numerous CorruptChurch traits. Nearly all of the quests they offer involve healing the sick, delivering supplies to the poor, escorting pilgrims, and/or eliminating legitimate threats to the people of Morrowind. It isn't until you get up into the higher ranks, particularly the leadership of the ChurchMilitant[=/=]KnightTemplar Ordinators, that the corruption becomes evident. |
| 476 | * TheGoomba: Rats, Mudcrabs, and Kwama Foragers all fit as very common, very weak enemies. |
| 477 | * GottaCatchThemAll: "The Threads of the Webspinner" is a Morag Tong sidequest to find all 27 Threads of the Webspinner, magical items created for the Daedric Prince Mephala (patron of the Morag Tong) by the Daedric Prince Sanguine. Each is a piece of clothing or jewelry that gives a minor boost to one of the game's 27 skills. It is nearly [[GuideDangIt impossible to complete without a guide]], as some of the items are on [=NPCs=] who aren't associated with any quests and who have no indication that they even have one of the items. The reward for completing it [[DudeWheresMyReward isn't even that good]], though in the vanilla game, it is the only way to unlock the "Fortify Skill" effect for spellcrafting and enchanting. Even that positive is wiped out by the ''Tribunal'' expansion adding another (much easier) way to gain the effect. |
| 478 | * GottaHaveItGonnaStealIt: Edwinna Elbert, Stewardess of the Ald-Ruhn Mages Guild Hall, considers herself to be an expect on the extinct Dwemer and their Lost Technology, specifically their centurions. When another mage within the Guild acquires a rare Dwemer book but refuses to let Edwinna read it, Edwinna tasks you with stealing it for her. [[spoiler:It turns out that the book is useless to her research, so she then tasks you with secretly returning it]]. |
| 479 | * GracefulLoser: There is a peaceful option to become Archmage of the Mages Guild instead of ChallengingTheChief to a DuelToTheDeath. The current Archmage is a very talented [[MagicKnight Battlemage]], but is incompetent at managing Guild affairs, so he was KickedUpstairs and ReassignedToAntarctica by being put in charge of the Guild branch in the most backwater district of the Empire to keep him out of the way. If the peaceful route is chosen, it leaves the two of you ''co''-heads of the Vvardenfell Mages Guild[[note]]or makes him step down from the position and rank of Vvardenfell guild leader while allowing him to keep the associated prestigious title of Arch-Mage -- not that it makes his reaction less graceful[[/note]], which he accepts with surprising dignity. |
| 480 | * GrailInTheGarbage: |
| 481 | ** There are ten ancient Dunmer strongholds dotted in a rough circle around the island of Vvardenfell. Each has been taken over by bandits, undead, or worse, though each has a working "Propylon Chamber" on the roof. If you have the proper Propylon Index, you can use the chamber to zap to one of the two adjacent strongholds. Unfortunately, the Indeces are scattered across the island with [[GuideDangIt few clues in the vanilla game]] as to where to find them. Several characters are using them as bookends or paperweights, while another is found in a dark basement storage room with no other loot of value and that you have no plot/quest related reason to enter. A free DLC, ''Master Index'', adds a quest with an NPC who will point you to them. Once you find them all, he'll create a "Master Index" for you which will allow you to use all of the chambers as well as travel from the Caldera Mages Guild to any of the chambers (which are all quite remote). Because of how isolated they are, there isn't much value in using them outside of two situations (a Tribunal Temple quest where you have to traverse the island after taking a vow of silence and as a vampire where all other fast travel options are not available). |
| 482 | ** Two Swords of White Woe (Ebony Broadswords with a Drain Health enchantment) can be found in separate guard towers in Balmora and Suran. One (Balmora) is on top of a closet while the other (Suran) is tucked under a bed. Guards are present in both areas, but timing your thefts and utilizing their blind spots will allow you to swipe the swords freely. Both [[DiscOneNuke can be acquired quite early]] and will carry you into at least the mid-game before becoming outclassed (at which point they can be sold for a pretty penny). |
| 483 | * GravityBarrier: Downplayed, as the game attempts this by bracketing many paths with tall hills you can't climb. However, a simple Levitation or Jump spell can still get you over with ease, making them rather trivial barriers at worst. |
| 484 | * GreatEscape: One of Sugar-Lips Habasi's quests for the Thieves' Guild is to break a fellow Guild member out of jail in this fashion. (Or you can simply bribe/blackmail the prison guard captain.) |
| 485 | * TheGreatExterminator: Jiub, the Nereverine's fellow prisoner who asks for their name at the start of the game, [[HeroOfAnotherStory goes on to become one after the events of the game]]. He is credited with wiping out the much-reviled Cliff Racers from Vvardenfell and is canonized by the Tribunal Temple as "Saint Jiub the Eradicator". |
| 486 | * GreatOffscreenWar: The "War of the First Council" and "Battle of Red Mountain" thousands of years ago set the stage for the plot of the game. The devout, Daedra-worshipping Chimer and atheistic, scientific Dwemer came into conflict in the land now known as Morrowind. After years of fighting, they were [[EnemyMine forced to team up]] to drive out the invading [[ConflictKiller Nords]]. Their alliance remained under the leadership of Chimeri Lord Indoril Nerevar and Dwemer Dumac Dwarfking, known as the "first council." It was a time of great peace and prosperity for both races. However, the Dwemer DugTooDeep beneath Red Mountain and unearthed the Heart of Lorkhan, the [[GodIsDead creator god.]] Chief Tonal Architect, Lord Kagrenec, crafted tools to tap into the power of the heart, hoping to allow the Dwemer to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence transcend mortality]]. The Chimer, seeing this as a blasphemy against their gods, the Daedra, attempted to stop the Dwemer. After reigniting their war, forces led by Nerevar and Lord Voryn Dagoth infiltrated the Dwemer Red Mountain stronghold. [[TheRashomon Exactly what happened next is described differently by all the surviving participants]], but the Dwemer disappeared from existence, Nerevar was slain, Dagoth Ur and the Tribunal used the tools on the heart to [[AGodAmI achieve godhood]], and Azura ([[UnreliableNarrator possibly]]) cursed the Chimer with dark skin and red eyes, transforming them into the modern Dunmer. |
| 487 | * TheGreatWall: After Dagoth Ur re-awakened and cut the Tribunal off from their source of power within Red Mountain, the Tribunal constructed the Ghostfence around Red Mountain. It is not a solid wall, but instead a series of pylons connected by a force field. (Originally powered by the Tribunal's divine power, but later, after they severely weakened, [[spoiler: the [[PoweredByAForsakenChild power of the souls of the Dunmer dead]].]] It keeps most of Dagoth Ur's influence contained, however, he can summon blight storms which carry his Blight over the walls, allowing him to grow stronger still. |
| 488 | * GreenHillZone: The area directly around the starting town of Seyda Neen. It's relatively peaceful, one of the "greener" areas in Vvardenfell in terms of vegetation, and the toughest enemies you will face at that point are likely mudcrabs and kwama foragers. Subverted with the Grasslands region, which ''appears'' green and peaceful, but is full of rogue ashlanders, blighted critters, and the occasional wandering Daedra. |
| 489 | * GreyAndGreyMorality: The only truly evil people in the game are vampires, the Dark Brotherhood, and [[spoiler:Almalexia]]. The Camonna Tong are pretty close with their ultra-nationalist bigotry. On the other side, very few factions are 'pure good', although House Redoran and the Imperial Cult are generally decent. |
| 490 | * GrievousHarmWithABody: In ''Bloodmoon'', after defeating the Uderfrykte monster, you can loot a "Severed Nord Leg" from its body. The leg can be wielded as a mediocre blunt weapon. |
| 491 | * GrimUpNorth: |
| 492 | ** The Sheogorad region is the northernmost part of Vvardenfell, and short of Red Mountain itself, is one of the most untamed and lawless regions in the land. It has only one settlement (Dagon Fel, a small Imperial juristiction village populated mostly by Nords,) but has many bandit caves, ancestral tombs, and necromancer lairs dotting its scattered islands. |
| 493 | ** ''Bloodmoon'' adds Solstheim, a mostly frozen and barren hunk of rock inhabited only by the Skaal, treacherous Reiklings, and lots of dangerous wildlife. Only after ebony deposits were discovered there did the Empire start caring about it. The soldiers stationed at Fort Frostmoth and the miners at Raven Rock frequently point out just how miserable it is there. |
| 494 | * GrumpyOldMan: The [[TheSpymaster Spymaster]] of the Blades in Morrowind and primary QuestGiver for the first act of the main quest, Caius Cosades, is one. Possibly [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], in that its difficult to tell how much this is Caius' actual personality and how much is him PlayingDrunk[=/=]ObfuscatingInsanity in his cover identity as a senile [[FantasticDrug Skooma addict]]. He will go quite berserk if you mess up on his quests and the other Blades call him "sour" and "a worrier" when asked. Despite this, he does [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold obviously care about]] the PlayerCharacter. |
| 495 | * TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Guards will confiscate any stolen good you have on your person when they arrest you. However, if you drop these items on the ground, even right in front of the guard, then turn yourself in, they will not be confiscated. |
| 496 | * GuestStarPartyMember: ''Morrowind'' is the first game in the series to have [=NPCs=] actually follow you, where they do engage in combat and can be harmed/killed. Unfortunately, due to the still-primitive AI, ArtificialStupidity makes virtually every follower in the vanilla game more of a liability than anything else. The only commands available (and they aren't available for all followers) are "Wait Here" and "Follow Me". If they're actively following you, even if they're a withered old pilgrim who begged you to escort her to a nearby shrine, they will engage any hostile enemies you come across in combat. You also cannot give them better equipment (by default) to make them more useful (though one dedicated mercenary follower-for-hire in the ''Tribunal'' expansion allows for this), meaning that the unarmed, unarmored, low-level peasant you are escorting will run off, fists a-swinging, at that mighty Daedroth (and will probably perish in two-hits, breaking any quest he is involved with). {{Game Mod}}s are plentiful which improve followers in many ways, making them much more useful. |
| 497 | * GuideDangIt: Given the epic scale of the game and the sheer density of content, this is a common occurrence, especially in side quests. See the [[GuideDangIt/TheElderScrolls series trope sub-page]] for specific examples. |
| 498 | * GuileHero: |
| 499 | ** In the {{Backstory}}, the legendary Chimeri/Dunmeri hero Nerevar was one of these. He managed to get the hated rival [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]] to form an EnemyMine with the Chimer in order to drive out the invading Nords thanks to his skills as a leader and his supernatural powers of persuasion. In order to complete much of the game, [[{{Reincarnation}} The]] [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] will need to be one as well. |
| 500 | ** Crassius Curio, a councilor of [[ProudMerchantRace Great]] [[CorruptCorporateExecutive House]] [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Hlaalu]], is one. Despite his...[[LovableSexManiac uncouth proclivities]]...he is actively working to [[HonestCorporateExecutive rid Hlaalu of corruption]] and is one of only two councilors who aren't in the pocket of the [[TheSyndicate Camonna Tong]]. He's not above letting everyone else believe that he is an [[ObfuscatingStupidity easily-manipulated fool]] while he's at it... |
| 501 | ** Skink-in-Tree's-Shade, Master Wizard of the Wolverine Hall (Sadrith Mora) Mages Guild Hall, isn't known for his magical strength as much as other mages. (That's not to say he's a slouch in the matter, however.) Skink is known more for his ability to handle situations ''diplomatically'', which helps him act as the Guild Master in a region controlled by rivals to the Mages Guild in [[TheClan Great House]] [[EvilSorcerer Telvanni]]. He's the Master Trainer in [[TheCharmer Speechcraft]], and that 100 skill level in Speechcraft isn't just for show. |
| 502 | * GunsInChurch: The player can carry weapons, and even draw them, anywhere he or she pleases. |
| 503 | |
| 504 | [[/folder]] |
| 505 | |
| 506 | [[folder:H]] |
| 507 | * {{Hammerspace}}: The game version is present in full force. You're only limited in the amount of things you can carry by their weight, not their size or shape. Weapons that are not drawn are invisible, and none of the character models are wearing packs or any other indication that they're carrying around (say) a whole spare suit of armor and thirty potions. |
| 508 | * HammerspacePoliceForce: Averted for the first time in the series. The settled areas each have a set amount of guards present, ranging from just one in rural villages like Hla Oad to dozens for a big city like Vivec. Any guards killed will respawn after three in-game days, but the amount of guards will never exceed the set amount for that settlement. |
| 509 | * HandBehindHead: A common NPC idle animation. |
| 510 | * TheHandler: The PlayerCharacter is a prisoner released to the eponymous land on the orders of the Emperor himself on the condition that he/she report to the local [[SecretPolice Blades]] [[TheSpyMaster Spymaster]], Caius Cosades. Caius welcomes the newcomer into the organization and acts as his/her handler throughout the first half of the game's main quest. It is clear that Caius genuinely cares about the PC as well as the other Blades agents under his command. [[spoiler:Later, he is recalled to the Imperial City, leaving the PC as the new Blades Spymaster in the region]]. |
| 511 | * HappinessInSlavery: During the main quest, in order to be [[spoiler:named Nerevarine]] by the Zainab Ashkhan, he asks that you bring him the daughter of a Telvanni noble to be his wife. Knowing that this is an ImpossibleTask, the Wise Woman gives you an alternative - buy a slave and pass her off (using fancy clothing and perfume) as a noble. The Ashkhan is happy with the slave and, if you talk to the slave after completing the quest, she reveals herself to be happy with the arrangement as well (it does probably help that the whole charade means she isn't treated as a slave anymore). |
| 512 | * HardCodedHostility: |
| 513 | ** Can be temporarily averted when dealing with always-hostile [=NPCs=] (bandits, smugglers, necromancers, etc.) by using a "Calm" spell on them. The higher level the NPC is, the stronger the Calm spell needs to be to work. For the vast majority of enemies, there is no point in doing this unless you're attempting some sort of PacifistRun, but doing this with Sixth House Ash minions can allow you to have some entertaining conversations with them and it is ''[[GuideDangIt required]]'' in order to converse with the Master Trainer of Enchanting. |
| 514 | ** Despite offers to do so, there is no way to actually join Dagoth Ur and the Sixth House, turning them into this. |
| 515 | ** The Camonna Tong hate all outlanders, including the player. While they stop short of attacking the player on sight, their disposition is so low that most dialogue options are cut off outright, making interactions with them nearly impossible. Their disposition drops even lower if the player is associated with any of the Imperial Guilds (especially the hated Thieves Guild) or any non-Hlaalu Great House. |
| 516 | * HealingBoss: Gedna Relvel is a lich from the ''Tribunal'' expansion fought at the end of the "Crimson Plague" questline. In addition to already having a [[DamageSpongeBoss huge pool of health]] (that is glitched to be even higher than intended), she also has a powerful regeneration ability that restores Health, [[{{Mana}} Magicka]], ''and'' Fatigue. |
| 517 | * HealingFactor: |
| 518 | ** Any equippable item enchanted with a Constant Effect healing spell will give the wearer one of these. |
| 519 | ** In the official plug-in, ''Siege at Firemoth'', the final boss is a Lich named Grurn who possesses a massive health pool in addition to a rapid healing factor. This combination can easily turn him into a MarathonBoss. |
| 520 | * HealingHands: St. Veloth, the legendary Chimer mystic, was said to have possessed these. As such, many Tribunal Temple healing spells are named after him. |
| 521 | * HealingMagicIsTheHardest: In terms of increasing the skill, Restoration is the second slowest of the magical skills after Enchant, and is the slowest of the ones which actually involve casting spells. |
| 522 | * HealingPotion: The most common means for restoring health. Numerous other healing methods are available as well (spells, scrolls, enchantments), but in terms of effectiveness, affordability, ease of use, and item weight (potions the size of a 2 liter bottle of soda still only weigh half a pound), nothing beats a healing potion. It also helps that they are plentifully found throughout dungeons and nearly all non-specialized vendors usually sell a few to replenish your stock as well. |
| 523 | * HealingShiv: You can custom enchant one by putting a healing spell onto a weapon, and it is actually quite useful in increasing the skill associated with that weapon. The game's skill system means that skills increase by successfully using that skill. For example, hitting an enemy a dozen times with a weak dagger will increase the Short Blade skill more than one-shotting that enemy with a Daedric dagger. Enchanting a weapon with a "heal on strike" enchantment that heals more than weapon damages will allow you to basically strike a foe for as long as you want, increasing that weapon skill. |
| 524 | * HeartbeatSoundtrack: The game's main theme, "Nerevar Rising," has a deep drum throughout which [[{{Foreshadowing}} sounds just like a heart beat]]. |
| 525 | * HeavyMithril: Dutch metal band Arkngthand takes its name from the game. Arkngthand is the first dungeon visited as part of the main quest. |
| 526 | * HeelFaceTurn: During the Fighters Guild questline, you can convince one of [[spoiler:Hard-Heart's]] minions to defect by giving her a certain artifact. However, this minion will try to [[spoiler:[[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder kill you]]]] when you become Guildmaster. |
| 527 | * HeelRaceTurn: The Orcs. In ''Arena'' they were senselessly violent enemies and considered large goblinkin, and in ''Daggerfall'' were more nuanced but still unplayable barbarians and second-class citizens at best. Here, they have established their own nation and have begun restoring their civilization and culture. Their exemplary service as soldiers and smiths in the Imperial Legion has earned them a degree of respect and tolerance in the Empire, so they are now playable and regularly encountered as fleshed-out [=NPCs=] with unique personalities and motives. |
| 528 | * HelloInsertNameHere: You have the option to name your player character. That name will appear in text form in NPC conversations and even some in-game documents, but never in any of the spoken dialogue. |
| 529 | * HerCodeNameWasMarySue: Hlaalu Councilor Crassius Curio is this. He has written a semi-pornographic play called ''The Lusty Argonian Maid'' in which "Crantius Colto" is the main character getting his "spear" polished by the eponymous Argonian Maid. |
| 530 | * TheHeretic: Dissident Priests are heretics to the Tribunal Temple, disputing several points of dogma (though this appears to have been partly a response to being persecuted for questioning Temple ''policy'', which isn't exactly heresy even if the Temple called it that). The Tribunal Temple also persecutes the Nerevarine Cult as heretics (technically they are, just not really of the Temple, seeing as they developed in parallel in response to the same event and from the same source religion. It's actually the Temple who made the most radical changes of dogma, the Nerevarine Cult just explained away the new gods as false gods and added in a messiah figure). Both of those change towards the end of the main quest, [[spoiler: with the Dissident Priests acknowledged as having had a point with much of what they said and the Nerevarine Cult recognised as being right about the messiah figure thing, both by one of the gods of the Tribunal himself]]. |
| 531 | * {{Hermaphrodite}}: Vivec, the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal Deity]], claims to be one though is typically referred to as male. It's important to his mythic role as the Trickster/Stranger figure, where Sotha Sil is male (Clockwork King of the Three-And-One) and Almalexia is female (Face-Snaked Queen of the Three-And-One). Whether he was a hermaphrodite [[DeityOfHumanOrigin as a mortal]] is a source of debate amongst the fandom and is really only touched upon by [[LooseCanon developer written "obscure texts"]] not in the game itself. |
| 532 | * HermitGuru: Many master-level trainers of various skills, some notable enough to receive mentions in in-game books, live out in the wilderness or in the ruins of ancient Dunmer strongholds. |
| 533 | ** Abelle Chriditte, master trainer of Alchemy, lives in the Valenvaryon Stronghold. |
| 534 | ** Adibael Hainnabibi, master trainer of Athletics, is an Ashlander living in a yurt south of Molag Mar. |
| 535 | ** [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Alfhedil Elf-Hewer]], master trainer of Axe, lives in the Falensarano Stronghold behind a trapped door. |
| 536 | ** Qorwynn, master trainer of Enchant, lives in the Indoranyon Stronghold and will actually [[PermanentlyMissableContent attack the player on sight]], requiring you to use a Calm spell or sneak up on him to receive his services. |
| 537 | ** Missun Akin, master trainer of Archery, lives in the Falasmaryon Stronghold. |
| 538 | ** Ababael Timsar-Dadisun, master trainer of Mercantile, is an Ashlander living in the Zainab Camp, and is one of the richest merchants in the game despite living in a basic yurt. |
| 539 | ** Khargol gro-Boguk, master trainer of Unarmored, lives in an abandoned wizard's tower near Dagon Fel. |
| 540 | * HeroOfAnotherStory: Jiub, your otherwise unremarkable fellow prisoner aboard the Imperial Prison Ship at the start of the game, goes on to drive Morrowind's much-reviled Cliff Racers to extinction by the time of ''Oblivion'' and is made into a Saint as a result. |
| 541 | * HeroesPreferSwords: Percius Mercius, Fighter's Guild Steward in Ald-Ruhn, is actively fighting the corruption within the Fighters Guild and wields a sword. His corrupt counterparts instead wield hammers, axes, or maces. |
| 542 | * HeroicAmbidexterity: Downplayed by the player character who shoots a bow left-handed while fighting with melee weapons right-handed. |
| 543 | * HideYourChildren: No children appear in the game for the [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality standard]] [[WideOpenSandbox Sandbox]] game reason. |
| 544 | * HighlyConspicuousUniform: |
| 545 | ** The lower ranks in the [[BadassArmy Imperial Legion]] wear fairly standard metallic chain and plate armor in darker colors. Higher ranks, however, get into the gold/tan "Templar" armor with bright red accents, the gaudy [[BlingOfWar Imperial Silver]] armor, and finally the legendary, enchanted (causing it [[PowerGlows to glow]]) Lord's Mail typically worn by the highest ranking member in the land. |
| 546 | ** Bouyant Armigers are the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]]'s elite force, with their members hand-picked by PhysicalGod Vivec himself. Despite operating in desolate areas such as [[LethalLavaLand Molag Amur]] and [[{{Mordor}} inside Red Mountain]], their very best tend to wear bright green, iridescent, spiky glass armor that really stands out. |
| 547 | * HighPriest: The Archcanons of the Tribunal Temple are essentially these. A few centuries prior to the events of the game, the Tribunal's ancient enemy, Dagoth Ur ([[KingInTheMountain long presumed to be dead]]), returned and ambushed the Tribunal on one of their annual pilgrimages to restore their divinity within Red Mountain. He managed to capture two of the three tools needed to tap into the Heart, depriving the Tribunal of the ability to recharge. After this, in order to conserve power, the Tribunal was forced to withdraw from the day-to-day affairs of their people. More and more responsibility fell onto the Archcanons and other mortal leaders of the Temple, leading to [[CorruptChurch significant corruption]]. It is possible for the Nerevarine to become the new Archcanon if the Tribunal Temple faction questline is followed. |
| 548 | * HighSpeedMissileDodge: As ranged magic attacks are {{Painfully Slow Projectile}}s, this is a valid strategy for combating enemy mages. Begin to strafe at the end of their casting animation, dodge the projectile, and move in on the ([[SquishyWizard typically squishy]]) mage for the kill. The only thing you have to watch out for are large AreaOfEffect spells, such as the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Daedroth]]'s [[PoisonousPerson Poisonbloom]] spell, which will still cause damage even if the main projectile is dodged. |
| 549 | * HighlyVisibleNinja: |
| 550 | ** One Morag Tong quest involves finding a Dark Brotherhood assassin who's gone undercover in the Mages Guild. He stands out in the open dressed completely in black and not even wearing a robe. |
| 551 | ** ''Tribunal'' gives the Mournhold branch of the Dark Brotherhood their own set of instantly recognizable armor. Justified in that the vast majority are only encountered in their hideout in the sewers. |
| 552 | * TheHilarityOfHats: The Colovian Fur Helm stands out as being very tall, pointy, and silly, essentially a bright yellow Santa Claus hat that stick straight up. As a sign, none of the characters who wear one can be taken seriously, for example [[SlippingAMickey Uncle Sweetshare]], [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou Tarhiel]], and [[EasterEgg M'aiq the Liar]]. |
| 553 | * HiredToHuntYourself: One sidequest features a runaway Argonian slave who poses as a local guide to the slave hunter who has been hired to bring him in. The guide uses a direct translation of the name under which he is wanted, as only other members of the race (who obviously aren't going to help), the odd slave trader, and a high Intelligence player character bother to learn the Argonian language. You can choose to rat him out or promise to keep his secret. |
| 554 | * HistoricalHeroUpgrade: With the Dwemer gone, Nerevar dead, and Azura a Daedric Prince who doesn't often openly communicate with most mortals, the Dunmeri [[PhysicalGod Tribunal]] combined this with WrittenByTheWinners in regards to themselves following the Battle of Red Mountain. They took credit for all of the positives that came out of the event, as well as many of Nerevar's accomplishments before, while blaming the Dwemer or Dagoth Ur for the negatives, including the death of Nerevar. As such, the Tribunal Temple's ''official'' story about what happened there is the most widely accepted version, even though it is clearly the version most full of BlatantLies and MetaphoricallyTrue things out of those that comprise TheRashomon once you've done a little research. All stories to the contrary are considered heresy, kept alive only by the actions of the [[NobleSavage Ashlander]] Nerevarine Cult and the [[DefectorFromDecadence Dissident Priests]]. |
| 555 | * HitboxDissonance: One of the many reasons for the hatred towards Cliff Racers. When alive, their hit box is an inexplicably small portion of their body. Then when they die, this is reversed. You'll need to dispose of their corpse in order to access any items or other corpses nearby because their dead body "container" selection box is inexplicably massive. |
| 556 | * HitPoints: The fairly straightforward "Health." |
| 557 | ** CallAHitPointASmeerp: The less straightforward "Magicka" for Mana and "Fatigue" for Stamina. |
| 558 | * HoldingOutForAHero: Evident in the later stages of the main questline. While the divine powers of the [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Tribunal]] are waning (due to being cut off from their source of divine power which lies within Red Mountain), the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] which worships them have strong ChurchMilitant and ChurchPolice forces, as well as support from the [[ProudWarriorRace Proud Warrior Great House]] of the Dunmer people (Redoran). At no point are these forces used offensively to attack the BigBad or his forces. Later, dialogue with Vivec implies (and out-of-game developer written texts strongly support) that he truly believes that YouCantFightFate, and knew that the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] would eventually come along to save the day. |
| 559 | * HollywoodDarkness: Averted. Most places which don't have living humanoid inhabitants have very little lighting, making them difficult to navigate. The game offers torches and laterns to help light the way, but they are used in the off-hand, so you cannot use them with a shield or two-handed weapon. Additionally, there are Night Eye and Light spells to brighten them up. |
| 560 | * HollywoodDensity: |
| 561 | ** Most things have fairly realistic weights, however, your character can still lift an insane amount without being slowed down. Humorously, this means often times it's more practical to steal/loot cheaper stuff (like clothes) than heavy weapons and armor because its value:weight ratio is higher and thus you can walk away with more of it. |
| 562 | ** Played straight with gold coins, which are weightless. You can carry around hundreds of thousands of gold coins without issue. |
| 563 | * HolyCity: Each of the three Tribunal deities has a city devoted to them. Vivec has the city named after him where he resides in his palace, and is where the mortal leadership of the Tribunal Temple is housed. Almalexia resides in her temple in the mainland Morrowind capital city of Mournhold. Both are Vatican-style examples. Sotha Sil's Clockwork City is more complicated. Though he does reside there, the city doesn't seem to exist in a place accessible by mortals and, as such, does not have any mortal inhabitants. |
| 564 | * AHomeOwnerIsYou: You get the opportunity to build your own stronghold as you advance through any of the Great House factions. You can also just take over one of the game's many abandoned homes or ruins. |
| 565 | ** AnInteriorDesignerIsYou: And you will then fill that place with all of your questing treasures. |
| 566 | * HomosexualReproduction: According to the ''[[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:36_Lessons_of_Vivec,_Sermon_12 36 Lessons of Vivec]]'', Vivec and Molag Bal ''somehow'' had sons and daughters. Both are generally referred to as male, though Vivec is a hermaphrodite and Molag Bal is a technically genderless deity. Also, as a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Daedra]], Molag Bal should ''not'' be able to create life. It should be noted that the ''Lessons of Vivec'' are [[UnreliableNarrator largely allegorical]], even at their [[MetaphoricallyTrue most reliable]]. |
| 567 | * HonestCorporateExecutive: Crassius Curio. He's a Councilor for Great House Hlaalu, the Dunmeri great house priding itself on [[ProudMerchantRace its mercantile and trade skills]]. However, it also comes with a heaping dose of {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s and lots of [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Chronic Backstabbing]]. Most of its councilors are in the pocket of the Camonna Tong, Morrowind's native [[TheMafia mafia-esque]] [[TheSyndicate Crime Organization]]. Curio, his [[LovableSexManiac creepy predilections]] aside, is actively working to clean up the corruption within the House and is one of only two councilors above the influence of the Camonna Tong. (The other is in permanent hiding, while Curio acts like an [[ObfuscatingStupidity easily manipulated fool]] to stay beneath their radar.) In one particular example, when completing quests for Odral Helvi, you can report his orders to Crassius to receive alternate, less morally offensive ways to complete the quests (and eventually even get Helvi arrested). |
| 568 | * 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). |
| 569 | * HonorBeforeReason: Many of the Ash Vampires, Dagoth Ur's personal lieutenants, will allow you to make the first blow. According to them, you are the challenger and honor dictates you be permitted the first move. |
| 570 | * HotCoffeeMinigame: Unsurprisingly, given the game's large and industrious modding community, numerous {{Game Mod}}s of this type exist. |
| 571 | * HotGod: Almalexia is described as one of the most beautiful beings on Nirn in-universe. She also tends to wear {{Stripperific}} outfits and VaporWear, which do not hurt her case. |
| 572 | * HotSkittyOnWailordAction: The in-game book ''Interspecies Phylogeny'' discusses this topic from a scholarly standpoint as it pertains to the various races of Tamriel. Every race except for the egg-laying Argonians and the CatFolk Khajiit appear to be compatible to breed with one another. |
| 573 | * HubCity: Vivec is the largest and most populous city in the main game, as well as the center of Dunmer politics and culture. (Ebonheart would be the center of Imperial culture and influence on the island.) |
| 574 | * HufflepuffHouse: There are five great houses in Morrowind, though you only get to directly interact with the leadership of three: - Hlaalu, Redoran, and Telvanni - since those are the only three with holdings in Vvardenfell, where the game takes place. You can interact indirectly with House Indoril as they are heavily associated with the Tribunal Temple, and then more in ''Tribunal''. House Dres is never interacted with though, as their holdings are entirely in southern mainland Morrowind. Background references indicate that they are one of the most politically conservative houses of the Dunmer and are heavily involved in the slave trade. |
| 575 | * HumanityIsInfectious: There is some evidence in-universe that the Altmer (High Elves) ''want'' to be completely incomprehensible to humans, and that the fact that they are not is evidence of this trope to them. During ''Morrowind'' development, the idea of writing them in this fashion was toyed with, but ultimate dropped. |
| 576 | * HumanoidAbomination: Dagoth Ur and his followers, with some elements of Cthulhumanoid as well. After using [[ArtifactOfDoom Kagrenac's Tools]], he became a twisted and insane immortal resembling a man with a golden mask with the ability to [[{{Plaguemaster}} spread a horrific magical disease]] that mutates people into [[BodyHorror mindless monstrosities]]. Furthermore, much Lovecraftian imagery is associated with him, due to his cultists receiving visions of him and spreading "The Dreamer Is Awake" messages. |
| 577 | * HumongousHeadedHammer: |
| 578 | ** Warhammers are large, two-handed blunt weapons. They range from rather small and wimpy (the ones made of chitin), to medium (the [[ShoutOut B&hammer]]), to the high-end the [[FantasyMetals Daedric]] and the [[ReligionOfEvil Sixth House]] Bell Hammers. |
| 579 | ** Sunder is a one-handed hammer and one of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Tools of Kagrenac]] necessary to tap into the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]]. It doubles as one of the most powerful one-handed blunt weapons in the game. |
| 580 | ** In ''Tribunal'', the Museum of Mournhold has Stendarr's Hammer. Stendarr is the Aedric Divine God of Mercy and Justice. The hammer is [[AwesomeButImpractical amazingly powerful but also amazingly heavy]], making it impractical for the player to wield. (Even if you buff your Strength enough to pick it up, it breaks after one strike.) |
| 581 | * HumongousMecha: |
| 582 | ** Dagoth Ur is constructing one, called Akhulakhan, from the blueprints of the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Numidium]] and intends to power it with the Heart of Lorkhan (as the Numidium was originally constructed to do). [[spoiler: When the player breaks the enchantment on the Heart, Akhulakhan falls into the lava below]]. |
| 583 | ** Sotha Sil protects his main chambers with two of these, called the Imperfect. [[spoiler: The player gets to fight one of them at the end of the ''Tribunal'' main quest line]]. |
| 584 | * HundredPercentHeroismRating: |
| 585 | ** After you complete the main quest, many people will stammer and ask you to forgive them because they don't know how to speak to such an important person. Others will thank you for your heroic deeds. Additionally, when selecting the "Nerevarine" topic with most [=NPCs=], their disposition will raise each time, maxing out in the 60s. This is very helpful when dealing with [=NPCs=] who would otherwise hate you, such as members of rival Great Houses or Guilds. |
| 586 | ** Present in a subtle form with the Reputation stat. As you perform quests and rise in the ranks of the various Guilds and Factions, your Reputation stat will grow. The stat is taken into account when calculating an NPC's disposition, so your status as a famous adventurer will make them like you more. |
| 587 | * HuntingTheMostDangerousGame / TheHunterBecomesTheHunted: The end game of the ''Bloodmoon'' main quest. |
| 588 | * HyperactiveMetabolism: Consumables take effect instantly, and the player can chow down hundreds of pounds of edibles or gallons of liquid at once. |
| 589 | * HyperspaceArsenal: The player is only limited by the weight of the items he/she is carrying, and will no longer be able to move once the encumbrance limit (set based on the Strength attribute) is reached. So one can carry multiple suits of armor or several giant weapons without issue as long as that weight limit is not reached. |
| 590 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Merchants who sell potions and/or ingredients (and are not Khajiit) will not do business with you if you have Moon Sugar or Skooma in your inventory... even if they have Moon Sugar or Skooma in ''theirs''. [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Ashumanu_Eraishah This merchant, for example.]] |
| 591 | [[/folder]] |
| 592 | |
| 593 | [[folder:I]] |
| 594 | * IAmWho: [[spoiler:Lord Nerevar reborn]], that's who. At least, [[UnwittingPawn that is what the prophecy says]], anyway. |
| 595 | * ICallHimMisterHappy: In the ''[[InGameNovel 36 Lessons of Vivec]]'', [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Vivec refers to his penis as a spear named MUATRA. He uses it to kill his own monster children (conceived after having sex with the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[GodOfEvil Rape and Domination]], Molag Bal) and to have sex with fellow PhysicalGod Almalexia. |
| 596 | * ICannotSelfTerminate: A sidequest in ''Bloodmoon'' has Ulfgar the Unending looking for a way into Sovngarde, the Nordic paradise afterlife. He recruits the player to help him find the way in. [[spoiler: As it turns out, you must die in battle. And seeing as how the player is the only person around badass enough to defeat Ulfgar in combat, he asks him/her to do this.]] |
| 597 | * IcarusAllusion: Not far from the starting village, the player can encounter a Bosmer named Tarhiel as he falls from the sky to his death. On his body are three scrolls which allow the user to jump vast distances, but they wear off before the user can safely land. They are appropriately called the "Scrolls of Icarian Flight." |
| 598 | * IcePalace: Castle Karstaag, home to a frost giant of the same name, is a massive glacial ice palace. |
| 599 | * IconicItem: In-universe, Lord Nerevar's Moon-And-Star ring. It was said to be blessed by [[OurGodsAreDifferent Azura]] so that it would kill anyone who tried to wear it except for Nerevar. It's a plot point in the main quest in order to prove that [[spoiler:[[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] is really Nerevar's prophesied {{Reincarnation}}. (Though there are hints that this isn't really true, and that you're just a [[UnwittingPawn convenient pawn]] for Azura, who has her own reasons for wanting the main quest to be completed beyond simply SavingTheWorld from the deranged PhysicalGod BigBad...)]] To a lesser extent, Nerevar's FlamingSword "True Flame" as well. |
| 600 | * IdealIllnessImmunity: A side effect of the Corprus Disease is immunity to all other diseases. |
| 601 | * IdiosyncraticCoverArt: ''Morrowind'' starts the trend for the series of having MinimalisticCoverArt showing an emblem of some sort from the Elder Scrolls universe (in this case, the "Imperial Dragon" symbol in a triangle surrounded by the Daedric letters A, S, and V for the members of the Tribunal) as though it were printed on the cover of a leather-bound book. ''Oblivion'' and ''Skyrim'' would each follow suit. |
| 602 | * IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: While the Sixth House bases themselves generally have fairly innocuous names, the rooms and corridors within have names like "Black Heart" and "Soul's Rattle." |
| 603 | * IHaveManyNames: The PlayerCharacter. In addition to whatever you choose as your character's name, the Nerevarine, and several variants (Nerevar Incarnate, the Incarnate, the Nerevarine Incarnate — and Nerevarine 'of Four Tribes' in a certain prophetic context), one will pick up the titles of Hortator of the Great Houses, Operative of the Blades, and Hearthfriend of the Ashlanders. And those merely come from completing the main quest. Add in [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard titles from the various Guilds and Factions]], as well as some more from the expansions, and it's possible to come away with over a ''dozen'' titles. |
| 604 | * IHaveYourWife: The Mage-Lords of Great House Telvanni are known to kidnap the wives, daughters, and other family members of their rivals in order to influence them. Two quests involve you rescuing Telvanni captives. |
| 605 | * INeverSaidItWasPoison: During the ThievesGuild quest to free New-Shoes Bragor, one option involves obtaining a Dwemer coherer and showing it to the Pelagiad prison guard, Shadbak gra-Burbug. She'll accuse you of stealing it from a local merchant, despite you having never mentioned how you got it, and when you point this out, she'll slip that said merchant has been bribing her into keeping quiet about the Dwemer artifact smuggling going on in the area. You can then use this info to blackmail her into freeing Bragor. |
| 606 | * IllegalReligion: The Tribunal Temple is the dominant religious force among the Dunmer people. While a term in the Armistice (which joined Morrowind to the Empire as a VoluntaryVassal) forced them to allow the Imperial Nine Divines religion to practice within Morrowind, other religions are still effectively banned. Some, like Daedra worship, are even punishable by death. |
| 607 | * ImAHumanitarian: Several pieces of human flesh can be found in the game. You can eat it or mix it into a potion just like any other ingredient. Corprus meat may also count, [[WasOnceAMan since it is the diseased flesh of those afflicted.]] In-game rumors about the Sixth House cult suggest that cultists infected with corprus also practice autocannibalism, devouring their own diseased growths, which quickly regenerate. |
| 608 | * ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: Queen Barenziah, a Dunmer, is a most prominent example. Her biographical book series portray her as growing up as a precocious teen and being considered an adult once she was 18 years old. That was nearly 500 years before the events of ''Tribunal'' where she is met still alive and well, if noticeably aged. (''Elder Scrolls'' elves are naturally LongLived, but not truly immortal.) |
| 609 | * ImmortalityImmorality: This is the case with the Tribunal's initial act of obtaining immortality. The Tribunal, a trio of Dunmeri {{Physical God}}s who used [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemeri]] tools to tap into the still-beating [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]], the [[GodIsDead "dead" creator god]] of Mundus, the mortal plane. They (along with BigBad Dagoth Ur) were instructed by their leader, Lord Indoril Nerevar, to never use the "profane" tools. [[TheRashomon Depending on the version of the story]], they, at the ''very least'' betrayed Nerevar (and his [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric patron Azura]]) by using the tools on the Heart to [[DeityOfHumanOrigin achieve godhood]]. (Vivec even admits directly to this part when questioned.) Other versions of the story make them seem even more immoral, with them outright murdering Nerevar so that he could not stop them from tapping into the Heart. |
| 610 | * ImmortalityInducer: The Heart of Lorkhan is this for the Dunmeri Tribunal, a trio of {{Physical God}}s, and their rival, [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]], who all tapped into the Heart using [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemeri]] tools to achieve godhood. As a result of the game's main quest, [[spoiler:their ties to the Heart are severed, [[NoImmortalInertia killing Dagoth Ur]] but allowing the Tribunal to survive with a trace of their divinity in tact due to the [[GodNeedsPrayerBadly faith of their followers]]]]. |
| 611 | * ImmortalsFearDeath: The loss of her divine powers and return to mortality are major reasons for [[spoiler:Almalexia's]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation descent into madness]] and FaceHeelTurn in ''Tribunal''. |
| 612 | * ImperfectRitual: At the very end of the main quest, [[spoiler: you bring the tools necessary to tap into the Heart of Lorkhan in order to achieve godhood to the Heart chamber, where Dagoth Ur resides. He believes that you will try to use the tools to achieve godhood yourself, so he toys with you and taunts you. However, you aren't going to strike the Heart in the fashion necessary to achieve godhood. Instead, you perform a different ritual, and use the tools to unbind the Heart, cutting off anyone drawing divine power from it, including Dagoth Ur and the Tribunal.]] |
| 613 | * ImpossibleTask: Mages Guild Archmage Trebonius Artorius has developed a reputation as a PointyHairedBoss who assigns nothing but these. Infamously, he asks the PlayerCharacter to solve the [[RiddleForTheAges disappearance of the]] [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]] (and is shocked when the player actually manages to find an answer). Other assignments he has given to other guild members include taking an inventory of all of the silverware on Vvardenfell and digging a tunnel to the mainland. Knowing that he was named as the head of the Vvardenfell branch in a combination of getting KickedUpstairs and being ReassignedToAntarctica probably helps to explain this. |
| 614 | * ImpossibleTheft: One sidequest requires you to obtain a ring from a slave trader named Brallion. The player has the option to steal the ring ''while he is wearing it''. |
| 615 | --> '''Journal Entry:''' I nicked Brallion's ring right off his hand. The Bal Molagmer would have been proud. |
| 616 | * ImpossiblyCoolClothes: M'aiq the Liar wears a gravity defying Colovian Fur Helm. (Essentially, a yellow Santa Claus-like hat stands straight upward.) "[[MemeticMutation Practical, yet stylish!]]" indeed. |
| 617 | * ImprobableAimingSkills: One in-game book tells the story a Bosmer (a race renowned for their marksmanship) slave who coaches his owner's son on how to hit his target by firing ridiculous wild shots, on the basis that one should get a feel for how arrows fly before bothering to try to hit anything in particular. The father is furious that the slave is not training his son the way he asked, so begins beating the slave. The slave, while being beaten, continues to coach the pupil on taking wild shots straight into the air. The son ultimately scores a perfect hit on the slave's intended target... which, to the pupil's dismay, is the father. In other words, this archer is so good he can line up a perfect shot, ''with someone else's bow'', while being beaten with a stick. "Bullseye!" Naturally, the book increases the player's Marskman skill +1 when read. |
| 618 | * ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The expansions, which are geared towards higher level players, tend to lead to this. You'll find common enemies like Spriggans and werewolves in ''Bloodmoon'' putting up a tougher fight than 4000 year old main game PhysicalGod BigBad Dagoth Ur, even though you've likely gained many levels since then. |
| 619 | * InASingleBound: A maxed out Acrobatics skill allows the player to leap about 2 stories straight into the air. This can be augmented further with a "Jump" spell, further increasing jumping ability. The Scrolls of Icarian Flight, meanwhile, allow the player to jump for ''miles''; however, landing can be tricky without proper preparation... |
| 620 | * IneptAptitudeTest: There is an optional one at the beginning of the game during character creation which can be used to determine your class. Since a number of the questions are rather unintuitive, it ends up being fairly inaccurate. |
| 621 | * InevitableTournament: While it stops short of having an official tournament, the game includes [[DuelToTheDeath Duels To The Death]] in Vivec's arena in order to advance through several faction questlines, as well as one for the main quest. |
| 622 | * InexplicablyPreservedDungeonMeat: Found frequently, even in places explicitly sealed for centuries. |
| 623 | * InfallibleBabble: |
| 624 | ** Averted in the main quest when you are figuring out the Nerevarine Prophecies. The most commonly available interpretation is actually incorrect, and several of the prophecies are missing, so you need piece the correct version of the prophecy together. |
| 625 | ** Averted with M'aiq the Liar, who has a number of conversation topics available, but nearly all are BlatantLies (Dragons, Multiplayer, Climbing, etc.) Only two actually have truth to them, but the details he gives are vague and inexact, so good luck figuring them out. |
| 626 | * InferredHolocaust: As a result of the main quest, the Tribunal find themselves without their divine power. Given that the Ministry of Truth (formerly the "rogue moon" Baar Dau) is explicitly stated to be held in place by Vivec's power, it is fair to wonder if it will eventually fall... [[spoiler:Confirmed in later works including ''Skyrim'' and the series' official novels. After some temporary measures fail, the moon resumes its fall with its original momentum. The impact causes Red Mountain to erupt, destroying most of Vvardenfell and rendering much of mainland Morrowind uninhabitable due to choking ash]]. |
| 627 | * InfiniteFlashlight: The Pilgrim's Lantern, found in the underground caves beneath Ebonheart, will burn infinitely as long as you don't take it into water. This is in contrast to other light sources, which burn out after (fairly short) durations of use. |
| 628 | * InfinityPlusOneSword: A few: |
| 629 | ** The extremely [[GuideDangIt hard to get]] katana, Eltonbrand. It is 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 [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA Elton Brand]], of whom one of the game developers, Mark Nelson, was a big fan.) |
| 630 | ** The blunt weapon equivalent is Sunder, which [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement comes late in the main quest]] but deals the most raw physical damage of any weapon per second, gives huge stat buffs, and only needs one hand to swing (unlike many powerful blunt weapons). |
| 631 | ** The Black Hands Dagger is simply an enchanted Daedric dagger acquired through the Morag Tong questline, but is enchanted with a ''powerful'' Absorb Health spell on strike. (10-25 points of damage per second over 30 seconds.) This combination means it can deal the most damage in a single blow of any weapon in the game while transferring part of the damage back to the user as restored health. |
| 632 | * InfinityMinusOneSword: Several options: |
| 633 | ** Goldbrand, a golden katana which deals fire damage, is given at the completion of Boethiah's [[GuideDangIt hard-to-find]] Daedric quest. |
| 634 | ** Chrysamere, "the Paladin's Blade," is the best two-handed blade in the game. It deals massive damage and is also enchanted to cast several protective spells on the user. |
| 635 | ** ''Tribunal'' adds the twin blades [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement True Flame]] and Hopes Fire. They were given by the Dwemer as wedding gifts to Nerevar and Almalexia thousands of years ago. True Flame is a FlamingSword while Hopes Fire is the lightning equivalent. |
| 636 | ** Auriel's Bow is the most powerful bow in the game, and curiously, comes unenchanted, allowing the player to enchant it how he/she sees fit. |
| 637 | ** Skull Crusher is the second best one-handed blunt weapon in the game, dealing out massive amounts of damage, and is enchanted with a Feather spell which reduces its carry-weight to nothing, as well as a Fortify Attack effect. |
| 638 | ** The "Wings of the Queen of Bats" is the game's best Axe, but is curiously not available in the game itself and requires console commands to acquire. It deals massive damage and is also enchanted to drain the health of enemies it strikes. Several mods have been created adding the Axe to the game proper. |
| 639 | ** The Fang of Haynekhtnamet doesn't look impressive at first sight, but its incredibly high speed and great enchantment means that it can deal a crazy amount of shock damage in a short amount of time. |
| 640 | * InfoDump: The series has an incredibly rich and complex backstory, so much of the information needed to understand the story of the game is thrown at you in one of these. |
| 641 | * InformedEquipment: Generally averted, as all armor and clothing appear on your character. Played straight, however, with accessories such as rings, amulets and belts which do not appear. Also, arrow quivers and your sheathed weapon do not appear either. |
| 642 | * InGameNovel: Many. Most are short stories which fill maybe a dozen or so pages of an in-game book, but two in particular deserve special mention: [[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:2920,_The_Last_Year_of_the_First_Era 2920, the Last Year of the First Era]] and [[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:The_36_Lessons_of_Vivec The 36 Lessons of Vivec]]. Each fills in some of the {{Backstory}}, though the "Lessons" [[UnreliableNarrator should be taken with a grain of salt]]. |
| 643 | * InHarmonyWithNature: The Skaal people of Solstheim in ''Bloodmoon'' follow "The Path of the All-Maker." Whatever that is taken from the All-Maker must be repaid somehow. For example, their hunters only kill when absolutely necessary as part of the cycle of life, and never for sport. They only harvest firewood from fallen trees, never cutting down live trees for it. |
| 644 | * InitiationQuest: |
| 645 | ** While most of the other guilds and factions can be joined simply by talking to one of their leaders, you cannot join the Morag Tong (a legal Dunmeri [[MurderInc assassin's guild]] of {{Professional Killer}}s) at any of their guild halls. Instead, to prove your ability, you must find their top-secret headquarters and seek out the Guildmaster himself. Even then, you must further prove your worth on a trial assassination mission before you're fully in. |
| 646 | ** Becoming a member of the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] is as easy as talking to one of their priests. However, to be given any actual ''duties'' (which range from GoodShepherd "helping pilgrims" quests to full on [[CreatureHunterOrganization monster hunting]]), your first mission will be to complete the Pilgrimages of the Seven Graces -- visiting a series of shrines throughout the land following in Temple patron [[PhysicalGod Vivec's]] footsteps as he performed "miracles" eons ago. Only then are you "in" as an active member. |
| 647 | * InnSecurity: |
| 648 | ** Once you've reached a certain point in the main quest, you may start getting attacked by Ash Zombie assassins when you sleep in civilized areas. Your only options are to sleep away from civilized areas (and risk getting attacked in your sleep by wildlife) or locate the area's Sixth House base and kill the leader. (The latter has the added benefit of waking any "Sleepers" in the area as well. Speaking with them will net you a valuable Reputation point.) |
| 649 | ** Once ''Tribunal'' is installed, you may be attacked in your sleep by a Dark Brotherhood assassin. (On PC, this can happen at any time depending on the RandomNumberGod. On X-Box, it will only happen once you've reached level 6.) The only place you are safe is in the [[GuideDangIt tutorial area bedroll]]. (While inconvenient, it may be wise to sleep there until you've acquired the equipment necessary to fend off an assassin.) The assassins are [[LevelScaling level-scaled]], but even a low-leveled assassin is a threat because they come wearing a full set of quality light armor and generally use enchanted short blades. |
| 650 | * InsideJob: Edwinna Elbert, Stewardess of the Ald-Ruhn Mages Guild Hall, will give you a quest to steal a rare book from a fellow member of the Guild. Edwinna believes the book will be useful to her research on the extinct Dwemer but the other mage refuses to let her read it. Being a prominent member of the Guild yourself at this point in the quest line will help you avoid any suspicion. |
| 651 | * InspiringSermon: "Saryoni's Sermons" is an in-game book of [[PhysicalGod Lord Vivec's]] most famous sermons, annotated by [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] Archcanon Tholer Saryoni. It is said to be the best-selling book in Morrowind, can be found in numerous homes of faithful Dunmer, and at a worth of 50,000 gold, Saryoni's unique manuscript version is the most valuable non-equipment item in the game. During a quest to repossess expensive items from Ienas Sarandas, who lost his family fortune gambling, you have a couple of options for resolving it. The most peaceful is to appeal to his religion by reading from a copy of Saryoni's Sermons, inspiring him to return the items and dedicate his life to the temple. |
| 652 | * Instant180DegreeTurn: Despite being a 3D game, AI controlled characters will still do this in certain cases. |
| 653 | * InstantArmor: The Bound Armor spells allow you to temporarily summon pieces of Daedric Armor. If enchanted as a "Cast when Used" enchantment on a item, it is possible to summon the entire set of armor at once. |
| 654 | * InstantExpert: |
| 655 | ** Downplayed in that you can equip any type of weapon or armor as soon as you find it, however, if you don't have the skills to use it properly, you'll find it difficult to actually hit enemies with said weapons and you'll receive far less protection from said armor. |
| 656 | ** Played straight with unlimited Training per level. As long as you have the gold to pay for the training, it is possible to be trained from a complete novice to matching your trainer's level of expertise in only a few in-game days. (Each training session takes two in-game hours. If you find a Master trainer who can train your skill to the max, you can go from the minimum skill level of 5 to 100 in 190 in-game hours.) |
| 657 | * InstrumentalThemeTune: The game's main theme, "Nerevar Rising." |
| 658 | * InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: Averted. Only the steepest mountains cannot be traversed on foot, and for those, you can still get over with a Levitation or Jump spell. |
| 659 | * InterchangeableAntimatterKeys: |
| 660 | ** Averted in general, as keys will only open specific doors or containers. |
| 661 | ** A quirk occurs when it comes to slave bracers. Normally, you need to find the key in the location with the slaves in order to unlock their bracers. (So, for example, the Addamasartus Slave Key will open the bracers of slaves within Addamasartus.) However, if you bring a slave from another location to a place for which you already have the key (using a Command spell, for example,) you can then unlock that slave's bracers with the key you already have. This is useful for freeing slaves whose bracers do not have a key and normally would not be able to be freed. |
| 662 | * IntercomVillainy: [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] speaks in this fashion as you make your way through the final dungeon. |
| 663 | * InterfaceScrew: The "Blind" spell darkens the screen by a percentage based on the strength of the spell used. [[UselessUsefulSpell This spell does not, however, affect [=NPCs=]]]. |
| 664 | * InterfaceSpoiler: If you find an NPC with unusual dialogue options, even if they don't cause anything to happen at that time, odds are they will be involved with a quest at some point in the future. The same is also true if the NPC simply lacks the usual dialogue options (latest rumors, little advice, little secret, etc.) |
| 665 | * InterserviceRivalry: |
| 666 | ** The Ordinators and Buoyant Armigers, both militant wings of the Tribunal Temple, don't really get along. |
| 667 | ** In ''Tribunal'', there is a rivalry and general sense of distrust between Almalexia's High Ordinators and King Helseth's Royal Guards. [[spoiler: When the city is attacked by fabricants, each faction will ask you to report the attack to their side's leadership. The quests in the second half of the ''Tribunal'' main quest are slightly different depending on which side you report to, though the ending is ultimately the same]]. |
| 668 | * InterspeciesRomance: One sidequest involves finding a Dunmer thief who stole a Breton noblewoman's jewels. She doesn't really care about the jewels, but rather [[LoveAtFirstSight the man who stole them]]. Should you choose to help her, you discover that her love is, in fact, requited. Depending on your interpretation of the questline, a male Nerevarine's relationship with Ahnassi might also count if the player is not a Khajiit. |
| 669 | * InUniverseGameClock: Standard for the series. The default time scale has 1 in-game hour equals 2 real-world minutes. (Essentially, an in-game day lasts 48 real life minutes.) |
| 670 | * InventoryManagementPuzzle: The series' standard inventory weight limit, known as encumbrance, is present. Going over the encumbrance limit means that you will no longer be able to move. Dropped items will remain in place indefinitely, allowing you to come back for them if need be. (The X-Box version will spawn an "[[https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Overflow_Loot_Bag overflow loot bag]]" once 256 items have been placed in a single cell. This limit is increased to 1024 items on PC, though even then, the bag may not spawn.) Barring a few notable exceptions, containers also never respawn, meaning any items you place within are safe. However, items left in corpses will vanish along with the corpses once the corpses despawn, which takes about three in-game days. You can build a stronghold through the [[TheClan Great House]] questlines which will act as your own [[AHomeOwnerIsYou personal fortress]][=/=]SuperheroTrophyShelf. Further, while going over the encumbrance limit prevents you from moving, there is no limit to the actual amount of items you can pick up. You can, for example, place thousands of pounds of items in a spot where you can reach all of them. Pick them up and, while you won't be able to physically move, you can still cast an [[WarpWhistle Intervention or Recall]] spell, allowing you to teleport to a predetermined location. All of the items you are carrying will come with you. |
| 671 | * InvisibleWall: Averted for map boundaries. Instead, with Vvardenfell being an island, the ocean surrounding it simply stretches on indefinitely. |
| 672 | * InvitedAsDinner: One in-game book features a thief mistaken for a "Lady Tressed" at a masquerade dinner party where everyone has weird names. Her partner is already there (asleep at the end of the table), being called "Esruoc Tsrif" by the guests. She eventually realizes that everyone is pronouncing their names backwards, but she waits until the vampires jump her to figure out who "Lady Tressed" is. |
| 673 | * InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath: In ''Bloodmoon'', the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of the Hunt Hircine kidnaps four of Solstheim's greatest warriors (the [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]], the local [[BadassArmy Imperial Legion]] Captain, the chieftain of the [[NobleSavage Skaal]], and the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Frost Giant]] Karstaag) to take place in his once-per-era hunt on Mundus. He has his werewolf minions kidnap the "prey", forces them to fight one another (as well as even more werewolves) within the maze-like glacier battlegrounds, and then the "winner" has to defeat [[WillfullyWeak one of Hircine's aspects]]. You can choose to spare the Imperial Captain, but the others must be killed in order to beat the quest. |
| 674 | * InvoluntaryShapeshifter: If you become a werewolf, you will transform every night. |
| 675 | * {{Irony}}: Some examples related to the tensions between the native Dunmer and the Outlanders: |
| 676 | ** If the lost prophecies are to be believed, [[spoiler:the Nerevarine is an outlander]], one of the same group of people the Ashlanders are trying to remove from Morrowind. |
| 677 | ** The Camonna Tong's biggest agenda is to drive the foreign Imperials out of Morrowind, and there is a lot of historical bad blood between the Dunmer and the Nords too. [[spoiler:Yet the Camonna Tong's main agent in the Fighters' Guild is a Nord, and his second-in-command is an Orc: another historical foreign enemy of the Dunmer]]. |
| 678 | * IrrelevantImportance: [=NPCs=] essential to completing the main quest are marked with an "Essential" tag, meaning that if you kill them, you will get a message that you've made the game unwinnable by the standard means. This tag remains present permanently, however, so if you kill someone important to the main quest after they've already played their part, you'll still get the message. |
| 679 | * IrrelevantSidequest: Standard for the series, but in a positive way since it's up to the player to decide which quests they want to complete. ''Morrowind'' even takes it a step further than usual by having it explicitly recommended to you to go do things outside the main quest in order to keep up your cover story as a freelance adventurer and as a way to gain money and experience. |
| 680 | * IShallTauntYou: |
| 681 | ** This is a game mechanic in conversations. The player can choose to Taunt an NPC, which lowers their disposition and may cause them to attack. If they do, you are within your legal right to kill them with no penalty to you. |
| 682 | ** [[spoiler: Dagoth Ur spends much of the final battle doing this to you. He's a god and knows you can't kill him... he doesn't know that you intend to remove his godhood.]] |
| 683 | * ItemCrafting: The Alchemy skill allows you to make your own [[PotionBrewingMechanic potions]] and the Enchant skill allows you to create magic equipment. Mage services also allow the player to [[SpellCrafting make custom spells]]. All three mechanics can easily [[GameBreaker break the game]], even at low or middling levels. |
| 684 | * ItemFarming: In a ''Bloodmoon' side quest, an armorer tasks you with hunting Snow Bears and Snow Wolves for their pelts. He will then turn those pelts into Snow Bear or Snow Wolf armor (medium armor and light armor, respectively) which is high quality and comes with a useful Resist Frost enchantment built in. To get both sets, you'll need 22 of each type of pelt. Snow Bears and Snow Wolves are uncommon enemies and are not guaranteed to drop a pelt upon death. Happy hunting. |
| 685 | * ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: The game offers a Subversion in the form of Telvanni Towers. Telvanni Towers are [[FungusHumongous massive mushroom]] towers grown using magic, and serve as {{Mage Tower}}s for high-ranking [[TheClan Great House]] [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]] mage-lords. The Towers are both tall and expansive, yet stairs are rare within. Instead, you need to use Levitation magic within in order to go between floors. Given that Telvanni councilors tend toward being [[ReallySevenHundredYearsold ancient]], [[AxeCrazy somewhat insane]], [[EvilSorcerer amoral wizards]] who believe MightMakesRight and actively practice KlingonPromotion, it can be inferred that anyone who can't cast such a simple spell simply isn't worth their time. |
| 686 | * ItsAlwaysSpring: While [[AlternativeCalendar in-game months]] do go by, Vvardenfell always seems to have a late-spring/early summer feel with fields full of crops, frequent rains/thunderstorms/fogs, and implied warm temperatures all around the island. Solstheim in ''Bloodmoon'' conversely has an always "dead of winter" feel with the sun usually obscured by clouds and frequent blizzards racking the island. |
| 687 | * ItsAWonderfulFailure: If you kill an NPC essential to completing the main quest, you get the following message: "With this character's death, the thread of prophecy is severed. Restore a saved game to restore the weave of fate, or persist in the doomed world you have created." |
| 688 | * ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Even for an ''Elder Scrolls'' player character, the Nerevarine has to endure a number of significant hardships while trying to save the world. They are an outlander in a place notorious for hating outlanders, get afflicted with a terrible disease (though are at least cured of the negative affects,) declared a heretic and persecuted by the Tribunal Temple, and all of this while being manipulated by the Empire, the local Tribunal deities, Azura, and Dagoth Ur. [[spoiler: And while he/she does manage to save the world at least twice, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero his/her actions indirectly lead to the destruction of most of Morrowind]] when Baar Dau resumes its fall and causes Red Mountain to erupt.]] Come ''Oblivion'', rumors indicate that the Nerevarine apparently left on an expedition to Akavir. The Nerevarine's story essentially ends with him/her the [[TheAgeless Ageless]] hero of a destroyed land, [[HappyEndingOverride their accomplishments largely rendered moot]], and having vanished off the face of Tamriel entirely. |
| 689 | * 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 player's involvement), so effectively superhuman. |
| 690 | [[/folder]] |
| 691 | |
| 692 | [[folder:J]] |
| 693 | * JackOfAllStats: Out of the playable races, it's the Dunmer. They get bonuses to assorted skills spread out between the Combat, Magic, and Stealth specializations. In terms of attributes, they are well balanced with limited deficiencies. With efficient leveling, they can approach MasterOfAll territory. |
| 694 | * {{Jerkass}}: |
| 695 | ** Most of both House Telvanni and the more corrupt members of the Tribunal Temple (especially the Ordinators). |
| 696 | ** Bolvyn Venim, Archmaster of House Redoran. He is hyper-xenophobic, even by traditionalist Redoran standards, and what little he will say to the player if pressed is outright vicious and hateful. He refuses to accept your promotions in House Redoran or your appointment as Hortator on the grounds that you're an outlander. He kidnaps one councilman's son on false murder charges, seemingly to punish the councilman for political differences, and is carrying on an almost public affair with another councilman's wife, despite being married himself, knowing fully well the cuckold can't do a thing about it. Whether you join House Redoran or just want to progress through the main quest, you will ultimately have to kill him because he simply can't be reasoned with. |
| 697 | * JerkassGods: |
| 698 | ** Vivec, one of the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deities]] of the Dunmer. While he has used his powers to help and protect the people of Morrowind in the past, and is the main opposition for [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] which makes him into a BigGood and SupportingLeader, he has his jerkass tendencies as well. In the distant past, Sheogorath hurled a "rogue moon" at Vivec's new {{Egopolis}}. Vivec used his power to stop it in mid-air above the city, [[SwordOfDamocles saying that it is held in place by the people's love for him]]. He also spends much of the game's main quest trying to have [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] killed, but this one is possibly justified. (He is a believer in YouCantFightFate, and he knew that all attempts to stop the true Nerevarine would be destined to fail, confirming his identity.) |
| 699 | ** 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.]] |
| 700 | ** In ''Bloodmoon'', Hircine, the Daedric Prince of the Hunt, is a Downplayed example. He does kidnap the greatest warriors on Solstheim for his [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame "hunt"]], but he also gives plenty of warnings, prophecies, signs, and such that it is time for the hunt. When a finalist emerges from his hunting grounds to challenge him directly, he also [[WillfullyWeak gives that person a sporting chance]] by fighting him at significantly reduced (but [[BroughtDownToBadass still incredibly strong for a mortal]]) strength. He also offers a legendary artifact as a reward for defeating him. |
| 701 | ** 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.]] |
| 702 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Most of the reasonable Dunmer you meet, [[RousseauWasRight really]]. While the Dunmer in general can be rather secretive, abrassive and xenophobic at face value, many of them will mellow and show a friendly and honourable side to the player. Some of the individual Dunmer [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] will even befriend you and become your trusted allies if you achieve a high enough reputation level with them. All the more impressive when you manage this as an Argonian or a Khajiit, as those two races [[FantasticRacism are usually not taken very seriously by the Dunmer]]. A lot of this applies to many non-Dunmer [[NonPlayerCharacter NPCs]] too, of course. |
| 703 | * JoinOrDie: Mages Guild Stewardess Ranis Athrys has this attitude toward [[WithUsOrAgainstus any mages who don't join the Guild]]. Several of her quests involve convincing outsider mages to join, and most can be accomplished by simply killing the mage in question. |
| 704 | * JokeItem: |
| 705 | ** A smuggler's cave not far from the starting town contains the unique "Fat Lute." It's a slightly bigger and heavier version of the standard lute item found elsewhere in the game, and isn't valuable in the least. |
| 706 | ** In ''Tribunal'', Stendarr's Hammer. A two-handed hammer with the highest base damage in the game across all expansions, but an utterly crippling weight of 1000 (your maximum carry limit without buffs is 500, by the way) an item Health value of 100 (for comparison, the weakest one-handed blunt weapon in the game, a Chitin Club, has 320), and an enchantment which includes Damage Fatigue 1-20 points on self. |
| 707 | * JourneyOfReclamation: |
| 708 | ** As part of the Great House Redoran questline, you can help acting councilor Brara Morvayn reclaim her family manor from Corprus beasts that overran it and killed her husband, Remas. Doing so is required to be named a Redoran councilor yourself. |
| 709 | ** Subverted in the sidequest "Search for Her Father's Amulet", where a woman named Satyana asks for your help in reclaiming her father's amulet from the family tomb. After fighting your way through to the amulet, if you refuse to give it to her, she reveals that [[spoiler:it's not really her family's tomb and tries to kill you]]. |
| 710 | * JumpPhysics: |
| 711 | ** At higher levels of the Acrobatics skill, the player can jump about two stories straight into the air. |
| 712 | ** The Scrolls of [[IcarusAllusion Icarian]] Flight. When used, they boost your Acrobatics skill by thousands of points, allowing you to [[InASingleBound leap for miles]]. However, they wear off after only a few seconds, meaning you'll no longer have the ability to land safely. (As the wizard who created them found out the hard way. You naturally loot the scrolls off of his fallen corpse.) They can still be utilized if you use them in conjunction with a Slowfall spell, a Levitation spell, [[SoftWater land in deep enough water]], or use a second scroll just prior to landing (though be warned, you [[TooAwesomeToUse only get three]]). |
| 713 | * JurisdictionFriction: One of the later Imperial Legion quests is to find a fellow Legionnaire who has been accused of murder and is beset by the local Ordinators who are eager to kill him on the spot; you have to kill his assailants and bring him to Ebonheart so that he can face Imperial rather than Dunmer justice. |
| 714 | * JustBeforeTheEnd: Of the reign of the Tribunal and really, the Dunmer way of life for the past 4000 years. |
| 715 | * JustBetweenYouAndMe: |
| 716 | ** Dagoth Ur at the end of the main quest gives you an opportunity to question his plans and motives before the final one-on-one duel. |
| 717 | ** [[spoiler: Almalexia]] at the end of ''Tribunal'' as well. |
| 718 | * JustifiedTutorial: A very short one in the beginning of the game as you exit the Imperial Prison Ship and enter the Census and Excise Office where you create your character. |
| 719 | * JustLikeRobinHood: Gentleman Jim Stacy, Grandmaster of the Thieves Guild, offers a set of quests in this vein known as the "Bal Molagmer" quests after an ancient order of {{karmic thie|f}}ves who operated in Morrowind. |
| 720 | [[/folder]] |
| 721 | |
| 722 | [[folder:K]] |
| 723 | * KarlMarxHatesYourGuts: |
| 724 | ** Goods have the same base price no matter where you go, and that price is only affected by the shopkeeper's disposition toward the player and the player's Mercantile skill. Even when both are maxed out, it is impossible to sell an item to that shopkeeper for the same or greater price than you could buy it for. |
| 725 | ** There is one notable aversion: Alchemy. It is possible to buy cheap, infinitely restocking ingredients from an alchemist/apothecary, turn those ingredients into a potion, and then sell the potion back for more gold than the ingredients themselves were worth. The only thing keeping this from being an infinite source of income is having to wait for the merchant's stock of gold to regenerate after 24 in-game hours. |
| 726 | * KarmicThief: [[MeaningfulName Gentleman]] [[GentlemanThief Jim Stacey]], Master Thief of the Thieves' Guild, offers a set of quests in this vein. All of the targets are wealthy and corrupt, and the items you steal are directly related to their acts of corruption. (Such as a forged land deed that would give a wealthy plantation owner the land of a widow or a slaver's ring purchased with the profits of his slavery business.) |
| 727 | * KatanasAreJustBetter: In terms of one-handed long blades, katanas play the trope straight. Even the game's InfinityMinusOneSword, Goldbrand (as well as its [[GuideDangIt hard-to-get]] upgraded version, [[InfinityPlusOneSword Eltonbrand]],) is a powerful enchanted katana. |
| 728 | * TheKeyIsBehindTheLock: It is common to find keys to the various doors of a dungeon or secure building in the farthest reaches of that location. Downplayed in there is still value in finding the key, as it can unlock other optional areas within as well as sometimes chests or other containers, saving you the trouble of picking the locks or using spells to open them. A prime Justified example (with one notable quest-related exception) are the [[TheClan Great House]] vaults in Vivec. In most cases, the only keys are carried by the [[ChurchPolice Ordinators]] standing guard within the vaults, meaning you will have had to pick the locks to get inside and the key is now useless to you if you choose to pickpocket or loot it. Justified for them, however, so they can come and go from the vaults. |
| 729 | * KeyUnderTheDoormat: The key to Mehra Milo's chamber is on some railing right next to the door. |
| 730 | * KeywordsConversation: New keywords are highlighted as hyperlinks in the dialogue window and known keywords are listed to the right (slightly filtered by the NPC's affiliations and story purpose). |
| 731 | * KickedUpstairs: It's implied that this is how Trebonius came to be the head of the Vvardenfell branch of the Mages Guild. His mainland superiors were tired of his incompetence, so they put him in charge of the most backwater province in the empire to keep him from mucking things up elsewhere. |
| 732 | * KillEnemiesToOpen: |
| 733 | ** Averted throughout most of the game, where sneaking past enemies and picking locks is a perfectly reasonable option. The game has ''very'' few true {{Plot Lock}}s. |
| 734 | ** Happens late in the main quest of the ''Tribunal'' expansion. To get to the final room of the [[spoiler:Clockwork City]], you must defeat the Imperfect. Only when the Imperfect has been slain will the door to the next room open. |
| 735 | * KillTheGod: The goal of the main quest is to find a way to defeat PhysicalGod BigBad Dagoth Ur. [[spoiler: He is really a god, and you cannot kill him directly... but you can cut him off from the source of his godhood, which has the same basic effect.]] You'll do it again in ''Tribunal'' with [[spoiler: Almalexia]]. |
| 736 | * KingIncognito: Toward the very end of the main quest, you may meet an old man named Wulf in Imperial armor hanging out inside of Ghostgate. If you talk to him, he'll ask that you take his "lucky coin" with you to Red Mountain. If you accept, you'll gain a new power which dramatically increases your Luck attribute for a time. Later, you can speak to the Imperial Cult Oracle about your encounter with the old man. She'll tell you that the old man was really an avatar of Tiber Septim, the first emperor of the Septim dynasty who ascended to godhood after his death. You'll gain two Reputation points and a disposition bump with Imperial aligned characters for having seen an incarnation of Tiber Septim. |
| 737 | * KingInTheMountain: Dagoth Ur is a villainous version. He was thought to have been vanquished, but having already attained godhood, his defeat was only temporary and he regained his power over several millennia leading up to the events of the game. |
| 738 | * KingOfThieves: The Master Thief of the ThievesGuild, Gentleman Jim Stacey. (After completing the questline, you can inherit the title.) |
| 739 | * KleptomaniacHero: Pretty much encouraged by the game itself. Especially true for those in the actual Thieves Guild. A few of the prime examples: |
| 740 | ** The Census and Excise office where you start the game. There is a built-in area out of sight where the player will acquire their first weapon, lockpicks, food, beverages, light source, and book. Even better, until you are officially released by the Captain and given your orders, you will not get a bounty for anything you steal in plain sight of the guards. Simply pick up anything you wish to steal and then set it on the ground before the guard gets to you. He'll reprimand you for stealing it, but there are no other consequences. Simply pick the stolen item back up when you're done and it's yours! You can acquire a very valuable Limeware Platter and a key to the Seyda Neen warehouse, which contains even more stuff to steal, with this method. It's entirely possible that the only merchant in town won't have enough gold to buy it all from you, necessitating some bartering. |
| 741 | ** An early Balmora Mages Guild quest will have Ajira call the resident enchanter Galbedeir down to the bottom floor so you can switch out one of her soul gems with a fake. This leaves every other soul gem (including one filled grand soul gem worth 60,000 gold) completely unguarded. The only draw back to stealing them is that Galbedeir will recognize ALL soul gems as stolen after that point, so you will no longer be able to use her enchanting service. |
| 742 | ** The ''very first'' Ald-Ruhn Thieves Guild quest will have you stealing an item from the neighboring Mages Guild. All of the mages inside will clear out, leaving only one inept guard who is easily killed by even the lowest leveled players. The mages will stay gone until you complete the quest, so feel free to loot the entire place from top to bottom, making several trips if you have to. |
| 743 | ** Unlike later games in the series, all merchants will buy stolen goods (unless you stole it from THEM, in which case they will recognize it as theirs.) The items will be marked as stolen, so they will be confiscated by guards if you are caught. However, [[FailedASpotCheck dropping the stolen items on the ground before the guard gets to you will prevent them from being confiscated.]] Simply pick them back up after you've paid your bounty and you're good to go. |
| 744 | ** Unfortunately, a quirk of the game engine discourages stealing stuff that isn't unique or gold (which doesn't count for this): instead of marking a specific incarnation of an item as stolen, it marks the base item as stolen -- in other words, steal a Grand Soul Gem, and ''all Grand Soul Gems you acquire are regarded as stolen''. Luckily, if you avoid run-ins with the law (or, as mentioned above, drop your stolen items before talking to the guards,) this is largely a non-issue unless you attempt to sell the stolen items back to the person you stole them from. |
| 745 | ** Lampshaded in the Tribunal expansion character Detritus Caria, who will give the player quests to collect worthless household items. |
| 746 | * KlingonPromotion: |
| 747 | ** Morrowind is rather tolerant of this. House Telvanni practice this as a rule, but many factions indulge in it. For bonus points, Tamrielic law even allows for it (within sanctioned limits), citing such matters as ''duels of honorable combat.'' |
| 748 | ** House Dagoth allows it as well, though you don't get to exploit it much as a player. If you talk to Dagoth Odros about this, he'll actually try to talk you out of it, reasoning that since he and Dagoth Ur's other lieutenants have ResurrectiveImmortality thanks to the power of Lorkhan's Heart while you do not, it would be much less risky for you to join their cause and serve peacefully rather than evoke this trope. |
| 749 | ** Averted by House Hlaalu. While taking control of the Redoran or Telvanni requires killing their current leader, Hlaalu's Grandmaster, Duke Vedam Dren, agrees to step down voluntarily if you tidy a few affairs for him beforehand. He figures leaving you with the headaches of the Grandmaster will give him more time to dedicate to his responsibilities as Imperial Duke of Vvardenfell. |
| 750 | * KnightTemplar: ''The Ordinators'' are shining example of the trope. They are the militant wing of the Tribunal Temple and do not tolerate outsiders. Walking past them will usually net you the "We're watching you... SCUM," response. Even if you become the new head of the Temple, the indirect boss of the Ordinators, they don't become much more tolerant. And may the gods help you if you mention the Nerevarine prophecy around them. Or wear their armor. |
| 751 | [[/folder]] |
| 752 | |
| 753 | [[folder:L]] |
| 754 | * LadyLand: The town of Tel Mora is ruled by Telvanni councilor Mistress Dratha, who despises all men. The town is entirely populated by female staff and residents. |
| 755 | * LaserGuidedKarma: Mages Guild Stewardess Ranis Athrys has a very WithUsOrAgainstUs, JoinOrDie attitude toward any mages who do not join the Mages Guild. Several of her quests involve convincing some of these outside mages to join the Guild, and in most cases, simply killing the outsider mage satisfies Ranis. During the quest to root out a [[TheMole Telvanni spy]], you can lie and say that Ranis is the spy. She'll be immediately expelled from the Guild. |
| 756 | * LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler:There's only one Dwemer left, deep in the bowels of the Corprusarium.]] And he's not all there anyway (physically or mentally). |
| 757 | * LavaIsBoilingKoolAid: Lava is actually treated fairly realistically. You don't sink in it, can't stand on it, and it doesn't really flow. However, [[ConvectionSchmonvection you can stand next to it for as long as you want]] as long as you aren't actually touching it. |
| 758 | * LavaPit: Plenty around Red Mountain and the Molag Amur region. If you join House Telvanni and raise in rank until you get your own stronghold, you'll have your own personal lava pit, which is very fitting for the EvilSorcerer Great House. |
| 759 | * LawOfCartographicalElegance: Canonically, Vvardenfell is an island separated from the mainland by a strip of water far less than what separates it from Solstheim. However, in-game, the water stretches on indefinitely. |
| 760 | * LeakingCanOfEvil: BigBad Dagoth Ur was initially defeated thousands of years ago and his physical form was destroyed. However, he had already used the [[MacGuffin Tools of Kagrenac]] on the [[GodIsDead Heart of Lorkhan]], allowing him to [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascend to godhood]]. Over the millennia that the Tribunal, a trio of Dunmeri [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]], ruled Morrowind, he coalesced and returned to a physical form. He ambushed the Tribunal on one of their yearly pilgrimages to the Heart to replenish their divinity and stole two of the Tools. Cut off from their source of power, the Tribunal erected the Ghostfence around Dagoth Ur's citadel of [[{{Mordor}} Red Mountain]], hoping to keep him contained. Unfortunately, his power has waxed since re-awaking while the Tribunal's have waned, allowing him to spread his influence outside the Ghostfence via [[TheCorruption The Blight]] and [[PsychicDreamsForEveryone psychic dreams]] for his followers, while the Ghostfence is implied to have shrunk from a dome (which kept the Blight mostly contained) to a simple wall (which allows the Blight to be carried outside Red Mountain by winds and cliff racers). |
| 761 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: |
| 762 | ** 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: |
| 763 | ---> '''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."'' |
| 764 | ** 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. |
| 765 | * LeeroyJenkins: This is a major cause of some of the game's notorious {{Escort Mission}}s. That withered old pilgrim who begged you to escort her to a shrine? She won't hesitate for a second to charge that [[ElementalEmbodiment Atronach]] ''[[PlayingWithFire made of fire]]'' with fists swinging. A OneHitKO usually ensues in these situations. You'll be thankful when you can command an escortee to "Wait Here" while you go clear the path ahead to prevent any "Leeroy-ing", but this isn't always an option. |
| 766 | * LegacyOfTheChosen: One main quest mission has you visit the Cavern of the Incarnate, where you can speak to the shades of half a dozen people who previously tried and failed to become [[TheChosenOne the Nerevarine]]. |
| 767 | * LegendaryInTheSequel: Jiub - your bald, shirtless, one-eyed fellow prisoner aboard the Imperial Prison Ship at the beginning of the game - only has about a half dozen lines of dialogue and then vanishes completely from the game. However, that didn't stop the fandom from taking a liking to him, including the creation of FanFics and {{Game Mod}}s which add him back into the game. Bethesda took notice and by ''Oblivion'', he is recognized as a Saint in Morrowind for driving the much-reviled Cliff Racers to extinction. |
| 768 | * LegendaryWeapon: Numerous examples, particularly any weapons of Daedric origin. |
| 769 | * TheLegendOfChekhov: The main quest plays with this, in that the particulars of a certain historical event relevant to the main plot of the game are [[TheRashomon recounted differently by the various involved parties]]. |
| 770 | * LethalJokeItem: |
| 771 | ** The Boots of Blinding Speed. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin They're boots that let you run really fast, but blind you.]] However, a bit of magicka resistance will negate the blinding effect, leaving you with only the positive effect. |
| 772 | ** The scrolls of Icarian Flight, which let you jump all the way across the continent in a single bound, zig-zag this trope; while at first glance they appear straightforwardly awesome, if you use one you find out that they are indeed lethal... to ''you'', since they wear off before you hit the ground and lead to a generally-fatal impact. When combined with a Slow Fall or Levitation spell near the end of your jump, they become amazingly valuable... but there's only three in the entire game, so they also become TooAwesomeToUse. |
| 773 | ** ''Tribunal'' adds the [=BiPolar=] Blade as a reward for completing "[[MatchMakerQuest the Match Maker]]" side quest. The two enchantments on the blade cancel each other out, which is fitting given the name of the weapon, but it still a powerful blade in its own right - dealing base damage on the level of the game's other artifact two-handed blades. Unlike the other artifact two-handed blades, which are in the hands of powerful enemies toward the end of lengthy faction quest lines, the [=BiPolar=] Blade can be obtained as soon as you reach Mournhold and requires no combat as part of the quest to obtain it. (It can also be sold to the Mournhold Museum for a cool 20,000 gold if you prefer.) |
| 774 | * LethalJokeCharacter: the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mudcrab Merchant]]. He is identical in appearance to other Mudcrabs, he's hidden on a specific island in the Azura's Coast region, [[GuideDangIt is difficult to find]], he speaks with a drunken dialect... and he has more available gold for bartering then any other merchant in the game outside of the expansions. Even better, he's classed as a "creature," meaning he doesn't have a Disposition or Mercantile skill. Any items you sell him will be sold at their base price, making it ''extremely'' profitable to sell him your loot. If he's too far out in the wilderness for your liking, you can also escort him somewhere more convenient using a "Command Creature" spell. |
| 775 | * LethalLavaLand: The Molag Amur region southeast of Red Mountain, characterized by the presence of lava pools and rivers on the surface. The land is predominantly dark volcanic rock covered with an overlay of ash and cinder. |
| 776 | * LevelEditor: The PC version of the game comes with the "Construction Set." It is simple to learn and very flexible, allowing you to manipulate the game in a wide variety of ways. |
| 777 | * LevelGrinding: Expect to do it if you want to be come proficient in any skill, particularly the weapon skills. Made easier with unlimited training per level (unlike the later games in the series,) but only if you can afford it. |
| 778 | * LevelScaling: The game has very limited level-scaling, especially in comparison to other games in the series. To note: |
| 779 | ** Creatures in the wilderness and outside of caves/tombs level up with the player to a degree. (For example, a stronger creature might spawn if you're at a higher level, but the creatures remain the same regardless of level. So a Scamp encountered at level 1 will be exactly as strong as a Scamp encountered at level 20.) Those inside, however, do not. The quantity of enemies the player encounters also increases, at higher levels being attacked often by enemies that are not strong enough to provide a challenge, like [[GoddamnBats Cliff Racers.]] This makes the game exceedingly difficult at lower levels, and exceedingly easy at higher ones. |
| 780 | ** Loot inside of containers is also randomly generated based on the player's level ("leveled lists"). The higher the level, the better the chance of finding higher-quality items. Items outside of the containers are hand-placed, however, and will be the same regardless of your level. |
| 781 | * LevelUpAtIntimacy5: Male {{Player Character}}s can undertake the "[[RomanceSidequest A Special Friend]]" sidequest line from the [[CatFolk Khajiit]] Ahnassi, who clearly has a crush on the PC. It evolves from simple tasks like bringing her flowers to heavier stuff like helping her [[FantasticDrug skooma]]-addicted ex get clean. Completing it rewards your with the location of a key to the [[TheClan Great House]] Redoran vaults with plentiful valuable items to steal, an introduction to the Master Trainer of Acrobatics, and the free use of Ahnassi's house for resting. |
| 782 | * LevitatingLotusPosition: The primary position [[PhysicalGod Lord Vivec]] takes in his temple. |
| 783 | * LighthousePoint: The starting town of Seyda Neen has a lighthouse, and due to the island's quarantine because of the Blight, is the only (legal) port for boats coming from the mainland. |
| 784 | * LightningGun: Shock spells have this appearance, firing a "ball" of electricity at opponents. |
| 785 | * LikeADuckTakesToWater: |
| 786 | ** 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. AsskickingLeadsToLeadership 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. |
| 787 | ** The three joinable Dunmeri [[TheClan Great Houses]] are a particularly prominent example, crossing over with MightyWhitey. The [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] is explictly an outlander (even if played as a Dunmer) who arrives in one of the most alien settings in Tamriel. Despite this, the they can join any of the Great Houses and rise in rank as easily as any of the Imperial factions. In many cases, the other high ranking members have been active in the house for decades (or ''[[WizardsLiveLonger centuries]]'' in the case of the [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]]) but will easily be jumped. Helping matters is that each house has a councilor who serves as a mentor to the Nerevarine[[note]]Crassus Curio for the [[ProudMerchantRace Hlaalu]], Athyn Sarethi for the [[ProudWarriorRace Redoran]], and Master Aryon for the Telvanni[[/note]], helping them to navigate the tricky politics, red tape, blackmail, and even outright ''murder'' that tends to slow down progress. That same mentor will also gladly [[TheCreon step aside]] when the Nerevarine reaches the highest ranks, gladly serving as a "#2". |
| 788 | * LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Generally played straight with a few quirks. Any character build is going to have some difficulty in the [[EarlyGameHell very early going]], but warrior types are going to have it a bit easier than magic users. Once magic users gain access to (and have the funds to pay for) custom spells, they become much more powerful. However, late in the game (and especially in the expansions,) most high level foes resist magic to some degree or outright reflect it, suddenly making things very challenging for magic users once again. And there there is the [[GoodBadBugs Alchemy abuse bug]] which, with Alchemy classed as a magic based skill, can turn the "wizard" types into walking [[TheSingularity singularities]]. |
| 789 | * TheLittleDetecto: Three spells are available which allow the detection of Creatures, Magic/Enchantments, and ''Keys''. While the last is very handy, one wonders what aspect of keys makes them detectable versus any other particular object. (Although it does serve a kind of MundaneUtility verisimilitude. One can only imagine a wizard inventing it after turning his laboratory inside-out trying to figure out where he left his keys last night.) |
| 790 | * LivingGasbag: The Netch are basically giant, flying, gas-filled jellyfish. |
| 791 | * LivingRelic: You can meet the [[LastOfHisKind last living]] [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwemer]]. He was [[ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts on another plane]] when the calamity that caused his people to vanish occurred and returned to find them gone. He caught the [[MysticalPlague Corprus Disease]] shortly after and entered the care of Divayth Fyr in his Corprusarium. He unfortunately [[RiddleForTheAges doesn't know why his people vanished]], though if you bring him the right books, he can help you come up with a pretty good theory. |
| 792 | * LiquidCourage: [[ExaggeratedTrope Taken to the extreme]]. The game has a variety of alcoholic beverages that temporarily buff certain attributes such as Strength or Endurance, while draining others such as Agility or Intelligence, with the positive effects usually outweighing the negative in combat. These buffs and debuffs stack infinitely if you drink more than one bottle, and it is impossible to black out or die of alcohol poisoning, allowing you to more than double your strength by binge-drinking. Because ''Morrowind''[='s=] interface pauses the game whenever you open your inventory to quaff a potion or drink, you can stop half a second away from death in the middle of a fight, immediately drink a dozen or more large jugs of strong alcohol, and then kill your powerful opponent with one hit. |
| 793 | * LoadBearingBoss: Dagoth Ur, though indirectly. [[spoiler: He is a god, and you cannot actually kill him, because he'll just immediately resurrect again. However, when you sever his ties to the Heart of Lorkhan, he will die and, due to the bindings on the Heart being removed, the room you are in will collapse into the lava below.]] |
| 794 | * LoadingScreen: Both versions of the game display creature art while loading. The Xbox version also shows game tips. |
| 795 | * LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: |
| 796 | ** When the game first came out, loading times were absolutely ''abysmal'' on both the Xbox and PC versions. The overworld would take as long as three minutes to load and doing something as simple as ''running too fast'' could cause the game to grind to a halt. Thankfully, as technology has advanced in the decade plus since the game was released, this is now significantly less of an issue. Even a modern "off the shelf" PC can now play the game with loading times of less than a second. At times, the "Loading..." box at the bottom of the screen appears and disappears so quickly you barely notice it. |
| 797 | ** The game, with such a large seemless overworld and quality graphics, pushed the Xbox to its absolute limits. This necessitated some genius programming utilizing a little known trick - a background reboot of the system. Once the system memory is nearly full, the game puts up a loading screen while ''rebooting the Xbox in the background''. This clears the memory, allowing you to keep playing, while explaining some of those excessive 3+ minute loads. |
| 798 | * LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests: Dozens of them spread out through the game. The game actually justifies taking the time to do them as well, as it is recommended to you to keep up your cover identity as a freelance adventurer to hide that you are working for the Blades. [[spoiler: And later, after you've been named the Nerevarine/Hortator, you can complete them to fulfill your duty to protect the people of Morrowind.]] |
| 799 | * LockAndKeyPuzzle: In the dungeons of Tel Fyr, there is a series of chests each with a key and some minor treasure in them. Each key unlocks the next chest in the series, with the contents getting more and more valuable. Get to the end and you can walk away with a few legendary weapons and the best Light Armor cuirass in the game. |
| 800 | * {{Lockdown}}: Each of the ThievesGuild OpenSecret "Guild Halls" is putting a plan in place to defend against attack by the rival [[TheSyndicate Camonna Tong]]. The Balmora Guild Hall tasks you with finding a "Master of Security" to rig the South Wall Cornerclub to be able to "lock down" in this fashion should the Tong attack. |
| 801 | * LockedDoor: All over the place, including locked containers sa well. Some have keys if you can find (or steal) them. The rest must be picked (with success based on your Security skill and the quality of the lockpick) or unlocked with an "Open" spell (with the lock level it can open based on the spell's strength). |
| 802 | * LockedInAFreezer: The in-game book ''The Locked Room'' features this. |
| 803 | * LodgedBladeRecycling: Possible to do with arrows. If you are struck by an enemy archer, there is a small chance that the arrow will appear in your inventory. You can then equip it and fire it back, with the implication being that you ''took it out of your own flesh''. Likewise, if an enemy archer is shot with a better quality arrow than what they possess, there's a chance they will send it straight back at you in the same fashion. |
| 804 | * LongBusTrip: The Neverarine following the events of the game. [[spoiler:In ''Oblivion'', it is mentioned that he/she left on an expedition to [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]] and has not been heard from since]]. |
| 805 | * LongDeadBadass: The original Nerevar to the Dunmer people. He is treated as the FounderOfTheKingdom and the Tribunal rule in his name [[spoiler:(even though they are [[TheRashomon very likely]] responsible for his death)]]. He's been sainted by their church and is held up as the standard all Dunmer should aspire to be. |
| 806 | * LongLived: Not counting divine beings like the Tribunal or those who have enhanced their lifespans through magic like the Telvanni, there are several instances of particularly long-lived people in Morrowind. |
| 807 | ** Nevevar, in the backstory, was in his 200s when he was killed and was still acting as a FrontlineGeneral. Dagoth Ur and Sotha Sil were said to be of "Nerevar's generation," so they were likely of similar age and still quite active before acquiring godhood. |
| 808 | ** Barenziah, the Queen Mother, is in her 400s (old enough to have had an affair with Tiber Septim) and is as crafty as ever. |
| 809 | * LooksLikeOrlok: Scamps check every box for looking like Orlok save for the hooked nose (Scamps have nostril slits instead) and the trenchcoat (Scamps don't wear clothing). |
| 810 | * LordBritishPostulate: ''Tribunal'' adds the King of Morrowind, Hlaalu Helseth, as a major character. He is in a room full of at least a half-dozen of his [[PraetorianGuard tough bodyguards]] at any given time and wears a [[RingOfPower signet ring]] that bestows some incredible defenses upon him. Notably, the ring [[AntiMagic blocks all magic]] used on him except elemental spells, which it will instead [[AttackReflector reflect back onto the caster]]. It also has constant effect Health and Fatigue restoration enchantments, meaning he will heal faster than you can reasonably damage him and will never tire out during the fight. This adds up to him being virtually unkillable. (Emphasis on the "virtually" though, as he can definitely be killed, allowing you to loot his PurposefullyOverpowered ring.) |
| 811 | * LostInTranslation: |
| 812 | ** A special case occurs in the German version of the ''Bloodmoon'' expansion - in one dialogue, the translator forgot to add the text link leading to a quest start, which results in a (small, but quite helpful) side quest being completely lost. |
| 813 | ** In the Polish translation, it's pretty hard to rest in some taverns due to the option, when available, being listed last in the dialogue sidebar, due to Morrowind's topic ordering system not recognizing letters of the Polish alphabet. |
| 814 | * LostLanguage: The Mages Guild [[SidequestSidestory questline]] involves translating Dwemeris, the language of the disappeared Dwemer. |
| 815 | * LostSuperweapon: [[spoiler:Akhulakhan is being built from [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Numidium's]] blueprint, replacing the Mantella with the Heart of Lorkhan as a power source.]] |
| 816 | * LostTechnology: Nearly anything created by the Dwemer, as per series tradition. |
| 817 | * LovableSexManiac: Crassius Curio, a DepravedBisexual with CampGay dialogue who doesn't [[ExtremeOmnisexual discriminate between gender, race, or even species]] and who also wrote a StylisticSuck pornographic play ("The Lusty Argonian Maid") about a LizardFolk maid with [[HerCodenameWasMarySue a thinly veiled expy of himself as a character]]. He's ''also'' a Councilor of [[ProudMerchantRace Great House Hlaalu]] who is a GuileHero ObfuscatingStupidity while weeding out the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive extreme]] and [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder dangerous]] corruption in the House. Sure, if you want to advance in the House Hlaalu questline or gain his support as Hlaalu Hortator in the main quest, he'll want to see you naked and you'll need to give him a kiss (or bribe him 5000 gold), but he's one of the most supportive and least corrupt characters in the game. |
| 818 | * LoveBeforeFirstSight: With elements of LovingAShadow as well. The in-game two-part novel "Palla" is an example. The story's narrator falls in love with Pal La after seeing a statue of her fighting the monster that ultimately killed her; being a necromancer, he sets about the monumental task of bringing Pal La back to life, so they can live happily and in love ever after. [[spoiler: He finally succeeds, but before he can join his beloved, he finds out that Pal La was the monster. Who is happy to meet him]]. |
| 819 | * LovecraftianSuperpower: [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] and his minions. He is a PhysicalGod DeityOfHumanOrigin who gained his power by tapping into the [[CosmicKeystone Heart]] of a [[GodIsDead "dead" god]]. Aside from his CompleteImmortality [[spoiler:(at least until his connection to the Heart is severed)]], he also gains the power to create and spread the [[ViralTransformation Corprus]] [[MysticalPlague Disease]], a form of TheCorruption which turns sufferers into Dagoth's mindless, BodyHorror, HumanoidAbomination, PlagueZombie minions. |
| 820 | * LowLevelAdvantage: |
| 821 | ** Generally averted in the game, but there is one Imperial Cult quest where you will get a better reward if a certain skill is below level 40. (Specifically, your blunt weapon skill.) |
| 822 | ** Outdoor creature spawns scale roughly to your level. For example, a Daedra spawn point might spawn a Scamp at level 1, but spawn a Dremora Lord. at level 20. However, [=NPCs=] do not. When doing escort quests, it's therefore generally easier to keep your escort alive if your level is low. |
| 823 | * LowLevelRun: Possible by abusing the game-breaking Alchemy exploit. Because the game is paused when the player stops to brew potions, the player can brew an INT boosting potion that lasts a short time, drink it, and then immediately brew another potion that provides an even greater bonus (as alchemy stat bonuses are affected by your INT stat), and it would stack to absurd levels until you can create a potion that restored your entire health pool many times over each second for a real-life hour. This then allows the player to wield the Tools of Kagrenac, Keening and Sunder, without Wraithguard, the protective gauntlet needed to use them. (Otherwise, the tools quickly drain the health of the wielder.) By doing this, it's possible to complete the game's main quest in under 10 minutes. |
| 824 | * LuckStat: The Luck attribute. It affects the success rate of everything you do, from hitting attacks, to lockpicking, to creating potions, and a lot else. |
| 825 | * LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: The Block skill. While shields are considered a piece of armor which counts toward your overall armor rating, they have the ability to block an incoming non-magical attack (with the damage instead being taken out of the [[BreakableWeapons shield's condition]]). This is not an "active" ability however, and the chance that it triggers is based on the Block skill and Luck attribute. |
| 826 | [[/folder]] |
| 827 |
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