Once again, we are celebrating the new year by organizing our annual Writing Competition at the Morrowind Writers' Guild Discord server. From the 9^thof January, 2026 until the 24^thof January, 2026, you can submit one or more pieces of literature about Morrowind in the #submissions channel of the server with the chance to win tangible prizes. The competition will start and end on the indicated days, at 00:00, according to UTC. (Coordinated Universal Time.)

Important note: due to certain events happening in my private life, this will be the last Writing Competition I can guarantee we’ll organize. Even if competitions happen again in the future, they won’t be run by me, which means this will be our final “classic” Writing Competition. So if you’ve ever told yourself “I’ll join next year”… This is your year. This is your moment.

What do you consider a “piece of literature?”

Any written work, in any genre, such as fan fiction or essay.

This year, we will once again also accept mods that involve writing: it can be a quest or a dialogue mod, or a new in-game book, for example)

Why should I participate?

Just by participating, you might gain an audience for your writing, along with feedback from the members of the server.

In addition to which, the author of the writing that gains the first place will win a special channel on the server dedicated just for them and their writings, where the spotlight will be entirely on them. (In the Corners of Our Writers section of the server, similarly to the channels already there.)

The winner will also win the “Champion of Writing” vanity role in the server.

Cxu mi rajtas partopreni per skribajxo kiu estas en alia lingvo ol la angla?

Every writing that you submit must be in English.

Ayup lass, can uz piece o’ literature be written li’ dis?

Works submitted in any dialect of modern English are acceptable.

I have just finished a fan fiction which can be compared to In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, as far as length is concerned. I want to submit it for the competition, so please spend weeks reading it and giving me feedback!

This time there are no restrictions concerning length. However, please bear in mind that people might have a limited capacity to read, so if you want a bigger chance to receive feedback, you might want to aim for submitting shorter pieces. If you insist on a writing a larger project for this competition, the submission of an excerpt or a demo instead of the whole work is totally acceptable, and recommended too.

I have a drawing which depicts Darth Vader surviving Episode VI and establishing a new Jedi order with Luke, as Anakin Skywalker once again. Can I submit that for this competition?

Works submitted must be about Morrowind and they absolutely should be, at the very least in part, some kind of a written work.

I have a fan fiction about an Orc Barbarian who beheads his enemies and uses their heads as hats. Can I submit that for the competition?

There are no restrictions concerning the theme (as long as it fits the broader theme of Morrowind). We believe that one of the most important functions of art is self-expression. Works exploring sexuality, trauma, grief, violence or other sensitive topics are okay, but the usage of content warnings before posting is highly recommended.

How can I submit my work?

Your work can be published on any platform that is NOT a site of a deep web**, as long as you provide a link in the #submissions channel of the Morrowind Writers' Guild server for us to access it. Somewhere at the top of your description, please include the line “Part of the Morrowind Writing Competition organized by the Morrowind Writers’ Guild” and an invite link to the server. (Can be found in the #invite-link channel of the server)

**I understand being shy about your piece of writing, however, one of the aims of this competition is to advertise our server and get new friends for us to hang out with, so just putting your work up to Google Docs, or uploading the .esp will not be acceptable this time. Your work must be published on a proper site of the surface web to be considered this time. For fan fictions and essays, we recommend using https://archiveofourown.org/(or AO3), for mods, we recommend https://www.nexusmods.com/but any site on the surface web is fine.

I will just copy-paste a popular fan fiction from AO3 and submit that as my original work, muhahahahahaha!

For anything that you submit, plagiarism is forbidden: your writing must absolutely be your own, original work.

In case of mods, just like in other modding competitions, using any non-written assets by other modders is permitted, as long as you credit them, and you’re sure that you have their explicit permission for using their asset.

What about using AI, such as ChatGPT to help me write my work?

Since there is no way to catch anyone (in a foolproof way) who would cheat with ChatGPT at this point, its usage for the sake of this competition is tolerated, but not endorsed. Just try to use it for brainstorming and inspiration instead of making it write the whole thing, okay?

How will the winner of the competition be determined?

The winners will be based on the vox populi: members of the server will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite piece of literature once the competition ends.

Can everyone participate in this competition?

Since it’s a competition organized by two people, only members of the server can participate, by submitting their work in the #submissions channel. If there’s someone you would like to participate in the competition, who is not a member of the server, you can use the invite in the #invite-link channel of the server to invite them.

You can join our server here.

How about a completely optional theme, just to get us inspired?

This year, we won’t have an optional theme, but a bunch of optional themes. As many of you know, last year, we had monthly Writing Challenges in our server. Feel free to pick any of the themes of the challenges. As a bonus, since the Writing Challenges are an ongoing event, if you choose to use any of these themes you can submit your work to both the Writing Competition and the Writing Challenge! Here’s the list of themes:

1. Alternate history
2. One room, one story
3. Inversion
4. Superheroes
5. Roman Isekai - a Roman soldier ends up in Nirn somehow
6. Narsis (TR's version)
7. Airships
8. Balmora Gravemarket (Morrowind mod)
9. The Great Hive Baan Binif (MK concept art/Morrowind mod)
10. The HoonDing
11. "Prophecy and Myth" and "Hunting and Horrors"
12. The Mistaken Nerevarine (An avarage person gets mistaken for the Nerevarine)

• Race: Argonian
• Gender: Male
• Birthsign: [You'll need to complete this]
• Class: Bounty Hunter
  You work as a professional tracker, often confused with common mercenaries, but your specialty lies in hunting individuals with prices on their heads. Your focus on profit has honed your skills in Speechcraft and Mercantile, essential for negotiating contracts. You're proficient with multiple weapon types including Spear, Short Blade, Long Blade, and Marksman, and you prefer the flexibility of Medium Armor for your work.
• Background: Escaped slave
• Starting scenario: Having a drink at Desele's

Religion

Even though you're far from the marshlands and the roots of the Hist, you maintain your spiritual practices. You sample tree resin from various species, believing each carries whispers of the Hist's distant wisdom. Whenever possible, you bathe in natural waters while meditating and reflecting on dreams that might carry messages from home. You make it a point to sleep next to trees and water sources, attempting to maintain your spiritual connection with the Hist through dreams despite the vast distance.

Affiliations

You maintain membership in the Fighters Guild, which provides you with legitimate bounty contracts and professional credibility while offering protection under guild law. Secretly, you support the Twin Lamps and their anti-slavery efforts, using your bounty hunter connections to gather intelligence on slave routes and identify sympathetic contacts. You also view the Thieves Guild as potential allies against the Camonna Tong, reasoning that the enemies of your enemies could prove valuable in your dangerous profession.

Interests

You actively seek out master trainers to perfect your tracking and combat abilities, knowing that superior skills mean better survival odds in your dangerous line of work. You're drawn to exploring caves and dungeons, partly because many fugitives hide in such places, but also because these locations often conceal enslaved people you might be able to help.

Goals

Your primary objective is to remain free at all costs. You exercise extreme caution with the law, avoid drawing attention to yourself, and keep your distance from Telvanni settlements where recapture would mean certain death. You've dedicated yourself to freeing slaves, killing slavers, and destroying slave-related activities wherever you encounter them, turning your hunting skills against those who once owned you.Maintaining your cover, however is the top priority. When direct rescue isn't possible, you collect lockpicks to slip into slaves' pockets, giving them tools for their own escape attempts.

Handicaps

You have a single handicap: keep your cover at all times. Being captured or imprisoned results in an immediate game over.
Weigh your decisions carefully before freeing slaves, killing slavers and accepting missions.

Personal Quirks

You dislike sleeping indoors when possible, as enclosed spaces trigger memories of the mines and your sister's trapped cries. You harbor an irrational hatred of pickaxes and mining tools, refusing contracts that require entering active mines.

Backstory

Kesh-Meeus spent his early years in the salt mines near Tear, branded with the slave tattoos that marked him as property of House Dres. His clutch-sister Seeks-Deep-Waters died during a cave-in that the overseers ignored for three days, teaching him that mer cared nothing for Argonian lives. The trauma of losing her while hearing her fading calls through the rubble shaped his methodical, patient approach to hunting - he never rushes into situations without multiple escape routes planned.
His escape came during a prisoner transport when raiders attacked the caravan. In the chaos, Kesh-Meeus slipped his bonds and fled into the wilderness. he realized the best place to hide was among the very people hunting escaped slaves. He began working as a bounty hunter, using his insider knowledge of how slaves think and move to track other fugitives. The irony wasn't lost on him - he became exceptionally good at what he'd once feared most.

There's also a modlist for this character on my Patreon.

Race: Khajiit (or variants)
Birthsign: The Thief
Class: Juggler (Class 057)
Class Description: You use the magic arts to entertain and amaze, causing fireballs and knives to dance through the air in feats of artistic and technical skill that defy the laws of nature.
Starting Scenario: Performer
Background: Knife Thrower (Raised in Carnival or Street Urchin work too.)

Religion

You worship Azura as patron of the Khajiit and goddess of transitions, seeing her as the protector of your people and guide through life's changes.

Affiliations

✅Twin Lamps
✅Thieves Guild
✅Mages Guild
🟡House Hlaalu
🟡Morag Tong
🟡Blades
❌Tribunal Temple
❌Imperial Cult and Legion
❌House Redoran and Telvanni

Interests

You specialize in magical throwing weapons, always keeping one from each stack of projectiles you acquire.
You collect Books of Riddles and any materials that could enhance your performances.
You actively seek out bandit and slaver hideouts, knowing they contain both valuable loot and slaves who desperately need liberation.

Goals and handicaps

You search tirelessly for your sister Ahdri, who remains enslaved somewhere in a cave.
You work to establish a network of safe houses across Vvardenfell for escaped slaves.
You favour fire magic above all other elements
Your attire is always eye-catching

Likes and Dislikes

You despise any form of slavery or bondage, viewing chains as an affront to the natural order of freedom.
You find yourself fascinated by lock mechanisms and keys, seeing each as a puzzle that represents potential liberation. You collect keys of any size and shape.

Backstory suggestion

Daro'Vashi Bright-Paws was born in Rimmen, where his mother performed for coin in the marketplace while his father worked as a caravan guard. From an early age, Daro'Vashi showed remarkable dexterity and an intuitive understanding of magic, learning to juggle flaming torches before he could properly read. His performances grew increasingly elaborate, but his greatest skill wasn't in entertainment: it was in making things disappear from his audience's pockets while they watched his dancing flames.

Find the modlist on my Patreon

This character was created for a permadeath run. Was it wise to make a gardener for such a run? No. Was it fun? Yes. Does this character have potential for a fun playthough? Absolutely!

Character Sheet

Race: Dunmer
Birthsign: The Thief (Sanctuary and might need to borrow things from richer people)
Class: Gardeners tend the plants and trees, and keep them looking pretty. They are often employed by nobility or the temple to keep their parks and gardens watered during dry and dusty periods.
Starting Scenario: Ashlander

Religion

• You do not practice the Ancestral worship or the Daedra worship.
• You will eventually discover Dibella, the goddess of beauty and the arts.
• Practice your faith by creating beautiful arrangements wherever you go or painting flowers.

Affiliations

• House Hlaalu: Their philosophy of embracing change for a better life resonates with you.
• Alternatively, you could join House Telvanni, they can always use a good gardener to tend to their mushroom towers.
• The Imperial Cult - Join and collect or grow plants for the Imperial cult (lay healer tasks)

Interests

• The unique flora of Morrowind
• Finely crafted objects (silverware, jewelry)
• Paintings, especially still life.

Goals

• Have a collection of potted plants and a proper garden at home.
• Purchase a manor that doubles up as a museum (pretty things that also make you money)
• Surround yourself with companions who can protect you and complete their questline.

Likes and Dislikes

• You dislike getting your hands dirty with manual labor that isn't gardening.
• You dislike the harsh life most Ashlanders seem so intent on living, refusing progress in the name of traditions and faith.

Special rules

• You are not a fighter, hire bodyguards asap
• No murder or cruelty. Theft may be necessary
• Do not use common items (clothing, iron, and chitin, low value)

Backstory

You were born into a small tribe in the Grazelands, where beauty was considered a luxury the harsh tribal life couldn't afford. While other children learned to hunt netch and tend guar, you found yourself fascinated by the prettiest flowers. Not the edible plants, or the medicinal ones, but those that had no purpose but beauty. You would spend hours cultivating small gardens around the camp, much to your elders' disapproval. Your aunt Manabi and Wise Woman of the tribe often scolded you, saying, "Pretty flowers don't fill empty bellies, child."

The defining trauma came during a particularly brutal ashstorm when you were fifteen. The tribe lost most of the livestock, and you watched your carefully tended garden get buried under ash. You realized then that beauty without security was meaningless, and that you needed to find a way to have both. After years of dreaming about the ornate Imperial gardens described by traveling merchants who would occasionally stop to trade with the tribe, you finally left the tribe at dawn one morning, carrying only your gardening tools and a handful of plants.

You'll find the modlist on my Patreon!

CW: Slavery, unethical/controversial character

The Cat-Catcher class by Ahead of the Classes is a dark, morally ambiguous bounty hunter who tracks escaped slaves - especially Khajiit. This roleplay guide explores a brutal character path rooted in Morrowind’s slave economy and Dunmer xenophobia. It is intended as a narrative and roleplay challenge, not an endorsement of its ethics.

Whether your character is a cold professional, a sadist, or someone just trying to survive, playing a Cat-Catcher means walking a dangerous line. Will you rise in the ranks of the Camonna Tong? Or will your guilt eat at you over time?

Due to the origin story of the Empire, the Alessian slave rebellion, slavery is hated by most people, except for the Dunmer. Therefore, a Dunmer character would fit best for such a playthrough. The character's motivations can be simply survival by doing a job, Dunmer traditionalism or just being a sadist. However, a Khajiit character is also possible and would make an even darker character: for whatever reason they elected to betray their own people. It could be that blackmail was involved or that they seek money above anything else. For birthsign, The Steed fits best in my opinion: you need to be quick to catch those escaped slaves!

Goals of the character could include becoming the leader of the Camonna Tong so that eventually others would catch your escaped slaves and you won't have to do dirty work anymore. Alternatively you can also become the leader of the Slave Hunters factions to coordinate cat-catching around Vvardenfell. Handicaps include a commitment not to kill but rather overpower your opponents: dead people cannot be enslaved without necromancy. Perhaps your character is tormented by nightmares: the faces of their victims haunt them at night, for this reason you can never sleep for more than a couple of hours each day. Such a restriction is meaningful if you use a survival mod, such as Necessities of Morrowind or Devilish Needs (Vanilla/OpenMW) or Ashfall (MWSE).

Consider doing some work for the Twin Lamps too! For example, you might work with the Twin Lamps under false pretenses - to gain their trust, only to betray them later for personal gain or loyalty to slavers. Another reason is that if slaves don't ever escape, your job will become redundant: you need to maintain the problem you exist to solve. Or perhaps... you can have a redemption arc: a botched capture or capturing a child’s parent could slowly make you question and change your ways.

Gear should include some sort of light armor and a blunt weapon which makes a quick movement and a non-lethal takedown possible. Invest into scrolls or enchanted items with Paralyze, Calm Humanoid and Command Humanoid spells for the sake of capturing slaves more easily.

Mods:

Nevana's Twin Lamps and Slave Hunters: Allows you to join a Slave Hunter faction and do quests for them! Also makes the rival faction, the Twin Lamps playable.

Slavers by Ghostwalker: With Nevana's mod you can return slaves, but what about enslaving free people? With this mod you can do that with defeated enemies.

Easy Escort (MWSE): For escorting captured slaves. Ensures that your followers get warped to you if they get too far away. Compatible with any follower from any mod, without any special script attached to that NPC.

Djangos Dialogue and Khajiit Speak: Adds more personality and dignity to Khajiit NPCs, increasing the emotional stakes.

Tamriel Rebuilt: Adds tons of content involving slaves and cat-catchers too!

Three different mods exist (here, here and here) to join the Camonna Tong and eventually become their leader.

Writing and Journal Enhanced (MWSE): so that you can keep track of the slaves you have caught.

Trophy Taker (MWSE): When capturing is not an option, acquire trophies from defeated enemies. Decorate your home with Khajiit skulls!

In Ahead of the Classes, one of the classes offered for playing is the gladiator. Here's a guide how to roleplay them in Morrowind!

For the gladiator, I recommend an Imperial, for three reasons: 1. They fit thematically, as Imperials were inspired by ancient Romans. 2. They are great for making a warrior character - remember, the Imperial Legion is the strongest army of Tamriel for a reason! 3. They have a bonus for personality: a gladiator should not only prevail in combat but also win the crowd over.

As far as birthsign is concerned, I recommend The Warrior, as it makes combat easier.

For worldview, the character could worship Boethiah, the Daedric prince of battle and conflict.

For gear, go with your favorite set of light armor and a spear, blade or axe. Avoid expensive armor sets and weapons (such as glass) - you are not a noble or a knight, but someone who fights for money. A backup weapon might be useful too: use a blade or an axe for regular combat, and use a spear when you need to keep some distance from the opponent.

Your primary goal is to become the champion of every Arena in the game. After that, you might consider joining up the Imperial Legion, House Redoran or the Fighters' Guild to make a career out of your skills in combat. The uncenventional fighting methods you have picked up in the arenas will surely be an asset for these factions. Perhaps when you retire, you might want to train a protege.

For handicaps, you can simply never refuse a challenge. How it manifests in-game is that if you get a quest, you must do it immediately, no matter how challenging it is. Another handicap is that you should only earn money from fighting in arenas - at least until you manage to become the champion in all of them.

Mods:

Roaring Arena - Battling and Bloodletting or Welcome to the Arena: Both mods make it possible to become a gladiator in the Vivec Arena. They are incompatible with each other, so pick only one!

Project Tamriel mods, including TR, PC and SHoTN: All three adds new arenas (Narsis, Anvil and Dragonstar) where you can fight as a gladiator and eventually become a champion.

Combat Enhanced (MWSE): 30 different combos, and the ability to trance and utilize your rage in combat, along with new difficulty sliders to make combat more challenging and fun.

Panoplies - Helluva Ways to Suit Up: Lots of new armor sets, some of which seem to be quite suitable for a gladiator.

Divine Providence: (Vanilla/OpenMW) or PRAY (MWSE): You can pick Boethiah as your patron god and gain perks and abilities from him.

Necessities of Morrowind or Devilish Needs (Vanilla/OpenMW) or Ashfall (MWSE): It makes it necessary for the player to eat, drink, and sleep regularly. Another thing to take care of between fights so that you could be immersed more into a character who is just a regular person, not some hero with superhuman abilities.

Julan, Ashlander Companion: Only because you can train him in any way you wish. You can roleplay that he is your protege whom you teach to follow your footsteps in the arena, once you retire.

Duel of Honor - Improve the Chances: A small tweak for a vanilla Redoran mod, by me: Improve Rothis Nethan's chance in his duel by giving him a glass netch dagger. If you choose to start a career in House Redoran after becoming the champion of every arena, it might be a good roleplay opportunitity: you can roleplay that your past experience as an arena fighter helped solve this quest.

Another new class offered by Ahead of the Classes is the Courtesan. This guide explores how to roleplay one effectively. Because the themes involve adult content, this guide is intended for mature audiences only.

In this playthrough, your character isn’t content with simply sleeping with the powerful. She aims to rise through society by earning her clients’ favor, blackmailing them when needed, and ultimately gaining power on her own. As a spiritual dimension, she worships Dibella - viewing pleasure as a sacred exchange and devotional practice.

For race I recommend a Dunmer, as most influential people in Morrowind are Dunmer and only a Dunmer can understand a fellow Dunmer. They would open up and trust you better lore-wise. An Imperial is also a good option, as they have a bonus for Personality. Another possibility is a Breton, due to the fact that they can utilize magic to charm people.

As far as birthsign is concerned, The Lover is thematically perfect for this character.

Nota Bene: while this guide assumes a female character for ease of writing, the courtesan archetype can work for any gender identity. Playing a male courtesan is perhaps a more challenging, but in some ways more rewarding experience as well.

Goals of your character include becoming the lover of the most influential people of Vvardenfell, such as Duke Vedam Dren along with gaining influence on your own, such as by becoming the Grandmaster of Great House Hlaalu. You could also become the next Grand Spymaster of the Blades by acquiring information from your clients. I will offer some excellent mods for each of these goals. Handicaps could include a commitment to pacifism, your words and charm are your weapons. Perhaps your commitment to Dibella would require a weekly ritual at an Imperial Cult shrine that must be completed. (Offering gold for a boon.)

Your "gear" is your jewelry, elegant clothes, and perfumes. You can also collect rare beverages.

Mods:

Almilia's Daughters (18+): The most important mod for this playthrough, it adds a sex mechanics into the game which is implemented by the usage of textboxes. It takes NPC race, class and faction into consideration. What I really like about this mod is that while the mod is obviously about sexuality, it is done in a tasteful and even in a women friendly manner, unlike most similar mods. Along with the new content offered by the new guild, it also provides alternative ways for completing vanilla quests.

A less-immersive alternative to Almilia's Daughters is the classic Romance mod, which along with the option to have sex for money also contains the options to start a relationship with any NPC, to get married and to have children.

Bed Buddies (MWSE) allows you to sleep in owned beds, provided that the owner really likes you.

Since the beauty of a courtesan is quite important, consider a lore-friendly clothes mod, such as Better Clothes and/or Hilgya the Seamstress. For MWSE users, the mod, Vanity is also available which makes equipped jewelry visible. There are also several body replacers available, such as Better Bodies or Robert's Bodies. For head replacers, consider Better Heads, Rin's Beauty Shop or Westly's Faces.

Tamriel Rebuilt: The latest Tamriel Rebuilt adds tons of Hlaalu content that you can enjoy along with a Chapel of Dibella.

Blades Informant: Allows you to continue working for the Blades after Caius' departure and deliver useful information to them that you may have picked up during your travels. If you want your character's profession to only be a cover for a spy.

Divine Providence: (Vanilla/OpenMW) or PRAY (MWSE): You can pick Dibella as your patron goddess and gain perks and abilities from her.

The Dancer's Grace: This mod is something of a personal experiment, included here as a bonus. The mod features a quest designed to introduce pole dancing to Morrowind in a way that remains respectful to the game’s lore. I hope you’ll find it as enjoyable to experience as I did to create. (While pole dancing isn’t inherently linked to sex work, the two can sometimes intersect.)

Race: Imperial
Birthsign: The Steed (we'll be a peddler for some time until we can afford a shop)
Class: Artisans are talented people who love to make new items and repair them. They are handy and skilled with a hammer. They can even create more refined items, some magical. They are also shrewd salesmen.
Starting scenario: Commoner, waiting tables in Suran. You have heard that Seyda Neen is a place of opportunities that welcomes Imperial and that has a single shop.
Character background: Apprenticed to a shopkeeper.

Motto: "Fair coin for fair goods"

Religion  

Worships Zenithar, the god of work and commerce, believing that honest labor blessed by divine favor leads to prosperity and that wealth earned through skill honors the Divines. Practices his faith by tithing a portion of their profits to chapels and shrines.

Affiliations

✅House Hlaalu
✅The Imperial Cult
✅Business in need of owners/investors (see modlist below)
🟡The Mages Guild, especially if you plan to pursue Enchanting.
❌Any faction that lives on the fringe of the law, as being connected to illegal activities, could result in Imperial sanctions

Goals

Accumulate enough wealth to purchase a grand manor and live as a respected merchant-artisan

Handicaps

• You are not a warrior, avoid fights, hire an escort (or friends) to keep you safe on the roads
• Pass, ignore, refuse quests that require theft or heavy combat
• Keep to the roads (especially those with patrols)
• Raiding caves, tombs, and ruins is not your business; you craft goods to sell, you don't steal.

Likes and Dislikes

• Dislikes shoddy craftsmanship - wear/use quality items only
• Has an irrational hatred of rusty items
• Has an odd obsession with collecting rare gems and metals, not for their value but for their potential in creating masterwork pieces

Worldview on Major Issues

• Choose pro-Imperial dialogue options
• Avoid or decline anti-Imperial storylines
• Join House Hlaalu for business advantages but maintain a neutral reputation with other Houses - never attack their members
• Complete trade-related quests for any House that pays well
• Refuse to deal with the Camonna Tong and the Thieves Guild, regardless of potential profits
• No interest in current affairs (Main Quest)
• Slavery is legal; you may choose to use slaves.
• Avoid dealings with the Ashlanders, who are reportedly violent, especially towards outlanders.

Modlist

Gameplay

• Buying Game: ESSENTIAL!! Based on your mercantile, spot good deals (items in high demand, in high supply) and buy from anyone. This means you don't need to kill or steal to get items.
• Stay On the Roads - Wild Life Attacks NPCs: Allows creatures with a fight value to attack nearby NPCs if they have a line of sight.
• CCM Guard Patrols and Quests: Adds a few guards from different factions out in the wilderness and some guard patrols. Some of these leaders have quests you can complete and get rewarded for.
• Immersive Maps: You only have a static map. Better look at the road signs!
• Signpost Fast Travel (MWSE): I only use them when I am travelling  on a known road to avoid tedium and entirely not spoil the challenge of travel
• PRAY - Prayers Rituals And You: includes two prayers to Zenithar (with effects)

Shops and Businesses

• PC Clothier Balmora: become the owner of a clothing shop, hire an assistant, and have shelves filled with clothes for sale. Doubles up a comfortable home in Balmora.
• Erengard Mine Redux: Establish and operate a diamond mine.
• The Broken Drum: A new tavern near Ebonheart, including new characters, objects, dialogue, live music, and new mini-quests. You will have the opportunity to buy the tavern known as the Broken Drum!
• Horror at Helvil Mine: Ask around about the Latest Rumors in Maar Gan to find a tale of a mine in peril. Bring forth its demise, or save it from financial ruin!
• Wayfarer's Rest: Have an inn built from the ground up.
• Racer's Roost: Buy and run a small pub, make the drinks to sell to your customers.

If you only want to brew drinks, get Merlord's Brew Master. If you want to brew drinks usingrd of Skooma (and beverages) instead.

• Consignment Chests Expanded: Adds consignment chests to several traders in Vvardenfell that allow them to save over time to buy more expensive items from the player.
• Sails and Sales: Become the captain of your own ship, recruit crew members, and acquire cargo to sell.
• Import Business the Merchant of Vvardenfell: In the East Empire Company office on Ebonheart, a new Import Ledger book is installed. With it, you can import stuff. Warning: You are buying in bulk, which is a lot of septims, and you'll most likely need help to carry it all.

Hlaalu Content

• Tamriel Rebuilt: Great for any playthrough, even better with all the new Hlaalu content and the Banking system + Hlaalu Council Company Bank - Vvardenfell Branches and/or Tamriel Rebuilt Briricca Bank in Vivec

Other banking mods include Wealth Within Measure, Indy Bank, Wealth Beyond Measure.

Even with Tamriel Banking, I would install and use Weath Beyond Measure as it lets you buy stocks, and hope their value goes up rather than down.

• OAAB Odai Plateau: Complete remake of House Hlaalu's Stronghold with new exterior/interiors, gameplay mechanics, and quests.
• Roleplay Options for Great House Hlaalu: This mod adds several new ways to complete quests for Great House Hlaalu. Persuade, bargain, and extort Hlaalu rivals to soar your way through their ranks, as you learn to walk, talk, and act like a proper Imperial-boot-licking bureaucrat.

Crafting

• Ashfall: Adds immersion while on the roads, but bushcrafting offers an early-game option to gather resources, craft useful items for your travels, and sell things for a small profit.
• Morrowind Crafting: Craft everything the game has to offer (including items from Tamriel Rebuilt). Warning: it takes time (and money) to craft things.

These two mods are not fully compatible; most notably, firewood from Ashfall cannot be used in Morrowind Crafting recipes (including campfire). However, foods and drinks from Morrowind Crafting are recognised by Ashfall.

More quests

• Fetchers of Morrowind: Fetchers of Morrowind is a company that finds items and delivers them to customers.
• Imperial Employment Office: Adds a new faction to the game, which is focused on non-combat odd jobs and errands for the player.
• Supply Chain: This mod adds 12 lore-friendly, infinitely repeatable tasks with varying degrees of difficulty that you can do while adventuring. You can earn a decent, but not over-the-top, amount of money for your efforts.
• Broadsheets and Notice Boards Redone: With this mod, you will now find notice boards throughout the world. Here you can find public declarations and notices, requests that begin side quests, and broadsheets containing the latest news, along with many other types of documents.

Armed Escort / Carriers of Burdens

• Friends and Frens: A large companion mod with 30+ brand new NPC companions, 40+ vanilla/TR npcs as companions and 20+ creature companions.
• Devilish Bribery Overhaul: Bribing guards will lower their alarm value (how much they care about crime such as theft, lock picking, assault and murder). If you bribe them with about 2000 drakes, they'll even work for you.
• The Followers: Adds 10 mercenaries for hire to Vvardenfell.
• Privileges and Services: With House Hlaalu, you can send subordinates to lower the prices of vendors, or to raise NPCs' disposition, and ask for an escort guard, make an arrest of NPCs...
• Live Free: You can now buy or steal any slaves you come across, and they have advanced AI to control their behavior as companions.
• Tetra the pack guar: Tetra, the Pack Guar, will be added to your game. She's difficult to kill, hard to lose, and can carry a lot of stuff. She will also fight beside you. Tetra can be found in the Abaesen-Pulu Egg Mine, near Seyda Neen.

I prefer my pack animals not to fight, so I use Peaceful Pets. You can of course (also) pick Paxon the Pack Rat and Henwen the Pack Piglet.

Home

• I'll be using my own Pegasus Estate (in beta for 10 years and counting)
• Nerano Vaults - A little more than just a player's home. Includes scripted displays for artifacts.
• MyManor.esp - Purchase Hlaalo Manor: Allows the player to purchase Balmora, Hlaalo Manor empty or furnished after completing quest House Hlaalu: The Death of Ralen Hlaalo. Comes with an unfurnished version if you want to make your own furniture.
• Varo Manor - Varo Manor adds a player's home in Caldera and a quest to obtain it. To begin the quest, inquire about the latest rumors in Caldera. The quest is designed for characters who are at least level 10.
• Imperial Dragon Manor - A lavish, Imperial-style manor right in the heart of the scenic Ascadian Isles.
• River Rock Falls - Adds a beautiful estate in its interior cells. From Balmora, head north along the road. Before you reach the bridge, look to your left and down. There's a rowboat in the water.
• Staff Agency: The player can hire various staff through a new NPC in Ebonheart's great hall or relevant vanilla NPCs. The staff performs (daily) services for a monthly wage.

One of the 100+ new classes added in Ahead of the Classes by Danae (thanks to me nagging her about it :) ) is the Fryse Hag. Fryse Hags are mages dedicated to the teachings of Kyne, the widow of the god Shor. Each is a powerful sorceress skilled in the use of frost-based magicka. So here's a roleplay guide if you desire to play a character with this class.

As a Fryse Hag is technically a frost witch, make her a female Nord. For any magic-oriented class, the birthsign of The Atronach is recommend as it makes the playthrough both interesting and challenging.

The Fryse Hag is driven by her personal goals, which include becoming a powerful mage, collecting every frost-based spell, weapon and artifact. You are also protective of nature, and suspicious towards Imperials and other people who disrespect it. One way it can be implemented in gameplay is sabotaging mines by freeing slaves or even killing the miners. After all, Fryse Hags belong to a violent coven of witches, so your morality should be quite pragmatic in this playthrough. If you want to be more pacifistic, though, be creative with it: steal all their equipment! (Miner's picks) It's up to you how far you want to go with this idea: you can do the same with plantations or take a very extreme stance and even kill hunters. As far as handicaps are concerned the challenge is that you make a powerful mage out of a Nord, a typically warrior-race. Your character also has an intolerance towards the heat so avoid prolonged stays in the Ashlands or the Shipal-Shin region added by Tamriel Rebuilt. If you want to keep track of that gameplay-wise, use the Temperature mod (Vanilla/OpenMW) or Ashfall (MWSE.)

Gear includes the Winterwound Dagger which vanilla Fryse Hags have. You can go with the common clothes they all wear, but personally I would recommend a blue robe (enchanted or not) which is a cold color, signifying winter. Any frost-related spell or weapon is suitable, with the end-game one being the Ice Blade of the Monarch. Acquire a Summon Frost Atronach spell too to have your own familiar!

During the playthrough, you can join the Mages' Guild and even House Telvanni and do their quests to become a better mage. The Imperial Cult worships Kynareth who the Imperial version of Kyne. However, as a Fryse Hag is a native of Solstheim, you would be suspicious towards the Imperial Legion and the East Empire Company as they are the ones who colonized your homeland and plundered its resources.

Doing the Main Quest can be justified with a Fryse Hag as the story involves freeing the Heart of Lorkhan who is Shor to the Nords, the husband of Kyne. It's a service to your patron goddess. Just make sure to use Nationalist Nerevarine to circumvent joining the Blades who are servants of the Empire.

In Solstheim you can do the Main Quest and even become the chieftain of Thirsk if you so desire. After all, the Skaal and the people of Thirsk are your people and it's your home!

And finally, doing the (many) vanilla quests involving naked Nord Barbarians and witches would give you a meaningful choice: who do you side with? What is more important to you? Fellow Nords or fellow witches?

Mods:

CREL so that you can start the game at Skaal Village along with other Solstheim locations.

Divine Providence (OpenMW/vanilla) or PRAY (MWSE) for worshiping Kyne or Kynareth.

Skyrim, Home of the Nords so that you can explore the land of the Nord people.

And the most important one: Elsa the Fryse Hag which introduces a new character, named Elsa who is a Fryse Hag willing to share the secrets of her coven related to frost magic with you and give you quests related to them. Quests of the mod include: defeat a powerful fire mage, negotiate a peace treaty between two tribes of frost creatures, hunt down artifacts utilizing frost magic, make a snowman come alive etc. The mod also contains frost-based spells and items, new dialogue and even makes some fellow Fryse Hags tolerate your presence instead of attacking you on sight.

Race: Dunmer
Birthsign: The Atronach / The Mage
Class: The Daedrologist is not a devotee of Daedra, but a rationalist who sees Oblivion as a fractal map of alternate realities and cognitive truths. Through conjuration, mysticism, and the mechanics of illusion, she experiments with perception, mortality, and volition. Her approach to danger is surgical: anticipate, manipulate, survive.
Starting scenario: join House Telvanni
Character Background: Blood of the Dremora

Motto: "In doubt, seek the truth; in truth, find the self."

Backstory

I was born into a minor branch of House Telvanni, where power was earned through magical mastery. My life was defined by rigorous study and unspoken competition. Everything changed the day my twin sibling vanished during a forbidden Daedric summoning ritual. While others believe they are dead, I refuse to accept this. How can I trust what others say when my own senses have failed me? If the soul is truly the essence of a person, how can it simply vanish?
This doubt, this refusal to accept anything without proof, became the foundation of my search for truth. I believe my sibling’s soul was displaced to another plane, not destroyed. I must question everything—what I know, what I’m told, and even what I believe to be true. Only through doubt can I uncover the true nature of existence.
As my search deepened, my doubt extended to the gods themselves. The Tribunal, once revered as divine, seemed no different from mortal beings, driven by illusions of power. Their divinity felt more like a construct, maintained by faith, not truth.
Now, I wander Vvardenfell, free from the constraints of tradition, seeking forbidden knowledge and the secrets of immortality. I aim to uncover the truths that others fear and, if fate allows, recover what I have lost.

Religion

I view the gods as beings who achieved a higher state, but their power is not beyond study. They are not infallible, and their divinity is an illusion maintained by faith.

Affiliations

• House Telvanni – As a born member, I embrace the House's emphasis on individual power and magical achievement.
• Mages Guild – I maintain superficial membership to access their libraries, while hiding my more controversial research.
• The Arcane Watch – Their interest in Daedric matters aligns with my research into planar boundaries and immortality.
• The Illuminated Order – Their interest in lichdom warrants study.
• The Astologian Guild - Their study of the Dwemer could reveal interesting truths.
• The Imperial Dwemer Society - Their study of the Dwemer could reveal interesting truths.

Interests and goals

• Daedric Shrines – Study them as focal points of extraplanar power and potential gateways to other realms.
• Soul Gems and Immortality – Research soul gems as keys to understanding mortal essence, collect and study souls of creatures and mer.
• The Dwemer – Investigate their ruins to uncover secrets of transcending mortal limitations and determine whether they transcended or perished.
• Remains – Collect samples from various species for comparative immortality research.
• Explore forms of immortality - vampirism, lichdom, ...?
• The Tribunal and Dagoth Ur – Investigate the source of their power. Kill them to prove they are not gods.
• CHIM – Explore the concept of perfect self-awareness and transcendence.

Worldviews

Imperial Rule vs. Dunmer Autonomy: "A lie wrapped in robes is no different than a lie in armor."
I value the autonomy of the Dunmer butTribunal is flawed as is the traditional worship of the Ancestors. However, I do not trust the Empire’s motivations. Their influence is tainted with hypocrisy, and their attempts to impose order seem rooted more in control than in understanding.

The Tribunal’s Decline: "Divinity that bleeds was never divine. That they fall proves they were never above us."
The Tribunal’s decline represents the unraveling of their façade. They claim divine authority, but I see only flawed, self-serving beings. They are not gods; they are mere mortals who have cloaked themselves in power and illusion.

The Nerevarine Prophecy: "Prophecy is myth seen through the eyes of hope, no reason."
The Nerevarine prophecy is little more than superstition to me. I question the very notion of prophecy as something immutable and true. I reject the blind faith that people place in these narratives. Knowledge and understanding—based on reason, not belief—are what will lead to true liberation.

Ashlanders: "That they doubt the Tribunal is wise. That they worship Daedra and the Ancestors without question is not."
I see the Ashlanders’ ways as primitive. While they seek to preserve old traditions, their beliefs are rooted in superstition and a refusal to question the world around them. Their marginalization is a natural consequence of their refusal to evolve.

Dagoth Ur’: "Is the dream the path to clarity?"
Dagoth Ur’s rise and the creation of the Sixth House appear to be an attempt to break free from the established order, a goal I can understand.  I share his desire to transcend mortality and divine constraints. However, disfiguring the body and obliterating the mind—seem at odds with the clarity I seek. I do not condone fanaticism (in any faith).

Vampirism, Necromancy: "They walk paths forbidden not by law, but by fear. I do not condemn them, I observe."
They seek to preserve life beyond its natural limits. I view these practices not as morally wrong, but as incomplete. True immortality can only be achieved through mastery of the soul, mind, and reality, not through the crude manipulation of life force.

Modlist - chargen and skills

• Merlord's Character Backgrounds by Merlord - Blood of the Dremora
• Ahead of the Classes by Danae - Daedrologist class. Other spellcasting classes could word: Arcanist and Warlock in particular.
• Written in the Stars - a birthsign mod by Danae - pick one of the Atronach birthsigns, there are alos 4 mages birthsigns to choose from.
• Character Goals by Lucevar - add your personal goal to your character sheet
• Chargen Scenarios by Merlord - join House Telvanni
• Just an Incarnate by Diject - now you really transcend death
• Alteration Movement by AlandroSul - Discover new vertical movement possibilities. Levitate or slowfall with more fluid controls. A must for any Telvanni
• The Spellmaker - MWSE by Spammer - Have you ever dreamt of being able to create new spells by yourself, instead of relying on NPC's ? Now you can.
• Update My Journal by Starion - A simple mwse-lua mod allowing the player to add arbitrary journal entries.
• Magicka Expanded by OperatorJack - A lua-based framework for creating new, fully functional magic effects. Currently adds 110 new magic effects.

Modlist - Main Quest

• Morrowind Redux by Kildozery - always
• Nationalist Nerevarine and Imperialist Nerevarine by AliceL93: Do the main quest without joining the Blades or the Ashlanders.
• Join the Dissident Priests by AliceL93 and Lucevar - Now you can join the Dissident Priests, at the appropriate point in the main quest. 5 new quests.
• New Ilunibi by Seelof - This mod rebuilds the main quest dungeon Ilunibi from scratch to make it larger, more imposing, and more interesting to explore. It also adds four new quests for you to discover and embark upon.
• Galen's Quest for Truth by Danae & Katya_Karrel - A hermit on an island east of Vivec. Befriend him and help him uncover the truth. Or not.
• Kogoruhn - Extinct City of Ash and Sulfur by Demanufacturer87 - Discover this terryfying place hidden under the shadow of Red Mountain.
• Dagoth Ur Fleshed Out by Orion - A modern overhaul of the final dungeon, Dagoth Ur.
• Akulakhan's best chamber by Vegetto & RandomPal - A fully animated overhaul of Akulakhan's chamber.
• Unholy Trinity - Dagoth Ur - Vemynal - Odrosal Remade by Glittergear and Kildozery - Completely remakes Dagoth Ur (the dungeon), Odrosal (Keening's dungeon), and Vemynal (Sunder's dungeon) from scratch. Don't enable the Dagoth Ur plugin.
• Corprusarium - Sorrow Heart of Tel Fyr by Nwahs and Mushrooms Team - ocerhauls Tel Fyr
• Library of Vivec Enhanced by RandomPal and Vegetto - Overhaul of the Library of Vivec to make it the interesting place it was meant to be.
• Palace of Vehk by Enclavekiller - Clutters up Vivec's Palace so it now resembles the home of a god rather than the depressing chamber of emptiness we got in vanilla.

Modlist - Tribunal main quest

• Tribunal Facelift by Mort - Improves Tribunal's quests, updates and improves certain interiors, and reworks + entirely de-mazes the Old Mournhold Sewers.
• Tribunal Main Quest Reforged by VonDjangos - Expands and deepens the Tribunal questlines, giving players more choice and agency than before.
• Almalexia Splendor by Katya - overhaul Almalexia's temple.
• Immersive Mournhold by Kalian, Princess Stomper,  and RandomPal - A compilation of Mourhold mods.
• A Walk in the Park - Mournhold Temple Courtyard Overhaul by Seelof - Overhauls those mostly empty green areas in Mournhold's Temple Courtyard by adding rocks, plants and some other stuff. The goal is to make those areas prettier and more interesting.

Modlist - Mages Guild

• Imperial Factions by Danae - for the Mages Guild content
• Mages Guild Stronghold - Nchagalelft by Glittergear - A Mages Guild stronghold that is a customizable Dwemer ruin. Dozens of combinations are possible!
• Magical Missions Recharged by VonDjangos - A revamped version of my old mod, where members of the Mages Guild can now deliver a coded message, solve a murder, investigate a heist, barter with the Telvanni and retrieve a tome of dark power for the Master Wizard of Caldera.
• Mages Guild Overhaul - Main Quest by Glittergear - Reworks the rewards for the Mages Guild quests, adds new pre-rewards and new variations of the Wizard Staff. Rebuilt from scratch in v2.0 for compatibility.
• Mages Guild Overhaul - Miniquests by Glittergear - Adds Daggerfall-inspired, optional miniquests to the Mages Guild
• Ajira's Alchemy Reports Randomised by Merlord and Danae - Look for Ajira's stolen reports once again: their location changes every time
• The Journeyman Report by Karpalo - Adds a simple quest where the player writes a report to advance in the Mages Guild.

Modlist - Gameplay and combat

• Devilish Vampire Overhaul by DetailDevil - in case your character decides to explore vampirism.
• Beware the Sixth House (Sixth House Overhaul) by Mort - The Sixth House makes for the most challenging content in the game.
• Tribunal Rebalance by Mort - Rebalances Tribunal as if it shipped with Morrowind. Intended to be used with Beware the Sixth House.
• Distraction by Mort - use your wits in fights
• Frenzy n'wahs by Archimag/AxeMagister - The Frenzy spell now works as intended: a frenzied npc will attack the nearest target.
• Seph's NPC Soul Trapping by Sephumbra - A MWSE mod that lets you soul trap NPCs.
• Way of the Necromancer Redux by Balathustrius Danae + Cannibals of Morrowind - Updated - A simple way to create undead minions if you have the right ingredients + Cannibals gives NPCs body parts (ingredients) based on their class, idea for studies.
• Magic Stave by Merlord - WIP mod: all staff weapons give a magicka bonus based on the staff's quality. MUST ADD LINK LATER
• Daedric Intervention Spell by OperatorJack & Danae - After completing any of the Daedric Princes' quest, you are granted the Daedric Intervention spell.
• Trophy Taker by Revacholiere - Trophy Takers is an MWSE mod that allows you to take trophies from your defeated enemies.
• Versus Vivec by trainwiz - if you want a proper challenge

Modlist - Daedric Princes

There are tons of mods, if you only want a couple, I'd focus on the Hermaeus Mora mods: Demon of Knowledge and Prince of Fate. I'd thow in Baal Duun because it's <3.

• Daedric Shrine Overhaul FULL by Glittergear - A complete/merged version of the Daedric Shrine Overhaul mods
• Something in the Water -- A Peryite Daedric Quest by GlitterGear & DetailDevil - There must be something in the water... Everyone who drinks out of a certain well in Pelagiad ends up sick!
• Greymarch Dawn - Whispers of Jyggalag by Veloths Virtuosos  Plunge into an engaging prequel to the events of the TES4:Shivering Isles expansion as the world shivers with Whispers of Jyggalag.
• The Hand by JackimoffWackimoff - A short quest involving a strange gauntlet. Ask about rumors in Vivec to start.
• Dawnbreaker - The Lady of Light - This mod adds in Dawnbreaker as well as a full quest with a unique and lore friendly story, new npcs, and a shrine to Meridia.
• Goldbrand Reforged - The Quest for Eltonbrand - Brave the dangers of Vvardenfell in this lore-friendly quest mod to reforge Goldbrand into the mysterious Eltonbrand.
• Aspect of Azura by MelchiorDahrk  - Adds a Daedric helm bearing the aspect of Azura which you can acquire through a new quest which starts at the Holamayan Monastery near the Shrine of Azura.
• Coldharbour - Palace of Menta Na by Markond - Expands Menta-Na's chamber in Kora-Dur into its own short pocket realm of Oblivion.
• Skeeve Den Cult of Namira Lord Zarcon - A new Daedric dungeon built within the depths of a blightened egg mine.
• Shrine of Boethiah Expansion by TelShadow - Explore the sunken and lost shrine of boethiah with the exterior getting a face.
• Pimp My Shrine - The Daedric Legend of Vernaccus by Scuttling Scribs - A lore-friendly quest mod based on an in-game book brought to life, with dungeons, mind-bending puzzles, quests, Daedra, and the power to summon items from oblivion.
• The Demon of Knowledge by Sexy Sloads - A mysterious book has fallen into your possession… How did it get there? Who does it belong to? Follow the clues, as you find yourself taken away by a detailed, multilayered story steeped in TES Lore.
• Vaermina's Quest - Dreams of the Escaped by The Tenacious Templars - Journey through ancient legendary dreams and events to try and piece together a mystery on behalf of the Prince of Dreams and Nightmares, Vaermina.
• Shrine of Nocturnal by Yeest McFouster - adds a new Daedric ruin complete with treasures to aquire and some new enemies to battle.
• Prince of Fate by Remiros - Seek out an old hermit and explore the sunken shrine of Hermaeus Mora, deep within the Sea of Ghosts
• Justice for Khartag (J.F.K.) by Vegetto &RandomPal - Changes Khartag Point making it the high peak described in the in-game dialogues.
• The wabbajack by Greatness7, MattTheBagel & VvardenfellTribes - Adds a new artifact to the game, the Wabbajack! Including a small quest and a unique dungeon to acquire it from.
• The Sanguine Rose by Melchior Dahrk - The Sanguine Rose adds a fully featured Daedric Quest for Sanguine, the prince of hedonistic revelry, debauchery, and passionate indulgences of darker natures.
• Wishmaster - A Clavicus Vile Daedric Questline by Glittergeat - Complete a variety of quests that slowly enmesh you into the cult of Clavicus Vile.
• Tyrant and Usurper - A Clavicus Vile Daedric Questline by Glittergear - Travel to a new Oblivion Realm and decide its Fate.
• Baal Duun Cursed Isle of the Four Corners by Juidius - Melchior Dhark - Seelof - Embark on a journey to the cursed isle of Baal Duun in a quest to uncover the secrets hidden within the depths of a mythical Daedric island.

Modlist - Dwemer

• Astrologian's Guild by BillyFighter - Join a fully playable guild and gain ranks to the top. The Astrologians are a small scale guild, with just a handful of guild members started by an Altmer named Nelangoth, who was previously part of the Mages Guild and still holds ties to them. Includes several new dungeons, items, quests and locations.
• Better Dwemer Interiors + BDI - Nchuleft  by Pavel - Overhauls Dwemer ruins so that they are more memorable, more fun to explore.
• Dungeon Details by Glittergear - 20 Dwemer Ruin Arknghand + 201 Arknghand - BDI patch + 21 Dwemer Ruin Aleft + 30 Sixth House Hassour + 31 Sixth House Assemanu + 32 Sixth House Yakin
• Dwemer Sky Fortress by Billyfighter - Towering over the Grazelands to the south, Arkngchend-Nchumez is inhabited by adventurers and villains trying to uncover its secrets.
• The Imperial Dwemer Society by The Mythical Beasts - Join the Imperial Dwemer Society and help research the Dwemer. Use Dwemer machinery, create unique items, restore an old teleportation system, add new exhibits to the guild's museum...
• Dwemer Legacy Reforged - Arkngthunch-Sturdumz by Demanufacturer87 - Expansive overhaul for Dwemer Ruins of Arkngthunch-Sturdumz.
• Dwemer Scholarship by Bronzebone MODs - Ma'Dar Has-No-Master, a released Khajiit slave, has taken up the study of the Dwemer, and his current subject is the Centurion Sphere; however, he needs help.
• Of Eggs and Dwarves - Gnisis Eggmine and Bethamez Overhaul by Seelof. - This mod rebuilds and expands the Gnisis Eggmine complex from scratch, which includes the Eggmine, the Lower Eggmine, the Underground Stream, and Bethamez. It also adds a quest.

Modlist - Magic and Companions

• Caswyn - A Nightmare's Favor - A grumpy, arrogant, talkative, low-ranking mage whose questline sends you Dreamwalking through the nightmares of others.
• Friends and Frens by Danae - Find Carawen Tiar (Telvanni sharpshooter with keen interest in the Daedra), Edacsacl Lun (Breton Battlemage interested in Black soul gems) around Telvanni settlements and Cornelius (Redguard Artificer researching the Dwemer)  in front of Dwemer ruins.
• Illuminated Order Improved  + Even More Illuminated Order Improved Fixes by Charles J DeVito & Mort - Join a cult of necromancers, wizards, vampires, and adventurers, and become a lich.
• Belial -- A Dismal Daedric Companion by HangHimHigher - Belial is a Daedric companion with unique dialogue, who will try to persuade you that the world is a bad place.
• Sorcerer of Alteration by Kindi - Journey through this quest mod to improve your alteration magic.
• The Arcane Watch -- FULL by Glittergear - The Order of the Arcane Watch is an organization of unlikely alliances, tenuous relationships, and opposing motivations, held together by just one interest: aberrant magic.
• Salt Gems of Bensamsi by Melchior Dahrk - His methods are atypical, but an Argonian in the Sixth House base of Bensamsi has discovered a way to create soul gems from ash salts.
• The Plague Doctor by Katya Karrel - The plague doctor a dark alchemist of ill repute has come to Vvardenfel and brought his morbid experimentations with him. He hides away in a new cave within the Bitter coast.

Modlist - Homes

• Uvirith Legacy by Stuporstar - A much-improved stronghold with a library, staff and services. – probably all the home you need, but read on for more options
• Tel Chendzel by Walker Horton and Bradford Horton - Adds a furnished, uncluttered Dwemer/Telvanni tower to the south of Sadrith Mora. Perfect for mages, scholars, or anyone who likes to squat in ancient ruins.
• Telvanni Council House Lounge Room by RandonPal - Adds a new room in the Telvanni Council House where the player, and the other npcs, can relax, sleep and eat.
• The Archmagister's Abode by Kalinter - Adds a new manor turret and overlook platform/Skyport to the top of Tel Uvirith that grow automatically after becoming the Archmagister of Great House Telvanni.
• Arnchenzel - Dwemer Underwater House by Katya Karrel & Ruffin Vangarr - This mod adds a house to the southwest of Tel Branora. Maybe you'll even find a cool dwemer helmet too!
• Tel Raloran by Corsair/Naufragous77 and Merlord  - A Telvanni mushroom house with MWSE functions.

Modlist - gear

• Telvanni Magister Robes by Ruffin Vangarr - This mod adds unique robes for each of the Telvanni councilors. Might be worth killing them.
• Two Robe Replacers by CanadianIce and Co - if all you wear is robes, make them look good.
• Killing Spree Helluva ways to kill by Sandman Danae Cognatogen Denina et. al - adds many staves, some very fancy.
• The Warehouse - Wares-aware mod collection by Danae et. al - For the female character, plenty of robes and dresses in  Aria's needle, Eyren's armory

Danae's excellent Ahead of the Classes adds more than 100 new playable classes into the game. Here's a roleplay guide for one of them: the merchant. The assumption for this roleplay guide is that one would roleplay the class in a very strict fashion: it's a character whose goal is to acquire money by trading items and finding unique and valuable items for making good deals. You are not a Hortator/Nerevarine/Leader of multiple factions in this playthrough just a person who wants to get rich. Possible end goals could be buying a house, for example, through the IndyBank mod recommended down below, or acquiring 1 million Septims. Perhaps you want to use the "Mesa Exchange" feature in Tamriel Rebuilt's Grasping Fortune release to invest the gold you've earned into stocks and live off from passive income. As far as handicaps are concerned you shouldn't use the Creeper of the Mudcrab Merchant at all because it ruins the fun. When traveling, you should stick to the roads - you are a merchant whose goal is to travel from settlement to settlement looking for good deals, not somebody seeking adventure. Also don't do anything at else during night, except for sleeping: businesses are closed at night! (Even if not by vanilla mechanics.)

For a merchant playthrough, I recommend playing an Imperial who was born under the sign of the Lady as both of these give a huge boost in personality which is necessary for trading.

While it would seem logical to join one of the factions that are suitable for merchants (House Hlaalu or the East Empire Company), I do not recommend this for two reasons: firstly, some of the quests of these factions involves things that you might not want to do, such as killing. And secondly, members belonging to faction that are hostile to these factions  would hate the player: and that results in worse prices. In fact, I generally recommend turning down quests most of the times: you are a merchant, not a problem solver or a hero(ine)!

However, there are a couple of exceptions:

Some quests offered by merchants, such as “The Shirt of His Back” and “Weapon Delivery”: your character might want to develop a better relationship with merchants. The Tribunal quest, "Champion of Clutter" is also a fun way for roleplaying a merchant: just pretend that the quest-giver is a customer who orders specific items from your merchant character's company.

As far as gear is concerned, exquisite clothes and Telvanni Bug Musk are a must, as part of selling something is first selling yourself. (And they come with a Personality boost.) Have a common robe too, for traveling through ash storms: you don't want your precious skin and clothes ruined. Since you own your own business and your success is your responsibility alone, you can’t really have a sick day, so consider investing into a Cure Common Disease and a Cure Blight Disease spell.

Mods:

As for any non-Nerevarine character, CREL is necessary: you won't be forced into the Main Quest this way. And it makes the CharGen part of the game significantly shorter too.

Necessities of Morrowind or Devilish Needs (Vanilla/OpenMW) or Ashfall (MWSE): It makes it necessary for the player to eat, drink, and sleep regularly. Just another way to get immersed in a character who is not a hero with superhuman abilities.

Import Business; The Merchant of Vvardenfell: Probably the most essential mod for this. You can order wares at the East Empire Company office using a ledger, and the wares would appear in a crate at the warehouse after some days. You can order alcohol, weapons, armor, books, clothing, or miscellaneous items. Then you can go around in Vvardenfell, and sell these items.

Guars (Vanilla/OpenMW) or The Guar Whisperer (MWSE): Why not have a guar to carry all your merchandise around?

Staff Agency or Mercenaries Beta: Hire mercenaries to protect you and your merchandise on the road too.

Service Refusal Expanded: Makes rolepaying a merchant even more immersive. In Telvanni territory, you would need to possess the “Hospitality Papers” to do business, and you would need an “Imperial Charter” to deal with ore or Dwemer items. Also, no one will be interested in buying any gross item that you may collect, such as human flesh.

Consignment Chests Expanded: Adds consignment chests to particular in-game traders. Items can be placed in the consignment chests, at which point the particular trader will begin to save the required gold to buy the item. For each full day that the player does not visit the trader, the trader will save their daily supply of gold. Once the trader is able to afford the item in the chest, the item will be removed and replaced with the gold. The price offered is based on the player's Mercantile skill, and is generally a bit lower than if you bartered directly.

IndyBank and/or Project Tamriel's (TR, PC, SHoTN) Briricca Private Bank feature: Take out a loan to kickstart your business, or deposit the money you've earned. With the roads being so dangerous you can't just carry all that gold around.

Sails and Sales: If being a merchant on land is not enough for you, with this mod you can become the captain of your own ship, recruit crew members and acquire cargo to sell. (Requires MWSE)

Divine Providence (Vanilla/OpenMW) or PRAY (MWSE): You can pick Zenithar, the god of commerce, as your patron god and gain perks and abilities from him.

This character is inspired by my mod, which initially focused on urns in Ancestral Tombs. It developed into a series of unique heirlooms in each tomb, guarded by its ancestor and two dozens quests to retrieve some of those heirlooms.

Character Sheet

Race: Imperial
Birthsign: The Shadow
Class: Relic Hunter
Class Description: Agile and stealthy explorers who scour ancient tombs, forgotten ruins, and long-lost shrines for valuable artifacts. With a keen eye for traps and hidden secrets, you excel at slipping past danger, disabling mechanisms, and unlocking the mysteries of the past. Combining light weaponry and subtle magic with nimble acrobatics, you’re quick to avoid danger—and even quicker to make a profit.
"The past is a treasure, and I am its keeper.""
Starting Scenario: Grave robbing (random tomb)

Personality & Worldview

You’re driven by pragmatism. You view political, religious, and cultural conflicts as opportunities to be navigated, rather than causes to champion. You respect knowledge and cunning above all and are willing to bend the rules, so long as it keeps you alive and your purse full.
You’re a humanist in the sense that you value what relics reveal about people: their hopes, fears, and ambitions. Every ruin is a puzzle, every artifact a chance to learn—and profit.
You avoid unnecessary violence—“dead people can’t pay for artifacts”—and you’re always wary of fire, keeping your most precious finds safe in fireproof containers.

Religious Beliefs

You primarily worship Zenithar, viewing relic hunting as an honest profession blessed by the god of commerce.
You view religion as a rich cultural tapestry, not a zero-sum game—faith is a tool for understanding the past, not a personal crusade.
You respect all faiths and cults—Imperial Cult, Tribunal Temple, Daedric shrines—seeing each as a doorway to forgotten knowledge and ancient power.
In practice, you’re diplomatic and polite with religious figures, knowing that respect opens doors to tombs and temples that others might never see.

Faction Affiliations

✅ Imperial Cult & Tribunal Temple – Diplomatic ties and relic access
✅ House Telvanni – They respect knowledge, just as you do
✅ Thieves Guild – Smuggling and fencing for profit
✅ Astrologian’s Guild – Scholars need ruins investigated
✅ Imperial Dwemer Society – Dwemer Museum eager to add to their display.
🟡 Suran Underworld – When official channels don't work, turn to the underground?
❌ The Blades – Too political
❌ Fighters Guild and Imperial Legion – Too regimented
❌ Twin Lamps – Too political, though you’ll free slaves if the opportunity arises
❌ Mages Guild – Could cause difficulties with House Telvanni, and your approach to magic is more practical than academic.

Interests & Habits

• Dwemer ruins and ancient mechanisms
• You collect small, worthless trinkets from each ruin. You carefully display them in your home, labelling where and when you acquired them
• You prefer stealth and diplomacy over bloodshed—you’d rather slip past a guard than fight one

Journal Entry:

My name is Cassia Valerius, born and raised in the Imperial City. My parents ran a modest antiquities shop until it burned, and with it, everything I’d known. From the ashes, I learned that survival means being smarter, faster, and more cautious than your competition.
I came to Morrowind for one reason: opportunity. The tombs here are as rich as the gossip, full of relics, secrets, and the promise of profit. The locals are wary of foreigners, but that suits me just fine. A polite Imperial smile and a few well-placed coins will open any door, or at least the right one.
I’ve set my sights on the ruins of this land: Dwemer vaults, Daedric shrines, and the hidden chambers of the Tribunal’s temples. Each relic I find will be a puzzle solved, a piece of the past unlocked, and another step closer to independence.
If fortune favors me, and Zenithar knows I’m willing to work for it, I’ll build my name here in Vvardenfell as much as any Telvanni wizard or Hlaalu merchant. The first step is to learn the lay of the land, find those who know its secrets, and make allies where I must.
Let the rest chase glory or piety. I’m here for the artifacts. And I intend to leave no ruin unexplored.

Modlist - chargen and factions

• Relic Hunter: adds the class, the unique urns and guardians, as well as 32 quests.
• PRAY - Prayers Rituals And You - You have two prayers available to Zenithar specifically.
• Divine Intervention - Choose Zenithar as a deity by reading "Variety of Faith" and receive blessings as you level up.
• Chargen Scenarios - start as in a tomb, even a random one if you want.
• Morrowind Redux - great for any playthrough tbh
• Thieves Guild in Gnaar Mok - 10 new quests for the Thieves Guild.
• South Wall Den Of Iniquity  - Revamps the South Wall Cornerclub with the goal of creating an atmospheric and believable nightclub and Thieves Guild headquarters.
• Thieves Guild - Heist for the Hammer of Gharen - Thieves Guild heist for the legendary artifact from the TES 1: Arena, and a dungeon overhaul.
• Astrologian's Guild  - The Astrologians are a small-scale guild, with just a handful of guild members started by an Altmer named Nelangoth, who was previously part of the Mages Guild and still holds ties to them.

Modlist - gameplay

• Distraction - Throwing weapons, arrows, and the Sound spell now distract NPCs and allow you to sneak past them.
• MM - Enhanced Detection - to spot the keys and magical objects
• More Traps MWSE-Lua  - Dynamically/randomly locks/traps more (not yet interacted with) containers and doors
• MM - Enhanced Telekinesis  - Using telekinesis will now propel objects towards you with new VFX instead of immediately picking the item up.
• Stealth Improved - Rebuilds stealth mechanics from the ground up, and makes sneaking a viable playstyle.
• Mantle of Ascension - A Climbing Mod - You can now climb onto obstacles, given they are within reach.
• Just The Tooltip  - Keep track of your hoard, keep reminders, and insult NPCs behind their back with incredible, expertly designed tooltips. Ideal to add notes to your collection of relics.

Modlist - quests and dungeons

• Tamrielic Lore  - Allows more artefacts to be given to the Museum in Mournhold.
• Secrets of the Crystal City  - The lost "Crystal City" of Massama has been discovered by a desperate group of escaped slaves.
• Uncharted artifacts  - Uncharted Artifacts gives you a fun way to find the unique items & artifacts in vanilla Morrowind that are NOT related to ANY quests.
• Plunder the Dungeon - Plundering the Dungeon at Tel Fyr will be a real quest now, with a unique reward and some new dialogue that acknowledges your success.
• OAAB Shipwrecks  - A complete overhaul of every vanilla shipwreck.
• Halls of Colossus  - Journey through time and space as you uncover the secrets of the ancient Halls of Colossus. Guarded by the Emperor's elite, this enigmatic location is your portal to an epic tale of mystery and intrigue.
• Secret of Vilmuhn  - (TR Mainland required) Embark on an expedition with the Imperial Archaeological Society to the island of Vilmuhn and uncover what dark forces are at play to stop them before things go too far.
• The Patchwork Airship - Fleshing out a vanilla quest  - Fleshes out the vanilla quest "The Patchwork Airship" by replacing the airship with a more fitting model, and giving it an interior you can explore.
• Lost Relics of the Temple - Holy relics of the Temple were lost to the minions of Dagoth Ur and have since been corrupted by his influence. Reclaim these artifacts, cleanse them of their curses, and restore them to their true power!

Modlist - Tombs

• Vennin's Hlaalu Tomb Overhaul - An overhaul of the Hlaalu Ancestral Tomb using OAAB Assets.
• Memento Mori - Discover the Great Ossuaries of Ayem, Seht, and Vehk on the slopes of Red Mountain and their associated catacombs deep beneath the volcano.
• OAAB - Tombs and Towers  - A remake of tombs and velothi towers.
• Know Thy Ancestors  - Every Ancestral Tomb in Vvardenfell has a unique banner displaying the family name in Daedric. No longer does your character psychically know what family is buried in the tombs.
• Ruined Ancestral Tombs Overhaul - This mod overhauls all 90+ interiors of the Ancestral Tombs found on Vvardenfel.
• Vennin's Hlervi Tomb Overhaul - An overhaul of the Hlervi Tomb using Oaab Assets
• Vennin's Lleran Overhaul  - An overhaul of the Lleran Ancestral tomb.
• Drethos Ancestral Tomb  - This mod adds a new dungeon to the Bitter Coast Region: Drethos Ancestral Tomb. Ancient and forgotten, it hides a sad story about loss and grief.
• The Woe of Indalen TombElmussa Damori has been suffering from nightmares; perhaps you could offer her assistance?

Modlist - Dwemer

• Of Eggs and Dwarves - Gnisis Eggmine and Bethamez Overhaul - This mod rebuilds and expands the Gnisis Eggmine complex from scratch, which includes the Eggmine, the Lower Eggmine, the Underground Stream, and Bethamez. It also adds a quest.
• Better Dwemer Interiors  + BDI - Nchuleft  - Overhauls Dwemer ruins so that they are more memorable, more fun to explore, and ultimately more rewarding without being unbalanced or overcluttered.
• Louis Beauchamp's Airshipyard - Louis Beauchamp managed to put together the only functional airship in all of Morrowind, but where in Oblivion did he build the thing? This mod attempts to answer that question.
• The Imperial Dwemer Society  - Join the Imperial Dwemer Society and help research the Dwemer. Use Dwemer machinery, create unique items, restore an old teleportation system, add new exhibits to the guild's museum...
• Dwemer Sky Fortress  - Towering over the Grazelands to the south, Arkngchend-Nchumez is inhabited by adventurers and villains trying to uncover its secrets.
• Dwemer Legacy Reforged - Arkngthunch-Sturdumz - Expansive overhaul for Dwemer Ruins of Arkngthunch-Sturdumz (exteriors with new interiors) inspired by ESO and my imagination ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
• Dungeon Details by Glittergear - 20 Dwemer Ruin Arknghand + 201 Arknghand - BDI patch + 21 Dwemer Ruin Aleft

Modlist - Daedric

Note: The Telvanni Daedrologist article has a more exhaustive list of Daedra-related quests.

• The Sanguine Rose  - The Sanguine Rose adds a fully featured Daedric Quest for Sanguine, the prince of hedonistic revelry, debauchery, and passionate indulgences of darker natures.
• Daedric Shrine Overhaul FULL  - A complete/merged version of the Daedric Shrine Overhaul mods
• Pimp My Shrine - The Daedric Legend of Vernaccus  - Dungeons, mind-bending puzzles, quests, Daedra, and the power to summon items from oblivion. New artifacts and a place to display your collection.
• The wabbajack  - Adds a new artifact to the game, the Wabbajack! Including a small quest and a unique dungeon to acquire it from.

Modlist - Gear and items

• Indie Gear - Can't go Tomb raiding without a hat and a whip, can you?
• Panoplies - Helluva Ways to Suit Up  - An extensive collection of Armor, including Nine Divine armour sets
• The Warehouse - Wares-aware mod collection  - Get Oh My Goddess, which includes several robes for the Nine Divines.
• Unidentified Items  - Adds unidentified rings, amulets, belts, robes, pants, and shirts to the game, as well as an Identify Service from Enchanters.
• The Uber Crystal Egg Hunt and Display  - Find 165 Crystal Eggs hidden in Morrowind dungeons. Optional add-ons for displays and hints.

Modlist - Homes

Note: This is a lengthy list; please select one. I want a home with a display area, so these homes tend to be large. I opted for either Imperial, Dwemer, or Telvanni style.

Museums and other

• Pocket Display Museum - If you are like me and love to display all your treasures, but hate trying to arrange them neatly, then this mod is for you.
• New Museum of Artifacts (for Artifact Collectors) - Adds a new location: Colligo's Mansion, a museum of artifacts in Mournhold.
• Nerano Vaults - A little more than just a player's home. Includes scripted displays for artifacts.
• Bitter Coast Houseboat - Adds a cozy houseboat in the Bitter Coast near Aleft with cloud storage and Ashfall compatibility.
• Thurndal - An ancient Velothi tower on the coast of the West Gash, for a tranquil and secluded retreat fitting of the Nerevarine.

Imperial style

• Varo Manor - Varo Manor adds a player's home in Caldera and a quest to obtain it. To begin the quest, inquire about the latest rumors in Caldera. The quest is designed for characters who are at least level 10.
• Imperial Dragon Manor - A lavish, Imperial-style manor right in the heart of the scenic Ascadian Isles.
• Tarhiel's Tower - Tarhiel's Tower is a player home for TES III: Morrowind. It's located just across the bay from Seyda Neen. Like Svellheim, it's a bit of a mixed bag architecturally.
• River Rock Falls - Adds a beautiful estate in its interior cells. From Balmora, head north along the road. Before you get to the bridge, look left and down. There's a rowboat in the water.
• Ascadia Manor - Adds a purchasable manor to the end of the cape, between Ebonheart and Vivec.
• YAPHM (Yet Another Portable House Mod) - Adds a portable house to the game. No special steps are required to acquire; a spell to access the home is added by the mod.

Telvanni style

• OAAB - Tel Raloran - A Telvanni mushroom house with MWSE functions.
• Tel Chendzel - Adds a furnished, uncluttered Dwemer/Telvanni tower to the south of Sadrith Mora. Perfect for mages, scholars, or anyone who likes to squat in ancient ruins.

Dwemer style

• Arkngdamz-Drunulal Space Station - Arkngdamz-Drunulal is a space station orbiting Nirn. Make it your own, abuse its powers to fuel yours.
• Arnchenzel - Dwemer Underwater House - This mod adds a house to the southwest of Tel Branora. Maybe you'll even find a cool dwemer helmet too!

Note: Art created by ChatGPT

This character is largely inspired by the incredible mods created for the Winter Modathon 2025, especially Ruffin Vangar's Paladin Outcast Armor. I’ve crafted him with a strong and rigid worldview, and I’m genuinely unsure how far he’ll make it in Vvardenfell before hitting a dead end. If he’s infected and becomes a vampire, will he step into the sunlight for a holy blaze? And can I truly role-play this character without cutting down Caius when he calmly suggests I might be the prophesied hero of some nebulous heretical cult? I have no idea—but it should be fun to find out.

Character Sheet

Race: Imperial
Gender: Male
Birthsign: The Lady
Class:
Any heavily armored warrior with spellcasting powers and a good cause may call himself a Crusader. Crusaders do well by doing good. They hunt monsters and villains, making themselves rich by plunder as they rid the world of evil.

Backstory

Born in Skingrad, you served the Nine by hunting necromancers and Daedric cults. But the priesthood was weak, unwilling to make sacrifices necessary to destroy evil. During the Cleansing of Red Ring, you burned an entire village suspected of Daedra worship—innocents included. The Imperial Cult excommunicated you, and the Legion shipped you to Morrowind to keep you away. But this land is riddled with heresy, and you have work to do.

Worldview & Religious Philosophy

• The Nine are the only true gods. The Tribunal and Daedric Princes are false idols.
• Righteous violence is worship. Every heretic slain is an offering. By extension, anyone who attacks me is against the Gods and therefore a heretic.
• Mercy is weakness. Evil must be burned out, no matter the collateral damage.
• The ends justify the means. Law and morality are tools, not limits.
• Faith should rule, not law. The Empire is weak for tolerating heresy.

Likely Affiliations  

✅ Imperial Legion – my main faction
✅ Fighters Guild – Provides a legal framework to engage in combat, letting me pursue my crusade.
✅ Talos Cult – good alignment with my beliefs
✅ Blades – If they convinced me that my holy war is aligned with their interests, I might serve as an instrument of their will.
✅ Nerevarine Cult – Could the Nerevarine be the chosen of the Nine and not merely a Dunmeri prophecy. Or they are just another heretical sect to be burned?

Won't join but could respect

🟡 Buoyant Armigers – While I despise Vivec as a false god, I might respect the Armigers’ martial discipline and their opposition to outright villainy.
🟡 House Redoran – Their warrior code and religious devotion appeal to me.

Interests & Goals

• Purge every Daedric shrine in Vvardenfell and confiscate Daedric artifacts - throw them in flames/lava.
• Find and claim lost holy weapons.
• Find a copy of Tamrielic Lore to learn the true nature of the artifacts.
• Learn destruction and restoration spells from Imperial Cult members ONLY
• Collect religious iconography as trophies of conquered faiths.
• Kill the Tribunal

❌ Dislikes:
- Compromise – Heresy cannot be reasoned with.
- Decorative skulls – A sign of necromantic corruption, must purge.
- Bureaucrats and diplomats – Faith is enforced by steel, not words.

Journal Entry

I am Marcus Valerian, once a Paladin of the Nine in Skingrad, now branded a fallen crusader by those too weak to do what must be done. I do not reject their judgment—I transcend it. Where they whisper prayers in gilded temples, I carve mine into the flesh of the wicked. Each stroke of my blade is a verse, each fallen heretic an offering to the divine.
They called it madness when I cleansed Red Ring of its corruption. "Too much innocent blood," they cried, as if any blood shed in service to the Nine could be innocent. The righteous do not count bodies—they measure purity. The Imperial Cult stripped me of my titles and forced me into the Legion's ranks, thinking discipline would temper my devotion. They were fools. Every command I follow, every foe I slay, only furthers my crusade.
Morrowind. A land where false gods rule, where ancestor worship invites necromantic filth, where Daedric shrines defile the soil. This place is an affront to the divine. Yet Arkay himself has led me here, and I see the truth—this is not exile. This is my proving ground.
If you are righteous, you have nothing to fear from me. But if you traffic with Daedra, if you defy the laws of life and death—pray to your false idols while you can. Mine will not hear you. The Nine demand purity, and I am their cleansing flame.
Let them call me fallen. I have risen above their timid interpretations of divine will. In Skingrad, I was a sword of fire. Here in Morrowind, I shall become an inferno.

Modlist - chargen and factions

• PRAY - Prayers Rituals And You - since you are not part of the Imperial Cult, you need this to pray.
• Divine Intervention - Choose a deity/saint by reading Variety of Faith, receive blessings as you level up
• Chargen Scenarios - start as a member of the Legion in Gnisis
• Morrowind Redux - great for any playthrough tbh
• Imperial Legion Expansion - New quests, items, NPCs, and more.
• Join the Royal Guards - Become a Royal Guard and do quests for them.
• Imperial Knights Faction - Adds the Imperial Knights into the game, as a joinable faction.
• The Talos Cult Conspiracy - Join the Talos Cult and embark on a conspiracy to kill the emperor.
• Fighters Guild Improved - improves the background and narrative side of most of its quests, as well as adds more variety and new options to complete them.
• Main Quest Improvements - Some small tweaks to make parts of the main quest more immersive.
• New Ilunibi - This mod rebuilds the main quest dungeon Ilunibi
• Tribunal Facelift - Improves Tribunal's quests, updates and improves certain interiors.
• Tribunal Main Quest Reforged - Expands and deepens the Tribunal questlines, giving players more choice .

Modlist - combat and skills

• Bomberman - Elemental blasts knock enemies back.
• Runes and Totems - Ability to create runes on the ground that will explode when enemies are close. Ability to create totems that will shoot magic at nearby enemies.
• Beware the Sixth House (Sixth House Overhaul) - The Sixth House makes for the most challenging content in the game.
• Tribunal Rebalanced - go deal with Almalexia at lower level if you want to.
• MDMD - More Deadly Morrowind Denizens - 230+ NPCs are given unique spells, enchantments, and items, to make Morrowind deadlier AND more varied.
• Next Generation Combat - Tons of options to customise combat.
• Trophy Taker - Trophy Takers is an MWSE mod that allows you to take trophies from your defeated enemies.
• Arcane Implements - Cantrips Spellbooks and Runes - Learn Cantrips from scrolls, spells from spellbooks so you don't have to reply on the Mages Guild or Telvanni.

Modlist - locations and quests

• Caldera Priory and the Depths of Blood and Bone - Caldera Priory has been overrun by the Undead.
• Imperium - Castle Ebonheart - Castle Ebonheart and the Imperial Chapel interiors have been refurbished
• Immersive Mournhold - Mournhold Overhaul
• The Buoyant Armigers - Join the Buoyant Armigers as a recruit and help keep Vvardenfell safe from the forces of Dagoth Ur.
• Tamrielic Lore - Allows more artefacts to be given to the Museum in Mournhold.
• Corprusarium - Sorrow Heart of Tel Fyr - overhaul Tel Fyr and the Corprusarium.
• Daedric Shrine Overhaul FULL - A complete/merged version of the Daedric Shrine Overhaul mods
• OAAB - Tombs and Towers - A remake of tombs and velothi tower
• Uncharted artifacts - Uncharted Artifacts gives you a fun way to find the unique items & artifacts in vanilla Morrowind.
• Dagoth Ur Fleshed Out - A modern overhaul of the final dungeon, Dagoth Ur.
• Akulakhan's best chamber - A fully animated overhaul of Akulakhan's chamber.
• Unholy Trinity - Dagoth Ur - Vemynal - Odrosal Remade - don't install Dagoth Ur
• Holidays Across Tamriel - Vvardenfell - This mod is inspired by holiday celebrations as they were depicted in TES II: Daggerfall.
• Red Dome Templars - Implements the Red Dome Templars
• Ten Commands Nine Divines - When you read the book "Ten Commands: Nine Divines" you hear a voice speaking to you. Go all over Vvardenfell on a quest for the Divines.
• The Will of the Divines - The devout followers of The Nine have been meek in the face of the Daedra. The Gods now demand retribution, and you will bow to their will!
• Wilhelm of the Aedra - Frik is concerned about one Wilhelm Bear-Star who may be harassing Tribunal pilgrims. Find Wilhelm and see if he's divinely inspired or a madman.

Modlist - Gear

• Imperial Battlemage Armory - Adds Imperial battlemage and High imperial battlemage armor
• Paladin Outcast Armor - A New armor for those who wish to enforce the might of the divines.
• Armored Robes Compilation and NPC changes - what it says

Header image created by AI

The character creation process for my permadeath runs begins with a semi-randomized system. I allow myself up to three rolls to determine the character’s class, race, birthsign, and background.
The community that joins me during my livestreams plays a huge role in shaping these stories. Take for example Karenolura's name. The race mod we're using the Kheran race by Westly, and Chat felt that this character should be a Karen. :)
In the nature of permadeath runs, the end is inevitable—my characters always meet their fate. Yet some stories feel too compelling to let go. This chronicle is one of them.

a Pearl Diver's Transformation

In the Imperial settlement of Pelagiad, Karenolura found an unexpected home. As a Maomer, she drew curious glances from locals and travelers alike, but the waters of Lake Hairan offered solace. 'The depths care not what I am,' she would often think while diving for pearls, finding joy in the silence beneath the surface. She lived simply, selling her findings for modest profits—just enough to sustain herself in this town where Imperial guards patrolled cobbled streets built atop Dunmer soil.

Though she had no blood relations in Morrowind, Karenolura carried with her the teachings of her adoptive father, a kind-hearted Khajiit monk who had raised her. 'Kindness costs nothing,' he would say, and she had built her life around his wisdom: be kind, show compassion, avoid violence, and live simply.

One day, after a successful dive, Karenolura brought her pearls to the local trader, Mebestian Ence. The shrewd Imperial merchant offered far less than their worth. 'Father would say the price matters less than the peace in my heart,' she reminded herself, for she had weightier matters on her mind. A letter had arrived from her adoptive father, speaking of his journey to Gnisis where he hoped to rejoin the Tribunal Temple. He asked to meet her there.

Upon reaching Gnisis, that dusty outpost where Temple faithful prayed in the shadow of an ancient Velothi tower, she searched for him without success. The Temple had seen him but knew nothing of his whereabouts. Finally, a guard mentioned seeing him leave town, adding a warning about aggressive nix-hounds in the area. 'Surely he knows to be careful,' she thought, 'he taught me everything about surviving these lands.'

Taking the road out of town, Karenolura discovered her father's body, partially devoured by nix-hounds. Something broke inside her at that moment—the injustice of it all, the pain, the sorrow. 'What is the point,' she asked herself, 'of leading a peaceful, kind, and compassionate life, only to die alone and rot?'

She remained there, cycling between tears and anger, until finally turning back toward town. There she met Constance, a young Bosmer who was clearly a thief—someone her father would have urged her to guide toward a better path. Perhaps it was because she herself was born under the sign of the Thief, or perhaps it was the rebellion in her heart, but she chose to travel with Constance instead.

Together they returned to town and began stealing whatever they could. Though they made little coin, Karenolura felt freed and exhilarated. 'Is this what you meant by finding our own path, father?' she wondered bitterly while celebrating their 'day's work' at the tradehouse. There, they overheard talk of a bounty. Bandits were terrorising travellers nearby, operating brazenly from a cave close to town while the guards did nothing.

For Karenolura, it seemed perfect—a chance to channel her anger, deliver justice, and make the roads safer. 'Perhaps there are many ways to help others,' she thought, trying to reconcile her new path with her father's teachings. The promise of coin was appealing too, as Constance, despite her small frame, had proven quite the heavy drinker. Their day's pickings were already spent at the bar.

As Karenolura and Constance prepared to hunt these criminals, she touched the pearl she always kept in her pocket—the first she had ever found. 'Guide me, father, even if I cannot follow your way.'

You can catch the let's play on YouTube

Lately, I’ve been even more immersed in role-playing characters, so this article focuses more on their worldviews rather than purely practical aspects like gameplay mechanics or handicaps. My goal is try to step into your character’s mindset so in-game choices feel authentic. I’ve also grown more comfortable missing out on some game content for the sake of role-play, which helps a lot. But don’t worry—the usual information is still here, including a fairly extensive modlist. :)

Character Details

Race: Imperial
Birthsign: The Warrior
Class: Spearmen form the front lines in a pitched battle, requiring strength and bravery. Mysticism is a useful skill for those spearmen who can learn it as it allows them to protect themselves from ranged magical attacks. All spearmen also carry short blades for those who manage to get past their spears.

Backstory

My name is unimportant. What matters is the uniform I wear and the oath I've sworn. I come from a long line of Imperial Legion soldiers, with family serving across every province for generations. Born in the Legion District of the Imperial City, I was raised on stories of duty and honor. My father, a Tribune, taught me that a spear is merely an extension of judgment—it must reach far but strike precisely.
After basic training, I was assigned to Fort Gnisis in Vvardenfell. They sent me to this land of ash not for magical talent, but because I understand something fundamental: order must be maintained. My superiors noted my adherence to regulation and calm under pressure.
Though inexperienced with Morrowind's complex culture, I approach my duty with the confidence of someone who believes in the order I represent. The Great House politics, native prophecies, smugglers with their skooma—all irrelevant unless they threaten Imperial peace.
Every morning I pray to Stendarr for the wisdom to show mercy when appropriate and strength when necessary. Some call me rigid. They don't understand. In a land where ash storms strip flesh from bone, discipline isn't merely virtue—it's survival.
This is not a tale of adventure or destiny, but a chronicle of duty performed without wavering. And if fate should cast me against Dagoth Ur or a Nerevarine, know this—I face it not as a hero, but as a soldier of the Empire. The story of Morrowind will be written in many hands. Mine simply holds the spear that guards its borders.

Religion

• Worships Stendarr, God of Mercy, believing that justice without compassion is mere tyranny; his faith was inherited through family tradition rather than personal spiritual revelation
• Observes his faith through daily morning prayers, offering protection to the innocent, and showing mercy when appropriate in his duties.
• Perfoms duties for the Imperial Cult

Affiliations - in order of importance

• The Imperial Legion
• The Blades
• The Imperial Cult
• The Fighters Guild

Goals and Handicaps

✔ Skill books to improve one's skills - Particularly on martial techniques and battle tactics
✔ Strengthen the Imperial presence in Morrowind and maintain peace and order
✔ Rise through the ranks of the Imperial Legion and make your forefathers proud
✔ Wear and carry Imperial gear exclusively
✔ Well-maintained weapons & armor
✔ Minimalist living
✔ Reading military & philosophical texts
✘ Bribery & corruption - you cannot bribe or accept bribes
✘ Drunkenness & indulgence – no drugs no booze.
✘ Petty squabbles - devote your time to worthy causes only
✘ Glory-seekers & loudmouths

World view

• Imperial Rule vs. Dunmer Autonomy – Imperial rule is a fact, not a debate. Stability must be maintained, but governance should be just, not exploitative.
• Great House Rivalries – Petty power struggles are irrelevant unless they threaten order. The law applies to all equally.
• Camonna Tong’s Influence – Criminals and corruption must be dealt with when possible, but reckless defiance of authority is unwise.
• Tribunal’s Decline – Religious change is irrelevant unless it leads to disorder. Gods may rise and fall, but duty remains.
• Nerevarine Prophecy – Prophecies do not change the obligation to enforce law and maintain stability.
• Traditionalism vs. Foreign Influence – Dunmer traditions are their own concern as long as they do not lead to lawlessness.
• Slavery Debate – Personally dislikes slavery but follows Imperial policy. If outlawed, it will be enforced without hesitation.
• Ashlander Marginalization – Ashlanders deserve fair treatment under the law, but their beliefs are not a concern.
• Dagoth Ur & The Blight – A direct threat to order, stability, and life. Must be eliminated.
• Vampirism & Necromancy – Dangerous and unlawful. Must be hunted down with discipline, not hysteria.

Creed

Order stands so long as we uphold it. Mercy when possible, steel when necessary.

Recommended Mods

Chargen and skills

• Chargen Scenarios - start as a member of the Legion in Gnisis
• Ahead of the Classes - select Spearman class - a few other options for warrior-type characterss
• Written in the Stars - a birthsign mod - 3 Warrior birthsigns to choose from
• PRAY - Prayers Rituals And You - actually pray to the Divines
• Daily Training - with discipline, one can only become stronger
• It Takes One to Know One - A perk mod - gain new skills and abilities as you raise through ranks
• Privileges And Services - as high-ranking person, recruit guards, promote lower faction members...
• Realistic Repairs + Realistic Repair - Add-on - repair hammers can only be used by activating an anvil, and prongs used by activating a forge
• Armor Training - Slowly level armor while moving at low skill
• Next Generation Combat - Tons of options to customise combat: 100% hit chance, active blocking, and automatic weapon effects based on skill level

OR - Combat Enhanced - MWSE Edition - you can now perfom combos when attacking.

• Defensive Stance - Crouching with a shield equipped increases your block and reduces your speed
• MDMD - More Deadly Morrowind Denizens - 230+ NPCs are given unique spells, enchantments, and items, to make Morrowind deadlier AND more varied
• Get Sharp - Improved smithing tools at Fort Pelagiad ans Fort Buckmoth

Better factions and main quest

• Morrowind Redux - get lore-friendly and useful items as you rise through the ranks.
• Imperial Legion Expansion - New quests, items, NPCs, and more.
• Fighters Guild Improved - improves the background and narrative side of most of its quests, as well as adds more variety and new options to complete them.
• Religions Elaborated - Fleshes out the Imperial Cult
• Main Quest Improvements - small tweaks to make parts of the main quest more immersive.
• Caius Gives You a Cover Story - Caius will recommend you factions to join based on your skills the first time you ask about orders.
• Blades Quest: Prophecy of the Lost Heir (+ Lost Heir Delayer) - Once you become the Nerevarine, continue to serve the Blades in the large quest mod featuring a few companions.
• Beware the Sixth House (Sixth House Overhaul) - The Sixth House makes for the most challenging content in the game.
• Larrius Varo's Little Story--A different version - Edits to Larrius Varo's quest to allow more discretion than having a massive barfight
• Dagoth Ur Fleshed Out - a proper final dungeon for the main quest
• Unholy Trinity - Dagoth Ur - Vemynal - Odrosal Remade - don't install Dagoth Ur
• Imperialist Nerevarine - This mod allows you to complete the Main Quest of Morrowind without membership in the "Ashlanders" faction

Companions

• Friends and Frens - Seek out a Bosmer Sharpshooter in one of the Imperial forts
• The Strider's Nest - Companions and Quests - Seek out a young Breton knight in Balmora
• Dras the Dunmer Legionnaire - Meet with Tendndras Lonvyn of the Imperial Legion in Balmora and earn his trust... or enmity
• Jasmine - a friend of the Blades, Jasmine has much to say about the main quest

Gear

• The Warehouse - Wares-aware mod collection - pick House of Spears, more if tempted
• Imperium - Imperial Armour Expanded - suits of Legion armour with the intention of making armour a bigger facet of Legion identity
• Interesting Outfits - Imperials - Gives various characters makeovers with assets from other mods
• Wares Ultimate - TD list plugin that adds a lot of imperial armour sets

Places and other quests

• Hiding in Plain Sight - Blades' Headquarters - if you want a practical place in Balmora and/or don't fancy a bunk bed in a fort
• mwse Containers - if you choose to live in a fort, at least you'll be able to store a few things
• Ebonheart underworks - Ebonheart now has its sewage system. With filth, rats, people and quests.
• Imperium - Castle Ebonheart - Castle Ebonheart and the Imperial Chapel interiors have been refurbished
• Gnisis Docks - an actual dock will appear near Vabdas' hut, a few days after the quest is finished by stealing the land deed
• Imperial Employment Office (MD Edit) - in case the factions suggested above are noy enough, here's some honest work approved by the Empire
• Halls of Colossus - delve into a great Imperial secret
• Umbra- Blademaster - Umbra is a greater challenge and a greater reward