Lore:Mabrigash Tribe

The Mabrigash Tribe is an Ashlander tribe that lives in the  , in the region of   in mainland  . The tribe is predominantly female,  and worships an ancient entity known as the  ,  which some believe to be an aspect of Sithis. 

The tribe is made up primarily of Mabrigash, renegade wise women who have forsaken the established rules of behavior for an Ashlander woman to master the dark arts and become a witch-warrior.   Mabrigash are outcasts among the Ashlanders.   Individual Mabrigash can also be found throughout Morrowind. By  , these witch-warriors were common on the island of  , and were known to obtain their power by charming a man and draining him of his vital essence. They could manifest their power as a ghost snake, which would paralyze and drain their victims. It is unknown whether they have any connection to the Mabrigash tribe in the Vale. 

The Mabrigash are a matriarchal society. Their women outnumber their men and garner greater respect among the tribe than their male counterparts. They don't hate males; rather, they don't trust them very much. This sentiment is most apparent when the Mabrigash are dealing with male outsiders.  They were traditionally xenophobic and isolated, refusing contact with the outside world.   Many of the Mabrigash are set in their ways and fear change.  However, the Mabrigash will treat outsiders with courtesy if they respect the tribe's ways.  Unlike other Ashlander tribes, they are led by a Farseer rather than a wise woman, and are not nomadic.  

The Mabrigash tribe hunts snakes for food. They use the beasts' fangs for tools and adornments, and snake skin has a wide variety of uses.  In particular, the Mabrigash can use snake skin to craft unique leather.  They honor and protect snakes, only killing for what they need.  Poachers attempting to hunt snakes within the Vale rarely get to leave the Vale alive.  Upon arrival to the tribe, each new member much prove themselves by walking the treacherous swamps of the Vale known as the Coiled Path, while avoiding the   and the angry ghosts of those who failed.   Those who flee during their trial or otherwise fail to walk the Coiled Path bring shame upon their family and dishonor their clan. As such, they can never return to the Vale.  

History
The Mabrigash came to the Vale long ago, after war in their homeland led to famine. The legendary farseer Hareth heard the Ghost Snake whisper in her dreams, and led the tribe's ancestors to the Vale, where they've remained ever since.  Archaeological evidence of Ghost Snake worship indicates to the tribe's presence in Deshaan as far back as the First Era; at this time, the tribe still held some reverence for the Good Daedra. 

In  , a Hlaalu trading caravan attempted to make contact with the tribe to trade for snake skin. The Hlaalu envoy, Raston Vendil, managed to insult the entire tribe with his lack of etiquette and was taken prisoner.   The Mabrigash implored the Ghost Snake for advice, but the spirit insisted that the choice was theirs: accept trade with the outside world, or remain isolated. It is unknown which path the tribe took, but the contact with the traders had irreversibly changed them. 

See Also
For more information, see the Morrowind and ESO articles.

References