Thirr River

The Thirr River is, by some measure, the largest river in Morrowind in both terms of volume, width and length, and in effect divides the mainland into equal halves. Owing to the sheer number of political powers occupying the settlements on its banks, it is perhaps the most hotly-contested territory between the great houses outside of Vvardenfell itself.

Geography
The Thirr begins in the canyons of  , at  , the capital of Great House Hlaalu, and winds through the land until reaching the Imperial city of  , where it runs into the Inner Sea. The northern half of the river runs through the region of  , and the southern through the  . Two vast lakes form part of the river, being  , just north of Narsis, and  , which drains into the river from the east. It is from the city of   on Lake Andaram that Great House Dres ship slaves and saltrice to the rest of Morrowind. Great House Redoran also maintain the settlements of   and   on the banks of the Thirr, although these have grown isolated and vulnerable to the Hlaalu in recent years, who operate vast slave plantations all across the western bank.

As if this was not enough, a major tributary, the  , runs through   before joining the Thirr. As a result, a vast amount of mainland Morrowind is connected by water, with only Great House Telvanni lacking a port somewhere. The river is as a result, a major trade artery, and the Tribunal Temple has established the canton city of   to collect dues from this trade, while also providing a rare bridge over this colossal waterway.

History
In the time prior to the Armistice between the Tribunal and Tiber Septim, the river was dominated by the Great Houses Redoran and Indoril, with Hlaalu maintaining a hold over more meagre territories surrounding Narsis. The Indoril maintained a number of chapel holdings on the west bank, with the Indoril Llathsa ruling from the now-ruined  , and the Indoril Moraelyn ruling from the city of Khalaan, that stood in the current location of Old Ebonheart. Great House Redoran held the Thirr Valley region and Othreleth Woods, all as part of their Waters March, with its capital at the now crumbling Ald Iuval.

The arrival of Tiber Septim changed this, with the Redoran having weakened themselves against the Imperial legions, and several Indoril lords in effect destroying their own cities rather than permit Imperial occupation - or accommodation, for many of the Indoril objected to the Armistice itself. Tur Julan was abandoned, following an agreement between the lord of that place and the Daedric Prince, Azura.   was given over to Oblivion, although the Empire would still recognise the value of the site, and build it back up into a central powerhouse controlling trade on the Thirr.

Great House Hlaalu took advantage of the weakness of the two rival houses (and of the indifference of the isolationist Dres around Lake Andaram), expanding their territory to encompass almost all of the Waters March, and up along the west bank of the Thirr to the Inner Sea, with the northernmost extent of their control being marked by the great city of  .

Politics
With the Tribunal Temple, the Septim Empire, and four Great Houses maintaining settlements on the Thirr, and a vast wealth of trade flowing through it, political tensions are inevitable. Those are greatest between Great House Hlaalu, which seeks expansion into further, wealthier lands (and protection of its trade between Narsis and Andothren), and Great House Indoril, which remembers the territories it has lost, and thinks of the Hlaalu as traitors to the traditions of Resdayn.

The Hlaalu have, with the establishment of  , already begun settling the east side of the Thirr, but House War has yet to break out. The main powers on this part of the Thirr, are   of   and  , of  . Between them, from the city of Almas Thirr, the Temple seek to maintain the peace, being ostensibly neutral in this dispute, even if the interests of the Temple align rather more with the traditionalist Indoril than the Empire-backed Hlaalu.

The Empire itself seems content for trade to flow, although doubtless benefits from the Indoril being on the back foot in this wealthy region of Morrowind. House Dres, meanwhile, do not seem to care much for the world beyond their own borders, and have thus far remained undisturbed by Hlaalu expansion - the Hlaalu, for their part, have yet to provoke them, despite the proximity of Narsis to the  .

House Redoran is the final power on the Thirr River, with their two remaining settlements of the Waters March flanking the river at the northern exit of Lake Coronati. Surrounded on all sides by Hlaalu territory, it remains to be seen if these places can hold out, although they have been spared so far, perhaps due to Hlaalu prioritising the Indoril, and perhaps because of the traditional role of these settlements in suppressing piracy and protecting trade along the river itself.

Places
A list of places found on the banks of the Thirr:

Cities and Settlements

Metropolises (Tier I)


Towns (Tier III)


Villages (Tier IV)


Outposts (Tier V)








Unreleased Places
These places are planned, in development, or partially complete and available through TR_Preview. Due to the ever-changing nature of unreleased content, only major locations on the concept map are listed here.

Metropolises (Tier I)


Towns (Tier III)


Villages (Tier IV)





Outposts (Tier V)