Great Houses There are five organizations of Dunmer in the region of Morrowind that are known as Great Houses . They have their origins in ancient Velothi tribes , and function effectively as political parties within the Morrowind polity , as well as controlling much of the trade and local administration in the province . Representatives from each of the Great Houses form the Grand Council , the body that has ruled Morrowind since the late First Era . The Houses themselves also have ruling councils , which enforce House policy and conduct . Great Houses that have been referenced in the games to date are House Dagoth , House Dres , House Hlaalu , House Indoril , House Redoran , House Sadras and House Telvanni . All but House Dagoth and House Sadras had a stake in Morrowind ' s governance for most of its history . House Dagoth was destroyed following the events at the Battle of Red Mountain , while House Sadras replaced House Hlaalu following the Red Year . During the time of Resdayn in the First Era , the Dwemer were also accorded the status of a House , referred to as " House Dwemer . " History . Each Great House is made up of a network of families and subclans , that date back to the tribal cultures that emerged following decline of Velothi culture in the late Merethic Era . However , sources detailing the nature of the Great Houses only go back as far as the First Era . First Era . The nascent Chimer factions were constantly at war with one another , and with the Dwemer . This fractiousness , it is claimed , led to their conquest by the Nords in the early First Era . The First Council . This ended at the time of the War of Succession in 1E 416 , where the Chimer and Dwemer were united to destroy the First Nordic Empire . During this time , the predecessor organizations that would lead to the Great Houses were formed , with the First Council as its governing body . Armed conflict between the Houses still continued to some degree during this time , however , despite the formation of an overarching government for Resdayn . The First Council dissolved some time after the ejection of the Nords , over religious differences between the Dwemer and the other houses , and possibly the discovery of the Heart of Lorkhan beneath Red Mountain . These disagreements grew into the War of the First Council . This war saw the disappearance of the Dwemer at the Battle of Red Mountain , and the eradication of House Dagoth shortly after . The Grand Council . Following the Battle , the First Council was reformed into the Grand Council , consisting of the Orthodox Houses of Dres , Hlaalu , Indoril , Redoran and Telvanni . Also emerging at this time was the Tribunal Temple , following the apotheosis of Almalexia , Sotha Sil and Vivec , and the outlawing of open House conflict , precipitating the rise of the Morag Tong in order to continue such disputes less openly , although this did not end all open conflict between the houses . The Tribunal also founded the Grand Council out of the ashes of the First Council , to govern the province . Several nomadic groups of Dunmer refused to worship the Tribunal , continuing the old ancestor and Daedra worship that was prevalent before the War of the First Council . Although previously identified as a distinct group from the settled mer , these Ashlanders became more marked in their differences as the House Dunmer integrated further with the Tribunal Temple and the Ashlanders retained the old ways . Over time , the webs of allegiances between the settled Dunmer and the peace brought by the Grand Council meant that they developed rapidly , forcing the nomadic Ashlanders into the less fertile lands of the province . Second Era . The Armistice . The Armistice was agreed after several skirmishes between the Empire and Resdayn during Tiber Septim ' s conquests , and created the Imperial Province of Morrrowind . The Houses were split on how to react to this , with several refusing to fight the empire directly , leaving House Redoran the impossible task of defending alone against the Empire . House Hlaalu was enthusiastically supporting the treaty , while House Indoril vehemently opposed it , and others remained neutral . However , the terms of the Armistice allow Morrowind a high degree of local autonomy and self - governance in cultural affairs , leading to several houses , particularly those supportive of slavery , to later support the terms of the Armistice . Third Era . The Hortator . As a result of Imperial and Temple machinations , the Hortator emerged with the support of all Great Houses during the late Third Era , to defeat Dagoth Ur . At this time , King Llethan was assassinated and replaced by Helseth . Helseth replaced all the members of the Grand Council , shaking up the Houses out of a long - established order . Fourth Era . The Red Year . Baar Dau fell and Red Mountain erupted in 4E 5 , destroying Vivec City and causing much destruction elsewhere . This destroyed much of the power base of House Indoril , who became synonymous with the Temple itself . House Redoran survived with much of its power base intact , who rose to fill the power vacuum left by the event . Meanwhile , House Hlaalu was removed from the Grand Council and replaced by House Sadras . Present Houses . House Redoran . House Redoran is a martial house that consider themselves the hereditary defenders of Morrowind . The House Redoran prizes the three virtues of duty , gravity , and piety , and they are typically considered one of the more honorable Houses in the region . The house claims their first duty is to the Temple , although not as part of its structure as House Indoril is . The House motto is , " " A Redoran is a warrior whose duty is first to the Tribunal , second to House Redoran , and third to family and clan . " " They have holdings on Vvardenfell island and west of the Morrowind mainland . Their holdings in the mainland of Morrowind include a large portion of the northwest of the province . Their capital on Vvardenfell and council seat for much of their history was Ald ' ruhn . In the Fourth Era , They also control much of the island of Solstheim , including the settlement of Raven Rock , following the departure of the Empire in 4E 16 . The house was seen to be in decline for much of the Third Era , losing influence on Vvardenfell as the more expansionist and underhand Telvanni and Hlaalu houses , in addition to suffering from severe levels of crime organized by the Cammona Tong and the Thieves Guild . The most severe blow came during the Oblivion Crisis , when Ald ' ruhn was destroyed . After the Oblivion Crisis , House Redoran established holdings on Solstheim and mainland Morrowind , taking over Raven Rock after the withdrawal of the Empire . On the mainland , House Redoran was one of the least damaged houses following the Red Year and was able to take over the position of leadership on Morrowind ' s Grand Council . House Telvanni . House Telvanni is a house governed by powerful and idiosyncratic mage - lords , with little formal code of conduct being imposed by the House hierarchy . As a result , many of the most powerful Telvanni lords work in solitude , and do not concern themselves directly with House affairs . During the Three Banners War , despite being a member of the Ebonheart Pact , the Telvanni were most concerned with keeping the other Pact members out of their territories . Despite this , there is a " de facto " code of conduct in the House , which considers that might makes right . The House motto reflects this , being , " " The forceful expression of will gives true honor to the Ancestors . " " This cut - throat attitude also means that murdering one ' s political opponents is a perfectly acceptable way of resolving disputes . It is also the way that the current ruling Archmagister must be deposed . Their indifference to politics is reflected in the structure of their House governance . While the Telvanni council is made up of some of the most powerful wizards in the House , they are represented and their votes are cast by " Mouths , " who speak for their patron in council so that the actual councillor does not have to . Unlike Houses Redoran and Hlaalu , most Telvanni Councillors do not live at the Vvardenfell district seat of Sadrith Mora , but have their own towers , populated by their retainers . Their isolationism is also reflected in the governance of their main territories . Non - members of the House are required to have " hospitality papers " to be in Sadrith Mora at all . Despite being laissez - faire in their attitude to internal and political affairs , House Telvanni is one of the most competitive when it comes to obtaining resources and power . The House was in direct competition with House Hlaalu for land on Vvardenfell for much of the Third Era , and dominated much of Vvardenfell ' s eastern regions . Alongside House Dres , House Telvanni is one of the more vocal proponents of slavery on Morrowind , as it allows them to have a fresh supply of both test subjects and cheap labor . They even worked with House Hlaalu to break the Mages Guild monopoly on transportation magic in the Third Era . During the Oblivion Crisis , the House was rumored to be defending Morrowind directly by invading and closing Oblivion gates . However , the House suffered badly from the subsequent Argonian invasion in 4E 6 , with some fearing that the House would be wiped out altogether . House Indoril . House Indoril is one of two Great Houses that does not have holdings on Vvardenfell . Its capital is Almalexia , which also functions as the capital of Morrowind as a whole . The vast majority of members serve the Temple , a tendency which only increased following the events of Red Year and the fall of the Tribunal , resulting in all of House Indoril ' s power passing into the hands of the Temple in the Fourth Era . The Chimer warlord Nerevar was an Indoril , and the House claimed that the Tribunal as a whole came from the House . These connections allowed them to maintain a strong control of Morrowind ' s governance throughout much of Morrowind ' s history . When the Third Empire invaded , House Indoril wished to fight to the death rather than submit , and proposed fighting a guerrilla war against the invaders . Following the Armistice , many House Indoril nobles committed suicide rather than accept the treaty , and lost a great deal of influence because of it . In the game , citizens of Cyrodiil speak of House Indoril being in ruins as the result of machinations of the new king , Hlaalu Helseth , and his House Hlaalu and House Dres allies . House Dres . House Dres has a power based on agriculture and the slave trade , and is located in the south - eastern part of Morrowind , and has no holdings on Vvardenfell . Previously a strong and rich House , with a thriving economy , its influence on Morrowind politics has weakened considerably since Morrowind ' s surrender to the Third Empire , which it strongly opposed . House Dres is the most conservative of Morrowind ' s Great Houses , to the extent that the Daedra worship of the Chimer is still commonly practiced by its members . During the war in which Morrowind became a province of the Empire of Tiber Septim , it was one of the Houses , along with House Indoril and House Redoran , to resist Imperial forces , opposing the treaty even after Redoran agreed to its terms . More recently , after the events of , House Dres has apparently undergone some significant changes . Since then , King Hlaalu Helseth has outlawed slavery in Morrowind , but Dres is apparently prospering in spite of this . House Sadras . House Sadras is a great house that rose to prominence during the Fourth Era . They joined the ruling Council of Morrowind , along with House Telvanni , Dres , Indoril and Redoran . Disbanded / Revoked Houses . House Hlaalu . House Hlaalu was always one of the weaker Great Houses , and so tended to rely on trade and relations with external political forces to keep up with the rest of the Houses . This meant that they were one of the few sincere members of the Ebonheart Pact during the Three Banners War . The House itself positions this as the ability to be nimble and adjust to events , which is for them a political necessity . The House had holdings on Vvardenfell during the Third Era , and its old capital was Narsis . However , the key members of the Hlaalu council all resided on Vvardenfell . House Hlaalu was always pro - Imperial in its outlook , urging accommodation with Tiber Septim in the period leading up to the Armistice . When the head of the Grand Council , an Indoril , refused to sign the treaty that Vivec negotiated , he was assassinated and replaced by a member of House Hlaalu . Their co - operation with Imperial authorities during the Third Era allowed them to expand aggressively and build and support many new settlements on Vvardenfell . The exact status of these settlements in the political climate following the events of Red Year and the Argonian invasion is unknown . Following the abdication of Queen Barenziah , Athyn Llethan , a member of House Hlaalu , became King of Morrowind . He died shortly after her return shortly before the events of . House Hlaalu saw its status of Great House revoked during the Fourth Era . This was due to Empire ( supposedly ) abandoning Morrowind during the Oblivion Crisis . Since the other Great Houses could not take their anger out on the Empire , they targeted House Hlaalu , who were staunch Imperial supporters . The House became an outcast and a pariah , losing almost all of its power . House Dagoth . House Dagoth was one of the six Chimer Great Houses of Morrowind , counted among the " Secular Houses , " alongside House Dwemer . Known for being subtle , the House was condemned following the Battle of Red Mountain for treachery , possibly because they invited outsiders into what was an internal Dunmer conflict . This destruction is likely to have happened immediately following the battle itself . Before this series of events , Voryn Dagoth , the leader of the House , allied himself with Nerevar and the Tribunal . In some accounts , it is Voryn Dagoth that uncovers the Dwemer use of the Heart of Lorkhan , and so may have been the instigator for the war in the first place . Other accounts place Voryn Dagoth as a traitor to his own people who assisted the Tribunal . After the battle , Nerevar left Voryn Dagoth to guard the tools while Nerevar and the Tribunal discussed what to do with them . When the Tribunal returned , Voryn Dagoth ( now referred to as Dagoth Ur ) drove them off and fled with the tools into Red Mountain ' s depths . The Ash Vampire s , referred to as Dagoth ' s " kin " in various texts , also likely fled with him at this time . After this , the mere mention of House Dagoth was considered offensive . They continued to exist for many years , and gathered in force under Dagoth Ur during the Third Era , gathering followers and carrying out a range of covert operations with the ultimate goal of establishing a new theocracy in Morrowind , worshipping Dagoth ' s created god , Akulakhan . The House was ultimately destroyed in the Third Era , by the actions of the Nerevarine . Minor Houses . In addition to the Great Houses themselves , there are Minor Houses in Morrowind , which generally owe allegiance to one or other of the Great Houses . Due to their inferior political status , there is little detail available about them , so what is known is presented here . House Sotha . House Sotha was one of the minor Houses of Vvardenfell until its destruction by Mehrunes Dagon in the times of Indoril Nerevar . The only one who survived the destruction of the House by Dagon was Sotha Sil , who was rescued by Vivec . House Mora . House Mora was one of the minor houses of Morrowind . They are said to have produced a hero who at one time drove the Nords from Morrowind . Notable members were Queen Barenziah , King Moraelyn , and Empress Katariah . In time the house had disbanded , many of its members being adopted into House Hlaalu .