Honorable Writs of Execution Content . Councilor Eris Redoran , As you requested , I prepared this primer due to recent events involving the ancient guild of assassins known as the Morag Tong . You wanted to know everything available about the guild and its members in order to make informed decisions concerning how to respond to current activities aimed at our Great House . The guild personifies the darker aspects of Dunmer life , celebrating murder in the name of Mephala . Surprisingly , the group was created to curb violence and prevent the always contentious House politics of Morrowind from escalating into full - scale war . Since such a war has yet to erupt , I suppose you could say that the Morag Tong has thus far been a successful experiment . The Morrowind government sanctioned the Morag Tong long ago during the First Era , and to this day they continue to perform tacitly legal assassinations , utilizing a system of contracts known as " honorable writs of execution . " Under the established laws , no member of the Morag Tong can perform an execution without a writ detailing the exact target and purpose for the sanctioned murder . Maintaining an air of impartiality in regards to house politics , the Morag Tong carries itself with all the weight of a cherished and ancient institution . Members never act on their own accord and cannot take on missions of their own choosing . Instead , petitions for services are sent to the guild ' s Grandmaster for examination and consideration . If the petition is accepted , an honorable writ of execution is prepared and awarded to a Morag Tong member . From that point on , the contract ' s target is dead and just doesn ' t know it - before long the assassin makes contact and completes the deadly transaction . Unlike other killers or even those crazed fanatics that belong to the Dark Brotherhood , the Morag Tong assassins admit to their acts and proudly brandish their honorable writs of execution after each kill . These writs pardon a Tong member of any legal entanglements that may occur in the administration of the associated contract . Indeed , by law , a Tong executioner must step forward and proclaim that a kill was performed legally and to the letter of the contract , thus absolving him - or herself and averting any subsequent ramifications related to the act . The Tong claims to provide no safe harbor for criminals , so any member that does not comply comes under investigation and internal punishment . The origins of the Morag Tong remain shrouded in legend and conjecture . All I have been able to ascertain for sure is that the group emerged during the bloody House conflicts of early Morrowind , establishing the writ system and rising to prominence by the end of the First Era . The guild reached the height of its power about two - hundred - and - fifty years ago , operating openly across Tamriel and attaining a reputation as unparalleled , reasonable , and honorable killers . The group became too sure of itself , too confident of its position . After a number of high - profile assassinations of monarchs and great lords that frightened the Tamriel nobility , the Tong retreated back to its holdings in Morrowind and vanished from the public eye for more than a century . Today , the group maintains a subdued presence in Dark Elf lands , taking select contracts as they work to reestablish their name and reputation with the Great Houses . The organization of the Morag Tong hasn ' t changed much over the years . A Grandmaster leads the guild , who then grants power to each guild hall ' s master to accept and assign writs . Note that individual members cannot accept a contract without approval , however , and the guild masters have proven over the years that they take great care when deciding to accept a contract . One possible avenue to explore should the conflict between House Redoran and the Morag Tong escalate is the group ' s affiliation with Mephala , the Daedric Prince of lies , deception , and murder . While the organization is sanctioned and their heretical ways mostly overlooked by the Tribunal , Ordinators and Buoyant Armigers will deal with these heretics swiftly and brutally if they catch them in the act of committing murder . I leave that for you to decide . Enar Dren , House Redoran Master of Records