Thorn Thorn is one of the eight major cities in the province of Black Marsh and is the capital of the Thornmarsh region of Black Marsh . The city of Thorn is located very close to the Deshaan border and more so , to the House Dres capital of Tear , the center of the Slavery trade in Tamriel . Description . Geography . The city of Thorn is located near the Black Marsh - Morrowind border , next to the metropolis of Tear , the center of the Great House Dres , as well as the Slavery market . This makes Thorn , a target to the Dres Slavers since it is a heavily populated Argonian city . Thorn itself , is situated on the northeastern coast and was once an area populated by the Barsaebic Ayleids , a sub - section of Heartland Elves that live very primitive lifestyles . This territory stretched across the border and coastal areas , from as far as Archon , to even far away Gideon . The name of Thorn likely comes from the region it inhabits , the Thornmarsh region . History . First Era . The Barsaebic Ayleids ' migration into Black Marsh . Before the Argonian city of Thorn , the general area of Thorn , as well as the Eastern Black Marsh coast was once territory occupied by the Barsaebic Ayleids , a sub - section of Heartland Elves that lived very primitive lifestyles . This region is said to reach as far as Archon to Gideon , from Arnesia to Stormhold . These Ayleids were originally from the Heartlands of Cyrodiil , before being driven out by the Daedric worshiping Ayleids , the ones that people commonly known as Ayleids . Eventually , these Ayleids vanished either through deadly diseases from the Deep swamps or like other surviving Ayleids in the Slave Rebellion , were likely integrated into the Elven culture of the north . As time went on , these settlements would become populated by Argonians ; this included Thorn . The Raid of Thorn & the Founding of House Dres . The city of Thorn was well - established , long before the rise of House Dres as a Great House , in fact , Thorn was what paved the way to have Dres became a Great House , amidst House Redoran and House Indoril . What made Dres the superpower it is today is because of a slave - raid made on the denizens of Thorn that was led by Thalthil Dres . Not much is known about the raid on Tear , however , according to the paintings depicting the event , it was heartbreaking and abhorrent to watch . If more info was to appear , then the Raid of Thorn could be considered one of Morrowind ' s greatest atrocities . Second Era . Heita - Meen ' s Rebellion & Glathis ' Demise . The region of Thornmarsh was under the control of the Great House Dres , situated in the city of Thorn . The leader of the Dres Council in Thorn was a mer named Glathis Dres , a possible descendant of Thalthil , the Bane of Thorn . It was here , one of the Ebonheart Pact ' s greatest warriors would be subjugated by the Dres Slavers . Heita - Meen , as well as , several other Argonians escaped the Saltrice fields and into the depths of Thornmarsh . There they uncovered a village occupied by the Archein s , a group of Argonians that support the foreign influence the Marsh was subjugated to in the past . The Hist in the village , spoke to Heita - Meen as she and her followers were taken back to Thorn . She was to be executed by Glathis Dres , until the Dunmer were called to arms by Almalexia , for the Kamal i of Akavir led by Ada ' Soom Dir - Kamal invaded Morrowind and the Northern world . Heita - Meen & the Shellbacks ; the Ebonheart Pact . Heita - Meen killed Dres before he could whip her a second time . Meen would then challenge the Centurion of the Archeins for her position , the battle was brief , and Meen would become the leader of an Argonian militia consisting of Archeins and Slaves . She would then travel to Stormhold with an Argonian Pyromancer named Walks - in - Ash and joined with the Shellbacks , an elite army of Stormhold . This grand army of Argonians traveled north to the region of Stonefalls and joined the fight with the Nord s of Eastern Skyrim and the Dark Elves . The Battle of Stonefalls was fierce , but in the end , the army prevailed . This combined force proved to be very powerful , managing to defeat a strong force from the realms of Akavir . These three factions would band together to form the first iteration of the Ebonheart Pact with Heita - Meen becoming a high - ranking member of the Army . Of course , there was a lot of controversy between the alliance with Black Marsh and Morrowind , two provinces with very graphic history coinciding with each other . Because of this , many regions in Black Marsh , as well as Morrowind , would not become a part of the Ebonheart Pact . The areas that joined the alliance was the regions of Shadowfen , Thornmarsh , and Murkmire , all of which are connected to the border . Stronger cities such as Helstrom and Blackrose were not a part of the alliance , only the cities of Stormhold , Thorn , and Gideon . The Fall of Thorn & Avumar ' s Endeavor . Throughout the years , there have been many foolish souls that tried to enter the Deadlands , the hellish plane of Oblivion belonging to Mehrunes Dagon , the Daedric Prince of Revolution and Change . One of the people that tried to enter the realm was a Naga named Avumar . Avumar would be the only one to succeed in this endeavor . Since creating a rift causes the flames of the Deadland to come out , she would have to develop a way to quench them before , speaking to a Dremora . Avumar used an earthen vessel to convert the deadly flames into steam , once her boiler reached a certain temperature , she was able to speak to a Dremora . However , she would make a very grave decision . She hastily accepted the Dremora ' s contract which caused the city of Thorn to burn to the ground , making her a casualty in the wake of the flames . She would be the last one to make this attempt , at least until the last year of the Third Era , where an Altmer wizard named Mankar Camoran would contact Mehrunes Dagon and begin the Oblivion Crisis . Third Era . Thorn during the Imperial Simulacrum . During the Imperial Simulacrum from 3E 389 to 3E 399 , Emperor Uriel Septim VII was imprisoned along with Talin Warhaft in the Deadlands by Jagar Tharn . Tharn planned for months to capture the throne , and he was able to achieve so in the span of ten years . Tharn had a powerful weapon called the Staff of Chaos , and he split it into nine pieces and scattered them across Tamriel , the staff was the only thing keeping Uriel Septim and Warhaft in Oblivion . A warrior escaped his clutches and traveled all corners of Tamriel to retrieve the missing pieces . The hero was known as the Eternal Champion , and he assembled the staff and defeated Jagar Tharn at the Imperial Palace . The Eternal Champion had at one point visited the city of Thorn in their quest to recover the pieces . The city of Thorn was under the rule of King Tibus .