Dreugh The Dreugh or Dreughs are a Tamriel ic race of powerful aquatic creatures observed primarily in Morrowind ( especially the Inner Sea ) , the Illiac Bay , the Abecean Sea , Black Marsh and Cyrodiil . They are often hunted for their wax and hide . Once common throughout Vvardenfell , Ebonheart , and the surrounding waters , they have been driven into isolated pockets in more recent times . There is some doubt on whether they shouldn ' t be classified along with Argonian s , for their semi - aquatic nature and " troglophiliac " human oid form . According to legend , the Dreugh devolved from a much more intelligent and civilized race due to conflict with the Dunmer ( who used their hides and wax ) , and powerful , tyrannic Dreugh kingdoms are reported by Mankar Camoran in his Mythic Dawn Commentaries , even going as far as to state they once ruled the world . That notion is explored in Vivec ' s lessons , where it is stated that , " when the dreughs ruled the world , the Daedroth Prince Molag Bal had been their chief . " The sermon gives details of the form Bal took at the time , describing it as " spiny and armored and made for the sea . " Additionally , tales of civilized Land Dreugh colonies ( purported to have built stone cairn houses and structures ) exist , which affirm that the species raised mudcrab s for sustenance , but no evidence of such behavior exists today . At some point , Nix - Hound s were used to hunt the Dreugh . Biology . Dreugh are a race of creatures with claw - like limbs , pincers and scuttling feet " protruding from a human - torso - sized skeletal frame , " who secrete a particularly valuable shell wax from their bodies . The Land Dreugh ' s naturally sturdy carapace is known to deflect most attacks from common weapons . Fronto Maecilius states that the race migrates from the Abecean Sea into the Iliac Bay , and notes a particularity known as the " Karvinasim " , a period of transformation in which the Dreugh walk on land , " favoring shoreline marshes and rivers close to the open water . " He also suggests that the Karvinasim heightens the individual ' s martial instincts , especially speed and hostility ( which led to the evisceration of the writer ' s lead geographer , Pulcherius Pomptinus , by a territorial broodmother ) . At the end of the Karvinasim ( after about a year of land walking ) , the Dreugh return to their underwater environment , undergoing a final transformation called " Meff " or " Meffing " ( noting that " to meff " is considered a verb ) . During Meff , the Dreugh submerge , devouring their land skin and air organs in a self - cannibalistic manner , as those become unneeded . After eating , they vomit the congealed remains as small fibrous balls known as Grom , that are approximately a foot in diameter . The spheres are described as foul - smelling , are found in clusters around lakes , and have no known " virtues . " An unknown researcher , albeit based on his own observations , reports in his findings that Land and Water Dreugh could belong to two distinct species , as opposed to life cycles . The same source also refers to some accounts that seem to explain a difference between two types of Land Dreugh as sexual dimorphism . Dreugh appear to have an omnivorous diet , and have even been observed consuming mer flesh . They can channel a form of shock energy through their bodies as a natural adaptation ( instead of magic al ability ) , the way most scholars see it . Behavior and cultural importance . Dreugh have no known language nor advanced communicative capabilities , and lay their egg broods in muddy areas . The eggs are often stolen by fisherfolk , to which the broodmothers who guard them react extremely violently . The dreugh were also said to worship a creature known as the Ruddy Man , the " Father of Dreugh , " which is believed to be either a manifestation of the Daedric Prince of Domination , Molag Bal , or one of the monsters born from the union of Vivec and Bal ( in this case described as " a dead carapace of memory , " that wouldn ' t have been a monster if a Velothi child hadn ' t worn it ) . A legend involving Vivec and the Ruddy Man explains the pact between the two . Within this myth , Vivec defeats the Father of Dreugh , sparing his life with the condition that his descendants gave the Dunmer their hides for making armor . A certain bloodstained recipe found in lists " 1 dozen dreugh eggs " and " 2 unbroken dreugh legs " as ingredients for a dish . Dreughside is likely named after its proximity to Dreugh nests , and was taken over by the creatures at least once due to Baron Sorick ' s actions , who had ordered Dreugh eggs to be harvested and spread around the settlement . Dreugh Wax is used in and as an alchemical ingredient . In , however , it is sought after by Clothier s , who use it to improve Light and Medium Armor . The hide ' s only known use is the making of Dreugh Armor , while the eggs , as well as legs , have ( rarely encountered ) culinary uses .