A Short History of Morrowind Content . Led by the legendary prophet Veloth , the ancestors of the Dunmer , exiles from Altmer cultures in present - day Summerset Isle , came to the region of Morrowind . In earliest times the Dunmer were harassed or dominated by Nord sea raiders . When the scattered Dunmer tribes consolidated into the predecessors of the modern Great House clans , they threw out the Nord oppressors and successfully resisted further incursions . The ancient ancestor worship of the tribes was in time superseded by the monolithic Tribunal Temple theocracy , and the Dunmer grew into a great nation called Resdayn . Resdayn was the last of the provinces to submit to Tiber Septim ; like Black Marsh , it was never successfully invaded , and was peacefully incorporated by treaty into the Empire as the Province of Morrowind . Almost four centuries after the coming of the Imperial Legions , Morrowind is still occupied by Imperial legions , with a figurehead Imperial King , though the Empire has reserved most functions of the traditional local government to the Ruling Councils of the Five Great Houses . . . In 3E 414 , Vvardenfell Territory , previously a Temple preserved under Imperial protection and Ordinator laws , was reorganized as an Imperial Provincial District . Vvardenfell had been maintained as a preserve administrated by the Temple since the Treaty of the Armistice , and except for a few Great House settlements sanctioned by the Temple , Vvardenfell was previously uninhabited and undeveloped . But when the centuries - old Temple ban on trade and settlement of Vvardenfell was revoked by King of Morrowind , a flood of Imperial colonists and Great House Dunmer came to Vvardenfell , expanding old settlements and building new ones . The new District was divided into Redoran , Hlaalu , Telvanni , and Temple Districts , each separately administered by local House Councils or Temple Priesthoods , and all under the advice and consent of Duke Dren and the District Council in Ebonheart . Local law became a mixture of House Law and Imperial Law in House Districts , jointly enforced by House guards and Legion guards , with Temple law and Imperial law enforced in the Temple district by Ordinators . The Temple was still recognized as the majority religion , but worship of the Nine Divines was protected by the legions and encouraged by Imperial cult missions . The Temple District included the city of Vivec City , the fortress of Ghostgate , and all sacred and profane sites ( including those Blight ed areas inside the Ghostfence ) and all unsettled and wilderness areas on Vvardenfell . In practice , this district included all parts of Vvardenfell not claimed for Redoran , Hlaalu , or Telvanni Districts . The Temple stubbornly fought all development in their district , and were largely successful . House Hlaalu in combination with Imperial colonists embarked on a vigorous campaign of settlement and development . In the decades after reorganization , Balmora and the Ascadian Isles regions have grown steadily . Caldera and Pelagiad are completely new settlements , and all legion forts were expanded to accommodate larger garrisons . House Telvanni , normally conservative and isolationist , has been surprisingly aggressive in expanding beyond their traditional tower villages . Disregarding the protests of the other Houses , the Temple , the Duke , and the District council , Telvanni pioneers have been encroaching on the wild lands reserved to the Temple . The Telvanni council officially disavows responsibility for these rogue Telvanni settlements , but it is an open secret that they are encouraged and supported by ambitious Telvanni mage - lords . Under pressure from the Temple , conservative House Redoran has steadfastly resisted expansion in their district . As a result , House Redoran and the Temple are in danger of being politically and economically marginalized by the more aggressive and expansionist Hlaalu and Telvanni interests . The Imperial administration faces many challenges in the Vvardenfell district , but the most serious are the Great House rivalries , animosity from the Ashlanders nomads , internal conflicts within the Temple itself , and the Red Mountain blight . Struggles between Great House , Temple , and Imperial interests to control Vvardenfell ' s resource could at any time erupt into full - scale war . Ashlanders raid settlements , plunder caravans , and kill foreigners on their wild lands . The Temple has unsuccessfully attempted to silence criticism and calls for reform within its ranks . But most serious are the plagues and diseased hosts produced by the blight storms sweeping out from Red Mountain . Vvardenfell and all Morrowind have long been menaced by the legendary evils of Dagoth Ur and his ash vampire kin dwelling beneath Red Mountain . For centuries the Temple has contained this threat within the Ghostfence . But recently the Temple ' s resources and will have faltered , and the threat from Red Mountain has grown in scale and intensity . If the Ghostfence should fail , and hosts of blighted monsters were to spill out across Vvardenfell ' s towns and villages , the Empire might have no choice but to evacuate Vvardenfell district and abandon it to disease and corruption .