Balmora Balmora , Stoneforest , or Stonewood is one of the four major cities located in the Vvardenfell District of Morrowind and is the capital of both the West Gash and the Hlaalu District in Vvardenfell . Balmora is a very prosperous city that gets traction from places such as Vivec City and Ald ' ruhn . Description . Geography . Balmora is located on the northern banks of the Odai River and is built on the river ' s east and west shores . Balmora ' s main feature is the large canal constructed in the middle of town ; this canal is used for fishing with the city walls as well as a mode of transport throughout the Odai Riverbanks . Balmora is also built in between small mountains that give it a natural barrier to protect it from incoming weather ( i . e . Ashstorms ) . Balmora is located on the Western Main Road that goes through the West Gash and leads to the Ascadian Isles and the Vvardenfell Ashlands . Miners come and go from Balmora since many Mines exist in the area such as the Vassir - Didanat Ebony Mine and the Caldera Ebony Mine in the Caldera Crater . Within the inner walls , Balmora is divided into two , but in reality , Balmora consists of three districts . The eastern side of the river is known as Labor Town and it is where many of the residents live . People ranging from the middle class to the lower class live in Balmora , many of Balmora ' s criminal aspect resides in Labor Town . The area on the western shore is known as the Commercial District . The Commercial District is largely where all the business happens , the local Fighters Guild and Mages Guild are found in here , as well as the Silt Strider . The Silt Strider in Balmora can take travelers to places such as Ald ' ruhn , Seyda Neen , Suran , and Vivec City . High Town is the westernmost district and is located on the hills of Caldera Crater . This is where Balmora ' s nobility lives as well as the Temple formerly dedicated to the Tribunal ; it now worships the House of Reclamations . History . Second Era . During the Interregnum in 2E 583 , House Redoran claimed a majority of Western Vvardenfell and built the city of Balmora with the Hlaalu style in mind . Balmora became the Redoran Capital of Vvardenfell and settlements such as Gnisis and Ald Velothi followed suit with the Redoran Style in mind . The Counselor to rule Balmora was Councilor Eris Releth and had connections among the higher - ups in House Redoran . However , his dedication to House Redoran made him grow distant from his children , Veya Releth and Ulvan Releth , this proved to be his downfall . The civilized Dunmeri - folk have a hatred directed to the Ashlander s that roam Morrowind ' s Deadlands and prevent entrance into their modern cities . Ulvan Releth was a very kind person who had respect for the Ashlanders in the West Gash , which gave Eris some concerns that Ulvan may defect from Redoran . Eris used Captain Brivan to order a soldier to kill an Ashlander Merchant to see whether Ulvan would intervene or not . Ulvan intercepted the Soldier and killed him in haste . This caused Ulvan to be exiled from Vvardenfell , but he would go to the local Ashlanders instead . Knowing this , Brivan would use Ferhara ' s Warclaws to kill the Ashlanders and subsequently Ulvan . Veya grew suspicious of this and ran away from home to uncover Ulvan ' s disappearances . With the help of Morag Tong Mentor and a mysterious traveler , she was able to uncover Ulvan ' s assassination and her father ' s role in this . She sought vengeance against Brivan and her father , and she assassinated both of them . Her fate was unknown but regardless , Veya Releth disappeared forever . Since the city of Balmora is under the control of House Redoran , the Balmora region is also under the control of the Ebonheart Pact , an alliance created in the aftermath of the Second Akaviri Invasion . Although , the Pact did not have any notable headquarters in Vvardenfell . Third Era . 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 town of Stoneforest in their quest to recover the pieces . In 3E 426 , a tax revolt enveloped the city of Balmora , and it raised concerns in the Hlaalu Council . Luckily , the revolt was quelled down without any violence needed . The Hlaalu Council sent notes to the then Duke Vedam Dren of Ebonheart about the situation , to give him a reason to lower taxes . In 3E 427 , Balmora prospered along with the other three cities in Vvardenfell . The city was under the rule of Nileno Dorvayn , the only leader to not be a Councilor of her own Great Houses . Regardless , she was able to manage Balmora for several years . In the same year , the Nerevarine Prophecy came to fruition , and the Nerevarine roamed Vvardenfell to fulfill the prophecy . The warrior traveled to Balmora and met with Dorvayn to gather the Hlaalu Councilors to become the Hortator of Hlaalu . Fourth Era . In 4E 5 , Red Mountain , which is located in the center of Vvardenfell , had erupted after centuries later . The resulting eruption caused the destruction of virtually all of Vvardenfell ' s Settlements including Balmora , Sadrith Mora , Vivec City , and Ald ' ruhn . A House Redoran Councilor in Mournhold started a relief effort to rebuild the settlements on Vvardenfell . As of 4E 201 , it is unknown whether the effort reached Balmora and the city is rebuilt .