#topic: empire

[constructionset]

Challenges

Vvardenfell's greatest challenges are its mutually hostile cultures, its cruel and untamed wildernesses, and the troubling phenomenon of the Blight. The Temple and traditional Dunmer cultures are in direct opposition to the values of the Imperial conqueror's colonists, and the interests of each Great House conflict with the interests of the other Great Houses. Only the Imperial Legions and the Duke's shrewd policies prevent political disputes from expanding into civil unrest or warfare.

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Census and Excise Agents

Census and Excise is the Imperial agency that collects taxes and tariffs. You know... the taxman. Their agents also investigate smugglers and other tax cheats.

You do not know this? They are the collectors of the Emperor's taxes and tariffs. And the Emperor has outlawed trade in many things, like Dwemer artifacts and ebony, and a Census and Excise agent will enjoy being a pest about such things. For several reasons, a Census and Excise agent is not Addhiranirr's favorite person. If you want Addhiranirr to help you, make the bad agent go away. Then she will tell you things.

[constructionset]

Carecalmo

Carecalmo is a very old High Elf wizard. As a young mage he served Uriel V, though he did not follow him to Akavir. He was accounted among the wise and powerful until he was implicated in Jagar Tharn's plot to place an impostor on the Imperial throne. Since then he and his bodyguard, a masterful knight named Meryaran, have been fugitives. Carecalmo is a servant of Mehrunes Dagon, a grim agent of death and destruction, and the Imperial cult has long sought to destroy him.

[constructionset]

Camonna Tong

The Camonna Tong is Morrowind's native criminal syndicate.

The Camonna Tong has grown powerful and ruthless since the Imperial occupation, and have great influence in the higher ranks of House Hlaalu.

The Camonna Tong are in direct competition with the Thieves Guild for control of illegal trade, and they have sworn to exterminate the upstart outlander newcomers.

We're just a society of businessmen. We're Dunmer, and we're proud. We're tired of seeing Morrowind run by outsiders who understand nothing about Morrowind. And we're tired of trying to explain this, over and over again, to ignorant outlanders.

The Camonna Tong is the old criminal syndicate here in Morrowind. They're not very nice people.

The Camonna Tong is the old criminal syndicate here in Morrowind. And, as everyone around here knows, the Thieves Guild is at war with the Camonna Tong. We're the new gang in town, and the Camonna Tong want us to be the dead-and-gone gang. If you are looking for the Camonna Tong, their Balmora hangout is the cornerclub called the Council Club.

The Camonna Tong is Morrowind's native criminal syndicate. They're tough and ruthless, and have connections in the higher ranks of House Hlaalu. The Camonna Tong compete directly with the Thieves Guild for control of illegal trade, and Camonna Tong will not tolerate competition. Compared with the Camonna Tong, the Thieves Guild is relatively decent and honorable -- certainly less brutal. They don't accept outlanders as members. Forget about it.

The Camonna Tong is the traditional Thieves Guild of Morrowind. It predates the Empire's Thieves Guild, but it is more brutal and takes every chance to interfere with the Empire. If you are to be the Grandmaster of House Hlaalu in anything but name, you must reach an accommodation with my brother, Orvas Dren, who leads the Camonna Tong. Spare his life if you can.

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Caldera

Caldera is a recently chartered Imperial town and mining corporation north of Balmora on the road to Ald'ruhn. The Caldera Mining Company has been granted an Imperial monopoly to remove raw ebony from the rich deposits here. Caldera is a new town, recently built in the Western Imperial style, and most of the citizens are outlanders and new colonists.

Caldera is a town, and a mine. Slaves work in the mine. We know nothing about the town.

Caldera is an Imperial charter town, part of the Caldera Mining Company charter, which grants the company rights to mine ebony from the right deposits here. The Caldera ebony mines themselves lie to the southwest. The town has a real Western flavor -- makes outlanders feel right at home. Caldera is rich, and bound to get richer, since the profits from the ebony exports continue to grow as the mine operations grow.

Caldera is a recently chartered Imperial town and mining corporation. The Caldera Mining Company has been granted an Imperial monopoly to remove raw ebony from the rich deposits here. Caldera has the appearance and flavor of a Western Imperial town.

The Caldera Mine Company is chartered by the Emperor to extract ebony ore from rich underground deposits here.

[constructionset]

Caius Cosades

No idea where he is. In trouble. Or in the skooma, most likely.

The old fellow in trouble again, eh? He has a number of bad habits -- like forgetting to pay the Man in a timely manner. I don't know where he is. But he hangs out at the South Wall Cornerclub. Ask for him there.

That old sugar tooth? I'm not sure where he's living now. But ask Bacola Closcius, the owner... he'll know.

He's okay. Sour. A worrier. But he knows his job, and leaves us alone to do ours.

Caius is a dear friend. Like me, he admires the best traditions of the Temple, charity for the poor, education for the ignorant, protection for the weak. He is a Westerner, but he has come to love our land and our people. But like me, he distrusts the arbitrary power of the Ordinators, and like the Dissident priests, he suspects the Temple is hiding something. He serves the Emperor, but he also loves Morrowind, and he sees the failing virtues of the Temple as a threat to Morrowind's political stability.

I don't know what your business with him is, but be careful. Caius Cosades may appear to be a pathetic old man, but don't judge by appearances. Some people made that mistake a while ago, and now they're not with us anymore.

The old greyhair gobbles sugar like scuttle. Chirranirr is surprised he still walks. But it doesn't affect him. That is the mark of a long-time user.

Interesting old fellow. Been in Balmora a long time, since before the District reorganization. Been in some trouble, but he apparently knows some people. Goes off for a while, then comes back. He's a veteran, I think -- has friends over at Fort Moonmoth. Don't know where he gets his money, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't legal.

I'm just an old man with a skooma problem.

I'm the Imperial Spymaster for Morrowind. And, since I'm the ranking Blades agent in Morrowind, you report to me. You follow orders, and we'll get along fine.

Caius has gone back to the Imperial City? He says he's been recalled? I wonder. I never know what he's thinking. I think he's involved in something secret, something dangerous. I was hoping he might help us. Now he's gone. I don't know what to think.

[constructionset]

Bull Netch

Normally a single betty netch will have a harem of five or six bull netch, but we keep the bull-betty ration closer to one-to-one for faster breeding. Tends to make our betty netch a little more aggressive than they are in the wild.

The bull netch is a huge beast that hovers in the air, supported by internal sacks of magical vapors. Cured netch skin, durable, flexible, and variously colored, is used throughout the Empire in garments, armor, weapons, household goods, and furnishings.

[constructionset]

Blades

The Blades is an prestigious service order for citizens demonstrating the greatest loyalty to the Emperor. To be named to the Blades by the Emperor is a great honor, and publicly acknowledged members serve openly in noble courts and diplomatic posts. Privately, many Blades members act as the Empire's intelligence agency. Such agents conceal themselves with secret identities, operating in disguise as couriers, observers, and spies throughout the Empire.

The Blades are the Emperor's spies. They're everywhere, but no one knows who they are.

We're spies. We're the Emperor's hidden eyes and ears in the provinces. We watch the Emperor's enemies. We look for opportunities. We make reports. And, when the Emperor commands, we obey. But we're only one of many guilds and factions in Morrowind. You should know a little about Morrowind politics before you get involved with any of these other groups.