Who are the Villains in Morrowind?
The central villains and antagonists in the acclaimed 2002 open-world RPG The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind are Dagoth Ur and the members of the Sixth House, also known as House Dagoth. Dagoth Ur is the primary villain and end boss of Morrowind, scheming from his base inside Red Mountain to gain power from the Heart of Lorkhan and achieve godhood to take over Morrowind.
The Origins of Dagoth Ur
Dagoth Ur was originally one of the Chimer members of House Dagoth who discovered the metaphysical Heart of Lorkhan underneath Red Mountain thousands of years ago during the Dawn Era. He and the other members of House Dagoth served as High Priests guarding the Heart alongside Nerevar‘s companions – Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil.
When the anti-Tribunal Dissident Priests revealed that Nerevar‘s advisers were scheming to use the Tools of Kagrenac on the Heart for their own ends. Dagoth refused to allow them access, leading to a legendary battle where Nerevar and his companions finally overcame House Dagoth, driving them away from the Heart Chamber. Dagoth Ur was thought to be defeated, but managed to survive due to his connection with the Heart.
Centuries later, as told in the story of Morrowind, Dagoth Ur returned, more powerful and immortal due to harnessing some of the Heart‘s power. From his base inside Red Mountain, Dagoth Ur schemes to fully tap into the Heart in order to achieve godhood and drive out Imperial and Tribunal forces from Morrowind to rule over a new Merethic Era. It is up to the player as the reincarnation of Nerevar, known as the Nerevarine, to defeat him.
The Ash Vampires and Ascended Sleepers
In addition to Dagoth Ur, some of the other key villains in House Dagoth include:
The Ash Vampires
These powerful vampire-like creatures were created by Dagoth Ur fusing his power with other high-ranking members of House Dagoth. After being resurrected by Dagoth Ur, these Tribunes serve as his immortal servants, each with fearsome magical abilities. They act as mouth pieces for Dagoth Ur, helping to coordinate House Dagoth activities. Some notable Ash Vampires include Vemynal, Dagoth Odros, and Dagoth Gilvoth.
The Ascended Sleepers
The Ascended Sleepers are Sixth House members known as "Sleepers" that have undergone dreadful transformation due to the corprus disease and Dagoth Ur‘s dark experiments. These unfortunate victims have been turned into magical powered subhuman monsters that carry out the orders of Dagoth Ur and House Dagoth. Higher level Ascended Sleepers serve as fearsome bosses in the latter dungeons.
In my own battles against Ascended Sleepers and Ash Vampires, I‘ve found them to be two of the most deadly recurring enemies in Morrowind. Both villain groups hit extremely hard even at higher levels and require knowledge of certain weaknesses to defeat.
Other Key Villain Groups
In addition to the core villains of House Dagoth, there are also other antagonistic factions that threaten the player:
Sixth House Cult
This apocalyptic cult worships Dagoth Ur and the return of the Sixth House. Much like Mythic Dawn cultists in Oblivion, they serve as hostile minions in Sixth House bases, specializing in shadowy assassinations.
Daedric Cults
Throughout Morrowind, there are also various violent Daedric cults that serve certain "bad" Daedric princes like Molag Bal. These cults engage in murder, violence, and dark sacrifices. The most prominent one being the coven witches of Glenschul‘s Coven who terrorize locals while in service to Molag Bal.
Based on in-game books like "Spirit of the Daedra", we know there are significant threats posed by groups like the Deathbringer Cult (worships Molag Bal), the Bloody Hand (worships Mehrunes Dagon), as well as cultistSERVEANTS like Talos cultists and Disciples of Sithis.
The Role of the Tribunal "Gods" as Villains
While Dagoth Ur and House Dagoth are the main antagonists, an argument can be made for members of the Tribunal acting as villains too based on questionable past deeds:
Tribunal Treachery Hinting at False Gods
In Morrowind, we uncover lore and stories revealing Tribunal members may have betrayed and murdered Nerevar to gain power from the Heart of Lorkhan. This includes disputed tales around whether Nerevar ordered the Tools of Kagrenac to be destroyed after defeating Dagoth Ur.
Secret messages and uncovered letters suggest Nerevar‘s advisers Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil disobeyed his wishes and used the Tools on the Heart behind his back to obtain god-like powers shortly before his death. This treachery of betraying their oath-brother casts doubts on their status as true gods.
Almalexia‘s Transformation into Villainy
Late in Morrowind‘s main quest, the Tribune Almalexia, under threat of losing her waning godhood, reveals a villainous side by attempting to kill the Nerevarine player. The death of Sotha Sil, loss of faith among Dunmer people, and Dagoth Ur‘s reawakening have contributed to her losing sanity and desperate clinging to power – turning her from benevolent ruler into paranoid villain who battles the player directly as one of the toughest bosses.
So while not directly antagonists, secrets of the past, disputed accounts, and Almalexia‘s actions open the door for analyzing the Tribunal members in a villainous light. There are even some Ashlander accounts that dismiss them as false gods and blasphemers from the very start.
Mehrunes Dagon and Daedric Prince Threats
The various "bad" Daedric Princes play a villainous role in Morrowind as well:
Mehrunes Dagon Continues Attacks on Morrowind
Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction has long coveted Morrowind and repeatedly tried invading it according to history:
"Dagon‘s hatred of Morrowind and the Dunmer peoples runs deep. He has launched many invasions against Morrowind – some small scale raiding, others all out assaults."
This historical account built off Oblivion lore establishes Dagon as a key villain against Morrowind during the times of TES III.
Other Notable Villainous Princes
While not central to Morrowind‘s story, Princes like Molag Bal (domination & enslavement), Boethiah (deceit), Malacath (curses), and Namira (ancient darkness) have villainous spheres and are worshipped by dark cultists across Morrowind engaging in foul acts. Their evil presence lurks in Morrowind‘s shadows.
Sheogorath‘s Villainy Behind the Comedy
While Sheogorath is played mostly for laughs, we can‘t forget deeds like having his followers conduct deadly experiments on animals while refining the deadly poison ("Fools Ebony" book) shows that even the Prince of Madness has committed chilling villainy throughout his history.
Ranking the 10 Most Powerful Villain Bosses
Based on my own battles across multiple playthroughs, here is how I would rank Morrowind‘s 10 most powerful and dangerous villain bosses:
- Dagoth Ur (Level 90) – The big bad. Power of a angry god. Insane magical attacks and damage potential.
- Almalexia (Level 100) – Fallen goddess. Almost unkillable with her resistances and healing.
- Karstaag (Level 90) – Giant frost king added with Bloodmoon. Extreme health pool and damage.
- Ascended Sleepers (Level 50+) – Powerful magic casts and can one-shot kill.
- Ash Vampires (Level 30 to 80) – Each with deadly magical abilities. Army of followers.
- Divayth Fyr (Level 90) – 4,000 year old evil wizard, master trainer. Evil experiments.
- Eldritch Atronach (Level 50) – Extremely annoying teleporting daedra.
- Hircine (Level 50) – Deadly battle in Bloodmoon quests. Wolves surround him.
- Skeleton Champion (Level 20 to 50) – Deceptively deadly undead mob.
- Master Necromancers (Level 30 to 80) – Can summon small armies of undead.
This concludes my more in-depth analysis on the key villains like Dagoth Ur as well as the many villainous factions and legendary boss enemies that players face in the alien world of Morrowind.
