I want to like Morrowind, but...

[child of Thor]

yes sneaking is the only way to be sure that you dont get caught out - even outside i find it best to sneak, if a guard comes around the corner atleast you have a chance of not being seen.

Telekinisis is something i've never tried, i do have a ring of telekinisis and keep meaning to try it - maybe i'll just move stuff around my home to test it out

This morning i left an ebony helm(worth like 20000) where i found it. It was in a burial mound, so i thought it a little disrespectfull to take it. Shame as it would go with my ebony mail, still i like the look of my dragonscale helm - it compliments my Nord moustache very nicely

[child of Thor]

I'm trying out the 'main story' for the first time - and i'm liking it alot

I think they(bethseda) have done a really fantastic back story with all the detail of the different races and the history of the movements of these races. Its got a very believable flavour to it all

I guess particualy if your an old school table-top rpger, all those books are fun reading. In fact the more i play Morrowind, the more i want to give Arena and particularly Daggerfall a good run. All the myths kind of run together through the games, so i would imagine you can really loose yourself in it all

If i attempt Morrowind again after i complete it this time, then i fancy playing an Argonian - something about them makes me think they would be a fun and challanging race to play.

[Dis]

some people complain the main quest is not epic enough, but I feel it is. Better than the main quest in the Icewind Dale games. Just not as good as Baldur's Gate or Planescape:Torment.

becoming the neverine is pretty important.

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by Dissident
edit....

becoming the neverine is pretty important.

but not essential to playing morrowind, neither was the main quest in daggerfall

[Brundlefly]

I just finished Tribunal, now its back to Morrowind to complete the Main Quest there which I have hardly started. Does anyone know if I need any of the powerful NPC's in Tribunal for anything after I have finished Tribunal Main Quest? If not, I will kill them, because I have heard they have some extremely powerful items...

[EPW]

They shouldn't be needed for anything else.
The King's ring is extremely overpowered, get it only if you want the rest of the game to be a cakewalk.

[Brundlefly]

Originally posted by EPW
They shouldn't be needed for anything else.
The King's ring is extremely overpowered, get it only if you want the rest of the game to be a cakewalk.

It was a cakewalk after I reached level 10! (now at 35)..

[Brundlefly]

I found a compelling argument to kill the King after the Tribunal Main Quest has completed... Got this from a post off of elderscrolls forum.

It is a spoiler, that's why I print it darkblue - tried to find a black font but there was none..

The reason why Helseth put the hit on the Nerevarine was due to the very nature of the Nerevarine prophecy. It is said that the Nerevarine would restore the ancient land rights of the Velothi and overthrow the Imperial occupation. Alot of this resonates with the Ashland Dunmer who have suffered the most under the 400 year Imperial occupation. The Nerevarine, after he or she kills off the sixth house and Dagoth Ur, becomes a hero and many Dunmer would look to him/her to lead an independent Morrowind free from the Cyrodiilic empire. Helseth fears the Nerevarine because his own monarchy is backed by the Cyrodiilic empire. So he tries his damndest to have you (Nerevarine) killed.

Basically, Helseth is an Imperial lackey and a traitor to the Dunmer like his father before him, Symmachus who rose to become a general in Tiber Septim's armies. Symmachus betrayed Mournhold to the empire. During the Elder Scrolls' Arena game, the Imperial battlemage Jagar Tharn in service to the Daedra betrayed the emperor Uriel Septim and had him imprisoned in a dimensional pocket of Oblivion and Tharn disguises himself as the emperor and the following period was a reign of terror, he destabilized many of the provinces including Morrowind Where Symmachus was killed during the peasant and minor noble uprising in Mournhold. The queen mother Barenziah and her little son prince Helseth and younger daughter princess Morgiah sought sanctuary in High Rock (land of the Bretons) with the ruling king Eadwyre. Eventually things get straightened out, the eternal champion (insert player name) rescues Uriel Septim from his hellish prison and banishes Jagar Tharn.

Since Barenziah fled Morrowind during those times of terror, she basically abdicated the throne to King Llethan who is somewhat related to Barenziah and is an uncle of sorts to Helseth. And so Mournhold is ruled by a figurehead who is backed by House Hlaalu and under the thumb of the Tribunal temple. While in High Rock, Helseth is raised to Imperial customs and culture. And he very evidently had his ears cropped to look more Imperial, something that your average Dunmer would find extremely offensive no doubt. Helseth was raised a scheming b*st*rd who learned how to speak slyly and poison with out a trace in the courts of Wayrest. From the start he was always ambitious to the point of recklessness and he made his bid for kingship in the capital of High Rock. However he was an obvious foreigner and many in High Rock did not trust him, not especially when rumors were spreading about (courtesy of the Common Tongue) the many people close to him dying for no apparent reason. People who were his immediate rivals or who simply stood in the way of Helseth were taken by some mysterious illness that left no trace in the corpses. He and his mother were out-maneuvered by the former King Eadwyre's daughter princess Elysana, and the two were forced out of High Rock. They naturally went back to Morrowind, well after all that nasty business during Jagar Tharn's tenure was over. They were well-received by King Llethan yet after awhile and as the Morrowind book A Game At Dinner suggests, Helseth would be damned if he was going to lose another bid to become king.

And now were at the present time of the Tribunal expansion. The old King Llethan has passed on, presumably by old age yet his death was rather sudden especially after Helseth and Barenziah arrived shortly, but what is very peculiar is that Llethan's heir apparent Talen Vandas has also died suddenly. If you question Helseth's loyal dog Tienius Delitian he'll say that the poor guy was accidentally killed during a hunting trip and he makes an off-hand remark about how the world is a dangerous place. And he doesn't deny that Helseth is very skilled in alchemy and alchemy lends itself well for creating potions consisting of a variety of bodily effects not the least of which includes poisoning. Lets do an analysis over the more salient quests related to the Mournhold Royal Monarchy:

1). The attempted assassination -- It’s pretty clear, someone wants you dead. The guards tell you that these assassins are the Dark Brotherhood and that you should go to Mournhold to investigate.

2). You are told by the locals that the Dark Brotherhood contingent headquarters in the sewers. You find their hideout in the Old Manor sewers you fight your way past several assassins and eventually to fight and kill the leader of the assassins Dandra Vules who lets slip about him failing his liege. You find and read the note on his corpse and it is a writ for your death and the contractor of their services is simply titled "H". Rumors from Temple Steward Fedris Hler say that Kings have often used the services of the Dark Brotherhood. And you take the evidence to the captain of the royal guards who glibly sidesteps any direct questions concerning the identity of “H” but the implications are hard to ignore.

Delitian's quests

1). You are charged by Delitian to investigate the rumors concerning former King Llethan's death. The local populace tells you that much of the rumors are spread by a newsletter The Common Tongue the letter pretty much sums up Helseth's early life in Wayrest as described above, accusations and such. The sum of the article is basically if Helseth poisoned hundreds back in Wayrest than why not here in Morrowind. So you report to Delitian and he's satisfied.

Note: If Delitian's disposition is over 70 and you ask him if Helseth really did poison all those people. Delitian responds darkly by saying (sic) "There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that the King died anything but a natural death...absolutely no evidence."

2). Next he has you sound out any members of the Temple for discontent of the new monarchy. You eventually come across Galsa Andrano in the temple ministry. Once you have gained her trust she'll tell you plainly that Helseth is a usurper and a murderer. She goes on further to say that Helseth stole the crown and that if Helseth would not bow down to the temple then the temple would do everything in its power to destroy him. So you report back to Delitian.

3). Possible disloyalty from the royal guards -- Even some of Helseth's own bodyguards hate him. The few that are implicated in a possible conspiracy to do harm to Helseth were loyal to the former king Llethan. You simply have to get the goods on them and Delitian will rearrange their guard schedules to break up the cabal.

4). Treason punishable by death -- You are to find evidence of another conspiracy to kill the king and you'll find it in Llethan manor. Bring the note back to Delitian and he will identify the three persons that should executed and he gives you the writs to enact justice. Considering what we've learned about the king so far, we may be forgiven if we refuse to do this thug's bidding and you have the option of letting all three of them go free. I think this is the morally viable choice. Why kill for this king who he himself has killed to get where he is now. If you let all three of them go you'll still pass this quest. Delitian apparently buys your story probably blames it on spies within the palace.


Note: All three potential targets are members of House Hlaalu and the former king and his former heir were of House Hlaalu as well. I get the sense that the House Hlaalu is greatly upset by Helseth's actions as I'm sure they were wanting Talen Vandas to succeed and properly represent Hlaalu's interests. Helseth, although he was born into House Hlaalu as well, left Morrowind when he was a child and he has grown up an Imperial foreigner. House Hlaalu saw that Helseth was not playing by the rules when he unlawfully claimed the throne. I'm sure many in this great house would not shed tears if Helseth were to meet with an accident.

5). The Common Tongue author -- Delitian has you find the author and to silence his "lies" about the King. You have a couple options concerning what to do with the author A. Give him $3000 to donate to the Widows and Orphans club. Or B. Kill him. Again who wants to kill for this king, the best way is to choose a). and report to Delitian and he'll thank you for this service. You can even lie and click on the dialogue option "All in service for my king". And Delitian will reward you with the King's Oath Daedric claymore. He says that this sword is used to kill thieves and traitors...hmmm.

Helseth's quests

1). Now your working for the scrawny bearded man himself. In a rather ham-handed way he apologizes for the "misunderstanding" but he feared that you presented a threat to his monarchy.
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Note: The Nerevarine prophecies say that the one who is Nerevarine will in the end drive out the foreigners or at least the Imperial Legions from Morrowind and restore the ancestral rightful Dunmer rule of Morrowind. And that is why Helseth fears you because he himself is a foreigner.
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This time he's worried about a possible assassination plot, naturally. You meet with a contact at the Winged Guar and this contact tells you of an assassination attempt on the Queen Mother. You report back to Helseth and he tells you that he suspected as much of course. Now Helseth is very specific about his instructions you have to wait the following evening around 8 pm, just outside Barenziah's chambers and hide behind the dressing screens just outside the door. If you ask Plitinius Mero about the plot he'll say that its ridiculous and that Helseth is known to enjoy testing the loyalties of his followers. Now the moment, you wait until the appointed time. Your journal updates. And the three Dark Brotherhood looking assassins sneak into the room and turn off the lights now if you hold of on your killer rage for a little bit you'll hear them whispering to each other:

"He said he would be in here, in the Queen mother's chambers!"
"Behind the screen!"

Then the battle ensues, if in the course of battle you try to open Barenziah's bedroom door you'll find it magically locked. Hmmm, well no one told you that her door would be locked. This seemed like to me another set-up. When you loot their bodies you find that they are all imperial males not the Dunmer you expected from the voices you heard from them. Report back to the King and he acts surprised like he didn't expect you to succeed.

2). Fight the King's champion -- You get to fight Helseth's best of the best. Of all of them, I respect Karrod the most although the duel ends when Karrod or Helseth says so or when you die. The conspiracy theorist in me suggests another set-up.

3). Finally you've earned the trust of this king. He asks you to go undercover in the temple and find out who was behind the attacks on the Plaza and find out more about Almalexia and Sotha-Sil. When all is said and done, you report back to Helseth and he is impressed by your accounts of all that has happened i.e. Almalexia and Sotha-Sil's death. He thanks you and tells you that this will be a new era for Morrowind and he'll lead them to it. Then he gives a suit of royal guard armor. I think he expects you to suit up and report for guard duty tomorrow morning.

Overview

Helseth is loyal to the empire and he has excellent imperial connections as Delitian says indeed his imperial patronage is the only thing keeping him in power. The temple and the great houses despise him, even the Imperial-loving Hlaalu hate him for his unlawful actions. He has to rely on foreign troops and aid to rule in Morrowind and without that he wouldn't last. He doesn't represent the Dunmer as he as an Imperial through and through as Delitian says. And as the Argonian mage who transports you to and from Mournhold tells you: Helseth is trying to transform the monarchy into a dynamic ruling body rather than just a simple figurehead of authority. Put simply he is trying to transform Morrowind's system of democratic council rule by the Great Houses into a feudal absolutist monarchy wherein the power to rule would be passed on from heir to heir similar to the Breton and Imperial political hierarchy which is one of the main reasons why the great houses hate him aside from his unsavory personal qualities. The local Dunmer tell you that although they wish well for King Llethan's soul they did not miss him as the Dunmer never have kings claiming it to be imperial foolishness. The Dunmer never have submitted to kings like the westerners. And the Nerevarine prophecies are a reincarnation of the hopes and dreams of the Ashlanders for the one they call Nerevarine will force the legions and their foreign customs out of Morrowind. And as stated previously Helseth is scared to death of you and the prophecies.

Helseth himself is ruthless, immoral, and utterly ambitious and he is a westerner who plies the traitorous gifts he learned in the foreign royal courts to consolidate his newly acquired monarchy in the heart of Morrowind. The Temple arch canon Gavas Drin describes him as a young but dangerous imperial fool who ashamed of his heritage cropped his ears to please his Imperial masters. Plitinius Mero describes him as headstrong and not yet possessing his father's courage or his mother's wisdom and Fedris Hler adds that yet Helseth has some of his father's political acumen and ALL of his ruthlessness. You can kill him and his guards and you might not even receive a bounty for their deaths but wait until you have done all the quests in the game. Milk him for all he's worth. With his death, except for his mother and Plitinius who boo-hoo his death, not many others seem to be crying about it. Gravis Drin will state laconically "So the young king is dead. There will be another soon." and Fedris Hler will remark that the king was rather careless. I don't see any benefit to following the orders of Helseth since the empire is starting to recall the eastern legions to protect the dying emperor and there goes Helseth's power. He might not last long on his own anyway. But after all the quests are done he's expendable.

[Space05us]

I know its been said before but I feel like it needs to be said again. Vivec, the city, is waaaaaaaay to big, and whoever designed the cliff racers needs to be shot.

I had something else intelligent to add but I forget what it was.

[child of Thor]

@Space05, i find Vivec starts to feel smaller now that i've spent a decent ammount of time visiting it, at first yes i agree - it seems too big.

I had to rush past that post bfg9000 - spoilers

My main news is that after joining house redoran - i've been having very frequent game crashes(yes on the xbox). I've seen it happen with my gf's games before - just kind of freezes up.

One trick which we always use is to never save over an old save game - save as a new game file and delete your older saves. I'm wondering if i forgot this rule at some point during my recent late night sessions?

It crashes pretty often, beyond 'normal' for a game of xbox morrowind

Still hopefully i can get past this problem, as i'm now having my first stronghold built. Again i come back to the money problem with Morrowind. At this point in time(lvl 36) i've got 190,000 to my name, and not much to spend it on.
Ok i could go visit ever single trainer in Vrandenfell, and max out all my stats i suppose - that would cost maybe 90,000?

Then what? You cant buy many usefull items that cost much(also there is a problem with not having places to sell expensive +10,000 items).
So since around lvl 13/14 i've always had more money than i can happily 'role play' away.

I was hoping that the Stronghold would set me back abit, but no sadly it was a miserly 5,000

I dont know what happened between Daggerfall and Morrowind, but atleast in daggerfall things like houses(you could buy property) cost alot of cash(hundreds of thousands sometimes). So even if you could find lots of money, you could atleast spend it.

So to solve this i've decided that once my stronghold is available, i'll become the 'bal-morenger' and spend/give away my fortune to help those less fortunate than myself.

That's if i can solve the crashing problem [EDIT: problem could be solved, its the same/related problem that i had on the game 'Pirates of the Caribbean' , also by bethseda]

[duke o' york]

I've got the construction kit, but will this allow me to remove cliff racers from the game, and replace them with something less annoying?

[child of Thor]

whats wrong with being pecked on the head over and over? I quite like the little critters, and they are good for archery practise

[Nacht]

Originally posted by duke o' york
I've got the construction kit, but will this allow me to remove cliff racers from the game, and replace them with something less annoying?

You can make them less prone to attack or completely peacefull with it.

[Dis]

you can make normal cliff racers non aggressive. In fact, there's a mod that does this for all creatures. That way only the diseased or blighted ones will attack you. There's far less of those than normal one's.

Cliff racers are annoying as hell. Sometimes there will be like 6 or 7 of them waiting to peck on me.

[Dis]

Originally posted by Space05us
I know its been said before but I feel like it needs to be said again. Vivec, the city, is waaaaaaaay to big, and whoever designed the cliff racers needs to be shot.

I had something else intelligent to add but I forget what it was.

Vivec is a bit intimidating at first. It takes a while to get used to it. It is too big if you want to talk to every NPC. But otherwise it's okay. Most quests I can usually find out what canton the person is at, so it narrows the searching considerably.