Lore:House Indoril

"Indoril" redirects here. This article is about the Great House. For the person, see Nerevar.

House Indoril (also called Clan Indoril, the Blue Party of Indoril or "Blue Hats") is one of the five Great Houses of the Dunmer. It governs the Indoril District in the heartland of Morrowind from their historic ancestral capital city of Mournhold, also the capital of Morrowind until the Fourth Era. The Indoril District comprises the east-central lands south and east of the Inner Sea, including large swaths of eastern Stonefalls and Deshaan in the high uplands and fertile river valleys, as well as parts of the Telvanni Peninsula and the eastern coast along the Padomaic Ocean. They also control a number of islands in the province, such as the lush isle of Gorne. An Indoril settlement of note was the port city of Davon's Watch, next to Bal Foyen. House Indoril has never claimed land on the island of Vvardenfell, though ancestral tombs for Indoril families may still be found on the isle, such as those of the Aran, Ieneth, Raviro, Salothran, and Verelnim families.

The Indoril were orthodox and conservative supporters of the Tribunal Temple during its millennia-long reign over Morrowind. Claiming kinship with the Tribunal themselves and boasting such ancient heroes as the Hortator, Indoril Nerevar, House Indoril has dominated Temple authority since time immemorial and controlled the levers of government for 3,000 years. They used their control of the Tribunal priesthood to dominate the other Houses, which accounted for Indoril's preeminence among the five clans, gaining much territory and becoming the largest one. They had an undisputed hegemony over the province throughout the First and Second Eras, until their unbroken streak of power was finally overthrown during the signing of Tiber Septim's Armistice. They have always held prominent positions within the Temple hierarchy, and throughout history the fates of House Indoril and the Temple have been closely linked. Through the Temple, House Indoril's influence was felt across Morrowind, even beyond their traditional borders.

Saint Olms the Just is the patron saint of House Indoril.

"Founded early in the First Era, House Indoril has always been a political powerhouse. Orthodox and conservative in our beliefs and outlooks, we have always been firm proponents of traditional Dunmer customs and practices. For House Indoril, religion stands as our most cherished institution. We revere our blessed ancestors. We honor the Good Daedra, specifically Boethiah, Mephala, and Azura. And we celebrate the saints, including Veloth and Aralor. House Indoril believes that Dunmer culture must be preserved at all costs. Change is the enemy of tradition, and it will weaken our strong foundation if we allow it to take root." —Understanding House Indoril by Andor Indoril

History

First Era

"To my sister-brother's city I give the holy protection of House Indoril, whose powers and thrones know no equal under heaven, wherefrom came the Hortator." —Vivec

Indoril Nerevar - Hortator and Saint

The wreck of the Indoril flagship that became the Dominus Fatum

House Indoril was founded in ancient times, when Morrowind was still Resdayn and the First Council ruled over the Chimer and Dwemer. By the 57th year of the Golden Peace, House Indoril was already considered a political powerhouse, with religion standing as their most cherished institution. They believed that Dunmeri culture had to be preserved at all costs, and that change was the enemy of tradition that would weaken their strong foundation if allowed to take root.

Prior to the War of the First Council, thirty of the most influential and revered Chimer Clans worked together to build the fabled Library of Andule, a grand repository containing the genealogical records related to the earliest Velothi settlers and other assorted knowledge about the earliest history of the Great Houses. Five of the thirty Revered Families hailed from House Indoril; the Aran, Ieneth, Raviro, Salothran, and Verelnim Clans. The locations of the tombs were presumed lost in the aftermath of the War of the First Council, along with the Library of Andule and the records contained within. The five tombs were rediscovered in 2E 582, alongside the other twenty-five families and the Library of Andule itself.

Like the rest of the Great Houses, House Indoril participated in the Battle of Red Mountain during the War of the First Council around 1E 700. The House played a more prolific role in the conflict than its counterparts, with Hortator Indoril Nerevar being of the House himself. The Tribunal rose to prominence in the ruin wrought by the Sun's Death eruption of Vvardenfell, which laid waste at least half of Morrowind, and led to a permanent population shift south towards Indoril lands, including Deshaan. With House Dagoth banished, the Tribunal became the undisputed rulers of Morrowind in the aftermath, with the loyal Indoril controlling the levers of government for milennia to come.

Indoril hairstyles and outfits

According to Bristin Xel's novel the Poison Song, whose historical accuracy is highly contested, House Indoril adopted the heir of House Dagoth, Tython, in the aftermath of the War of the First Council. The boy realized his true heritage, and murdered some of his kinsmen before casting himself into the fires of Red Mountain.

Delyn the Wise was once the head of House Indoril, as well as a skilled lawyer and author of many treatises on Tribunal law and custom. Olms the Just was a contemporary of the Tribunal and founded the Ordinators. Since the First Era, members of House Indoril had formed the majority of warriors among Temple Ordinators. The influence of the Indoril majority within the ranks of the Ordinators gave their sacred armor the common name "Indoril" armor, despite warriors of all the Great Houses serving in the four Orders of the Ordination.

At some point prior to the faction's defeat in 1E 1029, the Gray Host counted Pentarch Kovan Indoril among its ranks. The sixth of eight sons, Kovan had allegedly fled Vvardenfell in pursuit of power over life and death and control over his own fate. He considered every day away from the "insufferable bickering" of House Indoril a blessing. It is likely the Pentarch met his untimely demise at Bangkorai Garrison along with the rest of the Gray Host.

An Ordinator in full Indoril armor

During or prior to the eleventh century of the First Era, the Dunmer of House Indoril and House Dres came into a little-known conflict with the First Empire known as the War for Silyanorn - the Ayleid site that would one day become the city of Stormhold. The war included the naval Battle of Tear Harbor, wherein the Indoril fleet was defeated by the Imperial fleet offshore of the House Dres capital city. The victorious Imperials claimed the former Indoril flagship and christened it the Dominus Fatum. In 1E 1033 during the reign of Empress Hestra, the vessel's crew would go on to capture the infamous Argonian pirate Red Bramman in Blackrose by braving the uncharted rivers of Shadowfen, though the Dominus Fatum was lost to the bogs of Murkmire in the process. The ship's wreck remained mostly intact for over two thousand years and was re-discovered in 2E 582, suspended by a large tree in Murkmire.

During the closing days of the First Era, Indoril Brindisi Dorom ruled as Duke-Prince of Mournhold. He played an active role in the Four-Score War as one of Morrowind's chief generals and political figures, before being killed during Mehrunes Dagon's sacking of Mournhold on the 12th of Sun's Dusk, 1E 2920. According to Carlovac Townway's dubiously accurate account of the events, the Duke's death was brought about after a former mistress named Turala was tricked into believing that assassins in Dorom's employ had killed her child. She had been expelled from Morrowind on account of being impregnated by the Duke, and summoned Dagon from High Rock. A plaza bearing the Duke's name would be erected in a rebuilt Mournhold. A portion of Mournhold was flung into the Deadlands themselves by Mehrunes Dagon, and went on to become the Wretched Spire, a settlement still inhabited by the survivors and Daedra alike in the mid-Second Era.

Second Era

"Justice knows no sleep: Indoril shall order, the Temple shall judge." —Mottos of the Dunmeri Great Houses

Grandmaster Tanval Indoril, circa 2E 582

The Second Era saw House Indoril retain its First Era status as the most influential of the Great Houses. They controlled vast swaths of the Morrowind mainland, but did not stake claims on the isle of Vvardenfell as Houses Redoran and Telvanni did. Their largest cities remained the capital of Mournhold, and the port-city of Davon's Watch, which itself contained the crypts of the noble Indoril family.

An Indoril wearing a fanciful half-sided mask

At some point prior to the Second Akaviri Invasion, Davon's Watch was sacked by marauding Nords under the leadership of Thane Unnvald Ironhand. In 2E 572, the Akaviri of Kamal under the leadership of Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal breached Morrowind via the Fort Virak pass into the Rift and laid waste to all in their path. Under the leadership of Grandmaster Tanval Indoril, the House's forces fought at the battle of Vivec's Antlers and drove the invaders into the sea with the assistance of Jorunn the Skald-King's army, and a contingent of Argonian shellback warriors under Heita-Meen. The victorious trio went on to sign the Ebonheart Pact. House Indoril was among the four Great Houses that joined the newly-formed Pact. After the eruption of the War of the Three Banners in 2E 580, House Indoril's warriors - including the renowned Indoril Vanguard - would be among those that fought for control of Cyrodiil and the White-Gold Tower.

In 2E 582, the Daggerfall Covenant launched an ill-fated military invasion of Stonefalls. Grandmaster Tanval Indoril once more took to the field alongside his Indoril Vanguard, combating the western invaders throughout the region. In an effort to stop the siege of Davon's Watch, Tanval summoned the Brother of Strife, Balreth, to lay waste to the Covenant forces. While Balreth succeeded in this, Tanval would lose control of the Brother in the aftermath of the Covenant's defeat, and was forced to seal it away in Ash Mountain once more with the aid of the Vestige. After his son Garyn's death during the retaking of Fort Virak from the Covenant, Tanval was consumed with grief and became obsessed with the total annihilation of the Covenant. He and his Vanguard invaded Kragenmoor and took Grandmaster Omin Dres' son, Sen, hostage in exchange for access to Tormented Spire and the second Brother of Strife, Sadal. Eventually, the Vestige liberated the House Dres city from Indoril occupation and confronted Tanval on the slopes of the Tormented Spire. The Indoril Grandmaster repented, and gave his life to seal away Sadal for good.

Later that same year, Magistrix Urili Vox's Maulborn Cult infiltrated Mournhold, plotting to infect its water supply with the Llodos Plague in a bid to undermine the rule of the Tribunal and turn the city against Almalexia. They were foiled by the efforts of the Vestige and the Morag Tong. Elsewhere off the east coast of the Telvanni Peninsula, the Indoril maintained the island of Gorne to house the mentally unstable and magically insane mages of House Telvanni. Their Indoril caretakers made a concerted effort to ensure the comfort, support, and fitness of the patients in their custody. However, the mage Dreynis fell under the sway of the Dark Seducer Straath, and used his mastery of portal magic to bring forth legions of Daedra from the Shivering Isles, whom proceeded to overrun the asylum and war with each other.

A manor in Indoril's antiquated style buried in the ruins of Old Mournhold

The House "took slight" at the Tong assassin Dram's affairs and had him secretly executed in 2E 800. Though "incarnated" for the third time afterwards, his exile was taken as an insult by the Morag Tong, and they had yet to forgive Indoril for this decision for many decades afterwards.

The Indoril Isle of Gorne during the Second Era

In the late Second Era, Tiber Septim's legions turned their eyes towards Morrowind. House Indoril swore to resist the invaders to the death, with House Dres and House Redoran following their lead. However, the Indoril and Dres advocated allowing the western invaders to enter the interior of Morrowind, where they'd engage in guerrilla warfare. With the Redoran manning the western borders alone, the Telvanni remaining neutral, and the Hlaalu advocating accommodation, Morrowind was disunited. When Vivec signed the Armistice in 2E 896 after only a handful of skirmishes, House Indoril was shocked and angered by what many viewed as the Tribunal's betrayal. The Lord High Councilor of the Grand Council, an Indoril, refused to accept the treaty, and refused to step down. He was assassinated and replaced by a Hlaalu. Considered a dwarf in comparison to the might of Indoril for millennia, House Hlaalu took the opportunity of their newfound strength to settle some old scores with House Indoril, and a number of local councils changed hands in bloody coups. More blood was shed in these inter-house struggles than against the Imperial Legions during Morrowind's transition from an independent nation to a province of the Empire. Many Indoril nobles chose to commit suicide rather than submit to the Third Empire. This left the former ruling power of Morrowind weakened and in disarray - their influence and strength permanently crippled. Only by retreating into the ranks of the Tribunal Temple was Indoril able to save some face at the close of the Second Era, and retain some influence in the centuries that followed.

Third Era

"[T]he Indoril are orthodox and conservative supporters of the Temple and Temple authority. House Indoril is openly hostile to Imperial culture and religion, and preserves many traditional Dunmer customs and practices in defiance of Imperial law."
—Great Houses of Morrowind

At the dawn of the Third Era, House Indoril was the weakest it had ever been. Their dominant influence over Morrowind, present since the days of the Chimer, had come to a close. In their place, House Hlaalu became the dominant power in Morrowind, a result of their newfound alliance with the Third Empire. The remaining members of House Indoril retreated into positions in the Tribunal Temple hierarchy. Upon the erection of the Great Ghostfence after 2E 882, the deceased of House Indoril donated their bones towards sustaining the barrier and keeping the Blight at bay. These donors had dedicated their spirits to the Temple and Clan as their surrogate families. The practice of slavery was said to be common in Indoril lands as late as 3E 427.

An Ordinator in Indoril armor

Following the opening of Vvardenfell to settlement in 3E 414 by the Empire, both Dres and Indoril strongly objected to the Imperial opening of Vvardenfell to colonization for political and religious reasons, and both were reluctant to join the land rush even years later for fear of being seen as hypocrites. Members of House Indoril, through their influence in the Temple Ordination, indirectly protected Vivec, Mournhold, Molag Mar, and other Temple holdings. Outside of the indirect participation of some members through the Tribunal Temple and its Ordinators, House Indoril's lack of lands on Vvardenfell meant that the House was entirely removed from the events of 3E 427 that saw the rise of the Nerevarine, the destruction of Dagoth Ur and the Heart of Lorkhan, the end of the Blight and the downfall of the Tribunal Temple.

That same year, Mournhold was troubled by several strange occurrences, including ash-storms and the appearance of Clockwork City fabricant creatures on the streets of the ancestral Indoril capital. The Nerevarine traveled to the city, and discovered the source of these disturbances to be none other than Almalexia, maddened by the recent loss of her divinity and having murdered fellow tribune Sotha Sil. Shortly afterwards, the former Living Goddess was slain in the depths of Clockwork City at the hands of the Nerevarine.

With the Temple - and by extension, House Indoril's - main resources being tied up in guard duty and the maintenance of defenses against Dagoth Ur, as well as the erosion of Temple authority for the majority of the Third Era, the Indoril, although not without influence, was far from its former glory. Following the disappearance of the Tribunes at the end of the Third Era, the Tribunal Temple collapsed. House Indoril, whose power and influence was entwined with the Temple from the beginning, suffered greatly as a result. Unable to change with the times, House Indoril was said to be waning by 3E 432.

A year later in 3E 433, citizens of Cyrodiil spoke of the new King of Morrowind, Hlaalu Helseth, overseeing the establishment of an alliance between House Hlaalu and House Dres. Allegedly, the two newly-allied Great Houses went on to "pick apart the carcass" of Indoril together. These Cyrodiilic rumors claimed that as a result of the machinations of the new king, House Indoril had been left in ruins. The truth or validity of these rumors is unknown.

It is unknown how House Indoril fared during the Oblivion Crisis that saw Morrowind freed from Imperial rule.

Fourth Era

The banner of the New Temple

"House Indoril, whose fortunes were so entwined with the Tribunal Temple, suffered greatly from its fall. While House Indoril still technically exists, the priesthood of the Temple are now considered one and the same with House Indoril - those who become priests are now considered to have "joined Indoril." The political power of the Indoril has thus passed entirely into the hands of the Temple." —The Reclamations

House Indoril was spared the brunt of the damage caused by the Red Year in 4E 5 due to its holdings being far from Red Mountain and Vvardenfell. Mournhold was the center of relief efforts to Vvardenfell led by House Redoran in the aftermath of the disaster. However, the House was adversely affected around a year later in 4E 6 when the Argonians invaders from Black Marsh devastated the south and east of the province - much of the land having been part of Indoril District. Despite being saved from total destruction by the army of House Redoran, the heaviest blow came with the sacking of Mournhold, which ended the city's role as capital of Morrowind and removed the final vestiges of House Indoril's long-passed glory days. Subsequenty, Morrowind's capital became the ancestral Redoran seat of Blacklight.

In 4E 48, there existed a minor House Sathil on the Redoran-ruled island of Solstheim, which ruled a castle and village by the same name. The patron of the family, Hleryn Sathil, had been allied with Great House Indoril until 4E 16, at which point he declared himself independent. The House played a role in the Umbriel Crisis of 4E 48, though no trace of it remained by 4E 201.

Mournhold would eventually be liberated from the Argonians and rebuilt, though it remained a shadow of its former grandeur during the height of Tribunal and House Indoril rule. By 4E 201, the last traces of Almalexia were being removed from the city's Temple. Plaza Brindisi Dorom now houses a large building used by House Indoril to accommodate the new priests and pilgrims who come to pay their respects at the New Temple.

Though House Indoril still technically exists and remains one of the five ruling Great Houses of Morrowind, the priesthood of the New Temple are now considered one and the same with House Indoril, and those who become priests are now considered to have "joined Indoril." The political power of the Indoril has thus passed entirely into the hands of the Temple (although members of the old House Indoril are still over-represented in the priesthood).

Great House Indoril's modern holdings beyond the New Temple are unknown. As of the Fourth Era, the holdings of House Telvanni are all on Vvardenfell, and they no longer inhabited the coastal mainland near the Indoril District.

Culture

Buildings in Indoril's intricate architectural style

The Indoril are orthodox and conservative supporters of the Temple and Temple authority. They view themselves as the "order" that carries out the Temple's judgement, in the name of unsleeping justice. Those who grow up in House Indoril, while not guaranteed a role in the Temple, are certainly strongly encouraged to pursue them. House Indoril is openly hostile to Imperial culture and religion, and preserves many traditional Dunmer customs and practices in defiance of Imperial law. Vivec believed House Indoril to be closest to the compassion and sympathy of Almalexia, a comfortable and secure serenity.

House Indoril adopted a set of wings as their heraldry, allegedly to "let them fly far above" the other Dunmer, whom they viewed as "far beneath them." The House likewise adopted the color blue as a designation.

The Fast of Forebearance was a holiday held in honor of Almalexia and celebrated by House Indoril. The House distributed coronets in her honor to worthy individuals during the event.

Architecture

The Indoril build their cities filled with ornate buildings topped with bright turquoise roofs, and turquoise floors with intricate designs of knots and swirls. This is reflective of their designated house color, blue.

In the First Era, the house heavily used crescent motifs in their architecture, with shoji patterns on their doors and red lanterns inside the halls. The exteriors are made up of tessellated walls with small knobs sticking out, and roofs lined with smooth spikes on the edges. They also built buildings in the shapes of beige conical spirals with white highlights, which could be entered through circular doors. This unique style is preserved in the ruins of Old Mournhold and may be found elsewhere.

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  An ancient Indoril house

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  An Indoril building; note the intricate patterns found all around it and bright blue floors

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  Interior of an Indoril building

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  A conical Indoril building

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  An Indoril temple

Equipment

New Temple Priest Robes

An Indoril Archmage

Archmages and leaders of the Indoril wear finely crafted ornate armor with dark capes. They sometimes braid their hair or have mohawks, and may wear pristine masks covering the one vertical half of their faces.

Certain members of Indoril wear expensive robes with Daedric letters written on them, where the messages "Learn by Serving" and "Faith Is Only Law" can be read on the yellow sash. Members of the New Temple also wear robes decorated in Reclamation imagery instead of Tribunal symbols.

The influence of the Indoril majority within the ranks of the Ordinators gave their sacred armor the common name "Indoril" armor, despite warriors of all the Great Houses serving in the four Orders of the Ordination. The Indoril emblazen the visage of Nerevar onto their masks.

Gallery

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  A member of House Indoril as seen in Morrowind

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  Mournhold, House Indoril and Morrowind's capital as seen in Morrowind

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  A member of the New Temple in 4E 201, as seen in Dragonborn; those who joined its ranks were said to have "joined Indoril"

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  Mournhold, House Indoril and Morrowind's capital as seen in ESO

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  Davon's Watch, an Indoril city as seen in ESO

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  The House Indoril crypts in Davon's Watch, as seen in ESO

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  The Wretched Spire, a piece of Old Mournhold thrown into the Deadlands

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  A member of the Indoril Vanguard as seen in ESO

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  An ancestor spirit of House Indoril, as seen in ESO

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  Hortator Indoril Nerevar

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  A vampiric ex-member of House Indoril in the service of the Gray Host, as seen in ESO: Greymoor

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  An unscrupulous Indoril, as seen in Legends

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  An Archmage of House Indoril as seen in Legends

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  Statue of Almalexia in an Indoril temple

Notes

The old Indoril banner from ESO (left) and Helseth's banner from Morrowind (right)

• In Dark Elvish, "Indor" means Blessed and "iil" means Folk, meaning Indoril could roughly translate to Blessed Folk.
• House Indoril was intended to make a full appearance as a joinable house in TES III: Morrowind, but had to be cut due to constraints. The developers hoped they could one day see them at their true grand scale.
• ESO initially used a wolf symbol as the sigil of House Indoril, despite the fact that it was already established as featuring wings. This issue was identified during beta testing of ESO: Morrowind, and the reason for the discrepancy was explained by Lead Loremaster Lawrence Schick:

"Early in ESO's development, like nine years ago, well before we had any lore-checking processes in place, the wolf got picked for the Indoril banner based on the stylized wolf-head that appeared on Mehra Drora's gorget in TES3. This got promulgated onto some other assets, and it didn't get spotted until ESO: MW was in PTS testing. We're gradually sorting it out, but doing that kind of thing means diverting resources from the next DLC, so corrections don't always happen instantly."

The gorget worn by Mehra Drora was actually part of a generic robe, and the sigil of House Indoril was thus changed to depict wings. According to TES3 game files, the wolf symbol was actually King Helseth's crest, and numerous banners displaying it could be found on the walls in and around his palace in Mournhold (for example here).

• Several settlements appeared in a pre-release concept map of Morrowind under the control of House Indoril. These Indoril-ruled settlements included Almalexia, Darvonis Watch, and Draloris.
• Muzariah was an Indoril by birth and became a famous painter in spite of the House's traditionalism. Her best painting lies in the cellars of the Imperial Palace by Imperial decree, being too beautiful for anyone to destroy.

See Also

• For game-specific information, see the Elder Scrolls Online article.

Books

• 2920: The Last Year of the First Era by Carlovac Townway — A fictional series of books about historical events involving Vivec and the Empire
• The Great Houses and Their Uses by Tel Verano — Appraisals of the Great Houses of Morrowind
• Great Houses of Morrowind — A description of the five great houses of Morrowind
• Mottos of the Dunmeri Great Houses by Vilyn Girith — A Dunmer rebukes his son for lacking common knowledge
• Poison Song by Bristin Xel — A historically inaccurate epic set in the aftermath of the war with the Dwemer and House Dagoth
• The Reclamations by Thara of Rihad — An account of changes in the Dunmer religion following the end of the Tribunal
• Understanding House Indoril by Andor Indoril, Grand Historian for the House — Notes on the values of House Indoril

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.