It is safe to say that no other Elder Scrolls game has come close to offering the same alien and bizarre experience that the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind gave us. Its unique representation of the land of the Dark Elves is unparalleled by other single-player RPGs and part of this is thanks to the dynamics of the different factions.

One of these factions is the Mages Guild of Vvanderfell. It’s notably more interesting and turbulent than the Mages Guilds seen in Cyrodiil or Skyrim because of their internal and external conflicts and power struggles. In that regard, the Mages Guild in Morrowind holds many secrets.

10 THEY’RE AN OFFSHOOT OF ANOTHER FACTION

Well, this is actually a fact for the Mages Guild as a whole, not just the one in Vvanderfell, but that one seems to have a great impact on the guild; we’ll discuss that later. For now, just know that the Mages Guild was actually founded by a member of the Psijic Order.

It’s an ancient order which was more or less responsible for the development of Mysticism in Tamriel. They have a habit of disappearing and then reappearing again, and their latest appearance in the games is in Skyrim where they informed the Dragonborn to be more careful of his/her actions.

9 IT’S FOUNDER LEFT IT OUT OF DISGUST

The founder of the Mages Guild? It was a guy named Vanus Galerion during the second-era. He was a High Elf– a race famous for their affinity for the arcane arts and superiority complex. The original foothold of the Mages Guild was in Summerset Isles due to this.

At first, Vanus had good intentions, which was to give the public more access to magic items. However, he eventually quit in disgust after the Mages Guild quickly turned into a haven of power-hungry mages who sought to control and monopolize everything.

8 GUILD PROMOTION REQUIRES PAYMENT

You usually don’t have to spend too much when joining the Mages Guild as your services and tenure as an errand runner in the lower ranks are enough to sate your superiors. However, once you get to the rank of Conjurer or the fifth rank out of ten, you’ll need some cash.

The exact amount is 200 drakes, and apparently, this counts as a guild due. It’s not really that big of a hurdle considering you can earn money fast in Morrowind doing a bit theft here and there.

7 HOUSE TELVANNI IS THEIR RIVAL

Most Mages Guilds in other provinces in Tamriel don’t really have any rivals. The Mages Guild in Vvanderfell is unique in this regard because it has always had a thorn on its side, namely the House Telvanni.

It’s a clan or one of the Great Houses of Morrowind that administers the Eastern part of Vvanderfell. They also take in individuals who want to learn more about magic and offer the same services as the Mages Guild. As you can imagine, the Mages Guild doesn’t like this one bit.

6 DEADLY RECRUITMENT

Because of the “market” competition that isn’t present in other provinces of Tamriel, the Mages Guild in Morrowind has gotten more fierce and more brutal in their “methods.” One of the quests associated with recruitment even tasks you to “compel” certain magic practitioners to join the Mages Guild.

Now, if these magic practitioners refuse your proposal, you have the green light to refuse their right to be alive. So yes, the Mages Guild doesn’t play around; if you can shoot sparks with your hands, you’re either with them or you’re target practice.

5 DEADLY GUILD POLITICS

It turns out the Mages Guild of Morrowind is not just dangerous externally, but also internally. As mentioned earlier, the higher-ranking members of the Mages Guild, particularly in Morrowind, have gotten morally bankrupt and are always striving for a higher position.

They usually find ways to “fast-track” their promotion by either having you cause some “accidents” against the other members or even by playing certain pranks on them. They also treat their enemies this way, sometimes even assigning their members to kill members of the House Telvanni.

4 THEY SEEK MAGICAL MONOPOLY IN MORROWIND

You might have noticed that the Mages Guild in Morrowind is significantly more evil and has more black sheep compared to the ones in Cyrodiil or Skyrim. It turns out House Telvanni is not their only competition but also the Tribunal Temple and other Houses that could overturn their control.

The very political structure of Morrowind threatens the Mages Guild since its leaders’ unspoken mission is to monopolize magical services in the province. At this point, they’re mostly looking more like a corrupt syndicate.

3 NOT ALL MEMBERS ARE EVIL, THOUGH

The Mages Guild in Morrowind functions and feels like a haven of crimelords and operates closer to a Thieves Guild, but that doesn’t mean everyone there is the scum of the earth– just most members.

There are still a couple of officials that are generally harmless. Trebonius Artorius is one along with Edwinna Elbert, who just wants to study the Dwemer. Everyone else will either make you feel like a Dark Brotherhood assassin or will steal your research.

2 BANNED NECROMANCY IS USED AS A PRETENSE TO KILL

Given how corrupt the Mages Guild of Morrowind has become, it shouldn’t be surprising if one of them ever pops up as a necromancer. Surprisingly, there’s no overarching plot like that for this particular guild.

Instead, some of the members will use that accusation in order to put a target on the back of their enemies. Ranis Athrys, for example, even tasks you to kill a necromancer who likely wasn’t and was just a healer who was also an un-affiliated magical practitioner.

1 THEY HAVE GOOD FAST TRAVEL OPTIONS

When you’re just low-level Nerevarine and are looking for newbie-friendly magic guilds to join and are stuck between House Telvanni or the Mages Guild, do note that the latter will give you a handy network of portals between five guild halls scattered all throughout Vvanderfell.

Meanwhile, House Telvanni is just a bunch of eccentric madmen who have no stairs in their houses and require you to use the levitation spell. This isn’t advertising for the Mages Guild, by the way, just a warning to go join the Mages Guild and become a great wizard! Or you’re a dead n’wah.

NEXT: Elder Scrolls VI: Everything We Know (& Hope For) So Far