Tis' just a little something I done to spend time. I was basing it off of th 'Guide to...' series from oblivion, though gave it a quite different view. Any opinions would be welcome.
‘In modern times Morrowind is ruled by five Great Houses: House Hlaalu, House Redoran, House Telvanni, House Indoril, and House Dres. Only three of these Houses have interests in Vvardenfell. The three Great Houses on Vvardenfell identify themselves by their traditional colors: red for Redoran, yellow for Hlaalu, and brown for Telvanni.’
Ahh yes, Vvardenfell. Some of you may not know what it is – of course, it is a desolate spot. Though ones who visited it would never forget it, as I came to learn. The beautiful city of Vivec, the imposing Red Mountain, the Grazelands… Even the Ashlands I find beautiful in their own way, though some may disagree. But I’ve wandered too far away from the general view of this particular Island.
If you would look at a map of Morrowind, the Province resting between Skyrim and Black Marsh as well as facing Cyrodiil, you would find a large island, which is Vvardenfell, along with a smaller island – Solstheim, which is of no concern to us. Perhaps I’ll visit that island one day, and will be able to tell you what feelings it caused to me, though let’s leave that for later times.
Vvardenfell can be recognized not for its inhabitants – most of which are Dunmeri, and, along with other kinsmen populating Morrowind, aren’t very welcome to new arrivals. No, the thing every traveler would want to see – I am referring to risk-takers and hardy adventurers not afraid of beasts (infectious, they say – avoid coming into contact with them if possible!), because it’s unlikely other people would last long enough to take a look at the mountain – is the large volcano, the Red Mountain. I’ve heard during my stay, it was once much larger, though something happened – what slips out of my minds – and the Mountain blew up, though how true that is remains to be seen.
Next thing a traveler would want to visit is the supposedly holy city of Vivec. Holy or not, it is a very great sight to admire, and if you have the opportunity, do so – after all, in Cyrodiil floating cities aren’t that common. Yes, I said floating – Vivec is made up from several different ‘Cantons’, who are large buildings designed to stay on the surface of the water. Perhaps it’s magic, though I’m not highly experienced in that.
After visiting Vivec, I would recommend different locations for different people – some may find interest in many Dwemer Ruins surrounding Dagon Fel – a dangerous, though thrilling way to spend time. Others may want to experience the different architecture styles of the Great Houses – the odd Hlaalu houses, the crab-like huts of Redoran and my personal favorite – the mushroom-like Telvanni buildings. And some might want to explore the wonderful Daedric Runs – another dangerous way of spending vacation, though to everyone his own, I guess.
Now, I switch to a different point – places to avoid in Vvardenfell. Certainly, Molag Amur. The Ashlands and Molag Amur are completely different, though the land might look similar – ash, ash, and again ash. But Molag Amur is much, MUCH more hostile. Small lava lakes, pillars of steam shooting up from certain spots, and the worst – Blight Storms. I would recommend keeping a suitable distance at any cost, unless you are a Temple Pilgrim, and quest for Mount Kand – or whatever it is named. Bad place, stuffed with Daedra, locals say. I’d stay away from that too. Speaking of Daedra, there are some wandering around the wastelands, along with Corprus Beasts. Molag Mar is quite interesting, though if you’ve seen Vivec, you’ve seen Molag Mar – it’s just more… spiky… inside.
Second place would be Bitter Coast’s shack villages. Trust me; you do not want to spend your free time watching fishermen catch fish for food, or being bugged by a poor merchant to buy some worthless piece of junk. That would be the better side though – believe me, when Camonna Tong, the local criminal organization, will be out to kill you for being an outlander, you’ll regret coming on holiday, and probably many curses will fall on my head. I’d rather dislike that.
Now, I’ve mentioned the Ashlands before, have I not? That side of Vvardenfell deserves a separate mention. While it is not as scenic as the Grazelands, it shows us what nature can produce through the Mouth of Ground – a volcano. Tons of ash covers the land – there’s a reason for the title it was given, you know, - and best of all, it doesn’t bear the danger of Blight Storms. Of course, Ash Storms are quite a threat, though not as much as the Blight Clouds.
And what would be the Grazelands, you ask?
It s a beautiful place, and doesn’t bear the smell of Bitter Coast. A grassy land, with scenic hills, and the occasional leaf-less tree standing, one would experience pure pleasure just by walking there, and breathing the fresh air. Though should you decide to give it a visit, I suggest two things. First, stay away from guars. There’s no telling whenever they’re tamed or not, but you might end up fighting an Ashlander that was the owner of the ‘wild’ guar you just roasted. And secondly, avoid visiting the Grazelands during the rain seasons. The land becomes almost like mud, though the sunrise is beautiful then – everything seems to be reborn, even though you might not be giving that any attention – you will probably be more concerned about the fact that your clothes are all dirty.
And now I’ve mentioned the Bitter Coast - twice, actually. You may wonder what it is.
Well, to put it straight – it’s the smell-pit of Vvardenfell. I would avoid it, because of the villages I previously spoke of, and, of course, because of the smell that floats around. Some folk claim to have fainted upon inhaling it.
But if you need an explanation on it, fine. It is best described as a swamp. A large swamp with lots and lots of grass, bushes and trees. You could find hundreds of Mudcrabs around there, all fierce, though annoying for an experienced adventurer. The occasional pack of Nix-Hound can prove to be easy to spot (because of the sound it gives out), though not to evade – and then you’re stuck with several tenths of them trying to get to you. All in all, it is not somewhere you would want to spend your vacation in.
And while I’m talking about green places, there’s the Ascadian Isles. A beautiful place, though not nearly as beautiful as the Grazelands, or, surprisingly, the Ashlands, though that’s a matter of opinion. If you’re looking for odd plants, then that’s your first stop – the large mushrooms that grow there I find highly entertaining to look at. And, fortunately, most of the local beasts are friendly – meaning Netches. The large flying things won’t annoy you, as long as you don’t get close during breeding. And then you’re in for big trouble.
And then we have another three green regions – Sheogorad, West Gash, and Azura’s Coast.
Both Sheogorad and Azura’s Coast are named after Daedric princes – and both have pretty much the same terrain. They consist of odd rocks, on almost all of which grows greater or lesser amounts of moss. There are several roads through them, and I would suggest keeping to them, unless looking for a certain object – the mountains can prove to be hard to scale. Sheogorad could be noted for its vast amount of Dwemer Ruins, which I mentioned before, and Azura’s Coast has two objects of interest – the Shrine of Azura, located on a high peak near the shore, along with an odd shell-like building. I only glanced at it from a distance, seeing as there were several guards around, obviously there to keep out cartographers like me.
The West Gash hasn’t has much of note. It is basically very much like Bitter Coast and Grazelands combined though doesn’t bear the smell of Bitter Coast. Only three settlements can be found – Gnisis, Ald Velothi, and Khuul - which gives little tamed lands. I’ve located several Dunmeri Strongholds there, though nothing worth noting. It isn’t a very interesting region, except for smuggler hunters I’ve heard much of these outlaws have been seen in the Gash.
And this pretty much sums up my experiences with the lands of Vvardenfell. I can only hope this guide was of use to anyone, and prepare for another expedition – perhaps to Solstheim, or perhaps visit somewhere else. Maybe I’ll drop a visit to Mournhold, the city-within-a-city, of which I heard so much by now. Or perhaps I’ll attempt to explore the homeland of Nords, Skyrim – it all depends on whoever hires me.
Now, I wish you good experiences with the lands of Vvardenfell, and may it be as merciful to you as it was to me. At your guiding service,
- Ciritus.