There are many guilds in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, among them the shadowy organization of able assassins known as the Dark Brotherhood, who have a feud with the Morrowind-based assassins of the Morag Tong. According to Elder Scrolls lore, the Dark Brotherhood began as an offshoot of an older assassin group known as the Morag Tong. The founding of the Dark Brotherhood felt that the ways in which the Morag Tong conducted business were too tame, with the same aggrieved also being more interested in killing for money. They broke off and formed their own guild, and a feud has existed ever since.
The Morag Tong was first introduced in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and features prominently as one of the able factions. Morrowind is one of fans' favorite Elder Scrolls games because it expanded the lore of the series tremendously, creating entirely new factions. In the story of Morrowind, they have been around since the first era, but since the Morag Tong headquarters is in the Imperial province of Morrowind, this is where they tend to operate. This also conveniently explains why they weren’t encountered in previous games. The Dark Brotherhood appears in Morrowind too, especially in the Tribunal expansion, but they are not a able faction in the game.
The Morag Tong are considered honorable assassins, at least by those in power. They have ties with the ruling council of Morrowind, which means that though they aren’t liked by everyone, they do have an air of legitimacy, and act as a tool of the government. The Morag Tong have a strict code of conduct when it comes to killing, using writs of execution. They frown upon murdering innocents, unlike the Dark Brotherhood. In fact, the only way to the Elder Scrolls' Dark Brotherhood was by killing someone first.
Elder Scrolls - The Morag Tong Vs. The Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood has appeared in the main Elder Scrolls games, and each time players learn more about them, especially during The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and Skyrim. Most of the lore surrounding the Morag Tong comes from Morrowind. of the Morag Tong do show up in other games, but they are not able as a faction. With the Morag Tong, the assassinations don’t necessarily require secrecy. Players can simply walk up and fight with their target. If players present a writ of execution to a guard, they will drop the bounty if they received one. Granted, the Morag Tong don’t necessarily like attracting attention to themselves, and it can be problematic if some random erby decides to intervene on the target’s behalf. Stealth is the preferred method, but players can conquer assassination missions in whatever way they choose.
If players wish to experience more of the Morag Tong, they will have to play Morrowind. Fortunately, it is a game still worth visiting today, and Morrowind with mods is prettier than Skyrim. Its combat system is a little lacking compared to Skyrim, but combat has never been the strongest part of games in the Elder Scrolls series. Either way, the game provides the most detailed look into the Morag Tong, who only have marginal roles in other Elder Scrolls titles.
As far as the plot goes, ing the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion and Skyrim is exciting because betrayal lurks in the shadows in ways not seen with the Morag Tong in Morrowind. The Dark Brotherhood is filled with homicidal characters, but the characters are well written which makes the player care about them before most of them die (as was the case in both Oblivion's and 's Dark Brotherhood endings), sometimes even at the hands of the player. Both guilds don’t allow killing fellow , though there is a notable exception during Oblivion’s Dark Brotherhood quest called “The Purification”. There is a traitor in the Cheydinhal Dark Brotherhood, and the player is the only one above suspicion since they ed after the traitor was known to be operating. They are tasked with purifying the sanctuary, meaning they must murder all the assassins within. Unfortunately, none of them were the traitors. The player and their mentor were tricked, and before it is all over, there is a lot of death.
The greatest threat to the Dark Brotherhood in both games isn’t the Morag Tong and it isn’t the authorities. The Dark Brotherhood’s bane is the Dark Brotherhood itself. Just like Skyrim's Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood quest is filled with betrayal, and many of its die at the hands of a fellow member. It turns out that a cult of murderers for hire may not be the most stable people, no matter how they garb themselves and what code they follow.
Elder Scrolls - Feuds Between The Morag Tong & Dark Brotherhood
An encounter with the Dark Brotherhood is especially terrifying in Morrowind with the Tribunal expansion. After the player goes to sleep, their slumber is interrupted. Behind them is an assassin clad in menacing black armor, obscuring every part of their body. At lower levels, this encounter can be particularly deadly. Upon killing their would-be assassin, players learn that they are part of the Dark Brotherhood, and that someone has put out a contract on the player’s life. Similar assassins appear in Skyrim to kill the character controlled by the player, but the solution to stopping them in Morrowind is more elaborate. To stop the attacks, players must travel to Mournhold, the capital of Morrowind located on the mainland. There, the Dark Brotherhood is even more lethal, and players need to use every skill at their disposal to defeat the many enemies. Players will still need to deal with the Dark Brotherhood even if they are not part of the Morag Tong.
The Morag Tong was supposedly founded by Mephala, one of the “Good Daedra” according to the Dunmer, or dark elves. At the very least, they worship her as their divine patron. The Elder Scrolls' Dark Brotherhood worships the Night Mother instead. She is the wife of Sithis, the dreadfather of the void. Sometimes Night Mother is a title for of the Dark Brotherhood, sometimes, like in Skyrim, the Night Mother is an actual corpse. It’s even hinted that the Night Mother is an aspect of Mephala, meaning the two factions may worship the same thing.
This is likely the main disagreement between the two groups, which has carried over into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. They potentially worship different aspects of the same gods but do it in different ways. The Morag Tong kills people for money and the glory of Mephala, but they do it legally. The Dark Brotherhood, on the other hand, commits murder for coin and in praise of Sithis and the Night Mother, while their kills are against the law. None of this matters to both groups' victims though, as whether murdered legally or not, they are still dead.
