110 days left - Morag Tong and the Dark Brotherhood

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"Brother, I still call you brother for we share our bonds of blood, tested but unbroken by hatred. Even if I am murdered, which seems inevitable now, know that, brother. You and I are not innocents, so our benedictions of mutual enmity is not tragedy, but horror. This state of silent, shadowed war, of secret poisons and sleeping men strangled in their beds, of the sudden arrow and the artful dagger, has no end that I can see. No possibility for peace. I see the shadows in the room move though the flame of my candle is steady. I know the signs that I …"

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The note was found under a floorboard in the Skyrim village of Jallenheim in 2E 358. It was the first note ever to be found that is connected to the Dark Brotherhood.

The Morag Tong and the Dark Brotherhood were once part of the same organization. The Morag Tong was not an illegal organization in Tamriel, and they committed murder in the name of the daedra Mephala. They were the Empires executioner and were permitted to execute people to preserve order. But after the assassination of the Akaviri Versidue-Shaie, the Morag Tong was outlawed. Desperate to find political cover, they went to the only province that would accept them. The province where the Morag Tong probably originated from, Morrowind.

To be able to become a legal organization in Morrowind, the Morag Tong would have to change their beliefs from Mephala to Morrowind's Tribunal. The part of the organization that was the Dark Brotherhood had another belief. They worshiped Sithis and were not willing to give away their religion for the sake of remaining a legal administration. It was around this period when the two groups became rivals. They saw each others as traitors of the cause and they never worked together again after 2E 324.

The biggest difference between the two rivals is that the Dark Brotherhood is more to be seen as a business enterprise, and the Morag Tong as a guild that commits murder in the name of religion. If there is going to be one of these two present in Skyrim, it feels more natural for the Dark Brotherhood to be present. The need of assassins that work outside of the law seems like something that a lot of lords would be in need of, especially if there was a civil war going on (why it's almost like I am referring to the current events of Skyrim).

This is however a theory and it is not certain that it is entirely true. And if anyone stumbles across a text that contradicts the information about the split-up I would be very happy if you sent me a message about it. If your interested in finding out more, read the book called "Fire and Darkness: The Brotherhoods of Death". It is from there i snatched the quote in the beginning of the post.

/R