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Volume 1
Being on the origins, histories, and current state of affairs of the Seven Families of Clan Hlaalu, this text is assembled for men and mer who wish to become more involved in the most lucrative of Houses, or those who are simply students of Morrowind politics.
First Family
The First Family was founded by Narsara Hla-Alu, a prominent wisewoman in the days of Veloth. She and several others had volunteered to guard those who died during the exodus from Summerset, rather than letting them be forgotten in the strange lands the Velothi passed through. With the land still ruled by enemies, these wardens of the dead broke from Veloth's company upon arriving in Resdayn to seek out a place to safely inter their honored fallen.
Eventually they discovered a high plateau surrounded on all sides by rivers, a natural fortress which no enemy could approach unseen; Narsara's followers dug deep into the red spire to create the first Ancestral Vaults. To further safeguard the tombs, Narsara constructed a steading bearing her name to watch over it. Her husband became the first keeper of the tomb and her heirs were entrusted with continuing that duty.
Today, the descendants of Narsara Hla-Alu's firstborn son, Andrus Hlaalu, reside in their manor in the Old Quarter of Narsis, the oldest continuously inhabited building in the city. Their patriarch is Tereldyn Hlaalu. They keep to their sacred duty of maintaining the city's vast catacombs, and remain detached from day-to-day politics.
Second Family
The Second Family was formed by Tharel Hlaalu, the son of Narsara Hla-Alu's second born son. Tharel was more enterprising than his predecessors and is regarded as the first High Hlaalu to emerge. He built up the city of Narsis, constructing a large manor for his family atop the plateau, and formally vassalized the families outside of Narsara's Clan who had followed them: Clans Dren, Hleryn, Raran, and Vedas.
In the Age of the Warring Houses, the Second Family had assassinated the leaders of the Third Family and so remained the undisputed rulers of Narsis until the Red Khans sacked the city. Nerevar liberated Narsis, and after House Hlaalu swore vassalage to Nerevar, the Second Family resumed their position of leadership.
During the time of the Armistice, High Hlaalu Pasoroth was an important figure in the shaping of modern Morrowind. A famous arena champion in his day and General under Tiber Septim, he led Hlaalu's northern annexations and was instrumental in dictating terms in the new Council. However, Pasaroth notably stagnated when the District lines were drawn and the regency ended. Being a warleader, he was unsuited to peacetime governance and lacked the business acumen of his peers. He was ultimately assassinated by the Morag Tong.
In the present day, the patriarch of the Second Family is High Hlaalu Athires. Born at the turn of the era, the son of Pasoroth has successfully advanced the interests of the Great House Hlaalu during the Third Era. However, with the rise of Kragenmoor, the Simulacrum, and the opening of Vvardenfell, the Second Family is starting to show signs that their power is waning. Still they remain the most powerful of the Seven Families, commanding the respect of the nobility and leading the Hlaalu Council.
Third Family
The history of the Third Family is unknown. During the Age of the Warring Houses, the Second Family assassinated the leaders of the Third and drove out their followers, and their lore was lost. Today, those who would claim descent from this family are few and far between.
Volume 2
Volume 1 of this report covered the origins, histories, and current state of affairs of the first three families who trace their lineage to the Founder of Clan Hlaalu, Narsara Hla-Alu. This present volume concerns itself with the remaining four.
Fourth Family
The Fourth Family was formed in Veloth's time alongside the Second and Third Families, and they changed their name to the variant spelling "Hlaalo" as a gesture of submission to the Second Family after seeing what had happened to the Third during the House War. During the turmoil between the Second and Third Families, they left Narsis and sailed up the Kanit River to less-contested lands.
Currently, the Matriarch of the Fourth Family, Ervesa Hlaalo, lives on the Hlaalo Plantation between Andrethis and Hlerynhul. Taking advantage of the opening of Vvardenfell, her son Ralen Hlaalo built a manor in Balmora and the family holds some influence there.
Fifth Family
The Fifth Family began during the Age of the Warring Houses. They arrived in Kragenfell when it was ruled by the Dwemer, and profited by being regional middlemen between the Dwemer and the proto-Redoran. When the Dwarves of Kragen left with the Rourken, the Redoran took control of the area and the Fifth Family lost prominence.
In the Second Era, Great House Hlaalu began to buy land in and around Kragenmoor, causing the Fifth Family to rise in prominence once again. As a result, Garnas Hlaalu is now one of the most important nobles in Kragenmoor, after the patriarchs of Clan Indarys and Sadras. However, the family exerts little influence in the broader Othreleth Woods and thus remains the least influential of the remaining families of Clan Hlaalu.
Sixth Family
The Sixth Family was formed during the First Council, when there was finally peace among the Velothi. Taking advantage of this newfound security, the Sixth Family went beyond the Hlaalu corner of Morrowind for business ventures; they traded slaves with the Alessians and acquired oddities from the Cantemeric Velothi, silver from the Kothringi, and slaves from Elsweyr. The family bought properties nearly everywhere they traded, establishing themselves as worldly mer.
War with Reman put a damper on the business ventures of the Sixth Family, but under the Akaviri Potentates and the subsequent collapse of the Second Empire, business returned to normalcy. The Sixth Family were the initial contact Tiber Septim had with House Hlaalu, and once Morrowind had been incorporated as a province in the Third Empire, the Sixth Family was integral in the creation of the Hlaalu Council Company, a tool designed to compete with the East Empire Company. The property they had bought over the millenia became Council Company offices, contributing to their modern day inter-provincial influence.
The Sixth Family has an ancestral manor in the Market Quarter of Narsis, but their interests lie mainly outside of Morrowind. Their patriarch, Dendras Hlaalu, is a member of the Empire's Elder Council, and much of the family lives in Cyrodiil.
Seventh Family
The Seventh Family of Clan Hlaalu was founded by High Hlaalu Brevur, who died in the Seyda Neen disaster. The Seyda Neen was the flagship of a fleet that Hlaalu sent to sea at the behest of a Saint, "to see the face of Veloth". The sailors on this voyage were to send back for Narsis when they had found this "face". The exact circumstances of the quest are not entirely known, except by the lorekeepers of the Seventh Family themselves.
Tragically, a powerful storm destroyed the fleet and only the debris floated back to the shore. The Hlaalu used this to construct a lighthouse they called the Grand Pharos, so that any of their countrymer that may have survived the storm could find their way back. House nobles embedded their flagship's glass in their foreheads to commemorate the accident, and the descendents of Brevur formed a new identity based on this event.
Today, their influence is widespread but not as consolidated as some of the other families. The Seventh Family, headed by Belron Hlaalu, maintains ties to both the East Empire Company and the Hlaalu Council Company, and they own several ships in the Narsis Waterfront. Their manor lies in this district, housing artifacts from the Seyda Neen disaster, as does the famous statue of their founder Brevur Hlaalu.