Board Thread:Morrowind/@comment-1486547-20140126153356/@comment-67.53.67.138-20140202035448

At the time of TESIII, Morrowind is technically independent from from the Empire. The native Dunmer, among other things, wish to maintain this independence, whereas the Imperial interest would favor Morrowind uniting with the rest of Tamriel under Imperial rule.

Also worth noting, "native Dunmer" covers a broad spectrum of viewpoints. For instance, the Ashlander tribes have a extremely xenophobic stance on independence, whereas the Tribunal Temple (who, in-game are very antagonistic to the Ashlander tribes) do not explicitly hate Imperial law and culture but merely wish to retain their cultural and religious practices without interference.

Most of the guilds that you can join in Morrowind (the Blades, East Empire Company, Fighters Guild, Imperial Cult, Imperial Legion, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild) have Imperial Interests.

The Dunmer Great Houses cover the full spectrum. House Dres (not seen in game) is entirely opposed to Imperial rule due to their total reliance on slave labor fueling their economy and the Empire being anti-slavery. House Indoril was the biggest opposition to Imperial Rule until many of their staunchest nobles were assassinated or commited suicide, weakening the house greatly. House Telvanni is completely indifferent to politics. They value their personal independence and privacy and have but one rule: There are no rules. House Redoran respects those who follow the way of the warrior. They have a mutual respect for the Imperial-oriented Fighters Guild and Imperial Legion, but are less friendly towards the Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, and Imperial Cult. Their main focus is maintaining the traditions of the settled (ie non-Ashlander) Dunmer, which makes them staunch allies of the Tribunal Temple. Lastly, House Hlaalu is the most Imperial-allied Great House. They still respect and honor traditional Dunmer ways-ancestor worship, the Temple, noble houses, etc- but have adapted Imperial culture, law, bureaucracy, freedom of trade and religion.