Have any other Lurkers played Morrowind?

[kandrathe]

For example, from gossip in-game I gather that the Guild of Mages and House Telvanni don't get along at all. Therefore I wouldn't be too surprised if a later Mage quest is some sort of strike against Telvanni holdings/interests, so there's little point in joining both if I have to alienate one.

The Telvani way is to eliminate their rivals. Persuasion can get you just about anywhere in the game. Work on speechcraft and personality.

The Thieves' Guild and Camonna Tong have a similar rivalry going on, but I'm not sure if you can even join the Camonna Tong. But, they're buddies with House Hlaalu and one of my quests currently is to 'disappear' a group of Camonna Tong in Balmora. I haven't committed to it yet; Idunno if I want to screw up my chances with Hlaalu.

As always, save game before attempting this. Taunt one of the Camona Tong in the Balmora council club into attacking you. Do not fight them in the bar, lure them upstairs and kill them off. My battle got kinda nasty because all four came upstairs at the same time. No one will be the wiser, and Larrius Varro will complement you on your efficiency. You don't need to join any of the houses, but it is useful to join one for the training. You can only join one house, IIRC. Also, some of the Camona Tong, and Thieves Guild quests are at odds, so trying to do both will get you expelled from the one or the other. I joined the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Blades, Twin Lamps and the Imperial cult. I'm Nord, and so I didn't feel like I belonged to any of the three houses.

Do the Tribunal Temple and Imperial Cult conflict? It seems like they might, both being religions. How about House Redoran and the Imperial Legion?

Probably not a problem, for both. You will have plenty to do without joining everything. If you get kicked out of one, then se la vie.

I don't kill anyone who doesn't attack me, unless I've been tasked specifically with doing so (then I'm careful to not have, leave any witnesses). I've even managed to keep Orvus Dren alive, although he doesn't deserve it. Currently, the only group that despises me and attackes me openly are the 6th house cult, and that is normal as they are followers of Dagoth Ur. Another tip I've discovered -- sometimes 6th house cult are reknowned townsfolk who will chase you in town. So, I let them chase me and I lead them far enough outside of town so as not to incur any penalties for their dispatch.

For me the best way to advance has been to get an Azura'a Star (Azura Shrine Quest) and then fill it with the souls of Dremora, or Orgrim or other Daedra and then use an enchanter to craft daedric or ebony weapons, then sell the weapon (to the Scamp in Caldera). Azura's Star is reusable, and Dremora and Golden Saints tend to drop some of the best and most craftable gear. Once you have enough gold, buying spell crafting, enchanting, or training is no trouble.

It used to be that you could cast soul trap after the creature was dead. The latest update I ran, undid that, and it adds a new sense of drama to my conjuration. My conjuration skill is fairly low (mid 50's) and so I had to buy a "Summon Golden Saint" spell that only lasts 20 seconds. In 20 seconds I need to then cast a Soul Trap, pummel the snot out him and keep him stun locked (or he will dispel the soul trap). Once you can trap Golen Saints in Azura's Star you can make items with constant effect (if you can afford them is another matter). I have pieces of my gear now that constantly restore Health, Magicka, and Fatigue.