"In the Argonian home of Black Marsh, those born under the sign of the Shadow are taken at birth and presented to the Dark Brotherhood. A Shadowscale hatchling is trained in the arts of stealth and assassination, and lives a life in service to the mighty kingdom of Argonia. Any Shadowscale who lives to come of age is accepted into the Dark Brotherhood as a full member of the family. So it was with me and Ocheeva." - Teinaava

So are they similar to how the Morag Tong is in Morrowind?

/Discuss

Edit: Oh and I've read somewhere the Hist worship Sithis

My guess is no, they aren't legal. Not technically anyway. Though I'm guessing that down there everyone apart from the imperial watch just turns a blind eye to their activities.

In other words, my guess is they're Pseudo-Legal.

We don't really know for sure, but considering that Shadowscales are automatically accepted into the Dark Brotherhood when they reach advlthood, and what we've heard seems to indicate that this practice is supported by whatever the local government is there, I'd guess that the Dark Brotherhood is either legal, or it's not technically legal but the authorities turn a blind eye to its actions, I certainly doubt they'd let an organization they're actually trying to stop have any locals born under the sign of the Shadow.

And I really have no what sort of worship the Hist have, if they worship any entities at all, and if there is any information on that, I don't know where, certainly I haven't heard anything of them worshiping Sithis.

The Hist do worship Sithis.I can't give you a link (why would they take down the Library just as people are joining because of TESV's supposed announcemnet?) but I know that they do.

Whether they worship the DB Sithis, a combination of Shor and Mephala, or the void (Sithis as in absolute nothingness) is unknown.

Acknowledging that Sithis is the instigator of life and creation, and worshiping Sithis are two different things. The former is what the Hist do, the latter is what the DB fruitlessly practices.

Dont tHe Dark Brotherhood operate outside the law anyways, so would it matter if they were legal?

Illegal, but overlooked. This was made especially apparent in Daggerfall, where EVERYONE used them: Nobles, Mages Guild, Knightly Orders, Religious Orders, etc.

The Dark Brotherhood is a void worshiping cult that is hired for murder, and is not pardoned by any religious power (as Morag Tong with Vivec).

They don't follow the general rules of any society. Normal society does not allow people to kill who they please. Of course they aren't legal.

Kingdom of Argonia? I'm assuming they are speaking metaphorically, as I'm not aware of any literal state established within the Black Marsh. Just a tribal system, I had thought.

Anyway, I would think that the various tribes would accept it to varying degrees, but the limited Imperial presence in the western fringes would stop it where they could. Though it seems like a difficult practice to stop if both parties (parents and Brotherhood) are being secretive about it. So, the locals see it as "legal", but the small number of semi-Imperial areas would have it outlawed. Even though it wouldn't make much of a difference, seeing as how succesful the Watch is at catching the Brotherhood in Cyrodiil

The locals may see the shadow scale giving as legal, but I still don't see it being a Morag Tong-Morrowind situation. The tribes are still societies in seems. Really, the Dark Brotherhood isn't accepted by any law. I doubt the tribes would all openly accept the brotherhood.

The brotherhood probably doesn't have a strong presence in Black Marsh anyhow. Place is poisonous and deep. As far as shadow-scales sold into the brotherhood by birth, they are "deported" and raised in other areas. The Brotherhood is really all about wanting people dead. No one really wants the Argonians dead in my opinion. They don't fight many wars, except for with the Dunmeri, and the Dunmeri want to enslave them, not kill them. Even if the Brotherhood did assassinate some in the Black Marsh, I don't see the number being higher than the other provinces (probably lower, even), and I definitely don't see them being legal.

Any straight society, tribal or noble (or something else), wouldn't really accept a death cult as legal in my opinion.

It struck me as that the Argonians had a secret agreement with the Brotherhood- they give any Argonian young born under the Shadow to the Dark Brotherhood, and in return, those young are trained as Shadowscales. They have no control over the Dark Brotherhood, they merely trade recruits to the Dark Brotherhood, who train them, eventually are made members of the Brotherhood. In return, the Argonians get their clandestine Shadowscales, as evidenced by the fact that even after fully joining the Brotherhood, Teinaava wanted the player to kill a rogue Shadowscale- because he is STILL a Shadowscale.