SPOILERS: IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED MORROWIND'S MAIN QUEST AND INTEND TO< STOP READING HERE!

During Morrowind's Main Quest, of course, you encounter the poem 'The Seven Curses'. Most of the curses we know and saw in the game, but ight was never shed on three of them. The seventh curse, the Curse of Dreams, was happening during the main quest, and because the seventh curse was happening, we know that all the others were happening too. So, any ideas as the what the unknown curses are?

The Full Poem

...through the doors of the unmourned house

where scoffers scoff and schemers scheme
from the halls of the oath-breaking house
rings seven curses of gods blasphemed


first curse, Curse-of-Fire
second curse, Curse-of-Ash
third curse, Curse-of-Flesh
fourth curse, Curse-of-Ghosts
fifth curse, Curse-of-Seed
sixth curse, Curse-of-Despair
seventh curse, Curse-of-Dreams

Search engine: http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=939862&hl= took up pretty much the same thing.

Thanks, but that didn't really help. It sort of ended rather abruptly. Anyway, it can't hurt to have another discussion, can it?

Anyway, personally I have no theories of the Curse of Ghosts or the Curse of Seed, but I believe I certainly have a viable theory for the Curse of Despair.

When the Tribunal lost Sunder and Keening they stopped appearing in public and withdrew from life, Vivec to maintain the Ghostfence with Almalexia, and Sotha Sil to his own Clockwork world. For lack of a better word, they despaired. They knew that it would be futile to attack the powerful Dagoth Ur, and with each passing day they got less powerful, while Dagoth Ur got more and more. I believe the Curse of Despair is the fact that the Tribunal is too weak to protect Morrowind anymore. With the Tribunal out of the equation, Dagoth Ur would be free to implement the final stages of his plan, beginning with the Curse of Dreams.

Fido,

First of all, let me begin by saying that I do not believe that all the curses have to have happened during the main quest of Morrowind. The curses of Fire and Ash (referring to the eruption of Red Mountain and to the Blight ashstorms, respectively) happen long before the arrival of the Nerevarine. Additionally, it is possible that this document was written prior to the main quest of Morrowind, or that the curses which it mentions were left of out of the final incarnation of the quest. We know that several artifacts of older versions still exist in game, this may very well be one.

The curse of Ghosts may reference the 'return from the dead' of Dagoth Ur and of ancient evil in general. While they are not ghosts per se, but the metaphor is easily recognizable. The curse of Seed is a bit more ambiguous: I have always attributed it to some inability of Morrowind's inhabitants to reproduce, though there is no support for this. I agree with your interpretation of the curse of Despair.

Ayaan-Si

Nice theory on the Curse of Ghosts, Dagoth Ur and his kin rising 'from the dead' almost. I have been researching the curses a bit more and I found one reference on the UESP regarding the Ghostfence. Now, I know that the UESP isn't the most reliable source, but if what is said is true, then it could be another possible explanation for the Curse of Ghosts.

Here it is

'Assorted Ordinators and Buoyant Armigers have also suggested that many monsters such as Corprus beasts have escaped the Ghostfence in an unknown fashion and had to have been hunted down and killed.'

If we take this as fact, then it is possible that because of Dagoth Ur's powers growing, he is able to corrupt the Ghostfence somehow to allow a few of his minions through it. This would also give more credence to my theory on the Curse of Despair, that the Tribunal would have to withdraw to maintain the power of the Ghostfence.

I suppose we'll never truly know, but it's good to gave theories.

P.S. I know a lot of people have suggested that the Curse of Seed means that the inhabitants of Morrowind couldn't reproduce, and I know that Dunmer can only breed at certain times, but I disagree wholeheartedly with that anolysis. For one, there are no children in Oblivion either, yet Dagoth Ur is dead in Oblivion, and even if he wasn't, his power couldn't threaten Cyrodiil.

there are no children for gameplay reasons, not because of Dagoth's curse or anything like that. the curse may still cause them to be infertile, but thats not the reason there are no kids.

Yes, wasn't there an arguement about whether to inlcude them because people might kill them or something?

The curse of seed might mean that the Nerevarine could not reproduce.

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Thinking about it, that makes a lot of sense.

Or it could mean that dagoth ur is planting the 'seed" of his consiousness into others (The Sleepers and dreamers who eventually "bloom" nto Dagoth Priests). I know, we're talking about Morrowind so it's probably something sixually laced, but for us folks who don't see the world through mythic six metaphors, I think this is a pretty solid explanation.

great one on Curse of Dispair, Fido!

Assuming that the curses are in chronological order, it would make sense for Dagoth Ur to plant his 'seeds' around Morrowind ready for the Curse of Dreams and other nasty things, and the Curse of Despair (assuming that the Curse of Despair really is the withdrawal of the Tribunal) allowed Dagoth Ur to move onto the Curse of Dreams very quickly. Maybe that's why we never see the Curse of Seed happen, because it has already become the Curse of Dreams.

It could mean that the Nerevarine couldn't reproduce, but considering the scale of the other curses, lava, the ashstorms beginning to carry the Blight, Corprus etc, I don't think the curse would refer to just one man.

Anyway, quite a few things to think about.