We decided to adopt a somewhat hastily written Faction Meeting Template.

1. First, quickly go over the rough outline of the faction.

1. What is their name and its common shorthands?

Great House Hlaalu, House Hlaalu, Hlaalu, Hlaalu Council Company?

2. What is their niche in the world?

They are a Great House of Morrowind, one of the five ruling over swathes of the province. They main niche as a Great House is trading. They are the main interface of Morrowind with outlanders, importing western arms, metal, wood, exotic and luxury goods, and exporting Telvanni bugmusk, kwama eggs, racer plumes, saltrice, ebony (sorta), Dwemer artifacts (sorta), slaves (formerly).

Their secondary niche is the outlander-friendly House which provides a solid foothold for a lot of Imperial institutions in Morrowind.

3. Who is ruling them?

The Hlaalu Council Company, a council of powerful merchants and houses, headed by Grandmaster Falena Narusa. There is a strong dynastic streak in the council, but it is not formally hereditary.

4. How is the faction organised beneath the rulership level?

There is both a merchant/company hierarchy (a bit like civil servants or company employees) and a noble hierarchy in House Hlaalu which are intertwined.
Below kinsman, the ranks are strictly company positions, whereas after that rank members start to rise up in the Hlaalu nobility as well. Anyone can become a member of Hlaalu nobility as a result, without having to be adopted or marry into an established family. Even in higher ranks, there are certain appointed positions - such as Governor, that is an appointed mayor of a Hlaalu town, or for that matter Councilman and Grandmaster - that are not tied specifically to peerage.

2. What is their outline?

1. Who founded it? When?

The modern Great House was founded in the aftermath of the War of the First Council both in order to rebuild after the devastation (Great Sea formed, Dwemer disappeared) and to stave off Indoril house acquisitions.
Its founding members were minor houses and caravaners in southwestern Morrowind, among the most prominent were the houses Hlaalu, Raathim, and Narsuae.

2. Why do people join them? What do they do for their members?

People joining house Hlaalu effectively get a leg-up in almost all aspects of Hlaalu society. Travellers meet fewer bandits, merchants have to pay fewer tolls, businesses are better able to prosper, and relations can be established that will lead to future benefits.

While some join the house for basic comforts and convenience or, in the case of peerage (who are Kinsmen by birth), tradition, many who join the house are ambitious and seek to rise up in its ranks for profit, power, or pleasure.

3. What factions splintered off of them?

The Camonna Tong: they are the native crime syndicate, who like to present themselves as more ruthless Hlaalu businessmer, but partake in drug smuggling (sometimes using live slaves as drug mules), extortion, paying off bandits to endanger unwanted traders, and other illegal activities (possibly underground catfighting arenas for their Cathay-Raht combat slaves?).

Their origin is currently a disputed topic, Arvisrend had the idea that they were the the Hlaalu version of Operation Gladio, Gnomey likes the idea that they were originally a Dres organisation or originated in Almalexia or Narsis, and Atrayonis likes the idea that they were a council of disenfranchised merchants who decided to stick it to the council company.

Their leader is Orvas Dren, either completely or in part, with mainland kingpins either not existing or only existing because Dren is too focused on Vvardenfell where he has subsumed parts of the local council. In any case, the mainland kingpins or pretender-kingpins do not ask Dren for guidance unless they have to, they focus on local issues.

The Twin Lamps: their origin traces back to post-Armistice Argonian slaves whose escape route in the Arnesian Jungles were lit by lamplights. There was a guide with a lamp leading the slaves to the next checkpoint, signalling lamp-carriers who were posted along the way, asking and receiving confirmation if the route was clear.

Over time they gained tacit Imperial cooperation, were not dissolved as previous, localised anti-slavery organisations were, and formalized their modern structure when pro-Imperial Hlaalu joined the organisation and gave it (silent) political backing and resources.

4. Do they have internal factions?

The main internal divide is between pro- and anti-Imperial factions. The pro-Imperial side generally has ties to the Twin Lamps, and Imperial institutions, most notably the nobility. The anti-Imperial side has ties to the Camonna Tong.

A third internal faction is the Hlaalu Conspiracy, which will be discussed at a later date.

Then there is Helseth, who is Hlaalu in name and on paper, but not de facto. As a noble of House Hlaalu by birth, and the king of Morrowind, he sees himself as equal or superior to the Council Company. It’s not clear at this time if he’s a member of the council, that will need to be decided at a later date.