PLRI0118 "Soulrest: Sotho Manor" (Claimed)

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Official 'Black Marsh' Interior Claim: Sotho Manor

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Sotho Manor
AVAILABILITY: Claimed by Deeza

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Description & Details

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Soulrest is a city of contrasts. On the one hand, it is privy to some of Black Marsh's wealthiest trades and grandiose constructions and, on the other, laying cheek-by-jowl with aspiring merchants, are the gutter-scum that have at times plagued the marshes unchecked. For Soulrest is home to the smugglers, hagglers and Shylocks and the criminal syndicates that run them. Such is the level of corruption that the Sotho Tren, the most renowned of such syndicates have struck a bargain with the city governor. This means that they somehow manage to circumvent all laws that seek to restrict their activity, both on land and, more or less, on the seas.

The Imperial navy would love to see them in chains but the governor of Soulrest sees them as merely an alternative to his own guards. If relations are maintained with the syndicates then prosperity in the city can continue. Indeed, the alliance has proved remarkably successful in reducing violent crime since the Tren's presence acts as a deterrent. Yet it is, at times, an uneasy balance to maintain with many foreign authorities applying pressure once stung by one of the many citizens who are so scorpion-like in character. As such, the governor of such a city would need to be a wily soul with a fox-like wit....lucky then that this task has fallen to none other than Smirks-at-Strangers.

In history, Soulrest is best known for the Kothringi, a tall, impassive and metallic-skinned marsh-people whom some claim were wedded to the seas though this may be simply gossip. After being wiped out by the Thrassian Plague, the Argonians maintained their legacy...until the port was swamped by foreign influences and became the vagabond's seaport that it remains to this day. Other Kothringi ruins dot the landscape but little trace of the people themselves remain.

In truth, Soulrest is a great place for gossip and the occasional bargain. It has a wide range of races passing through its midst though Khajiit and Argonian are the most common. Trading with Topal Isle and the relatively nearby ports of Elsweyr are strong. In more recent history, the Khajiit have thrived in a city that sports their influence. Though there are rumours of Lilmothiit in Southern Argonia, the only evidence of their presence now is the occasional marsh cat. These facts combine to create the inevitable skooma problem that looks set to spiral.

This interior claim contains the powerbase of the Sotho Tren criminal syndicate. Trespassers are most certainly NOT welcome. Although professing a philanthropic attitude towards all in the city, the Tren are currently the most powerful criminal syndicate in the Black Marshes. In Soulrest, they sometimes have their dominance contested but have, for a long time now, continued to eliminate challenges to their powers over the criminal underground with extreme prejudice.

This is partly due to the corruption of the Soulrest governor and the unavoidable criminality that surges through this renowned port-city. The Master of the Sotho Tren himself will reside in this building (an essential NPC) and entry is strictly for invited persons only. A powerful guard/servant is likely to be on standy. On the roof, the extension of the 'Corals & Coronets Bar' is part-owned by the Tren.

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At-a-glance Details

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Interior Name: 2BMIGSoulrestMCHouse06
Region: Parchlands
Settlement: Soulrest
Architecture: Soulrest Desert City MC House
Exterior cell coordinates: (-26,-27 of the BlackMarshesSoulrestLowerChildWS)
Claim Size & Difficulty: Hard.
Inhabitants: The owners have not been created yet.
Mission Connections: None as yet.
NPCs: 1. The NPC must have (full) dialogue and AI. Please choose an appropriate race (this can be discussed, if needs be). Don't forget the pathgrid for them. The NPC is already named but you may change the name if necessary, so please discuss this and other details in the claims discussion thread ('General Info' below). Here is JK's tutorial on dialogue: Dialogue Tutorial .
General Info: Please keep up to date on associated topics in the: Claims Discussion Forums . There is a special requirement to make sure that patrol routes are organised for this claim and that there are an appropriate number of guard AIs. Please ensure that the three gates in the lower district are guarded at all times (just one each is sufficient). Also, take note that the balconies either side of the Guardhouse should be modded appropriately.

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How to mod your interior

Interior modding carries with it the same responsibilities as it does on our father project, Silgrad Tower. This means that there will need to be NPCs, Containers, Lighting etc. For a really nice checklist that is very, very thorough, try this one from Zurke: A handy checklist to create an interior for ST . Zurke is the most experienced and prolific interior modder I know of so it's all good advice.

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Cluttering your Interior

Please try to use as many of our own BM objects as seems feasible (whichever are appropriate to the owner and the purpose of the building). Unlike the mini-claims, the Soulrest claims do not come with some existing objects present. However, in some of the larger claims, it may prove feasible to copy-and-paste from existing interior claims but please consult a core member before doing so. For more information about mini-claims, read this: Interiors Strategy .

In creating your claim, try to consider the story behind the owner of the house (which you may adapt unless stated) and add clutter as appropriate to them and the particular locations. This might include foodstuffs, flora, cutlery, paintings, tribal items, custom furniture, bedding and maybe a desk if this interior involves using the NPC as a trader. There are now LOTS of cultural objects for Argonian dwellings including cupboards, rootchairs and so on but other races can use some of our own items too, especially race-neutral objects such as cutlery, bamboo furniture, ingredients and books. Please ask or check this essential thread to find out more: Clutter Advice .

Please remember to light the area. Imperial lighting should mainly be used in Soulrest and we have a few lighting options that are unique although you may consider using SI lights as well if they fit with the interior in question. If you have any further suggestions, requests for models and so on then please consult this thread: Furnitures & Clutters or this one: http://www.silgrad.com/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=11447. Just ask if you have any special ideas for extra models.

Have fun! :goodjob:

[jucklesjenk]

It's been a while since I claimed something and I feel I need to do more for BM, so I'll take this one. Plus I like the Sotho Tren.

I need to finish the Hole In the Wall Bar as well, but I need to DL the BSAs for it (don't worry I have the link). I've DL'd the LOD BSA, but when I try to DL the Visual BSA, it says it cannot DL as the file is either an unrecoginsed file type or damaged. It can't be unrecognised because I've downloaded the other one, so it must be "damaged". IG? sandor?

[Deeza]

Strange. I was able to download it without problems. Did you try using a different computer? Good to see you back in action, by the way.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Fantastic, JK! Great to have you back with us. =)

Don't worry about the lack of pathgridding throughout Soulrest. I added that with my current esp. Just do any AI work and, when it's merged, it should work as normal.

Regarding the bsa, I had another with the same problems (either ZombieUK or Apollyna...can't remember now). I've sent a PM to sandor and am just waiting for a reply. I guess that, in the meantime, you should be able to work off the basic folder format. The last archive link to those is here: Black Marsh Resources: Latest bsa . Tbh, it's not going to be much different from the bsa, if at all. Although there are a few very small updates afterwards, it wouldn't screw things up if you were to use these files or just a very old archive as the references to any missing objects will still exist. You'll just get errors showing up in the CS.

...or you could wait for sandor to reply. Have fun with the Manor! :goodjob:

[jucklesjenk]

OK thanks.

Fantastic, JK! Great to have you back with us.

Good to be back.

I hope you understand that it's difficult for me to be very active for BM when I have RL and ST core responsibilities to deal with, but I'm trying to do what I can.

Have fun with the Manor!

Oh I will, I will ...
I do like the Sotho Tren, and I can think of several interesting and ... shady things that I can do with this claim, hehehe...

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Looking forward to seeing it. :yes:

Oh yes, I can appreciate you have a lot on. I'm just grateful for the extra help.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Btw, I was thinking that maybe we could have rooftop access on the top floor by using a wooden trapdoor model. This would grant the Sotho Tren the special privelege of obtaining entry to the Upper Class area via the Coral and Coronets Restaurant that stretches across the districts. The Corals and Coronets officially ends at the balcony set in the wall of the city so you may wish to alter the rooftop there to your requirements. It wouldn't need much, just some evidence perhaps that they're scoping out the citizens. =)

[Deeza]

Because JK has not posted here in months, I would like to claim this one as part of a little group for when I get back in January.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Yes, I think that is fair. JK did actually PM me to let me know that he was struggling to keep up his workload in consideration of RL stuff and various modding projects. Whilst he'd be very welcome to return (since I very much appreciate his skills and honesty), this needs to be passed on.

It needs a bit of love, this one, seeing as it's of paramount importance to the Sotho Tren quests. Enjoy!

Claim granted. :check:

[jucklesjenk]

Yes, I forgot to re-open it. :yes:

For some reason, ever since around August time, the assets never seemed to work for me, so I'm limited as to what I could contribute.

@IG, if I can free up time in the future to return, I'll let you know

I hope you treat her well