andy12750's City and Regions Guidebooks

[Ibsen's Ghost]

As I mentioned earlier though, you could mention 'Frograt Barrow' in relation to Glok-Chuba.

Strictly speaking, Sloughpoint and Hixinoag are in the Blackwood region although Hixinoag is particularly close to the Jungle. I'm not sure about including Sloughpoint though. Maybe it's best left in your Blackwood settlement write-up, if you were planning on doing one...

RE: the confusion between Sloughpoint and Glenbridge. The settlement that is now referred to as Sloughpoint is the one in the centre of the lake with a dead rootworm close by. It features quite a few Bravil buildings and is one of our oldest settlements (in modding terms, at least). As such, it was placed on the map before I took over the leadership. At the time, it was still called 'Glenbridge' but was completely mis-located in relation to the map. I therefore changed it to Sloughpoint (which, according to the map, was in a better position) and added the Glenbridge you see today (the sunken one close to the Everglades). Sorry for the confusion but I left a marker there to let older members know I'd switched things around.

[andy12750]

Okay all, the Imperial Guide to the Regions of Black Marsh: The Naga-Cradle Jungle is now up (Check the OP). A couple things I changed in this one would be:
1. Most Noticibly, the Regional Guidebooks are not written by Archin Villington, but by some sort of Imperial Exploratory Team.
2. I put 4 Villages and Towns into this one (Stormhold, Pholomo, Tenmar Wall, and Glok-Chuba were the ones that were finally decided on.)

The City Guidebooks will continue to be written by Archin, but the Regional ones will be written by the same author of this one. The ending of this one sucks, I know, but it's really hard to come up with endings to these things...

[Deeza]

Here's my review. I changed a few things, mainly lore points about the tribes (underlined).

Imperial Guide to the Regions of
Black Marsh - Number One:
The Naga-Cradle Jungle

Deep in the swamps of Argonia, encompassing the Northwest corner of the province, is an area known as the Naga-Cradle Jungle. The Jungle's humid environments and constantly changing temperatures make it one of the less-hospitable areas of the Marshes, but despite the geography, it is one of the most heavily populated areas as well. The Jungle itself is a very dangerous place, with exploding seed pods and other plant dangers lying everywhere you look. Several kinds of poisonous insects hide in the tall grasses and massive trees, but even more fearsome then these are the huge, amphibious beasts that crawl throughout the swamplands, silently stalking their prey. Quicksand can be found scattered in small puddles every few yards, as can fallen moss-covered trees that block the few beaten paths that wind through the unforgiving landscape. There are four major settlements in this region of the Marshes: Stormhold, Pholmolo, Tenmar Wall, and the territories of the Glok-Chuba.

Stormhold

Stormhold is one of the Nine main cities of Black Marsh, and one of the Southernmost strongholds of the Empire. Located here are be the Census and Excise office, where weary travelers from the Province's neighbors, Morrowind and Cyrodiil, must come to register and file for residence permits. It holds the only Mages Guild hall in this region, and the Governor of the Naga-Cradle Region resides here in a lavish Manor near the old Castle. The Imp Park and Marsh Elf Ruins, over which the city’s foundations are built, are two of the major tourist's destinations of the region, along with the Hospice of Mara, when such visitors inevitably fall victim to the plagues of the Marsh. Stormhold is also the only walled city of the region.

Pholmolo

Pholmolo is a small village to the East of the Naga-Cradle Jungle. It belongs to the Ka’Pura tribe, one of the few remaining wild tribes of Black Marsh. The Ka’Pura have a long and proud history of defending their territory, to the extent that very few educated men have ever been able to visit this tribal village and live. Early in the history of the Imperial Occupancy of Black Marsh, a few scouting parties were sent to Pholmolo, but very few approaches were actually made to the village for fear of the natives deciding to rebel against the Empire.

Tenmar Wall

Very little is known about Tenmar Wall, except for that there is a small Argonian Hunting Lodge in the center of the village, and the fact that the villagers seem to be very paranoid about any stranger entering a nearby cave. Though the citizens will reluctantly allow travelers to rest in the village, you cannot expect to be fed, nor is there a place to sleep. Though locals can be seen entering and exiting the cave occasionally, anyone whom asks about it will immediately be shunned by the citizens.

Glok-Chuba

The territoryof Glok-Chuba has a history similar to that of Pholmolo, repelling invaders and guarding carefully its ancient secrets. It is inhabited by the Paatru, a tribal people whose lives are very closely tied to the nearby ‘Frograt Barrow’ Cave. No one is allowed to enter the cave, except for the Paatru Shaman and some of the town’s elders. It is believed that their religious beliefs center around this cave, and they enter it only to perform ceremonies. Local legend states that the Paatru are cannibalistic, capturing, killing, then eating any man or mer that dares to get close to their village. Fortunately, they are a reclusive people and are very rarely seen.

Other Places of Interest in the Naga-Cradle Jungle

The Naga-Cradle Jungle also holds several pagan Shrines. These Shrines take the form of huge temples, with vast Hist Trees standing tall on high pyramids in the center of the complexes. The roots of the trees stretch all around the temple, covering the ancient stone walls that seem to stretch up to the skies. Small huts dot parts of the rugged landscapes, most the time being owned by uneducated tribesmen. Though the Naga-Cradle may seem inhospitable compared to Cyrodiil, its jungles are humane compared to the swamps and wetlands of the rest of the province.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

A few pointers:

• I'm not sure about using quicksand here just yet - it will be most common in the Vudai Marsh but may feature in the Darkmoor region of the beta.
  
• The hunting lodge at Tenmar Wall is actually owned by a Khajiit although it has an Argonian visitor. And I wouldn't be quite so obvious about the cave. The locals are likely to be protective and paranoid but they will claim that it is being used for mining and is strictly out-of-bounds on the orders of Girmon Bereloth. They might argue that it is a dangerous and unstable site, too. The only thing that may arouse suspicion are the frequent comings and goings of some persons, some of which are occasionally armoured.
  
• I might question the idea of referring to those who worship at the Shrine as being 'pagan' since the words 'pagan' and 'heathen' have actual historical relevance. I can't remember if the Daedra shrine worshippers were referred to as 'pagans' but it might make sense to differentiate these worshippers from those if that is the case. 'Pagan' basically means 'country dweller' or 'rustic' and, as such, could be a good choice but 'heathen' is a pejorative (negative-sounding) term which means 'irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized' and, if it's an Imperial writing this, it may be a better choice of word. Oh, and the Hist trees aren't perched on pyramids in the shrines themselves. They just form a centrepiece.
  
• Finally, the Naga themselves should be mentioned. These are the ones most likely to be living wild in the huts and are ferocious enemies of the Argonians (although some tame ones are found). Legend may have it that the Naga were born in this region and that female Naga often come here to give birth in a place of ancestral importance. Hence the name. Naga are also, like many animals, ferociously protective of their young, which increases the danger.
  

[andy12750]

Okay, I made a couple changes (Check the OP )

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Good stuff. I'd edit just a little more in there:

• "less-hospitable" - to me, this should be 'least hospitable'
  
• "is horribly unstable and poisonous to everyone except a select few Argonians" - I'd just keep this to 'is horribly unstable'. Otherwise, Argonians may come inquiring.
  
• "will immediately be shunned away by the citizens" - remove the word 'away'
  
• Add "Legend has it that the Naga were born in this region and that female Naga often come here to give birth in a place of ancestral importance. Hence the name. Naga are also, like many animals, ferociously protective of their young, which increases the danger for the unwary traveller."
  

[Deeza]

By the way, the Governor in Stormhold is actually Governor of the whole of Black Marsh. The guy who actually runs Stormhold day-to-day for him is Shivers-in-Starlight, an argonian mage. Thought you should mention this in your Stormhold guide.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Originally posted by Deeza
By the way, the Governor in Stormhold is actually Governor of the whole of Black Marsh. The guy who actually runs Stormhold day-to-day for him is Shivers-in-Starlight, an argonian mage. Thought you should mention this in your Stormhold guide.

He's not quite what you would call 'in control of Black Marsh' though, is he? I wouldn't want THE governor living in a mere house, whatever the state of the Castle. I'd prefer to have THE governor in Gideon tbh although there is still the prospect of having an advisor minding both Castle and mansion as the governor divides his time between them. In fact, it would be particularly nice for the Governor to have a 'double' living in one of the places whilst the other lives elsewhere. This would be an intensely paranoid strategy and might produce some fun opportunities in questing...

[Deeza]

True, he's not even slightly in control. The dude's basically sleeping in his own office surrounded by goons because he's scared of being bumped off by revolutionaries or Shadowscales. I was hoping to develop the character to try to point out just how powerless the guy is and how meaningless the title of Governor has become.

When I was developing Stormhold, my idea was that the Mansion would be the official residence of the Governor, but that he's moved to the castle out of fear for his life. (The nerdy lore explanation is, Stormhold used to have a regular city governor like all the other cities in BM back when there was still a king. After he monarchy ended, the governor of Stormhold got promoted, because it's the oldest Imperial colony in the province.)

I absolutely love the idea of the body double though...

[jucklesjenk]

Yes the idea of paranoia in the government sounds very ... fun hehe. :chaos: