Hunding’s Oasis: pt 2, Courtyard

Zells note: The house tour begins with the post “part 0: Prologue” and in Part 1: Entryway. From here it continues in Part 3: Interior Downstairs, Part 4: Interior Upstairs, and concludes in Part 5: Back Patio.  I will now turn things over to Zellur’ra, your tour guide, except for the captions on the pictures where I’ll identify special furnishings and explain any game-mechanics behind the RP.

We are ready to proceed with our tour of Hunding’s Oasis, yes?  Zellur’ra is pleased.  Come, follow her to the courtyard, the jewel of the Oasis.

The Oasis is a busy place, with many visitors, but the courtyard is a popular gathering place and is especially busy with those coming and going, doing business, and relaxing from the trials of the road.

Our well is the oldest structure in the Oasis, and pre-dates the rest of the Oasis built by Captain Izad; it is a humble well, and old, but the well is the reason we are here – the Captain could not have built his stronghold without a source of fresh water.  Stros M’Kai is a desert surrounded by the sea, and for all the riches stored here – and Zellur’ra assures you there are many – the underground river that provides our sweet water is the most treasured.  You will no doubt notice the lush, abundant plant life throughout the Oasis – Zellur’ra is particularly fond of the white flowers, they are her favorite.  The plants are green and lush here, on the edge of the desert, because of our water.

I wanted the feel of a city square, with merchants and activity clustered around the well.  Those are the wedding drapes from the luxury furnishings vendor over the door of the balcony.

There is much hustle and bustle here, much trading is done under the shade of our palms.  We are fortunate to have Tythis Andromo as a regular visitor; he provides access to the Bank of Tamriel and is indispensable to those needing access to more funds during their layover.  Very handy when an unexpected treasure arrives on a merchant’s cart that you simply must have!

Since I wanted a sense of life and people bustling about, I put all the npc assistants I have in the courtyard, and it’s also very handy – you don’t have to walk through a loading door to access anything.  The cart is “Dark Elf caravan, cargo”; the safebox is the achievement furnishing for Safebox Cracker; coins are “pocket change” from the Purse Snatcher achievement.

We allow some merchants who are passing through to set up their wares here, as a service to our visitors.  Zellur’ra negotiates a small cut with each, of course – should you wish to be one who sells to our visitors, you need only speak with this Khajiit.

The merchant cart has another safebox & pocket change, and the huge yellow crystal is the Tanzelwill Culanda Stone from the Auirdon zone questline achievement – I wanted to mimic the big blue stones that npc merchants often have in their cart.  All the way to the left you can see Pirharri the Smuggler, both to have more “people” in the space and also to telegraph that there are shady folks around.

 

The Oasis courtyard bar serves a variety of light snacks and drinks imported from all corners of Tamriel, for those who wish to sit outside in the pleasant shade.  Many travelers have had a refreshing drink here, and much money has traded hands over a glass of Auridon’s famous wine.

It’s so pretty here at night with the lights sparkling off all the glass and gold. 🙂

Zellur’ra is certain your sharp eyes have noticed the alchemy table tucked into the corner, but many miss it, so she always points it out to new visitors.  You are welcome to use it at any time should you wish to concoct restoratives for the road or… additives for your beverages.  We do not judge.  However – although Zellur’ra does not wish to sound harsh to our honored guest – she must be clear that adding any substance – no matter how innocuous – to another guest’s drink or food will be considered an act of violence, even if it is meant as a jest.  This one assures you the house guards have no sense of humor at all.

Regarding the plants/planters: I wanted large, tree-sized stone circles that looked like part of the original structure – basically they are meant to be holes in the courtyard floor with a raised lip; the tree roots are in the ground under the courtyard floor.  I am tickled with the way these came out.  They are the “Redguard Firepit, Stone,” a purple item.  I covered up the pile of firewood with ground cover plants (and firewood itself provides a nice dark background that looks like dirt when you do see it).  The fires can’t be lit because the activator is being clipped (by the plants) so the plants cannot be set on fire. 🙂

Should you or your ship’s mage need to recharge or replace enchanted items, we have also provided a enchanting station for your use.

But seriously: the light in this game, omg.  Screencaps don’t do this area justice; the play of purple and gold light on that back wall is wonderful.  I wanted that corner area to the left to be a dark/cool area to rest out of the sun, and you can see here how deep the shadows are even in full sunlight.  All the little shiny bits in the crafting bag sparkle with reflected light, day and night.

Though none are currently resting here, this corner is a popular place for those who wish to discuss business deals where they can be certain no curious ears will be listening from behind.  The fire masks low voices as well, and it is easy to see who is coming and going through the courtyard.  It is also one of Zellur’ra’s favorite places to recline at the Oasis.We shall finish our tour of the Oasis exterior later – Zellur’ra can tell you are tired from your journey and the sun’s relentless brightness.  Let us head inside and this one shall show you the wonders waiting within!

Zells: The next post will be the interior, but I need a dozen or so items to finish dressing it out, and all those items are purple patterns I don’t have.  So we’re going to take a break from this for a week or two while I harass my guildies and scour all the guild stores.  Happy hunting, everyone!

Return to Part 0: Prologue
Return to Part 1: Entryway
Continue on to Part 3: Interior Downstairs
Skip to Part 4: Interior Upstairs
Skip to Part 5: Back Patio

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