Hla Oad concept

[Harikari]

Originally posted by Joe Venice
(I am assuming that your plans call for a deeper and broader Odai R. than is represented in Morrowind.)

One thing to keep in mind is that by moving it to the mouth of the river you are moving it from an area that is basically a bay (sheltered area) to the mouth of a major river. This means that the city of Hla Oad would have to deal with the sedimentary outwash from a major river; this can be very problematic for ship navigation and would be compounded by having the docks inside the mouth of the river. Ships would have a hard time fighting the current, prevaling winds and avoiding moored ships and any marine obstacles.

Also, the marshes surronding the town not only create a bay but also a protective barrier. Assuming they are salt marshes, this means that they not only limit storm surges from reaching the docks but provide a rich local ecosystem that can be easily exploited. Daily tidal fluctuations will also be more pronounced in its current location. This means that sailing ships will be able to ride tides in and out of port rather than always fight their way into the mouth of the Odai.

Remember that rivers change course throughout their life (ex. Mississippi R.) and that at one time it is possible that Hla Oad was infact built at the mouth of the Odai, but that the rivers path has moved farther to the south (current location). It is possible that in the 6 years between Oblivion and Morrowind the location of Hla Oad was moved to suit the needs of the Hlaalu, given the size of the previous town this would be managable.

All this conjecture is based on Tamriel adhereing to the laws of nature as we know them. Being a fantasy world, it is concievable that these theories would not hold up.

In the end, from a gameplay stand point it would make more sense to have the town of Hla Oad wherever it will benefit the story. There are to many variables involved to determine which site would be better from a "realistic" standpoint.

I believe Mr. Banana has a rebutal... :bananarock:

*starts crawling out of crash crater after seeing this*
:confused: So you think that Hla Oad should stay at its location?

[Joe Venice]

I originally started off trying to explain why it should stay, but in the end it would be best served going where it is needed. Consider the possibility that it is in a good place politically and economically but not geographically.

An example of this may be the city of Venice, Italy. You have a city that was built in response to pillaging by the Huns, became a massive trading empire, but suffers from poor location in what is basically a swamp. The modern city deals with poor waste removal and the constant threat of flooding. The practical and realistic implications of human civilizations are not exactly balanced in most cases. What you guys need to decide is whether Hla Oad is better off where it is or at the mouth of the Odai.

A good excuse for moving the city may be that the mouth of the Odai was historically narrow, but very deep (similar to a fjord, its even flanked by mountains) Due to the inherent difficulty of the rivers navigation, cargo was transported via pack animal from Hla Oad--Across the Odai Plateau--to Balmora. This was very expensive and thus prevented both Hla Oad and Balmora from growing.

The Hlaalu, being the savvy businessman they were, realized that something must be done. A massive engineering effort was funded to make the river passable by ships, allowing them to travel upstream to Balmora. Hla Oad may have shifted to the south to maintain their connection with Balmora (they would probably use smaller ships on the Odai than those carrying cargo from the mainland.)

By the way, I'm not as smart as I may sound. I'm an undergraduate student, which means I'm basically an expensive talking parrot who just regurgitates facts. My life goal is to get by on my good looks, not brains.

[Vrenir]

Welcome to the pretensious undergraduate club.

[KuKulzA]

thanks for the back up ideas Joe

[Harikari]

You regurgitate very good facts!

[batman]

if it does get moved, this is where i think it should be moved to to:

[KuKulzA]

that could work too :yes:
now we need to decide what location exactly...

[batman]

well you know my vote

[KuKulzA]

hmm... I think your location is better... that's my vote...

[Vrenir]

Why don't you take all the little locations and color-code them onto a map, then post it with a general poll?