"Port Maelstrom" - My Colossal Aldmeri Grotto house (and story 🤗)

bluebird
bluebird
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Hi everyone! I'm working my way through my house videos, so here's my Colossal Aldmeri Grotto, "Port Maelstrom"! :smile:
(It's 'Docks' week at the Luxury furnisher, so it seemed fitting to release this now.)

ZOS has released this house as an answer to all the ship house requests and custom ship house builds, and it's such a great thematic house. I've seen great builds here, from custom seaside towns to seaside forts with battlements, though mine is a pretty conventional merchant ship and multiracial port. The house is truly colossal, and there just aren't enough slots to do justice to the amazing grand spaces and nooks and crannies all around the grotto and the ships. Still, I hope you enjoy the video, and thanks for watching! :blush:

https://youtu.be/q1bKzqOl0ek

The Grotto has a very special place in my heart, because it has a great theme that for the first time captivated my imagination. This hidden cove with many shipwrecks inspired my to make my Maormer character, and create an actual RP backstory for this house. Originally, it was going to be a full-blown pirate haven but having to furnish the ship meant that I didn't have enough slots to fully build up the port town area, and so I had to settle for a more minor end result (grr, slots). Yet, I'm still utterly in love with the house, so sorry for gushing over my headcanon in this thread, I just thought it would be interesting to share where I was going with it. So this format with text for a change is sort of new. Feel free to skip past the text though, and just look at the pictures!

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"Port Maelstrom" was named as such by the self-appointed Portmaster Elisande, a Maormer Raider who first discovered the Grotto. After a Maormer warship intercepted a Breton Galley on its way from Alinor to Daggerfall, the two ships were caught in the currents of a terrible storm and wrecked on a dangerous coastline of Summerset. Regaining consciousness, the Maormer found herself in a Grotto where clearly several other shipwrecks have also washed ashore over time. Digging through the wreckage, she found that she was the sole surviving member of the two ships, alongside a strange Breton who wore fine clothing, but had an almost child-like smiling expression plastered to his bearded face. 'Mad Minchkin' as Elisande grew to call him, seemed to have suffered a head injury during the ordeal that left him permanently confuzzled, as he sat between two rocks talking to a mudcrab, ushering the Maormer to join him on the sand, seemingly oblivious to them being enemies not long ago. The two unlikely comrades thus spent the first night of their new life huddled together around a shoddy campfire in one of the shipwrecks, scavenging some seaweed to eat (after Elisande's initial attempts to catch and cook the mudcrab were met by agitated flailing and grunts of protest by Minchkin).

The next morning, as the light filtered through the Grotto's skylight to illuminate the cove, Elisande set out to survey their surroundings, leaving Minchkin with his new friend the mudcrab on the beach. As she explored the shoreline in the hopes of salvaging something useful, she noticed something glinting in the shallows and came across the find of a lifetime: what seemed to be a Redguard pirate vessel, hull full of gold and other stolen treasures. Realizing the opportunity fortune has bestowed upon her in the wake of the disaster, she decided to turn her back on her raiding days and set out as an... entrepreneur. The following weeks were a blur of activity as she scavenged the broken husks of the grotto's countless shipwrecks to fashion a sea-faring vessel, and made several small trips to the seedy underground thriving beneath the Altmer cities' glittering facades, making fast friends with fences and becoming a popular (and rich) criminal mastermind 'art dealer'. Quickly, Elisande has transformed the hidden cove's graveyard of ships into a profitable fencing operation, and a resplendent haven for herself and Minchkin.

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Resisting all of Elisande's attempts to get him to move into more comfortable (and drier!) quarters, to this day Mad Minchkin lives in his hovel in the wreckage, in the company of a mudcrab with whom he has long and riveting discussions that are no doubt unintelligible gibberish only to the untrained eye.

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Meanwhile, Elisande has done well for herself, and runs a tight ship tight port from her quarters in the grotto's upper reaches.

The first event to upset the by-then routine operations of Port Maelstrom was the sudden arrival of another castaway. One day, a sole Argonian appeared in the cove, and swam to shore as if it was the most un-noteworthy thing to do. Elisande quickly went to intercept her, but no matter how much she scanned the horizon, there was no ship to be seen, only this mysterious arrival sunning her scales lying on the sandy shore. She-Of-Few-Words, as Elisande mentally called her, or Makes-Many-Soups as the lizard actually introduced herself was an Argonian of few words who quickly ingrained herself to the grotto's original duo, and became an unassuming but useful member of the crew. She took up residence near the old sun-bleached hull of a ship the duo had dubbed 'The Beached Whale' and founded an Argonian fishing village that kept the Port well supplied with seafood. It wasn't until the next high tide, when the charred remnants of a Telvanni slaver ship floated into the cove, that Elisande considered that there might be more to their new friend than meets the eye and that she may have reasons for her silence.

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The Argonian and her impromptu fishing village quickly became a cornerstone of the Port's everyday life.

The Telvanni slaver ship that washed up in the Grotto was in the worst condition of any ship Elisande had seen. The wreckage was barely identifiable as Dunmer from a few markings still visible on the splintered sideboards, though the charred wood of its smithereens spoke of an unusually destructive battle or a freak explosion... perhaps even sabotage. The ship only had 2 survivors that Elisande could save (a third, a Telvanni soldier quickly but not-so-regrettably became a late casualty after he grabbed for his sword despite seeing the Maormer's extended hand). One of the survivors was a Nord slave woman who thanked Elisande profusely and blessed Shor's wrath upon the "filthy 'vanni" under her shivering breath. Intended to be a maid to a spoiled Dunmer noblewoman by her captors, Keldora quickly seized her turn of fortune and instead became a proprietor of her own establishment, opening and running the 'Star-eyed Bride Tavern' which became the popular watering hole of the Port.

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'The Star-eyed Bride' tavern, run by slave-turned-proprietor Keldora brings warmth to bellies and hearts alike!

The other survivor was a young Telvanni apprentice, who floated to shore clinging to flotsam like a drowned rat, and looked just as pathetic. Elisande got out of her that she was on her first assignment after being assigned to a Telvanni house, that she never deliberately signed up for this, that no she wasn't sorry her master died, and that no, she had no idea what caused the extreme distruction of the slave ship. Later, Elisande caught the Dunmer casting a guarded gaze at Makes-Many-Soups, but the two never said a word to each other, and the young Dunmer's magical talents were put to use under Elisande's tutelage for the benefit of the Port. Thus Aethis, formerly of house Telvanni now of Port Maelstrom, became the Port's official Tidemage, ensuring favourabe winds for favoured ships allowed to dock at the Port.

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Having a Telvanni Tidemage on their side ensures that the currents and winds of the sea always favor the Port and its crew.

Over time, the Grotto received further additions to its crew and its regulars. One day, after Aethis has calmed the tides perhaps too much, a Dominion ship sailed into the harbor. Not washed up, but sailed in, all intact, not having to contend with the treacherous currents that wrecked all other ships prior. Though Port Maelstrom's crew was ready for a fight - Makes-Many-Soups wielding her cleaver, Keldora brandishing a greased skillet, and even Mad Minchkin throwing mudcrabs threateningly - luckily, there was no need. Unlike a Thalmor ship that everyone agreed would have delighted in squashing down this ragtag band of outlaws and their Maormer leader, this Dominion ship was mainly helmed by Khajiit and Bosmer. It was a part of the Dominion Navy ordered to patrol the waters and pursue Pact and Covenant ships, and it turns out its crew was tired of being conscripted to fight an endless war, and welcomed the chance for a quiet port away from all the fighting. It also helped that one of their Khajiit crew, Biro-dar, had heard good things about Elisande's little operation from the Outlaw's Dens they both frequented - she to fence the Grotto's treasures, he to indulge in his gambling habits - so the Dominion crew and the Port misfits reached an easy camaraderie. The Bosmer lookout Lethalline who manned the Dominion ship's crow's nest, cheerfully offered to be a the port's lookout and to see unannounced arrivals ahead of time from then on, which Elisande greatly appreciated.

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The Bosmer lookout found a perfect perch to oversee the Port's comings and goings.

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The 'Castaway Commons' became a safe haven for many, as the port's unlikely band of misfits grew in number.

The rest of them settled into a corner of the Aldmer ruins that was dubbed the 'Castaway Commons' as the Grotto became a safe haven for so many. The next two additions to the Port were a Nord called Jorn and an Orc called Gorm, who happened to be direct acquisitions by Elisande on one of her fencing trips as she found them arguing in Shimmerene's Outlaw's Refuge. It turned out that Gorm ran afoul of the Divine Prosecution for punching a noble servant's teeth in for some slight or another, and was therefore looking for a place to lay low. Jorn, a Nord mercenary who became Gorm's drinking buddy in this strange land that looked down on both of them, was berating his buddy for his recklessness so loudly that it was impossible for Elisande not to overhear them. Gorm shouted back that he never would've punched the punk if Jorn hadn't dared him to do it, but then Jorn countered that if Gorm had lived up to his ambitions of being a chief in his stronghold then he wouldn't have been stuck on Summerset in the first place, which Gorm angrily interrupted screaming that he 'TOLD YOU TO NEVER BRING THAT UP AGAIN'. Barely preventing the two from strangling each other, but seeing that they were like two brothers from another mother, Elisande offered them a place at Port Maelstrom. Jorn capitalised on his mercenary background and became the Guardsman of the Port's Prison, while the once-would-be-chief-but-not-quite Gorm admitted mutteringly that he actually knew how to 'do smithing... and stuff'. He became a learn-as-you-go repairman for the Port, frequently heard to be grumbling under his breath about Orc politics and puny elves as he was hammering hulls with nails held between his lips.

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The Port's prison is guarded by Jorn, who frequently wishes he could throw Gorm into the brig to shut him up.

The Port became a sprawling hub of activity and a safe port in a storm for many, and the future was looking bright. One unlikely upcoming addition was a gift from the past, though. One day, as Elisande was keeping Minchkin company on his shoddy little turf (eating grilled seaweed, as they did from time to time, for old times' sake), she noticed that Minchkin's friend/pet/companion mudcrab was shuddering - until it heaved up a slimy metal object. Minchkin just smiled vacantly, and so it fell on Elisande to examine it. She found it to be an intricate golden compass that must have been swallowed by the mudcrab when Minchkin and the Breton ship first washed ashore, and shockingly enough it had an inscription: a date and a place, but more importantly, a name. Intrigued, she followed up on it at the earliest opportunity and discovered that a Breton noble was willing to pay a hefty price for any knowledge of the compass or its bearer - a sum of gold too great to pass up.

And so Elisande ordered this Lord Bucksley to moor his ship at the Alinor docks at a set time and tell his crew to disembark, after which she and her team would ferry him to Port Maelstrom under secrecy. Docking his Breton merchant ship at the Grotto, Elisande took him to the compass and Mad Minchkin, who at the time was laughing at something a seashell whispered in his ear (or so Elisande assumed, since he held a seashell to his ear and made a shu-shu-shu sound conspiratorially). A whole minute or more passed as Bucksley took a long hard look at Minchkin; then, he turned to Elisande and asked her what she knew of Ranser's rebellion and the remnants of the Breton civil war. Since human politics weren't a big subject in the school-of-Maormer-raiding which was the only life she'd known until recently, she shrugged and said she only knew that they had kings and some people didn't want their king to be king or something. Bucksley raised his eyebrows at her, then slowly nodded, and looking at Minchkin said that that is perhaps for the best. He then paid her for the compass as promised, and congratulating her on the success of the Grotto's operation offered a recurring partnership that would grant his merchant fleet discrete use of the Port in a mutually beneficial arrangement that would prove lucrative to him and Port Maelstrom alike.


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Port Maelstrom currently houses one of the ships of the Breton Lord Bucksley. It is a luxurious seafaring vessel, with a well-stocked cargo hold and equipped with all the amenities one might need on long mercantile voyages, from comfortable quarters, a state-of-the-art bathroom, a charming kitchen and pleasant communal decks.

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Looking out over the Grotto, and the unlikely band of misfits that have found themselves there by the twists of fortune, Elisande was certain that they had successful times ahead of them, and that Port Maelstrom would see many more adventures to come! Thank you for taking the tour, traveller; and Sea-Serpent's blessings upon you!

Ssso, yes the house looks really empty in some parts compared to the headcanon, but well, you know, slots. :sweat_smile: The ship is the most densely furnished part, and even it has very sparse rooms. Still, I hope the spirit of the house and the diversity of 'Port Maelstrom' came across, even if the execution was clearly lacking detail.

Thank you for watching (and reading, if anybody did, lol :smiley: )! Hope you all have a great weekend! :star:
Edited by bluebird on 1 May 2021 16:43
  • TheImperfect
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    I love it, very varied and the different areas you used are cool and well thought out. I like the back story too.
  • Vehlir
    Vehlir
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    Great stuff blue!

    Really enjoyed the backstory and lore you've built up for the place! Wide variety of characters and like how you've built a chain of events with it all to introduce more. The decoration work is well done as well! Job well done!

    Throwing you an "Awesome" like Minchkin throws mudcrabs at Dominion ships! 😁
    Edited by Vehlir on 2 May 2021 01:05
  • bluebird
    bluebird
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    Thank youuuu both! :blush::heart:
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