So how is a ship supposed to pass through the Niben and into the Topal Bay?

TX12001rwb17_ESO

As per the title, Leyawiin has been in two separate TES games now and both games share the same architectural mistake and that is that there is no possible way for a Ship to travel down the Niben and into Topal Bay mainly because there are 3 or 4 stone bridges in the way.

The new player home Water's Edge sits on one of these Stone Bridges making it all but impossible for any ship to actually pass through the city, there is a stone bridge to the east of Leyawiin which also blocks any ships from passing through and then north there is yet another stone bridge with nearby rocks.

WrathOfInnos

I said it in another thread already, but this problem is likely the reason Leyawiin Mage’s Guild had to specialize in Mysticism. It takes some powerful Telekinesis to get ships up that river

Edit: I’m half joking because it was likely an oversight. I do think it would be cool to see one of those stone bridges open up like the wall in Rakkhat’s room and let a ship through, then rebuild itself like the bridges in City of Ash 2.

Elsonso

It seems clear, given how long this has been an issue, and that two studios made this mistake... world designers don't know how rivers work. They leave this stuff for the writers to fix.

Salix_alba

Rl answer is they don't they offload it at one end lug cargo across the city to a ship on the other side most likely there's a whole guild of stevedores to do it.

In game answer is there's probably this guy who stands at the waters edge all day and just casts portal magic.

Jaraal

The tall ships in Lake Rumare have been there for thousands of years before the bridges were built. The slaughterfish eat all the harmful organisms in the water that would have normally rotted the wooden hulls away centuries ago.

(Makes about as much sense as certain characters inexplicably reappearing out of nowhere after having made the ultimate sacrifice to save Tamriel, doesn't it?)

Vevvev

They do what we do in Archeage by taking a harpoon boat and using the harpoon to drag the ship across land into the other body of water.

NordSwordnBoard

SeaGtGruff

Jaraal wrote: »

The tall ships in Lake Rumare have been there for thousands of years before the bridges were built. The slaughterfish eat all the harmful organisms in the water that would have normally rotted the wooden hulls away centuries ago.

(Makes about as much sense as certain characters inexplicably reappearing out of nowhere after having made the ultimate sacrifice to save Tamriel, doesn't it?)

I love the TES4:Oblivion quest where you visit the ship that's parked by the Waterfront District and end up going on a cruise to some location out in the ocean, with no in-game cinematics to show how the ship goes from Point A to Point B.

"It Just Works!" (C) TM Patent Pending

Jaraal

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

I said it in another thread already, but this problem is likely the reason Leyawiin Mage’s Guild had to specialize in Mysticism. It takes some powerful Telekinesis to get ships up that river

Perhaps ZOS has hired Yoda on the down low, and when a ship approaches the river-blocking Water's Edge house, he uses The Force and raises it from the water and levitates it over and down into the water on the other side!

bmnoble

There's a special set of way shrines just for ships on either side of the bridges, you just can't see them because there below surface of the water. Since no one can dive under the water to check my theory will forever remain plausible.

Ratzkifal

I suppose the same way the trapped ships in Mournhold can take you down a waterfall and through a literal wall with no gate.

Spurius_Lucilius

Niben River is such an unusual river. The source is a enormous lake with a gigantic island in the middle, and it run across half of the continent, but it is quite a narrow river.

phaneub17_ESO

You have Boat Swains going to Riften despite the body of water is land locked.

VarlaStreak

This predicament reminds me of how you can get to Riften by boat even though that connecting river has a 200ft waterfall just north of Ivarstead.

VarlaStreak

Looking at some official media shows a different world scale that would support ships going and coming from the Niben.

Veloth_Redothril

VarlaStreak wrote: »

Looking at some official media shows a different world scale that would support ships going and coming from the Niben.

Yeah this is important to remember. Tamriel as we see it throughout the games is massively scaled down compared to the lore. The only time that wasn't the case was in Daggerfall.

Hell, I believe one of the bridges that connects the Imperial City island to the mainland is suppose to be so large that there are several towns built alongside/underneath it.

Ekzorka

The fans have already solved this problem.

Gary404

TX12001rwb17_ESO wrote: »

As per the title, Leyawiin has been in two separate TES games now and both games share the same architectural mistake and that is that there is no possible way for a Ship to travel down the Niben and into Topal Bay mainly because there are 3 or 4 stone bridges in the way.

The new player home Water's Edge sits on one of these Stone Bridges making it all but impossible for any ship to actually pass through the city, there is a stone bridge to the east of Leyawiin which also blocks any ships from passing through and then north there is yet another stone bridge with nearby rocks.

Magic. Levitate the boat over the bridges or summon a portal large enough to containt the ship to pass beyond the bridges.

RPGplayer13579

I've had questions like this since the first time I went to Shadowfen.

Fennwitty

I figured they clipped trough the bridges at an angle. If my hair and shield can do it, why not a boat?

Baconlad

Wtf...ill never look at waterways in eso the same again...why guys...stop pointing out small details like this, ruining mah immersionz

Veinblood1965

Geez thanks! You just totally ruined the game for me

McMasterx

Veloth_Redothril wrote: »

Hell, I believe one of the bridges that connects the Imperial City island to the mainland is suppose to be so large that there are several towns built alongside/underneath it.

White-Gold Tower is supposedly over a kilometer high, given it's also as high as the radius of the city, a bridge spanning Lake Rumare would need to be absolutely massive.

If ever there was an Elder Scrolls game that took place in a location (with modern graphics) but showcased the actual lore descriptions, I would unequivocally want the Imperial City.

Tryxus

Alteration magic:

- Levitate the ship
- Create a water bridge over the bridge so the ship can sail over it
- Cast Waterbreathing on the crew and then Burden on the ship so it goes underwater
- Turn the ship or the bridge into mist so there's no collision (be wary of ppl on the bridge when doing this though)
- ...

zaria

Ekzorka wrote: »

The fans have already solved this problem.

Obvious way to do it, yes it has to be larger than that for let the real large ships we see in ESO trough, but doable and probably cheaper than building the ship.

aipex8_ESO

McMasterx wrote: »

Veloth_Redothril wrote: »

Hell, I believe one of the bridges that connects the Imperial City island to the mainland is suppose to be so large that there are several towns built alongside/underneath it.

White-Gold Tower is supposedly over a kilometer high, given it's also as high as the radius of the city, a bridge spanning Lake Rumare would need to be absolutely massive.

If ever there was an Elder Scrolls game that took place in a location (with modern graphics) but showcased the actual lore descriptions, I would unequivocally want the Imperial City.

Game space and time are always going to be compressed for player enjoyment, if you RP or play immersively there is always going to be a certain amount of head canon that you will have to apply to these things. So trhe bridges bother you, but being able to walk from one side of Tamriel to the other in under an hour doesn't?

Odovacar

You know i wonder little details like this all the time with city layouts, rivers (and where they lead to) map creation, etc. One of my favorite maps of Tamriel...may not answer the OP's question but still cool to check out, via uesp.




Also, https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Sea_Transportation

rpa

You can travel via boat from Vulkhel Guard to Eldan Root and back. If passangers move from boat to cart at mainland harbour that part is not in game. And rightly so because it would be waste of dev work for irrelevant nuisance with no added value.

phantasmalD

There's actually a lorebook that tackles this issue: Traveler's Guide to Leyawiin

In 2E 299, Potentate Versidue-Shaie ordered the removal of Leyawiin's bridges so that large sailing vessels could pass from Topal Bay to the River Niben. However, Leyawiin's Chamber of Legates, fearing that the additional merchant traffic would simply sail through Leyawiin without stopping, managed to stall the Imperial project until it was abandoned. To this day vessels too large to pass beneath the bridges must dock south of the city and transship their cargoes to smaller riverboats.

So yeah, it's canon that large ships actually can't sail past Leyawiin and it's an intentional ploy by the city to ensure it's place in the chain of commerce. Any large ships that appear north of Leyawiin were prob built at the Imperial City and merely exist to move goods and passengers between IC and Leyawiin (and maybe Bravil and other smaller port towns on the Niben).

Veloth_Redothril

McMasterx wrote: »

Veloth_Redothril wrote: »

Hell, I believe one of the bridges that connects the Imperial City island to the mainland is suppose to be so large that there are several towns built alongside/underneath it.

White-Gold Tower is supposedly over a kilometer high, given it's also as high as the radius of the city, a bridge spanning Lake Rumare would need to be absolutely massive.

If ever there was an Elder Scrolls game that took place in a location (with modern graphics) but showcased the actual lore descriptions, I would unequivocally want the Imperial City.

It would have to be yeah, and it would be completely impractical to build a stone bridge that large.

Which is why I like the idea that someone built that just because they could lol. Kinda like the ice wall from GoT, it's stupid big but it's a fantasy setting so why not.

SeaGtGruff

Levitate the ships.

From what I've seen on Twitch, TES2:Daggerfall has flying ships, so it's a lore-friendly solution.

Also in TES3:Morrowind-Bloodmoon.