Abah's landing: Why is it different?

Sp3d_scout

One day I decided to check out Hew's Bane, because I had recently bought a subscription and my character was a wood elf nightblade. However, when I arrived, I noticed something off about the wayshrine, and soon I realized the entire city of Abah's Landing had different architecture than the rest of Hammerfell! I, being the geek I was, decided to check reddit for answers, but only found the explanation for the architecture differences of Vvardenfell, certain dwemer ruins, and Summerset, the third of which I still don't quite believe. I know the architecture isn't different because of crown-forbear differences, because neither faction existed in Abah's Landing after the mid second era. I also know it's not a neutral-covenant difference, because Belkarth is neutral and It still has the same architecture. Did Zenimax just want to make money by giving Abah's Landing blue domes? Please let me know your theories.

Braffin

Well, there is the quite profane answer related to RL, that thieves guild as dlc got more detailed architecture as it would've been possible with any zone within base game. Selling strategies are of course also part of this considerations.

Then you can go for the lore: Although little is known about Abah's landing except prince hubalajad founded it around 1E 808. After that it was reigned by his successors for a few generations. So the origins of the city are clearly yokudan as can also be seen by looking at the citadel of no shira directly south of it. But the Abah's landing we explore in eso isn't simply a redguard settlement anymore, as at some date in the past the town went almost forgotten to the establishment of the redguards and is since then controlled by a variety of traders, pirates and other lucky knights from various races.

That's why my personal explanation for the town's unique (and rather beautiful) architecture is it's foundation in just this meltpot of various cultures working and living together far away from any normative rule.

kaushad

Bear in mind that we haven't seen the rest of southern Hammerfell. For all we know, Hegathe, Taneth and Rihad look more like Abah's Landing than Sentinel, Stros M'K'ai or Belkarth.

Hoghorn

Sp3d_scout wrote: »

One day I decided to check out Hew's Bane, because I had recently bought a subscription and my character was a wood elf nightblade. However, when I arrived, I noticed something off about the wayshrine, and soon I realized the entire city of Abah's Landing had different architecture than the rest of Hammerfell! I, being the geek I was, decided to check reddit for answers, but only found the explanation for the architecture differences of Vvardenfell, certain dwemer ruins, and Summerset, the third of which I still don't quite believe. I know the architecture isn't different because of crown-forbear differences, because neither faction existed in Abah's Landing after the mid second era. I also know it's not a neutral-covenant difference, because Belkarth is neutral and It still has the same architecture. Did Zenimax just want to make money by giving Abah's Landing blue domes? Please let me know your theories.

i wonder if this page would answer some of your questions https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Hew's_Bane

OgrimTitan

Strange question.

In-universe reason: myriad of variables why a city can is different from the rest. I think I don't need to explain the most cities in vanilla TESO were generalized in terms of architecture so the game is easier to produce? Narsis and Kragenmoor have Indoril assets, Daggerfall/Wayrest/Evermore/Camlorn all have the same assets, et cetera.

Out-of-universe reason: most post-vanilla DLC share the new pack of assets every year. Necrom (Necrom 2023) has different style than any other Morrowind type (Indoril, Hlaalu, Telvanni, Redoran). Gonfalon Bay (High Isle 2022) is different from Daggerfall/Camlorn. Leyawiin (Blackwood 2021) is different from Anvil (nibenese style) and Kvatch (colovian style), presenting another nibenese style. Solitude (Greymoor 2020) is different from Eastmarch and the Rift cities.

Belkarth argument is irrelevant because Craglorn was still vanilla era of the game.

Sp3d_scout

Hoghorn wrote: »

Sp3d_scout wrote: »

One day I decided to check out Hew's Bane, because I had recently bought a subscription and my character was a wood elf nightblade. However, when I arrived, I noticed something off about the wayshrine, and soon I realized the entire city of Abah's Landing had different architecture than the rest of Hammerfell! I, being the geek I was, decided to check reddit for answers, but only found the explanation for the architecture differences of Vvardenfell, certain dwemer ruins, and Summerset, the third of which I still don't quite believe. I know the architecture isn't different because of crown-forbear differences, because neither faction existed in Abah's Landing after the mid second era. I also know it's not a neutral-covenant difference, because Belkarth is neutral and It still has the same architecture. Did Zenimax just want to make money by giving Abah's Landing blue domes? Please let me know your theories.

i wonder if this page would answer some of your questions https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Hew's_Bane

That was my main resource for this matter.

Sp3d_scout

Okay, I have a new theory; https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/3ljr6y/reasons_for_the_difference_in_dwemer_architecture/ states that dwemer architecture is different in each zone because there are different resources in each zone, such as white rock in the reach and brown rock in Hammerfell. Now that I thought about it, the domes in Stros M'kai and Sentinel are built using some yellow metal or paint, which might not be available in Hew's Bane, hence the blue domes and the darker bricks.

tsaescishoeshiner

Given that it's so far from Alik'r, I'd be much more surprised if it had the same architectural style. Why would redguard settlements look the same? I think this is a good example of how differences in visual style can suggest a lot about two places with different histories, environments, and people. Making them stand out gives them character.

To me, it always made Hew's Bane seem like an opulent city that's seen a lot of change, with multiple layers of construction (stone beneath new stone beneath wood, paint, and tiles). It also felt related to its history as a city-state. Just a vibe I got.

Ajaxandriel

The distance between Abah's landing and the Alik'r-Bangkorai-Craglorn "vanilla redguard style" belt easily justifies the two architectural style.

These are different settlements of Yokudans, mixed up with different influences from different Nedes, Mer and later peoples.

The real discrepancy is rather why Stros m'kai, wich is in the same sea like Hew's Bane, is the style of Sentinel instead of Abah's.
Of course it is an overlook because they had not yet created the style at the time, but now it is really disturbing.