Who owns the Silt Striders?

kapuhy · Post by **kapuhy** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:14 pm

I'm currently making a interior that is supposed to be home of a caravaneer's family. I took a look at some caravaneers in Vvardenfell, and searched in Imperial Library, but one thing caught my attention:

The caravaneers are not wealthy people - they wear common clothes plus a coin or two. Yet, depending on traffic density, Silt Strider service may give nice profits (if, for example, you have three rides on Balmora-S.Neen route a day, with one or two passengers, it will give you from 45 to 90 drakes - much more than caravaneers have with them, and that's just a daily profit). So, either upkeep and taxes are so high that they consume most of money (which may be likely, for upkeep of SS must be comparable to that of truck or helicopter...) or caravaneers are only working for a larger company.

So, if someone may enlighten me: is there something like "Silt Strider Travel Company Ltd." or "Caravaneers Guild", or these guys are just freelance bus drivers?

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:41 pm

This is a really good question. My guess is that the striders are owned by the House that controls the city. In the case of Vivec, it would be the Temple that owns them. The House probably employs the caravaner and gives them a small cut of their profits.

kapuhy · Post by **kapuhy** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:29 pm

Nice idea. So the caravaneer would be actually working for government, in similar way as a guard or tax collector.

Macar · Post by **Macar** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:24 pm

that would make sense, it would take a lot of recorces to domesticate and care for a stiltstrider, so the govormevt would probably have to do it.

Lady Nerevar · Post by **Lady Nerevar** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:27 am

so, if the silts riders are a governmet agancy, shouldt there be a HQ for them somewhere?

Nanu · Post by **Nanu** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:43 am

I'd think that if there were a Strider HQ, it would be in an Imperial town. Seeing as the Empire is kind of neutral ground between the Great Houses. Plus, I'd think that the Emperor would want to have control over rapid transit in his provinces.

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 5:40 am

Nah, silt striders are obviously a Dunmer mode of transportation. It is a concept that Imperials probably view as barbaric and disgusting. Being as the silt striders were definitely in use far before the Imperials came to Morrowind, I am certain that they are controlled by the Great Houses (and Temple). Instead of having a silt strider HQ somewhere, the people in charge would most likely be located in the Council Houses of each Great House.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 6:36 am

I think there is actually a 'bug plantation' on Map 1, where various types of striders and other insects are raised...possibly for selling?

kapuhy · Post by **kapuhy** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:18 am

Yes, it's Boeing Co. facility in Morrowind

Keldor · Post by **Keldor** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 1:05 am

Its porbably owned by the person who transports you. I dont think its imperial because silt striders are only in morrowind province. Or maybe its owned by the plantations who raise them. Like how Morden says

"I think there is actually a 'bug plantation' on Map 1, where various types of striders and other insects are raised...possibly for selling?"

There is really no correct answer. I dont think it says it anywhere in the "lore" unless someone proves me wrong.

Morgoth · Post by **Morgoth** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 2:27 pm

Keldor wrote:Its porbably owned by the person who transports you. I dont think its imperial because silt striders are only in morrowind province. Or maybe its owned by the plantations who raise them. There is really no correct answer. I dont think it says it anywhere in the "lore" unless someone proves me wrong.

Dexter already answered the question. The Striders are owned by the various great houses, and the people who transport you are employed by great houses. Plain and simple, it makes perfect sense.

Asylum · Post by **Asylum** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:00 pm

I was reading this, and it came to my attention. that the temple probably didn't have anything to do, with the siltstrider in vivec.
If the temple would be owner of the siltstrider it would be nicely built into the city of vivec instead out of the city.

tough he will pobalbly have to give some profit off to the temple to be aloud so close to the city..

-A-

Psyborg · Post by **Psyborg** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:19 pm

I always just assumed they were privately owned by the Silt Strider "drivers", to whom I gave the name "Commandeers" (as a noun... I figured taking a verb and changing it into a noun that meant not-at-all the same thing was easier than finding out the correct word in Dunmeri), in my "Silt Strider Transport Domestication" book, who then went to publically owned "Strider docks". I believe the very, very old thread which talked about Silt Striders in a very unscientific and noobish way can be found [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=6637]HERE.[/url]. (Be sure to note that I wrote this many moons ago, before I had a firm grasp on it, and that NONE of what it says is canon in the slightest. But if I remember correctly, it was all somewhat informative about the nature of silt strider-ing, even if it's all made up. Enjoi)

Doedel · Post by **Doedel** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:01 am

Here's a question: what happens to Silt Striders in Oblivion's "fast-travel" system? I kind of miss the Silt Striders and transportation people.. although it is nice to be able to instantly go to any major location from anywhere in the outside world, it does take a bit away from the feeling of being completely forlorn in the wilderness.. since home is a click away.

Macar · Post by **Macar** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:17 pm

It dosent matter to us. I wonder, though, what ST is planning to do about it. I suppose that the stilt striders will still be there, even if you dont need to use them anymore.

Razorwing · Post by **Razorwing** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:45 pm

Macar wrote:It dosent matter to us. I wonder, though, what ST is planning to do about it. I suppose that the silt striders will still be there, even if you dont need to use them anymore.

We haven't really talked about the finer points regarding their setup, but I talked to Lingarn some months ago and he was interested in the general idea of bringing his animated Silt Strider creature over to Oblivion. He wanted to hold off any kind of work on it until he knew more about how animation worked in the new game, which probably won't be until some time after a 3D Studio Max exporter is released. So, personally I think we might as well hold off discussion about them until they're available to us. Having said that I personally think it would be awesome to have not only tethered silt strider transportation but also free-roaming ones in our mod again.

knightmare · Post by **knightmare** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:28 pm

Morden wrote:I think there is actually a 'bug plantation' on Map 1, where various types of striders and other insects are raised...possibly for selling?

Razorwing wrote:
Macar wrote:It dosent matter to us. I wonder, though, what ST is planning to do about it. I suppose that the silt striders will still be there, even if you dont need to use them anymore.
We haven't really talked about the finer points regarding their setup, but I talked to Lingarn some months ago and he was interested in the general idea of bringing his animated Silt Strider creature over to Oblivion. He wanted to hold off any kind of work on it until he knew more about how animation worked in the new game, which probably won't be until some time after a 3D Studio Max exporter is released. So, personally I think we might as well hold off discussion about them until they're available to us. Having said that I personally think it would be awesome to have not only tethered silt strider transportation but also free-roaming ones in our mod again.

these 2 posts made me think of something

is it possible to create a creature and script it as a mount? it would be really cool if you could learn how to ride other various animals besides horses.

Andres Indoril · Post by **Andres Indoril** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:40 pm

There is another type of creatures made in Oblivion and It's called Horses, propably we can add more of creatures from that kind and propably that kind is full of mounts

Doedel · Post by **Doedel** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:37 am

That should be interesting... I'd like to ride a Guar sometime!

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:34 am

Guars were used in morrowind as pack animals for the dunmer - you find them in the ashlander camps and along the roads. it sould be entirely possible that they are used in much the same way that we use camels. As a type of desert transport. this could also lead to having different mounts sold and used in different provinces, depending on the type of terrain.

Post by **Haplo** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:26 pm

Please don't resurrect dead threads. Thanks