Normally I'd draw art for this sort of a thing, but since the MK rework is only about a month and a half away, I figure I should just throw it out there as fast as possible, so I've just grabbed pics from around the internet.
General Design/Convenience in Morin Khur
The goal of the Khurite Allied Tribes, as stated by the lore, is to free Morin Khur from the Tindremenes. This takes the largest Khurite cultural city and places it in the hands of the opposing faction, which is something of a blow to anyone wanting to ally themselves with the Khurites and be an enemy of Tindrem. Instead of demanding Starvault change the lore and free Morin Khur, I'd actually suggest an alternative: Make something that functions as a dungeon to everyone except for those with very high reputation with the Khurite Allied Tribes.
This way the development goes into a 'dungeon', but it has another use as well.
This 'towngeon' could offer sanctuary to those heavily allied with the Khurites, such as unique vendors as well as tasks for both maintaining the fortress/building up defenses (tasks for crafters and gatherers) and attacking nearby threats like Risar, Tindremenes, and mountain wildlife like trolls. Since it will function as a dungeon to players who aren't, however, there would be a constant threat of attackers, and in this sense the players occupying the fortress would also function as enemies that are allied with the regular mobs. They would be grey to anyone who enters the fortress, and anyone who enters would be grey to them.
Meanwhile, the Tindremic-allied NPCs in Morin Khur would give tasks to attack this fortress, giving some unique mixed PvP and PvE experiences as well as worthwhile rewards. It would be something impossible to do alone, so groups would have to gather up to raid the fortress. Gates that have to be broken into by attackers could be a feature as well so that it isn't raided constantly (maybe Tindremene NPCs gather up to attack it and help the players, creating natural attack/rest cycles?) and still allows it to properly function as a town for the Khurite-allied players who can't enter Morin Khur.
It's basically impossible that SV would do anything like this by release with everything else they have planned (let alone by the middle of December) but I wanted to put it out there as a future idea.
General Design/Convenience in Morin Khur
- Part of Tindrem's convenience is walking right in and having the plaza in front of you, where you have access to stables, the bank, crafting benches, the marketplace, the priest for resurrection, the inns/taverns (which will have more use in the future), the library, vendors of various types, and so-on. Morin Khur's 'main road' that divides the city into two parts, which is probably the most-traveled part of Morin Khur, should serve a similar purpose and conveniently offer a lot of what players need.
- A row of buildings, like this, along the main road having many of the most convenient parts of the city in an easy-to-find location would make it more attractive as an option:
-
- As an aside, I think generic Khurite armor/weapon vendors, like the Kallardian armor/vendors, would be good to add in Khurite towns in general. A Khurite blacksmith shop would be right at place in this theoretical row of buildings.
- A row of buildings, like this, along the main road having many of the most convenient parts of the city in an easy-to-find location would make it more attractive as an option:
- The city as it is right now takes a very long time to travel through on foot, mostly because of its maze-like design. Some short-cuts through areas like small alleyways, ramps, and bridges would help out.
- Morin Khur needs important resources/creatures around it that draw people in, if it's going to be 'competitive' with Tindrem.
- A 'starter dungeon', similar to the sewers, would make sense either in or around Morin Khur and would help new players get established.
- Morin Khur also needs regular dungeons around it in general.
- Every non-spider dungeon around Myrland, with the exception of the Sators, are in the north. Sewers, Fabernum Tower, Minotaurs, Risar Dungeon—and Kimuru Cave (and Steintroll Cave as far as I'm aware) are all northern dungeons.
- The ravine that splits Morin Khur in two could have its own PvE content. Caves, a dungeon, and so-on would all make sense down there.
The Lore Side of Morin Khur
- Morin Khur was taken by Tindrem in the lore, which is supposed to be a big thing about the city itself. The Khurite Allied Tribes united in order to try to take back Morin Khur. At least at the beginning of the game, Morin Khur should probably have a Tindremic quarter where the buildings are in the Khurite style but adorned with Tindremic banners.
- The guards should also likely be a part of the Tindremic Empire, although they might still be local Khurites hired by Tindrem, so they might still have Khurite armor/weapons.
- To represent the Empire's money funding this force, there could be unique Morin Khur Guard Armor different to the Khurite Allied Tribes armor. Something similar to this, maybe.
- The guards should also likely be a part of the Tindremic Empire, although they might still be local Khurites hired by Tindrem, so they might still have Khurite armor/weapons.
- Morin Khur is supposed to have 'sweat gers' (vapour baths), which are essentially a steam bath/sauna. These have a bit of lore significance as the entire Khurite Tribunal were killed by Tindremic knights while having a sweat ger in Morin Khur. Not a huge deal, but it would be an interesting nod to walk into a building and realize it's a bath house/sauna.
The Bamboo Forest and Toxai
When talking about the appeal of Morin Khur, I think it's important to discuss Toxai. Meduli and Fabernum both naturally create traffic to Tindrem, and in a similar way Toxai is something of a sister-city to Morin Khur that relies heavily on it and should provide things to it. The more appealing Toxai is, the more appealing MK, by extension, will be. Toxai, at the moment, is very isolated without much of a reason to go there aside from setting up shop in the most far-flung place you can. It offers nothing unique.
- The beach in this area of Toxai could be expanded to offer some small/weak crabs and/or turtles:
-
- Stair/ramp access to the houses on the cliffs in Toxai is a fascinating concept. I'm not really sure who/what'd be placed there, but I was able to hop down there and walk around and it's really beautiful.
- The mountains and valley around Toxai/MK are pretty prime for putting dungeons, such as:
- A haunted monastery in the bamboo forest, maybe this dungeon/area would interact uniquely with Spiritism. Such as spirits that spawn (rather than being drawn out) and attack the living for brief moments before disappearing back into the Etherworld.
-
- To kill them, maybe you have to have Expel Spirit cast on yourself in the material world (where you risk them blinking out of reality only to attack you from the side/behind) OR you can battle them in the Etherworld where they can't hide and are easier targets, giving Spiritists an advantage. If this were done, I think it would be interesting if boss/miniboss spirits could be captured in empty spirit boxes of an appropriate size, and then the spirit box could automatically change into a specific item such as 'Soul of a Tiger-Fiend' (if you killed a Tiger-Fiend spirit). Such items could tie into enchanting in the future, broken down into a large amount of spirits, turned in for tasks offered by NPCs requesting them (such as a Morin Khur/Toxai shaman), etc.
- This is the basis of a more general Spiritism idea that I'll make a thread on eventually™.
- To kill them, maybe you have to have Expel Spirit cast on yourself in the material world (where you risk them blinking out of reality only to attack you from the side/behind) OR you can battle them in the Etherworld where they can't hide and are easier targets, giving Spiritists an advantage. If this were done, I think it would be interesting if boss/miniboss spirits could be captured in empty spirit boxes of an appropriate size, and then the spirit box could automatically change into a specific item such as 'Soul of a Tiger-Fiend' (if you killed a Tiger-Fiend spirit). Such items could tie into enchanting in the future, broken down into a large amount of spirits, turned in for tasks offered by NPCs requesting them (such as a Morin Khur/Toxai shaman), etc.
-
- A cave system accessible from the Sheevra Embassy, where spores have driven Alvarin explorers mad—a source of unique alchemical reagents not found elsewhere.
-
- An Anam Sith task giver could ask for these spores.
-
- A cave/temple in the mountains where a group of Khurite cultists have begun making human sacrifices in order to please what they believe is a guiding spirit.
-
- Could tie into demon stuff later, and would give demon content a more fitting and atmospheric location than the middle of the steppe.
-
- A haunted monastery in the bamboo forest, maybe this dungeon/area would interact uniquely with Spiritism. Such as spirits that spawn (rather than being drawn out) and attack the living for brief moments before disappearing back into the Etherworld.
- Although it's likely planned, the Sheevra Embassy should be eventually expanded and made into an Alvarin NPC-inhabited district of Toxai—but this is far from urgent.
- I'll eventually make a separate thread for all of my thoughts around the Sheevra Embassy, though.
Craziest Suggestion Yet: A PvP-Focused Dungeon/Town Combo
A snowy Khurite stronghold/fortress in the mountains that's full of rebel Khurites who fled from Morin Khur when Tindrem took over.
A snowy Khurite stronghold/fortress in the mountains that's full of rebel Khurites who fled from Morin Khur when Tindrem took over.
The goal of the Khurite Allied Tribes, as stated by the lore, is to free Morin Khur from the Tindremenes. This takes the largest Khurite cultural city and places it in the hands of the opposing faction, which is something of a blow to anyone wanting to ally themselves with the Khurites and be an enemy of Tindrem. Instead of demanding Starvault change the lore and free Morin Khur, I'd actually suggest an alternative: Make something that functions as a dungeon to everyone except for those with very high reputation with the Khurite Allied Tribes.
This way the development goes into a 'dungeon', but it has another use as well.
This 'towngeon' could offer sanctuary to those heavily allied with the Khurites, such as unique vendors as well as tasks for both maintaining the fortress/building up defenses (tasks for crafters and gatherers) and attacking nearby threats like Risar, Tindremenes, and mountain wildlife like trolls. Since it will function as a dungeon to players who aren't, however, there would be a constant threat of attackers, and in this sense the players occupying the fortress would also function as enemies that are allied with the regular mobs. They would be grey to anyone who enters the fortress, and anyone who enters would be grey to them.
Meanwhile, the Tindremic-allied NPCs in Morin Khur would give tasks to attack this fortress, giving some unique mixed PvP and PvE experiences as well as worthwhile rewards. It would be something impossible to do alone, so groups would have to gather up to raid the fortress. Gates that have to be broken into by attackers could be a feature as well so that it isn't raided constantly (maybe Tindremene NPCs gather up to attack it and help the players, creating natural attack/rest cycles?) and still allows it to properly function as a town for the Khurite-allied players who can't enter Morin Khur.
It's basically impossible that SV would do anything like this by release with everything else they have planned (let alone by the middle of December) but I wanted to put it out there as a future idea.
