So,why are there so many ruins in Cyrodiil?They are all obviously remnants from past eras,and I know castles in real life have just been abandoned in war and inhabitants have never returned,but,there are just so many ruins in Cyrodiil.Aylied cities,forts...thats it,but there are lots of them.I have heard speculation that the forts still exist incase war was to break out,but surely an emperor must have seen one fort and went "thats not in a strategic location,may aswell loot it and the money in the coffers" but it seems not?And the same goes for Aylied ruins which,presumably,have existed for longer and have more expensive stuff in them?I know bandits inhabit a few of these ruins,and Martin talks about there being lots of Great Welkynd stones before looting,but surely these ruins must have been svcked dry of anything which looks like it could be sold for a few pennies?

Infact,wouldn't it have been easier to build the forts on the ruins?Maybe even inhabit the ruins and save money instead of builiding new cities/towns/villages.Or have people been to scared of Aylied ruins being haunted until recently?

Most forts and Ayleid ruins have been looted, hence why there's only one Great Welkynd Stone. But then Bandits, Goblins, and other creatures move in. Goblins kill people or steal from them and bring their shiny possessions back into their new home and keep them in a chest. Bandits rob and murder people and store their valuables until they decide to sell them. Then maybe the ghosts of that particular location rise from the dead and chase the bandits or goblins off, leaving the loot still there but now the place is filled with the undead.

So there's always loot to be had, it's typically just not what was originally there to begin with.

Unsurprisingly, neither Ayleids nor Reman and pre-Talosian nobles used Septims as currency. And I think we just put more thought into it than the devs did.

I doubt any of us would enjoy having to exchange currencies in game

Regarding the forts: the traps are there to stop intruders. Also, IIRC some RL cultures (ancient Greeks, anyway) have thought ruins were haunted. Doesn't help that the ghosts can really get you. Then there are the goblins and bandits and ogres... I'd say there are plenty of reasons to stay away from ruins. And the empire is meant to be in decline...

Most of the forts that are not occupied by bandits and Goblins contain crypts, with undead gaurds. The Ayleid ruins are all Necropolii-cities of the dead. The amount of forts in Cyrodill has to do more with the "peaceful" history of the region. Many powerful family/clans built thier own forts and maintained private armies until the Akavirii invasion forced them to unite in the Second Era. There are also the changes brought about by catastrophies altering all of Tamriel, like the "Warp in the West".Many of the forts along the Valus mountains became useless because the passes they protected disappeared.

Pfft...the Empire STAYS in decline. That's like the running joke of the time line. When in doubt, throw the Empire into a state of gradual decay as a catalyst for suspense and unrest.

I always believed that superstition would stop any typical traveller from treading too far into an ayleid ruin. Bandits; as we saw in the case of mazoga the orks mission, still fear going into the depths of these places. Though it still doesn't stop necromancers who use these places as labratories/hideouts, they aren't there to explore and loot, they are there to work outside the law. As for building of ruins, one only has to look towards the imperial city of cyrodiil to see what remains of a once great ayleid ruin.

The reason why there is loot inside and that it hasn't been stolen is plain and simple; it's there for the Player to take. In real life, everything in those ruins and caves would have been stolen and taken. Just look at the pyramids. Well I guess not everything in them was taken. But still, Player is not the only adventurer seeking treasures in forbidden caves. But since the game is made for the Player to enjoy, they need to put useful things in the caves for you to take, otherwise it's just an empty cave (like in real life).

In regards to the Ayleid Ruins, Several ayleid ruins are inhabited by bandits, goblins, or some other modern infestation, but notably the lower levels are either cut off because they can only be reached by secret passages, or the undead are preventing further incursion into the ruin, or both. Many of the larger ayleid ruins also have gates or secret passages that must be found, and opened before it's possible to traverse to the lowest reaches.

Somebody's got to be the first one there.

http://treasurehuntersuniversity.com/

You are some sort of a genius :icecream: