I would suggest requesting transportation help via the Newbie channel if you haven't already. That area was reworked and rooms were taken out of play. Admin most likely forgot to evacuate it and bar it from potential logins.
I like the idea of Esterport (or even Delve) being a hub, though not protected by guards. There is already a market and it has a few other services around. The crafting annex could perhaps set up simple, limited agriculture contracts, and a Delvian …
Genuine question: what is preventing the Sentaari guild from allowing some of their members to be Akkari? I understand Shamans refusing them for very obvious reasons, much like the Syssin have almost always been refusing vampires (not just a recent …