Brightnight Academy

 My wife, Sarah, has been publishing some solo RPGs lately. You can find her work on itch and DriveThruRPG. She has been commissioning cover art for her books, and her next project, Brightnight Academy, she is also commissioning interior art. Brightnight Academy is a school for training Revenants, who are basically like scouts or rangers that protect the civilization in a kinda points of light setting. The Academy gives both magic and martial training, and is kinda inspired by a mix of Harry Potter, Monster High, and Ironsworn. So because the entire game takes place at the school and and is about taking classes, and doing activities at the school, and building social circles, Sarah wanted a map to go in her book, and well since that's what I do for a living, here is the map of Brightnight Academy for the soon to be published RPG(she's just waiting on the cover)

The Par Peninsula

Made a quick little map for my girlfriend this morning.  It's been a long time since I've done one by hand; made it freestyle with just imagination, a mechanical pencil, and 8 colors of crayons. I think it turned out pretty good. I might post more details about it later as the locations are developed. 

Map of Alphatia

 I've had mapper's/writer's  block the last few weeks, and had almost given upon finishing the article about Alphatia for Threshold. But then today(I guess that would be yesterday as its now 1 am) I had a breakthrough while riding my motorcycle. Below is a simple map of the city; I'm leaving more detailed street level maps for another project. The map is a combination of Stargate's Alantis and Plato's Atlantis. The central hub is a city ship as in Stargate, and the surrounding piers have been built up as add-ons during the centuries that the city has been in place. The city itself is inhabited by the wealthy elites and nobles of the empire, with privilege increasing the closer one gets to the citadel.  The city is floating on a lake at the mouth of Alphas river, and the city of Aasla, inhabited by the common people is on the mainland surrounding the lake.

Maps of Atlantis

 Since most 'maps' of Atlantis that can be found online only focus on the inner inner circles, I drew up a basic sketch of what Plato describes. I plan on using the basic elements for the city of of Alphatia, but it wont be exactly the same, because I also plan to incorporate the design shown in the Stargate tv show.

Planetary Atlas

Just got the Mercury and Moon Atlases at my door today. I backed the original Mars Atlas kickstarter, and when I heard they were expanding to the moon and beyond, it was a no-brainer. So what follows are just some pretty pictures.

The Known World Player Map

 Finally got around to doing a player map of the known world for my game. The style was partially inspired by the mappa mundi and other world/continental maps of the early modern period. The coast lines are exaggerated and the rivers are smoothed out. I used the same settlement symbology I built for my college webmap, didn't really feel like developing something new. the political borders reflects the current state of affairs in my world.

I've also attached a write-up that I did for my players describing the different locations of the Empire

You can download a full size pdf here

This document contains a brief description of some important places. What is described here is preliminary, and subject to change after I have finished transcribing my interviews with my dad and looking for details from there and then doing more research into cannon sources for more material. Population given is for the major city and not the total population of the hinterlands

Specularum and the Grand Duchy of Karameikos

Government/Ruler – Grand Duchy/Grand Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Doulakki

Common Languages – Karamic, Trade Common

Real World Analog – Attica (Krakatos would be Athens)

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 7000

Description – Karameikans claim descent from the ancient Doulakki, cousins of ancient Taymora before it sunk beneath the rising tide, and in fact closer in lineage to the people of Thyatis than the surrounding Traladari people. The ducal family is a cadet branch of the Kerendic royal family who established Specularum as trading post about 130 years ago, and the current duke took the name surname Karameikos from the name of land and people. During the Imperial Wars Stefan sided with the Holy Empire against the Empire of Thyatis and was key to victory. It was during the war and its aftermath that the duke and Specularum rose to a position of prominence over the Traladari people, most of which sided with the empire of Thyatis, and were subsequently ‘converted’ or slaughtered. Before the war the citadel of Krakatos was the predominant power among the Karameikan people, but that city along with the noble Marilenev family sided with Thyatis while the other noble Karameikan families sided with the duke. Krakatos was razed to the ground leaving only hulking ruins and lady Magda Marilenev was left a widow and the sole survivor of her family. Many of the old Karameikan families now vie for power within the city hoping to overthrow the ‘foreign’ duke, while the new blood families that the duke has elevated to noble status support him in these power struggles. Specularum is the major shipbuilding center of the empire and supplies most of ships in her navy.

Threshold

Government/Ruler – Patriarchate/Patriarch Sherlane Halaran

Fealty – Grand Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Ethnicities – Doulakki and Daro

Common Languages – Karamic and Traladari

Real World Analog – Romania

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 500

Description – Formerly known as Lugsid. The ancient cult of Zirchev had constructed a sanctuary here and the town of Lugsid grew up around it. During the Imperial Wars, Patriarch Halaran, who was just a lowly missionary at the time, allied himself with Duke Stefan. After the war was effectively over, Halaran received permission from the Duke to stamp out the last vestiges of the old gods in Traladari lands. Being isolated as it was in the north Lugsid had escaped getting involved in the war, and now Traladari refugees who feared retribution for their part in the war were flocking to the old sanctuary. Halaran besieged the old stone walls for many months and was in the end victorious, slaughtering any who would not give up their faith in the old gods. Upon his victory he declared himself patriarch and swore an oath of fealty to the duke. Halaran immediately set about building a personal stronghold, Tarnskeep, nearby and rebuilding what was left of the town in his vision of the perfect community. The old stone walls were left to crumble while a new palisade was built to allow for future growth, and the old sanctuary was converted into a temple. Only about 30 years ago a band of adventurers discovered the old road to the lost valley and helped chase away the gnolls in the Foamfire valley, which opened up a new trade route to the north through the mountains. Threshold is now a thriving trading and logging town, supplying a majority of the lumber that makes its way to Specularum and fuels the shipbuilding done there.

Kelven

Government/Ruler – Barony/Baron Desmond Kelven II

Fealty – Grand Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Ethnicities – Doulakki and Daro

Common Languages – Karamic and Traladari

Real World Analog – Romania

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 2000

Description – Formerly known as Lavv, the legendary home of the ancient hero Halav. Here the cult of Halav worshipped at his sanctuary. This city was besieged for several years during the Imperial Wars by Desmond Kelven, a close friend of Duke Stefan, until its king surrendered to save his people from starvation. Kelven is as much a fortress as it is a city.

Luln

Government/Ruler – Town Council

Fealty – Grand Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Ethnicities – Daro

Common Languages – Traladari

Real World Analog – Romania

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 500

Description – This is a town of adventurers, refugees, and ruffians only nominally under control of the duke. For many years this was a place of shelter for those fleeing the tyranny of the Black Eagle Baron who rose to power during the Imperial Wars. Since the villain’s defeat by a band of adventurers nearly 30 years ago Luln has been fending for itself. The Town Council sends taxes every year to the duke simply as a measure to ensure the town is left alone.

Penhaligon

Government/Ruler – Estate/Lady Arteris Penhaligon

Fealty – Grand Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Ethnicities – Daro

Common Languages – Traladari

Real World Analog – Romania

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 375

Description – The Lord Arturus Penhaligon was a close personal friend of Stefan and did much to subdue the Traladari people in the north. He constructed castle Penhaligon as a means of enforcing the duke’s law on the common people. His daughter succeeded him and is the leader of the knights of the Order of the Three Suns.

Thyatis

Government/Ruler – Empire/Thincol the Brave

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Taymoran

Common Languages – Thyatic, Trade Common

Real World Analog – Constantinople

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 60000

Description – Thyatis was once a colony of the ancient Taymorans. The Empire of Thyatis is the last vestiges of the Old Empire. During the Nomad invasions which led to the conquest of the Old Empire 1000 years ago, the governor of Thyatis declared himself emperor and managed to hold onto the little bit of the empire that was left. Over the centuries the Empire of Thyatis was able to establish colonies on the Isle of Dawn, Ochalea, the Pearl islands and the hinterlands of Davania. During this period Thyatis was unchallenged as the major political power in this region of the world while the petty kings of the continent were busy posturing and fighting each other, and was the most populous city on the continent. About 60 years ago that power was challenged by the growing influence of the Holy Empire, and over the next several years a series of proxy wars took place in the lands of the Traladari, the Ierendi Isles, and Minrothad Isles; these came to be called the Imperial Wars. Ultimately Thyatis lost, the overseas colonies had revolted and declared independence from the empire or been overrun by the natives, so that in the end Thyatis only controlled its continental territories and a few minor islands. The emperor swore an oath of subservience to the Holy Emperor; the alliance was assured by the marriage of the daughter of the Emperor of Thyatis to the son of the Holy Emperor, and it was agreed that rights of the Empire of Thyatis would fall to the daughter and any subsequent descendants would hold dual rights to the crowns of both empires. The city of Thyatis has struggled to rebuild after the devastation of the long wars and is only a shadow of its former self.

Kerendas

Government/Ruler –Duchy/Duke Maldinius Kerendas

Fealty – Thincol the Brave

Ethnicities – Traldar

Common Languages – Kerendic

Real World Analog – Thessaly

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 10000

Description – This is the second largest city in the empire, and is famed for its excellent breed of horse and highly trained cavalry. The people of this region of the empire are the sole remnants of a migration of Traldar people which took place before the old empire existed.

Hattias

Government/Ruler – County/Count Heinrich Oesterhaus

Fealty – Thincol the Brave

Ethnicities – Doulakki

Common Languages – Hattic

Real World Analog – Ionia

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 3000

Description – The Isle of Hattias is dominated by scrubby hill country. Vineyards and olive groves are cultivated on the little amount of arable land there is, while the backcountry is used mainly as pasturage for goats and sheep. A few fishing villages do the coast, and the seat of government in the isle is a prime example of corruption and decadence.

Retebius

Government/Ruler – Duchy/Duke Callastian Retebius

Fealty – Thincol the Brave

Ethnicities – Doulakki

Common Languages – Hesperic

Real World Analog – Euboea

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 1500

Description – Ancestors of the ancient kingdom of Hesperia, the people here are proud and at the forefront of culture and innovation. Large portions of this duchy are dedicated to cattle ranching. The city itself is famous for the Knights of the Air, an order of knights that maintain a herd of pegasi.

Ierendi

Government/Ruler – Pirate Kingdom/King Palfrit and Queen Marianne

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Taymoran

Common Languages – Ierendic, Trade Common

Real World Analog – Laconia

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 1200

Description – The people of Ierendi claim descent from ancient Taymora. Ierendi was used as a penal colony by Thyatis more than four centuries ago. After more than a century of virtual enslavement, the prisoners, led by one Mad Creeg, revolted and drove out the Thyatians. The Matrongle dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Ierendi for close to two hundred years before the last king was overthrown by the merchants of Ierendi city. The nobles and other influential figures fought among themselves, turning to piracy against each other and outsiders, each eventually forming their own petty kingdom. During the Imperial Wars these pirate kingdoms switched loyalty many times, but eventually all swore fealty to the Holy Emperor and were crucial in defeating the Thyatian navy. Every year a tournament is held and the winner is named Pirate King or Queen. The real power of government is held by the Ierendi Tribunal, a council of the various pirate lords. Each member of the tribunal is appointed or approved by the Emperor, any pirate lord excluded from the tribunal suffers severs disadvantages politically, economically, and militarily.

Minrothad

Government/Ruler – Syndicracy/Guild Master Oran Meditor

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Taymoran

Common Languages – Minrothic, Trade Common

Real World Analog – Achaea mixed with the Hanseatic League

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 2500

Description – Both the humans and the elves of Minrothad claim to have inhabited the ancient lands of the people of Taymora before it was swallowed by the rising tides. The people of Minrothad have always been sea-faring merchants who prefer to settle conflicts with negotiation and coin over violence. Much of this attitude comes from the influence of the water elves of Alfeisle who have often acted as peacemakers when conflict arose. More than five centuries ago Hadric Corser established the first federation between the many human settlements in Minrothad, establishing himself for all time as a national folk hero. Gregus Verdier followed in his footsteps by establishing the council of dread which united the human and elven communities. Just under two centuries ago a group of influential merchants gathered in the Council of Minrothad beginning a program of reform and establishing the Minrothad Guilds in the form it is today.

Minrothad is confederation of guilds of various sorts: merchant, trade, family, etc. During the Imperial Wars, the Guild sided with Thyatis; at the end of the war there was a great lycanthrope scare among the isles and the guilds withdrew from the war and ceased all interaction with the outside world. The withdrawal of Minrothad’s fleet caused Thyatis to suffer a great loss in a battle at sea. It wasn’t until nearly ten years after the war that Oran Meditor became ruling guild master and opened up the trade of Minrothad. It was Oran who negotiated a treaty with the Holy Empire that was favorable to Minrothad.

Tel Akbir

Government/Ruler – Duchy/Sheik Terik ben Nadir

Fealty – Thincol the Brave

Ethnicities – Doulakki and Iasuli

Common Languages – Hesperic and Birran

Real World Analog – Malta

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d), copper Fals(1/4d), silver Dirham(1d), gold Dinar(24d)

Population – 2000

Description – This region of Thyatis is occupied primarily by people of Iasuli descent, but they have been under the rule of Thyatis for so long that they consider themselves to be Thyatic and are proud of their mixed heritage. This city acts as major seaport on the trading routes between Thyatis and Ylaruam and the Northern Reaches.

Biazzan

Government/Ruler – Barony/Baron Babrak Biazzan

Fealty – Thincol the Brave

Ethnicities – Traldar and Iasuli

Common Languages – Biazzic and Alasiyan

Real World Analog – Cyprus

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d), copper Fals(1/4d), silver Dirham(1d), gold Dinar(24d)

Population – 1250

Description – This is a small valley in the mountains that acts as the only significant pass between the lowlands of Kerendas and Ylaruam. The area was originally settled by the Iasuli and later conquered by Thyatis; the Iasuli that remain tend to be treated as second class citizens. The city of Biazzan is famous for its prestigious university, and the population is divided evenly between those who study or teach at the university and merchants conducting trade between the empire and Ylaruam.

The Imperial City of Darokin

Government/Ruler – Empire/Corwyn Mauntea

Fealty – n/a

Ethnicities – Daro

Common Languages – Daroki

Real World Analog – medieval Rome

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 5400

Description – This was the ancient capitol of the old empire until it was overrun by nomads from the west 1000 years ago. Corwyn Attleson was the first King of Darokin after the nomads fell to infighting. The Kingdom never attained the glories of its ancient past, and the last of the kings of Darokin, King Santhral II, died without any heirs more than 300 years ago. During the waning years of the kingdom, the Church gained more power and took on more responsibilities, so when the dynasty of kings died out there was a relatively smooth transition of power to the local Patriarch. For the next 200 years the Patriarchs ruled the City of Darokin and its hinterlands peacefully and became renowned for the zeal and charity of its citizens. When Charles Mauntea became Patriarch he began a series of crusades against the neighboring kingdoms and in short time had annexed the entire streel river valley, excluding the elves of Alfheim with whom he arranged a non-aggression pact. In the year 927 all the Patriarchs of the Empire gathered in the first Great Ecumenical Council and granted the title of Holy Emperor to Charles Mauntea and all his successors; the Holy Emperor became the first among equals within the patriarchs of the church. The Empire remained fairly stable for the next 40 years, until Corwyn Hoff was crowned Emperor and called for a crusade against Thyatis initiating the 10 year period known as the Imperial Wars. After this last victory, the empire has established military outposts guarding trade routes through the broken lands and the Sind Desert, and forging alliances with nearby Ylaruam. Rumors abound about an impending crusade into the Ethengar plain as a preemptive strike against the Golden Khan.

Corunglain

Government/Ruler – Merchant Republic/Natalie Kalimi of the Corun House

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Daro

Common Languages – Glaini

Real World Analog – Florence

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, silver Denier(1d)

Population – 3100

Description – This was once a mighty city that rivaled Darokin in culture and power, however the city was besieged and ravaged by orcs over 500 years ago. The ancient people, culture, and language of this once great city were destroyed in a single night. The people who live here now are descendants of settlers from Darokin. The city now is a veritable fortress, ever watchful of the nearby orc tribes. The queen oversees a series of military outposts through orc territory along two caravan routes leading to the City of Glantri and the Ethengar Khanate. These caravan routes are the major source of wealth for the city.

Akorros

Government/Ruler – Merchant Republic/Mendel Callister of the House Toney

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Daro

Common Languages – Akorri

Real World Analog – Genoa

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 2300

Description – The sister city of Akesoli on Lake Amsorak, Akorros is the major trade hub of agricultural goods in the Streel River valley. The city is virtually run by the organized crime element of a few families.

Dracopolis

Government/Ruler – Free City/Guild of Adventurers

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Daro, Doulakki, Taymoran, Traldar, Ethesti, Iasuli, Gothic

Common Languages – Trade Common

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – unknown

Description – This city was founded by a group of adventurers over 30 years ago at the mandate of the Dragon Council, with the goal of fostering an environment where humans and Demihumans and dragons can learn to work together. The city has become a major center of trade between Karameikos and Darokin and Ylaruam, even to the point of overshadowing Selenica. The Guild of Adventurers has established a company in every major city of the empire and Ylaruam, and is looking to expand beyond the empire into neighboring regions.

Athenos

Government/Ruler – Merchant Republic/Lucius Linton of Linton House

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Daro

Common Languages – Atheni, Hinnic, Trade Common

Real World Analog – Venice

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 1500

Description – This city of canals and islands has only recently gained its reputation as a major port. For many years it was a backwater fishing village at the edge of the Malpheggi swamp. The city only began to reap the profits of trade when the Linton family convinced investors that the swamps were navigable. The city has been on a meteoric rise to power and wealth ever since and has lofty goals of becoming the rival of Thyatis.

Ylaruam

Government/Ruler – Emirate/Emir Sturling

Fealty – n/a

Ethnicities – Iasuli

Common Languages – Alasiyan, Trade Common

Real World Analog – Tunisia (pre-Islamic)

Accepted Coinage – copper Fals(1/4d), silver Dirham(1d), gold Dinar(24d)

Population – 1300

Description – This kingdom has come to power only recently nearly 200 years ago after a five year campaign by Suleiman Al-Kalim to drive out the foreign colonists of both Thyatis and Heldann. The descendants of Suleiman have ruled the emirate ever since, frequently clashing with their culturally different neighbors. About 30 years ago Emir Sturling waged a war against the Jarls of Vestland and conquered much of that land. It was around the same time that an alliance was arranged with the Holy Empire. The country is inhabited mostly by nomads who make a life out of the harsh desert. The oasis of Ylaruam is the focal point of all trade across the region and is home to many imported luxuries.

Akesoli

Government/Ruler – Kingdom/Greenleaf Vickers of the Umbarth Dynasty

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Ethesti

Common Languages – Akesolian, Akorri

Real World Analog – western Anatolian Turks

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 1700

Description – The Ethesti are remnants of a nomadic culture that conquered the empire 1000 years ago. The descendants of these nomads survive in the plains to the West of Akesoli. Akesoli is sandwiched between the nomads and the civilized lands of the empire. It is an important link in the trade network of the west, dealing more in the shipment of goods than their production. However it is famous for making excellent rope, and virtually all the boats that ply the waters of Lake Amsorak are built here.

Selenica

Government/Ruler – Kingdom/Bertram Hallonica of the Hallonica Dynasty

Fealty – The Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Ethesti, Daro, Doulakki, Iasuli

Common Languages – Selenican, Daroki, Karamic, Alasiyan, Trade Common

Real World Analog – eastern Rumelia

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Fals(1/4d), silver Dirham(1d), gold Dinar(24d)

Population – 3900

Description – During the time of the old empire this city was known as Salonikas. After the Nomads overran this area, a tribe of the Ethesti decided to settle down and make this place their own. Over the centuries they have the mixture of the two peoples has led to the development of a unique culture and language. At the crossroads between Karameikos, Darokin, and Ylaruam the city is a natural point of cross-cultural exchange; distinct districts for each foreign population have grown up over the years. The city is virtually independent of the empire and bristles whenever an imperial official arrives with a new decree; the city is notorious for skimping on its taxes and running the tax collector out of town.

Soderfjord

Government/Ruler – Jarldoms/various

Fealty – Emir Sturling

Ethnicities – Gothic

Common Languages – Vestian

Real World Analog – the Danelaw

Accepted Coinage – silver Forthin(1/4d), silver Sceatt(1d), silver Skillin(4d)

Population – 700

Description – Many centuries ago the Gothic people came from the north, making war on the native Deheuol people and colonizing the land. The region has been ruled by many petty kings through the years. Approximately 500 years ago another wave of raiders from the north, the Heldannic people, invaded the isles nearby. From there the raiders invaded this land which they called Vestland, carving up the country between themselves. For the last few hundred years the numerous Jarls have fought amongst themselves for power, wealth, and prestige. The majority of the population is still of Gothic ancestry subject to the ruling Heldannic elite. About 30 years ago the Emir of Ylaruam waged a bloody and ruthless campaign, known as the Prism Wars which resulted in the subjugation of most of jarls to his rule. The campaign was only halted when the Jarls put aside their squabbles and feuds and formed the Nordhartar Defense League electing Ragnar the Stout as their War Leader. Any adventurers in the Guild originate from the territory of the Jarls which are subject to the Emirate of Ylaruam.

Ghyr

Government/Ruler – Kingdom/Queen Leahra

Fealty – Emir Sturling

Ethnicities – Gothic

Common Languages – Vestian and Alasiyan

Real World Analog – Wessex

Accepted Coinage – copper Fals(1/4d), silver Dirham(1d), gold Dinar(24d), silver Forthin(1/4d), silver Sceatt(1d), silver Skillin(4d)

Population – 900

Description – This kingdom alone of all Gothic kingdoms was able to withstand the onslaught of the Heldannic invaders. King Ganto of Ghyr allied with the Ylaruam during the Prism Wars. King Ganto assisted the Emir in obtaining many victories on the battlefield, and became known as ‘the Great Defender of Peace’ in his later years. As a result Ghyr’s alliance, the kingdom is virtually autonomous and only pays a nominal tribute to Ylaruam every year. Since the war the kingdom has benefitted greatly from trade, and many Alasiyan merchants have settled in the region. After King Ganto’s death, Queen Leahra ascended to the throne and married one the local nobles. She has ruled the realm wisely for many years.

Canolbarth Forest

Government/Ruler – tribal clans/The Treekeepers

Fealty – allied with The Holy Empire

Ethnicities – High Elf and Wood Elf

Common Languages – Hight Tongue and Sylvan Speak

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro(only in Alfheim Town)

Population – 1500(Alfheim Town)

Description – Not much is known of Alfheim by the outside world. It seems the elves have inhabited the forest eternally. The elves that live here have a strange green pigment to their skin. Any who enter the forest are often never seen again. Alfheim town was built many centuries ago as official place for what limited trade the elves would tolerate, more for the benefit of the neighboring Daro people than for any need the elves had of their goods.

Radlebb Woods

Government/Ruler – clan Callarii/The Tree keeper

Fealty – allied with Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Ethnicities – Gray Elf

Common Languages – Sylvan Speak

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro(only in Rifflian)

Population – 170(Rifflian)

Description – The Callarii elves inhabit these woods. They keep mostly to themselves and people who wander these woods tend to disappear. The elves have an arrangement with the duke to provide a small retinue to act as personal guards for him in exchange for their privacy. They do maintain the small village of Rifflian on the Windrush as trading post and means of contact with the outside world.

Dymrak Forest

Government/Ruler – clan Vyallia/The Tree keeper

Fealty – n/a

Ethnicities – Valley Elf

Common Languages – Sylvan Speak

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d) (only in Greenheight)

Population – 100(Greenheight)

Description – The Vyallia elves inhabit the eastern portion of this forest and are reclusive, even by elven standards. The Greenheight family rebelled against the customs of the clan several centuries ago and built a settlement after the manner of the humans at the edge of the forest. Here they have been teaching humans the ways of the elven forester and allied themselves politically with the Empire of Thyatis.

Alfeisle

Government/Ruler – Guilds Verdier and Elsan/Ulard Forster and Eluna Kelar

Fealty – Guildmaster Oran Meditor

Ethnicities – Wood Elf and Water Elf

Common Languages – Sylvan Speak

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, copper Follis(1/4d), gold Solidus(25d)

Population – 2000(Seahome), 1300(Verdon)

Description – This Isle is home to Meditor and Verdier elves. They inhabited this land since before the flooding of Taymora. Over the centuries the Meditor clan took to the seas and drifted away from the ancient traditions, while the Verdier elves became more insular and retreated to the dense woods of the highlands. The Meditor elves were the ones who became involved with the affairs of the surrounding people of Minrothad. Only recently have the Verdier elves begun taking a more active role so as to prevent their Meditor cousins from making decisions that affect the whole island.

Rockhome

Government/Ruler – Kingdom/King Everast

Fealty – n/a

Ethnicities – Mountain Gnome and Forest Gnome

Common Languages – Denwarf’s Tongue and Gnomish

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage –

Population – 5500

Description – The great King Denwarf led the gnomes the great cavern of Dengar(literally translates as ‘Rockhome’) in the mountains millennia ago. The Mountain Gnomes once had 6 sister citadels throughout the known world, but they each have fallen one by one over the centuries and Dengar is the only surviving citadel. Denwarf’s Folk, as they like to call themselves, are an industrious people enamored with the riches of the earth. They have a strong military tradition which has enabled them to guard their homes and secrets for so long. Only in recent years have the gnomes begun trading items of their craftmanship in earnest to other peoples, though they still have a keen distrust of elves.

High Forge

Government/Ruler – Council of Elders

Fealty – allied with Duke Stefan Karameikos III

Ethnicities – Forest Gnome

Common Languages – Gnomish

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 620

Description – The gnomes of the High Forge clan are scattered throughout the Wufwold hills in burrows of no more than 100. The gnomes are a solitary bunch, limiting their business with the outside world to their yearly caravan which journeys to Specularum and back.

Five Shires

Government/Ruler – Shires/the Sheriffs

Fealty – allied with Holy Emperor

Ethnicities – Garden Gnome

Common Languages – Hinnic

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro

Population – 2400

Description – The Hin have inhabited what they call Hinhome since before recorded history. These gnomes have faced many hardships over the centuries, first being ruled by a tribe of orcs, and then being subjugated by the nearby Mountain Gnome citadel of Thunderdelve; they have conducted wars on the high seas with the Empire of Thyatis. In short the Hin have often been underestimated and bullied by other peoples, but always come out on top. To an outside observer the Five Shires appears to be an uninhabited picturesque parkland of rolling hills of woodland and meadow. In reality the land is heavily cultivated and pruned; the Hin live in small burrows underneath the hills that are almost impossible to detect unless you know what you are looking for. The Hin adhere to a clan structure with each sheriff acting as a mediator and judge over the clans; each year, and as necessary, the sheriffs gather to conduct business that affect all the Hin people.

Honor Island

Government/Ruler – Supreme Symposium of Gnomish Syndicates

Fealty – n/a

Ethnicities – Tinker Gnome

Common Languages – Gnomish

Real World Analog – n/a

Accepted Coinage – silver Denaro, gold Solidus(25d)

Population – unknown

Description – This is a largely unknown island that is independent of any king or emperor, though it is often grouped with the Ierendi isles politically based on its geographical proximity. It is known that the island is home to a secret cabal of magicians practicing a unique craft of magic. A small clan of gnomes is also said to serve the magicians who rule the island. The gnomes are responsible for wondrous steel ships which are impervious to attack and deadly to all other vessels; some are even said to be able to submerge themselves underwater. Any trespassers on the island are executed. The magicians hire out their ships to Ierendi in exchange for supplies and an exorbitant amount of wealth in the form of raw metals and gems.

The Purposes of Maps in RPGs

This is a follow up to this post and this post

First I think it is important to differentiate between the game world and a mere map. Your game world exists independent of any maps or notes you might make. The game world exists in your mind and is brought to life during play; that world changes based on the play of the other participants of the game and leaves your control once play has begun. A map is simply a tool to facilitate the game, either to make running the game easier for you as a DM, or to give the players a sense of the reality of the game world and their place within it.

Page 212 of Thematic Cartography and Visualization 3rd edition by Terry Slocum, Robert McMaster, Fritz Kessler, and Hugh Howard states, " Cartographic design . . . is driven by two goals: (1) to create a map that appropriately serves the map user based on the map's intended use, and (2) to create a map that communicates the map's information in the most efficient manner, simply and clearly"

How does this apply to maps in an RPG?

First, we need to determine what the intended use of a map is; this can be complicated and varied, especially in RPGs. This is the reason I advocated for a series of maps to cover different uses in my last post on the subject. We shouldn't be trying to mash what should be 3 or 5 or 7 different maps into 1 just because we want to be able to do everything with one map.

Second, we have to determine the best way to communicate information to the map user; this again will vary map by map. In some cases hexes will be more useful, and in others a scale bar would be better; there are multiple ways to communicate the same information, and how we do so is dictated by the intended use of the map.

Given a baseline that intended use, or purpose, determines how we will design the end product, I think it is prudent to outline some possible purposes or uses of a map in an RPG and how that might affect design. A brief outline of different types of maps is discussed here where maps are divided into the basic category of reference, thematic, and battle maps; I will be differentiating map use at a somewhat more granular level.

Let's start with the Player Map. Any map given to the player needs to embody a Sense of Place; to give them the feeling that the world presented to them is real and they have a tangible connection to it. But a Player Map must also contain concrete actionable information; specific spatial elements must be displayed in a manner that can impact the decisions of the players. So to sum up: A Player Map must present information to the players in a manner that (1) enforces the reality of the game world and (2) affects their choices within that reality. 

These maps can be in a variety of scales and styles, yet I feel they should all be from the perspective of a character in game world. This can mean from a fictional cartographer or from the point of view of the players. Point of View maps tend to be larger scale, best used to show small areas like rooms, or view down a city street; though they can also be used to make panoramic perspective maps of an entire country side. This is where the map is really a work of art and less a functional map. To provide more functional maps to the players I recommend trying to emulate real world maps that fit the genre and time period, whether it be medieval, modern, or sci-fi. Of course there are no 'real' sci-fi maps, but I think a diagrammatic approach like that used for modern bus and rail systems captures the feeling of most science fiction settings. Modern maps should follow the standard street maps or topo maps that are most common these days, you may even feel that an existing modern map is appropriate for your world. For quasi-medieval games (like D&D) player maps should really be emulating historical maps like the Mappa Mundi or Da Vinci's overland maps; player maps really shouldn't look like they came out of a Tolkien novel, medieval people did not think in the same terms that modern people do and the in-game maps should reflect that. A great resource for viewing what historical maps actually looked like is the David Rumsey Map Collection.

 Any other maps that you create will by their very nature be DM maps, and though players may glimpse these maps from time to time, these maps will be made with the goal of helping you, the DM, to run the game. What specific maps you will need depends on your style of DMing. If you use miniatures you will probably make use of battle maps with large scale grids where 1 inch equals 5ft, but if you run 'theater of the mind' then such maps will be useless to you. Given that, I'm going briefly touch on some different maps that a DM may find useful for different purposes.

First up is the general reference map. What do I mean by that? Well, I don't mean a map that just has all the information you think you might need during the game; in this sense a Reference Map allows the DM to track the location of the players and measure the distance to any given location. Basically it is a reference of the spatial coordinates of any important locations in the game world. You may find a modern-style topographic map useful to track elevation changes, and a hex grid is extremely useful for measuring distance at a glance, but this reference map could be as simple as a series of points and interconnecting lines(also called a node map) with a few notes denoting distance between each location. There are many different types of reference maps, and you should use whichever one will serve your purposes best.

A climate and/or biome map may also prove of use. A Climactic Map informs the DM about the weather and flora and fauna that PCs might encounter in any given area. When creating a climate map, the Koppen Classification system is pretty standard, although there are some newer systems that expand on it.  You can use a climate map as guide to google a real world location with the same climate and just use that place's current weather in your game, or the map can just give you a rough idea of the type of weather that should be occurring in any given season. You could also create tables or code a random generator to create realistic weather for any given day based on the climate. Climate can affect the Biome, but they are not the same thing. In any event you have essentially the same options in how this map will affect your game as above, you can pick and choose from real world locations, just keep the general idea of the biome in your head, or make complex tables for each biome.

Last, but not least is the Political or Wargame map. A Political Map informs the DM of geopolitical tensions and the behavior of NPCs on a more granular level. This map shows the DM not just where borders are and which countries are most powerful, but it also allows you to get in the head-space of the characters in the world. Just by looking at the map it is easy to determine who an NPC might be rivals with or loyal to, prejudices arise out of geography and community and what is a political map, but a map of communities? There are many ways make a political map, you could make a modern one with delineated country borders, or you could make a dot map of each community being a different color based on their allegiance. Another option is to use the classic hexmap derived from wargames, not every hex needs to have an allegiance, there could be neutral or wilderness hexes with no meaningful population residing there. The benefit of this method is being able to also play a war game in the world without having to make a different map just for that purpose.

There are of course other types of maps each with their own purpose, but I think this covers the essential uses of maps in most Role-Playing Games.

RPG Mapping Solved

Here I discussed some of my problems with accepted mapping practices for RPGs and some thoughts on possible solutions. Just now I think I hit on an something that just might be the solution to all my problems.

For a while now I have come to the conclusion that we should treat campaign setting and general overland maps for RPGs the same as we do maps in the real world. My issue for a long time was how to best incorporate all the disparate elements representing different things in a single map. I came up with ideas dealing with the coloring of interior of hexes, the color of the hex border, the design of hex borders, and symbols placed inside of hexes. I would't say it's impossible to include everything and still have a single readable map, but it is certainly unnecessary. When mapping the earth each map is tailored to a specific purpose. We have topographic maps, and climactic maps, and road maps, and political maps, etc. Putting all these elements on a single map is rarely the best way to go. So I came to this conclusion quite some time ago, it feels like a couple of months, but it was probably more than a year ago; basically we should use different maps of our RPG campaign world for different purposes. We don't need all the details in one map and different elements can be better captured on their own specialized map than being a giant jumbled mess. And this is made even easier with modern technology and overlapping layers, this can even be implemented in pdf format.

What has I have been racking my brain for the longest time was how to deal with dungeon/interior building maps. Because as I said in my previous post I really think the key and location description format should be a thing of the past, and honestly the short little adventure Hole in the Oak that was designed for Old School Essentials is a huge step forward, but it's still not exactly what I'm looking for.

So here's my great big Genius Idea (if I may indulge in some hyperbole): Present dungeons in the form of an atlas.

What do I mean by that? Well, I'm applying the same principles of outdoor maps to indoor maps. Basically, atlases start with different small scale maps of the world, have some text with general descriptions, then they are organized into regions with text about those regions and then those regions and even more detailed large scale maps. One of my main goals with dungeon maps was to translate everything to the map so there isn't a great need to reference a key during the running of the game. this can be done with maps that have a large enough scale and can fit those kind of details.

This would result in a dungeon module looking like this. A few general overview large scale maps showing the entire dungeon, maybe a faction map, a cross section map, etc. These maps would take up a page and on the opposing page would be a description of the factions or whatever the map depicts. Then there would be regional map, say of a particular faction, with more detailed description of how the faction makes use of the different sections of their lair, and who is likely to be in what rooms at what times and wandering monsters, etc. and then follows hyper detailed maps of each room in that region. These room maps would aim to include every detail of the room, furniture, decorations, traps, etc. and the opposing page would include the consequences of interacting with said objects (reference the Hole in the Oak for the format that could possible take). Following all the room maps of a single region would be the next regional map and it's associated room maps, and so on. With maybe an index or other reference material at the back of the module.

EDIT: just realized I had a half written post about the purposes of maps in rpgs meant to follow up on my post linked above. Maybe I will finish it sometime this week; in this post I've just presented the how, without delving deeper into the why of rpg maps.

DEM Cloud Cover

Discovered this NACIS talk and wanted to do some experiments

I applied this technique to my old DEM from the 490 project; it turned out all right, though not nearly as pretty as John Nelson's examples.

If anything I feel like this emphasizes everything that I think is wrong with this DEM, very dimply, and not really realistic contour grades, the river systems should stand out from the mountains more I guess. An interesting way to look at things

Map K Redux

So after my last post about the map from B10 I was looking at some other maps from modules which Geoff Wingate was credited on. Then I noticed on some maps from UK1 All That Glitters that both ridges/peaks and valleys/passes were shown in the same manner.

Then I began to second guess my earlier decisions and was all confused. After some research I found Geoff Wingate's contact information and emailed about my quandary and with an explanation of what I was trying to do. To my surprise I got a reply.

"Hi Lance... I had to google DEM... that's cool what you've done and I'm flattered you've used my old D&D illustrated maps as inspiration... it's true my drawn lines representing mountainous  ridges and valleys are the same... and where mountains meet a flat plain... I guessed people would 'read' that a ridge line ends in a stick-out headland and a valley line ends in an inlet... if you know what I mean... to be honest, I really think I sort-of invented this graphic technique because I can't remember copying it from anywhere... I had studied architecture and architectural graphics standards and I also loved drawing in art nouveau style or folk-like Celtic style... when I started freelancing for D&D in Cambridge... I found existing rpg maps diagrammatic and abstract so I wanted to draw a more pictorial illustrated map... more fun, more expressive but still scaled and accurate... I'm proud of those maps and pleased players enjoyed them... I was proud of my 'Eye of the Serpent' map where I managed to combine a flat map within a perspective landscape... I don't think I've particularly answered your questions... maybe my response a bit vague... but anyway, thx for your email and nice to meet you... GEOFF"

So from this, we can conclude that both ridges and valleys are represented and we can identify each by the overall shape of the mountains. Using this principle as a guide I have revised my previous outline:

Shadows of Esteren Road Map

I ran Shadows of Esteren for the first time last night. the system really is as simple as it appears, and combat is extremely deadly. The party(3 PCs) got the drop on a guy in a cave and killed him before he could react to defend himself. The PCs started in the town of Smarag, where they were tasked by their mentor with instigating rumors of children disappearing in a nearby village. Turned out one of the villagers had gone mad and was dressing up in wolf pelts, killing the local livestock as a cover for his kidnapping of the children, and then cooking and eating those children. He hid all the evidence in a nearby cave, where the party camped out and saw him enter his lair.

So to help me in the future I did a quick digitization of the original map so that I could know distances traveled on the roads, the result is below.

Plans for Threshold

So I have finished finally detailing Threshold. Right now I just have the basic details filled in; the only people with names are those mentioned in canon sources, so most of the town is just Farmer and wife, or Innkeeper, etc. I am not going to make an actual map of the town yet, first I want to map the first 3 levels of a megadungeon under the town. I also am going to continue my thoughts from here and work on a series of posts exploring the purposes of a map in an RPG and how to effectively map urban areas. After I know exactly what I want from a town map I will come back to Threshold. Below I have provided a few screenshots of different ways to look at the town based on the current data.

Displays what each building is used for; majority of the new town is homes, significant number of inns and taverns scattered throughout the town, most workshops centered near southern wall, and concentration of shops along a single street in new town have given it the name of merchant street.

Different guilds of the town; merchants appear to be most numerous, thieves have extended control of island, and the hostliers also are a large guild given the number of Inns and Taverns

Distribution of population in the town, seems to be fairly random, I was hoping the population would be denser on the island

A sort of Height map of the city, the island and the inner town definitely have taller buildings

Materials of buildings, most of the stone buildings are old and left over from earlier settlements, this is also true of many of the mixed stone and wood building, and original stone building or the ruins of one were expanded with wooden structures. Brick is a newer source of building material, hence its rarity. Most of the town is made of wood because of the easy supply available from the nearby forests and Threshold is a center for shipment of lumber downstream.

Now that I know what is where in Threshold I can begin to design the megadungeon. My idea for it is this: underneath the town are ruins of an older city, and parts of it remain as cellars of some of the old buildings or buried just under the surface, so there are these disconnected buildings beneath the current town, and some of them have surviving connections to an old sewer or canal system below the ruins. The ruined buildings will act as the 1st level of the megadungeon, and the sewer system will be the 2nd level. From the the second level there will be a few select passages to the 3rd level, which will be a classic maze-like megadungeon. I also have a few ideas for lower levels, and I am thinking of connecting the lower levels to caves in the hills nearby inhabited by humanoid tribes.

Areas mentioned or detailed beneath Threshold in canon sources are caves and canal beneath the juggling ogre from Trouble in Threshold, a dungeon beneath the old mill from the Expert set, a maze of tunnels made by Purple worms from the Expert set, the cellar under the Crossed Swords tavern leads to old sewers from Night's Dark Terror, and the possibility of old Traladaran/Hutakkan ruins of Lugsid or Zadreth from Hail the Heroes. Other areas I want to detail for the 1st level of the dungeon include ruins of an old villa under the adventurers guildhouse which I have already made a basic layout for, and catacombs under the churchyard.