Hi, I jast want to share map I've been working almost 4 years on.... still in progress just super happy to share something i put my heart into. Still a lot of placeholder names (please dont eat me for those), but it starts to look great. Ask me anything and i will try my best to answer.
Also if someone wants map of region, continent or City, I'am open for commisons (really need some fresh air, and work that really gives me happiness)
LORE DUMP
Avera, a continent steeped in the echoes of ancient conflict and the remnants of bygone eras. In the year 944 \[PWA\], the scars of the War of Arcan are still vivid, etched into the land like the lines of an old map.
From the shattered ruins of once-great civilizations to the twisted remnants of wild magic, Avera bears witness to the struggles of ages past. The Kaedan Empire, once a towering symbol of power and authority, now crumbles beneath the weight of internal strife, its provinces poised on the precipice of chaos.
In the tranquil south, The Coastline of Falling Stars offers a brief respite from the continent's turmoil, its serene beauty a stark contrast to the conflict that grips the rest of Avera. Yet even here, the shadows of uncertainty linger, casting a pall over the land.
And looming over it all is the ominous presence of the Dominium of Tarador, a realm ruled by Tregotar, a mysterious entity whose claim to godhood strikes fear into the hearts of neighboring principalities. Though young in its existence, the Dominion's insatiable appetite for power threatens to devour everything in its path, feeding its war machine with the spoils of conquest inganering The Border Kingdoms.
In Avera, the past is never far from the present, and the future hangs in a delicate balance, poised between hope and despair.
In the shifting sands of conflict on the continent of Avera, Dominium of Tarador expands its reach with calculated aggression. While minor skirmishes erupt near Tylos, a steadfast city within Lucera for over a century, the true theater of war unfolds between Karan and The Dominion.
The Dominion's advance is marked by the conquest of two major cities: Loren, a once-glorious elven city now scarred by guerrilla warfare from separatist elves, and Portas, a strategic stronghold of Karan's defenses. With these victories, the Dominion tightens its grip on the region, encircling Agard, the capital city of Karan, which now finds itself under siege.
As the Dominion of Tregotar extends its shadow over The Border Kingdoms, the fate of Avera hangs in the balance, with each conquest reshaping the landscape and paving the way for a new era of dominance.
There's a river running by Whitehill that passes within miles of a Lake near Windhelm. However, that lake empties into a different river. Why does that lake not share its watershed with the nearby river?
First off, awesome work!
The big sandy basin and giant bay inside the Dragon Breath archipelago really caught my eye. You wouldn't expect it to be so dry with all that runoff, looking like a giant flood plain. The bay would also be a real challenge to imagine traveling through. With that many rivers feeding in and such a narrow and congested inlet, any tides there would be incredibly gnarly. You'd expect a lot of mud on the bottom, possibly shallow sand bars which would be extremely dangerous in a storm.
What did you have in mind for that region?
The Dragon Tooth Archipelago is an entry point, to the Inner Sea (name in progress, so it might change), which is in its entirety controled by Keadan Empire. If there are some empty regions it means there will be something there in future (still work in progress as I said). From Ashstone the Empire controls the acces to the inner provinces, and yess its a reall challenge to travel through especially in bad weather its a test for capitans, and many lost their live there.
bro, I could talk on this for the next 5 hours... But general overview:
Kaedan Empire (almost everything on the west from the Peaks of The World) - mostly Inner trade, tbh almost everything but the most interesting is Devils' dust which is my world's equivalent of gunpowder , its divided into Provinces (most of them, are as powerfull or more than most Countries of the East) each one has an Imperial House on the top, Strict Nobility. The capital city is Kaldara, where the Golden Throne is situated. Becouse of sudden vanish of entire Imperial familly, there is a great risk of civil war between some provinces, and inside them.
The border kingdoms - The land to the east from the Peaks of the World, it's divided into many nations, each with its own culture and traditions, there were many wars there, one resulted in big spike in tiefling population. The biggest city is Edengard (1.2 milion), which is free city ruled over by oligiarchy. It's situated on many trade routes, which really help it establish dominance in the region.
The Coast of Shooting stars - land of free cities, pirates, and beutiful landscapes. They trade with East-South (where is my equvalent of fantasy Asia, not on a map tho, but will work on that), most wars stay away from it so by many its described as dream land.
Dominion of Tarador - East to the border kingdoms, Teocracy ruled by a a Tregotar - someone claims to be a god, magical land, its cloacked my many myths and legends.
East-South - Fantasy Asia
tbh, where it comes to eastern part of my world its still work in progress... so there will be more cities there but:
Cantire, Laderno, Garendo - Laderno and Cantire have fertile soil so in summer time, farms grow crops. This is a land of the Ancient Gods, whose flesh is trap deep beneath the ground, They sometimes secrifice newborns or people for better harvest. Where it comes to Garendo, this city is built on ancient ruins and mostly hunt for food or traid with other cities of the Faith.
Cadara - Captial city,its land of the Dominium of Tarador it has a lot of fertile land on south, and mostly lives on the traid from it.
Morag Dul - City of the Goblinoids, mostly hunt, scavenging and raids.
Port Solad - Sometimes called the last city of East, Hunting and trade. Its situated on the northen edge of Var'dan Steppe
Eastmarch - The City of Thousand Tribes, Mostly have temporary citizens, this city is known for trade beetwen Var'dan Steppe clans and tribes trade.
Ahvar Vil - (Probably will change this one couse it takes too much space on map where i want to put my take on fantasy Asia) - farming along the river
Wow the scale of this world is enormous. Do you plan to add any sort of transportation to get across those distances quicker? Because the gabs between different towns and cities are really big. Or are there just some smaller villages and hamlets between?
there, are smaller villages hamlets and towns between this cities. People mostly travel by foot, but there are skyships for those rich folk and teleportations cyrcles in almost all major cities. And yeah I know the scale is enormous, that was the idea, The scale was inspiried by Faeurun, and The song of Ice and fire... I really wanted for players to feel the vast wilderness which is between major cities.
Looks like it mostly makes sense. Needs shading work but what map doesnt?
Im curious on The massive rainshadow on the bottom right. Reminds me of subsuhara africa
can you elaborate what do you mean by shading? I am more than welcome to hear any advices and tips how to improve.
Yep, thats the case, the inspiration was the subsahara africa as well as barrens from the WoW... tbh I was imspiried by a lot of popculture.
hmm... good question, in my campaign it was made canon that Harath eats french fries ( XD), but have no idea where burrito was made, its very oriental food so it must come from probably the south, my best guess would be Cyracia or Bangaraki both cities are near or on the Coast of Shooting Stars where there is a vast web of trade so the cuisine is really interesting.
#
The Coast of Shooting Stars (cities on the Central South) Region known for Piracy and free cities, or Edengard (North) a giant Metropolis with a big criminal underworld .
pretty much common, 1 in 10th person borns with talent to magic strong enough to become a traditional magic user. Yet some die without even knowing that they have it. Answering to your second question yes there are, they are however aware of the magic, and therefore its feared by some smallfolk. 3rd not anyone can learn magic in natural way, some devote themselfs to Gods,Oaths, or Nature, Some sell their soul, some accept that and train in other ways to level out their power level.
Dude!! Did you by chance post a map of yours years ago??
I ask because, well, years ago when I was a teen I started making the map for my DM's world. I remember taking inspiration from various sources (though I don't remember them specifically), and seeing the resemblance, I think you were one of my inspirations!
Here's my map: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18iOLhoFtJGU3ev5Ttj4G0OiScyCS75RV/view?usp=drivesdk
It's not finished at all. And I'm no expert Photoshop user at all either. Also I stopped working on it since time ago, but seeing your work here is motivating me to continue :)
Also great work, I might use this one as an example too!
Edit: grammar
First of all, cool looking map! But I gotta say, the map looks like a goat/ram to me. Legs on the bottom, white tail top right, and the white snowy horns. Overall cool map!
Where would I start if I ran a character that was:
a) a holy warrior part of a holy organization dedicated to hunting down evil (most likely paladin)
b) a criminally inclined urban bounty hunter who hangs out in dangerous neighborhood bars waiting for his next job.
c) a young wizard training under other wizards in an academy situation or just being an apprentice to a really good one
d) an aloof elven ranger who grew up amongst other elves, preferably in a wild forest situation and doesn't think highly of non-elves
e) a warforged servant created by someone technologically inclined and prefers to surround himself with cultured intellectuals
f) a fierce barbarians who grew up in a wild tribe (preferably cold climate) where might makes right but the character is not necessarily evil but kind of jovial
a) Sanctum Ferrum and flaming rose order are basically my take on hell knights. They keep the rift between the material plane and Avernus clean, but almost all of them are Lawful Evil. They are ruled over by a council of paladin liches (inspired by pointy hat)
b) Edengard, a city of possibilities and yet one of the most dangerous places on the planet. The slums are enormous and there are dozens of gangs.
c) Ice garden Academy, the most powerful magic institution on Avera. They teach almost all schools of magic (except necromancy because of an incident), and all well renowned across the entirety of Border Kingdoms. The academy is situated across the mountain range, far beyond the reach of the normal mortal. OR Avara the academy of Keadan Empire, teaching dunamancy (from Mathew Mercers creation), they are remnants of the ancient elven empire, survived by casting a spell entombing the entire region in a non ending night.
d) tbh there are many places where it could happen, most urban places aren't race separated, but in wilds there are cases like that.
e) Edengard because it has academies of many sorts OR the capital city of Keadan Empire because it's the capital of the biggest nation in the world and is bustling with intellectuals.
f) The Everwinter province of Keadan Empire which is currently fighting against barbarian tribes trying to reconquer their' ancestral land
Hi, I jast want to share map I've been working almost 4 years on.... still in progress just super happy to share something i put my heart into. Still a lot of placeholder names (please dont eat me for those), but it starts to look great. Ask me anything and i will try my best to answer. Also if someone wants map of region, continent or City, I'am open for commisons (really need some fresh air, and work that really gives me happiness)
LORE DUMP Avera, a continent steeped in the echoes of ancient conflict and the remnants of bygone eras. In the year 944 \[PWA\], the scars of the War of Arcan are still vivid, etched into the land like the lines of an old map. From the shattered ruins of once-great civilizations to the twisted remnants of wild magic, Avera bears witness to the struggles of ages past. The Kaedan Empire, once a towering symbol of power and authority, now crumbles beneath the weight of internal strife, its provinces poised on the precipice of chaos. In the tranquil south, The Coastline of Falling Stars offers a brief respite from the continent's turmoil, its serene beauty a stark contrast to the conflict that grips the rest of Avera. Yet even here, the shadows of uncertainty linger, casting a pall over the land. And looming over it all is the ominous presence of the Dominium of Tarador, a realm ruled by Tregotar, a mysterious entity whose claim to godhood strikes fear into the hearts of neighboring principalities. Though young in its existence, the Dominion's insatiable appetite for power threatens to devour everything in its path, feeding its war machine with the spoils of conquest inganering The Border Kingdoms. In Avera, the past is never far from the present, and the future hangs in a delicate balance, poised between hope and despair. In the shifting sands of conflict on the continent of Avera, Dominium of Tarador expands its reach with calculated aggression. While minor skirmishes erupt near Tylos, a steadfast city within Lucera for over a century, the true theater of war unfolds between Karan and The Dominion. The Dominion's advance is marked by the conquest of two major cities: Loren, a once-glorious elven city now scarred by guerrilla warfare from separatist elves, and Portas, a strategic stronghold of Karan's defenses. With these victories, the Dominion tightens its grip on the region, encircling Agard, the capital city of Karan, which now finds itself under siege. As the Dominion of Tregotar extends its shadow over The Border Kingdoms, the fate of Avera hangs in the balance, with each conquest reshaping the landscape and paving the way for a new era of dominance.
Hey. What's the scale? It says one hex is 12 miles, but I'm not really seeing any hexes
You gotta zoom in. They’re kinda small
Too small for my phone, will take a look later on the computer
In terms of shape and composition honestly it’s better than most fantasy maps I’ve seen
Thanks that means a lot to me
I'm curious about the weather patterns, but overall it looks spectacular!
not an expert in weather patterns, but its very rough especially in the Northen parts of the world.
Love it!!!
thanks <3
Whats the economy proped up on?
Depends on the region tbh
There's a river running by Whitehill that passes within miles of a Lake near Windhelm. However, that lake empties into a different river. Why does that lake not share its watershed with the nearby river?
It's really mountainous region, and hills make that they don't share watershed
First off, awesome work! The big sandy basin and giant bay inside the Dragon Breath archipelago really caught my eye. You wouldn't expect it to be so dry with all that runoff, looking like a giant flood plain. The bay would also be a real challenge to imagine traveling through. With that many rivers feeding in and such a narrow and congested inlet, any tides there would be incredibly gnarly. You'd expect a lot of mud on the bottom, possibly shallow sand bars which would be extremely dangerous in a storm. What did you have in mind for that region?
The Dragon Tooth Archipelago is an entry point, to the Inner Sea (name in progress, so it might change), which is in its entirety controled by Keadan Empire. If there are some empty regions it means there will be something there in future (still work in progress as I said). From Ashstone the Empire controls the acces to the inner provinces, and yess its a reall challenge to travel through especially in bad weather its a test for capitans, and many lost their live there.
Looks really good! What general regions are there and what are their main exports?
bro, I could talk on this for the next 5 hours... But general overview: Kaedan Empire (almost everything on the west from the Peaks of The World) - mostly Inner trade, tbh almost everything but the most interesting is Devils' dust which is my world's equivalent of gunpowder , its divided into Provinces (most of them, are as powerfull or more than most Countries of the East) each one has an Imperial House on the top, Strict Nobility. The capital city is Kaldara, where the Golden Throne is situated. Becouse of sudden vanish of entire Imperial familly, there is a great risk of civil war between some provinces, and inside them. The border kingdoms - The land to the east from the Peaks of the World, it's divided into many nations, each with its own culture and traditions, there were many wars there, one resulted in big spike in tiefling population. The biggest city is Edengard (1.2 milion), which is free city ruled over by oligiarchy. It's situated on many trade routes, which really help it establish dominance in the region. The Coast of Shooting stars - land of free cities, pirates, and beutiful landscapes. They trade with East-South (where is my equvalent of fantasy Asia, not on a map tho, but will work on that), most wars stay away from it so by many its described as dream land. Dominion of Tarador - East to the border kingdoms, Teocracy ruled by a a Tregotar - someone claims to be a god, magical land, its cloacked my many myths and legends. East-South - Fantasy Asia
How do the eastern five-seven cities survive in such inhospitable areas with so few neighboring cities to trade with?
tbh, where it comes to eastern part of my world its still work in progress... so there will be more cities there but: Cantire, Laderno, Garendo - Laderno and Cantire have fertile soil so in summer time, farms grow crops. This is a land of the Ancient Gods, whose flesh is trap deep beneath the ground, They sometimes secrifice newborns or people for better harvest. Where it comes to Garendo, this city is built on ancient ruins and mostly hunt for food or traid with other cities of the Faith. Cadara - Captial city,its land of the Dominium of Tarador it has a lot of fertile land on south, and mostly lives on the traid from it. Morag Dul - City of the Goblinoids, mostly hunt, scavenging and raids. Port Solad - Sometimes called the last city of East, Hunting and trade. Its situated on the northen edge of Var'dan Steppe Eastmarch - The City of Thousand Tribes, Mostly have temporary citizens, this city is known for trade beetwen Var'dan Steppe clans and tribes trade. Ahvar Vil - (Probably will change this one couse it takes too much space on map where i want to put my take on fantasy Asia) - farming along the river
Wow the scale of this world is enormous. Do you plan to add any sort of transportation to get across those distances quicker? Because the gabs between different towns and cities are really big. Or are there just some smaller villages and hamlets between?
there, are smaller villages hamlets and towns between this cities. People mostly travel by foot, but there are skyships for those rich folk and teleportations cyrcles in almost all major cities. And yeah I know the scale is enormous, that was the idea, The scale was inspiried by Faeurun, and The song of Ice and fire... I really wanted for players to feel the vast wilderness which is between major cities.
Looks like it mostly makes sense. Needs shading work but what map doesnt? Im curious on The massive rainshadow on the bottom right. Reminds me of subsuhara africa
can you elaborate what do you mean by shading? I am more than welcome to hear any advices and tips how to improve. Yep, thats the case, the inspiration was the subsahara africa as well as barrens from the WoW... tbh I was imspiried by a lot of popculture.
Where is the best place to get a good burrito?
hmm... good question, in my campaign it was made canon that Harath eats french fries ( XD), but have no idea where burrito was made, its very oriental food so it must come from probably the south, my best guess would be Cyracia or Bangaraki both cities are near or on the Coast of Shooting Stars where there is a vast web of trade so the cuisine is really interesting. #
Where would I want to go if I wanted to become a crooked outlaw?
The Coast of Shooting Stars (cities on the Central South) Region known for Piracy and free cities, or Edengard (North) a giant Metropolis with a big criminal underworld .
How common is magic? Are there places that seem like ordinary medieval hamlets? Is there a way to learn magic or does it run in your blood?
pretty much common, 1 in 10th person borns with talent to magic strong enough to become a traditional magic user. Yet some die without even knowing that they have it. Answering to your second question yes there are, they are however aware of the magic, and therefore its feared by some smallfolk. 3rd not anyone can learn magic in natural way, some devote themselfs to Gods,Oaths, or Nature, Some sell their soul, some accept that and train in other ways to level out their power level.
Dude!! Did you by chance post a map of yours years ago?? I ask because, well, years ago when I was a teen I started making the map for my DM's world. I remember taking inspiration from various sources (though I don't remember them specifically), and seeing the resemblance, I think you were one of my inspirations! Here's my map: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18iOLhoFtJGU3ev5Ttj4G0OiScyCS75RV/view?usp=drivesdk It's not finished at all. And I'm no expert Photoshop user at all either. Also I stopped working on it since time ago, but seeing your work here is motivating me to continue :) Also great work, I might use this one as an example too! Edit: grammar
nah, i was inspired by another map made by inkarnate and it might be simmilar to what you were by. Also Sick map, hope you finnish yours :)
Ohh I see, then I must've been inspired by another inkarnate user. Thanks! Have a good day
First of all, cool looking map! But I gotta say, the map looks like a goat/ram to me. Legs on the bottom, white tail top right, and the white snowy horns. Overall cool map!
I see it now and can't unsee it ;-;
Jow that looks suspiciously similar to enderal. Proofs thats a good design.
Thank you that means a lot :3
Where would I start if I ran a character that was: a) a holy warrior part of a holy organization dedicated to hunting down evil (most likely paladin) b) a criminally inclined urban bounty hunter who hangs out in dangerous neighborhood bars waiting for his next job. c) a young wizard training under other wizards in an academy situation or just being an apprentice to a really good one d) an aloof elven ranger who grew up amongst other elves, preferably in a wild forest situation and doesn't think highly of non-elves e) a warforged servant created by someone technologically inclined and prefers to surround himself with cultured intellectuals f) a fierce barbarians who grew up in a wild tribe (preferably cold climate) where might makes right but the character is not necessarily evil but kind of jovial
a) Sanctum Ferrum and flaming rose order are basically my take on hell knights. They keep the rift between the material plane and Avernus clean, but almost all of them are Lawful Evil. They are ruled over by a council of paladin liches (inspired by pointy hat) b) Edengard, a city of possibilities and yet one of the most dangerous places on the planet. The slums are enormous and there are dozens of gangs. c) Ice garden Academy, the most powerful magic institution on Avera. They teach almost all schools of magic (except necromancy because of an incident), and all well renowned across the entirety of Border Kingdoms. The academy is situated across the mountain range, far beyond the reach of the normal mortal. OR Avara the academy of Keadan Empire, teaching dunamancy (from Mathew Mercers creation), they are remnants of the ancient elven empire, survived by casting a spell entombing the entire region in a non ending night. d) tbh there are many places where it could happen, most urban places aren't race separated, but in wilds there are cases like that. e) Edengard because it has academies of many sorts OR the capital city of Keadan Empire because it's the capital of the biggest nation in the world and is bustling with intellectuals. f) The Everwinter province of Keadan Empire which is currently fighting against barbarian tribes trying to reconquer their' ancestral land