Map Project: the Floenry Isles (100% DONE)

[Hotrod]

EDIT: The bare geography version is done! Here it is!.

EDIT: The natural geography version is done! Here it is!.

EDIT: the final political map is complete! Here it is!

It's time for another Palladium Fantasy map! This time, I'm heading south to that archipeligo of pirates, savages, colonialism, and mystery:

The Floenry Isles

As always, my goal is to render this region of the Palladium world in a way that's both useful for gaming and nice to look at.

As map projects go, this one should be relatively easy and fast; I should have it done in a month or two. Just about all the source material is restricted to a single sourcebook, and there's little in the way of complicated terrain to work with beyond a bit more local detail than what I usually see in canon descriptions. There are a number of factions at play here, and I'll incorporate heraldry and distinctive icons to go with it.

If you like the RPG maps/tools I create and want to see more, one way is to support me on my Patreon page, which also gives you access to some patron-exclusive content like un-released maps of the Land of South Winds, the Great Inland Sea, some heraldry art, NPC Generators, and my latest creation: a Spell Selector Tool for Palladium Fantasy that presents all the key information for the core magic spells in the game on two sides of a single piece of paper, organized by functional category (attack, defend, empower, cripple, travel, communicate, heal, et cetera). If you do decide to become a Patron, I have it set so you'll only contribute money when I produce something in a given month.

I'll be posting updates and in-progress shots as I go to work on this. Please share your thoughts, especially critiques, concerns, and suggestions.

[Captain_Nibbz]

Ah yeah, I'm excited for this one! I can't wait to see what you produce with this.

(Also I think the URL didn't work for the link you intended to put in.)

[Hotrod]

Thanks for pointing that out! I fixed the link.

[Braden Campbell]

I was honestly going to PM you about this very thing yesterday, but decided against being a pest;)

[Hotrod]

I was honestly going to PM you about this very thing yesterday, but decided against being a pest;)

Dude, PM away. Requests don't bug me.

[kiralon]

Awesome


oh no, ill have to self isolate with a new map to base a campaign on.

[Prysus]

If you like the RPG maps/tools I create and want to see more, one way is to support me on my Patreon page, which also gives you access to some patron-exclusive content like un-released maps of the Land of South Winds, the Great Inland Sea, some heraldry art, NPC Generators, and my latest creation: a Spell Selector Tool for Palladium Fantasy that presents all the key information for the core magic spells in the game on two sides of a single piece of paper, organized by functional category (attack, defend, empower, cripple, travel, communicate, heal, et cetera). If you do decide to become a Patron, I have it set so I only get money when I produce something in a given month.

Greetings and Salutations. For anyone considering it, I highly recommend supporting this work. The NPC Generators and Spell Selectors can be useful tools. As an individual, I've found the Land of the South Winds map extremely useful. In fact, I was using it just a week ago while discussing some details with my wife. Between this map and my wife's help we were able to figure out and plan a few things out.

As map projects go, this one should be fairly easy and fast; I should have it done in a month or two. Just about all the source material is restricted to a single sourcebook, and there's little in the way of complicated terrain to work with beyond a bit more local detail than what I usually see in canon descriptions. There are a number of factions at play here, and I'll incorporate heraldry and distinctive icons to go with it.

So I don't know how useful any of this is, but ...

When talking to my wife about some South-Winds stuff, I did notice something.

In Adventures on the High Seas (AotHS) 2nd Edition, the South Winds has the "Peninsula of Pendaltor." However, in AotHS 1st Edition (on the map of page 157, and again in written form on page 170) this is referrred to as the "Isthmus of Pendaltor." For those that don't know the difference, a peninsula is surrounded on three sides by water. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger land masses. When working on my project, I used the term peninsula as this is a 2nd Edition product and it's accurately depicted as a peninsula (since there's no second large land mass).

However, thinking of it an isthmus does give support to the concept that the Floenry Isles were once a single larger land mass connected to the main continent (via Pendaltor). To further support this concept, PF6: Island at the Edge of the World (IatEofW) on page 103 has the Crystal Gatetway. One of the 6 "outer" archways connects to "the ocean bottom, somewhere south of the western edge of the Land of the South Winds." There about 3 reasons I can figure for this ...

1: The portal is unstable (or has fallen out of calibration in some sort) and is no longer connected to the original intended location. Possible, but I didn't see any indication with the other locations that this is a thing.
2: There is (or at least was) an underwater race located there, that may have had some kind of trade relations.
3: This location was not always under water.

While I've toyed with all the concepts before, #3 does give some support to the concept that the current continent we know was not always the way it once looked. Though I'll note that the western coast of the Land of the South Winds is opposite of the Floenry Isles (though both are still south). While some of this may come off as more trivia, I figured this might also help plot water depths and some other details (though I don't know enough about such things myself to say for certain).

As other resources for you, IatEofW on page 123 also talks about the Floenry Islands. Page 125 has a map, and shows locations of South Ring (which connects to pirates) and even further away the actual Islands at the Edge. You may not want to include all of that, but as it's an additional map, figured I'd mention it.

All right, that's all for now. Farewell and safe journeys.

[Reagren Wright]

Well this is good news. The under appreciated Floenry Isles getting some love. Very cool. My friend.

[Braden Campbell]

Given the lack of volcanoes on them, the Floenries are likely "continental islands" and the water levels in between then are probably pretty shallow.

[Hotrod]

Update: I've scoped the map and collected all the canon maps in their most-detailed forms.

I'm scoping this map to be printed on 11x17 inch stock. While I prefer using 8.5x11 as my base, the Floenries are very wide east-to-west, while relatively narrow north-to-south. 11x17 allows for cheap printing while matching up fairly well to the archipelago's dimensions. This may affect how much border/frame I put in; we'll see.

I've also drawn in the coastal outlines (the green areas). I'll have a little less of the Land of South Winds' peninsula showing than what we see in High Seas but we'll still have the city of Sulanok and the village of Ramsbottom.

The big decision to make at this point is, how much of the Land of South Winds' mainland do I include?
Option A: I cut out the mainland entirely and focus on the Floenries. This would minimize the amount of open water on the map (which isn't terribly interesting to look at), but it would cut out a key part of the map that helps the viewer see where these isles are with respect to the mainland.
Option B: I include the whole Peninsula of Pendaltor. This would give me space to show and label the peninsula and the Land of South Winds, and it would allow me to mark the city of Pendaltor. On the downside, this would also increase the fraction of the map taken up by open water, and it would shift the focus such that the Floenries wouldn't really occupy the center of the map.
Option C: I compromise between the two, showing just enough of the Peninsula of Pendaltor to give the viewer some context, but only include Sulanok, Ramsbottom, and enough land area for a single label ("Land of South Winds").

Right now, I'm going with Option C, but I'm open to scoping it differently.

[Prysus]

The big decision to make at this point is, how much of the Land of South Winds' mainland do I include?
Option A: I cut out the mainland entirely and focus on the Floenries. This would minimize the amount of open water on the map (which isn't terribly interesting to look at), but it would cut out a key part of the map that helps the viewer see where these isles are with respect to the mainland.
Option B: I include the whole Peninsula of Pendaltor. This would give me space to show and label the peninsula and the Land of South Winds, and it would allow me to mark the city of Pendaltor. On the downside, this would also increase the fraction of the map taken up by open water, and it would shift the focus such that the Floenries wouldn't really occupy the center of the map.
Option C: I compromise between the two, showing just enough of the Peninsula of Pendaltor to give the viewer some context, but only include Sulanok, Ramsbottom, and enough land area for a single label ("Land of South Winds").

Right now, I'm going with Option C, but I'm open to scoping it differently.

Greetings and Salutations.

A: Workable, but I like having context.
B: I agree this would take from the Floenry Islands. I don't think this is the right path to go, in part for similar reasons to why you didn't want to do a map of the Land of the South Winds initially. Side note: I don't think the City of Pendaltor is an actual place. Do you have some reason for thinking there is a city with that name on the peninsula of that name?
C: This is my vote. I like that we'll have some context, and I also feel the Straits of Relar are important in relation to the Floenry Islands. This is a major trade lane, and also an important location for pirate raids. Since the pirates are a part of the Floenry Islands, it seems fitting to include their hunting grounds (and a strait isn't the same without the land it divides). Adding the caption can help detract from some of the water. And I don't know how difficult it would be, but if you could do something like add a doodad to symbolize ships, that could help fill it out.

All right, that's my opinion on the matter. Have fun. Farewell and safe journeys.

[Braden Campbell]

I vote for option C

[kiralon]

I'd vote for c also

[Hotrod]

Side note: I don't think the City of Pendaltor is an actual place. Do you have some reason for thinking there is a city with that name on the peninsula of that name?

On p151 of High Seas, 2nd Edition, the Pendaltor label seems much like the settlement labels for Sulanok and Ramsbottom, which makes me think that there's a city called "Pendaltor" just off the map to the west. It's also possible that "Pendaltor" is just the name of the province or region within the Land of South Winds.

And I don't know how difficult it would be, but if you could do something like add a doodad to symbolize ships, that could help fill it out.

I'll think on that. I like the idea of some kind of trade route marker or indicator for heavy ship traffic/trade.

[Prysus]

Side note: I don't think the City of Pendaltor is an actual place. Do you have some reason for thinking there is a city with that name on the peninsula of that name?

On p151 of High Seas, 2nd Edition, the Pendaltor label seems much like the settlement labels for Sulanok and Ramsbottom, which makes me think that there's a city called "Pendaltor" just off the map to the west. It's also possible that "Pendaltor" is just the name of the province or region within the Land of South Winds.

Greetings and Salutations. My initial plan was to suggest that Palladium just covered up the words "Isthmus of" as an explanation, but as I looked at both 1st Edition and 2nd Edition maps closer, I realized this can't be the case. While the map looks identical (other than the black being much darker/bold in the newer version), they used a different font for all the words, and the word Pendaltor is located slightly lower (almost to the side of Ramsbottom) in the 2nd Edition version than the 1st.

With that said, I still think Pendaltor is used to identify the peninsula, not a city. This is based on the following ...

1: We know Pendaltor is the name of the Peninsula based on text on page 169 of 2nd Edition. It would make sense to identify its location on the map as a reference. Note: This does not preclude a city of that name (New York, New York as an example).
2: Ramsbottom and Sulanok both have dots to indicate their locations. Ramsbottom (a town) has a smaller dot, and Sulanok (a city) a much larger dot. Pendaltor has no dot to indicate a location. Note: This is possibly an oversight, especially if the City of Pendaltor was added at a different time than when the rest of the map was made.
3: In 1st Edition the words "Isthmus of Pendaltor" was on the map. 2nd Edition removed "Isthmus of" as it's not accurate. Note: They did not add "Peninsula of" so this is not definitive proof, merely circumstantial.
4: 1st Edition gave no indication of a city of that name on their map and that location on the 1st Edition map is blank. Note: Though it would have come close to the Isthmus identification, so possibly left off to avoid additional confusion.
5: As far as I'm aware, the City of Pendaltor has never been mentioned or indicated anywhere else in the book. Note: Sulanok and Ramsbottom aren't detailed in 2nd Edition either, but they are both described in 1st Edition. So it's possible the City of Pendaltor was added for 2nd Edition, but no description given as the description for the others weren't given either.

This is my line of thinking. I'm following the clues/evidence, though most of them based on 1st Edition product (which some aspects are superseded by 2nd Edition product). I also added notes to try and play devil's advocate, as I don't see anything definitive. Though I think this discussion may be a good reason to avoid Option B regardless (because then we don't need to make a conclusion at this time). Anyways, just my thoughts on the matter. Farewell and safe journeys.

[Hotrod]

Side note: I don't think the City of Pendaltor is an actual place. Do you have some reason for thinking there is a city with that name on the peninsula of that name?

On p151 of High Seas, 2nd Edition, the Pendaltor label seems much like the settlement labels for Sulanok and Ramsbottom, which makes me think that there's a city called "Pendaltor" just off the map to the west. It's also possible that "Pendaltor" is just the name of the province or region within the Land of South Winds.

Greetings and Salutations. My initial plan was to suggest that Palladium just covered up the words "Isthmus of" as an explanation, but as I looked at both 1st Edition and 2nd Edition maps closer, I realized this can't be the case. While the map looks identical (other than the black being much darker/bold in the newer version), they used a different font for all the words, and the word Pendaltor is located slightly lower (almost to the side of Ramsbottom) in the 2nd Edition version than the 1st.

With that said, I still think Pendaltor is used to identify the peninsula, not a city. This is based on the following ...

1: We know Pendaltor is the name of the Peninsula based on text on page 169 of 2nd Edition. It would make sense to identify its location on the map as a reference. Note: This does not preclude a city of that name (New York, New York as an example).
2: Ramsbottom and Sulanok both have dots to indicate their locations. Ramsbottom (a town) has a smaller dot, and Sulanok (a city) a much larger dot. Pendaltor has no dot to indicate a location. Note: This is possibly an oversight, especially if the City of Pendaltor was added at a different time than when the rest of the map was made.
3: In 1st Edition the words "Isthmus of Pendaltor" was on the map. 2nd Edition removed "Isthmus of" as it's not accurate. Note: They did not add "Peninsula of" so this is not definitive proof, merely circumstantial.
4: 1st Edition gave no indication of a city of that name on their map and that location on the 1st Edition map is blank. Note: Though it would have come close to the Isthmus identification, so possibly left off to avoid additional confusion.
5: As far as I'm aware, the City of Pendaltor has never been mentioned or indicated anywhere else in the book. Note: Sulanok and Ramsbottom aren't detailed in 2nd Edition either, but they are both described in 1st Edition. So it's possible the City of Pendaltor was added for 2nd Edition, but no description given as the description for the others weren't given either.

This is my line of thinking. I'm following the clues/evidence, though most of them based on 1st Edition product (which some aspects are superseded by 2nd Edition product). I also added notes to try and play devil's advocate, as I don't see anything definitive. Though I think this discussion may be a good reason to avoid Option B regardless (because then we don't need to make a conclusion at this time). Anyways, just my thoughts on the matter. Farewell and safe journeys.

Much appreciated! I should have checked 1st Edition. I was figuring that the city was just off the map to the left, but your explanation makes more sense (though I'd rather like to see a City of Pendaltor as well). In any case, even if there was a city, it'll be well off the map, because I'm going with Option C. Always nice to have someone with your attention to detail reviewing the process, Prysus! Thanks!

[Braden Campbell]

I too have been presuming that "Pendaltor" is the name of that South Wind province, separated from the rest of them by that strip of Yin-Sloth jungle.

[Hotrod]

Mini-Update: I'm working on the elevation map for the Floenry Isles. I started with procedurally-generated clouds to give the isles some texture, and now I'm raising the middle parts while keeping the coasts nice and low to the water. There are no mountains, which simplifies things, and no canon rivers, so I can just let the rivers go wherever I like, which is a nice change. Still have a ways to go yet, but I'm working on it.

[kiralon]

I'll think on that. I like the idea of some kind of trade route marker or indicator for heavy ship traffic/trade.

[/quote]

That would be cool, don't forget the sea serpents or the
Here be dragyns signs

[Braden Campbell]

Is it weird how "flat" these islands are? Does that tell us anything, geologically?

[Braden Campbell]

Given the lack of volcanoes on them, the Floenries are likely "continental islands" and the water levels in between then are probably pretty shallow.

Although... the Straight of Relar could actually be a fairly deep trench... and the area of water south of The Rock could also suddenly drop off (monsters from such a comparatively deep area coming up to sun themselves on the rock.

[Reagren Wright]

Given the lack of volcanoes on them, the Floenries are likely "continental islands" and the water levels in between then are probably pretty shallow.

Although... the Straight of Relar could actually be a fairly deep trench... and the area of water south of The Rock could also suddenly drop off (monsters from such a comparatively deep area coming up to sun themselves on the rock.

The Timiro guy votes C. Considering Timiro has a fleet of ships vessels specifically made to deal with Horn Ramrod Serpents I like the idea that there could be a fairly deep trench in
the area. The South Sea is not heavy with sea serpents and monsters, pirates seem to be the dominate threat, but a specific area with some known deep sea critters sounds cool to
me. I also find it fascinating that Timiro and South Wind have been feuding for a few centuries over these islands, but it seem more or less strategic value over resources. Then again
Demark and Canada are feuding over a barren island (a rock) little more than a square kilometer in size in the Arctic Oceans for decades.

[Hotrod]

Given the lack of volcanoes on them, the Floenries are likely "continental islands" and the water levels in between then are probably pretty shallow.

Although... the Straight of Relar could actually be a fairly deep trench... and the area of water south of The Rock could also suddenly drop off (monsters from such a comparatively deep area coming up to sun themselves on the rock.

The Timiro guy votes C. Considering Timiro has a fleet of ships vessels specifically made to deal with Horn Ramrod Serpents I like the idea that there could be a fairly deep trench in
the area. The South Sea is not heavy with sea serpents and monsters, pirates seem to be the dominate threat, but a specific area with some known deep sea critters sounds cool to
me. I also find it fascinating that Timiro and South Wind have been feuding for a few centuries over these islands, but it seem more or less strategic value over resources. Then again
Demark and Canada are feuding over a barren island (a rock) little more than a square kilometer in size in the Arctic Oceans for decades.

Even hills on the Floenries seem a bit sparse. Only South Bay, Dragon's Roost, and Totugo have any. Elevation-wise, there's little of interest here. Maybe I'll try to play a bit more with the Bathymetry than I usually do with these.

[Braden Campbell]

Might be of some help: https://www.britannica.com/place/Caribbean-Sea

[Prysus]

Greetings and Salutations. As the concept of water depths continues, I thought I'd add some additional sources ...

Monsters & Animals Second Edition, page 133-134: Horned Ramrod. Habitat is "most common in the south and around the Floenry Islands." They can dive 2000 ft (610 m), but their depth tolerance is "unlimited."

In comparison, the Snaggled Tooth Gobbler has only a 1,000 foot dive and 2 mile depth tolerance. The Viper Serpent has only a 1,000 foot dive, but unlimited depth tolerance. Neither are common in the same area (they can go there, but they're common further west).

This could indicate that the Horned Ramrod is more accustomed to deeper waters, and that's why they're more common in that area. Both Great White Sharks and Tiger Sharks are also in that area as well, with similar ranges to the Horned Ramrod. However, both the Great White and Tiger Sharks can be found in wider areas as well. Also, I'd suspect their ranges are probably more based on real world stats, while the Serpents above are more mythical and may indicate more of the writer's personal thoughts.

Just south of the Floenry Islands (and circling the outer map in most cases): Sperm Whales can dive 4,000 feet, with a max depth of 2 miles. Giant Squids have a max depth of 2 miles (no mention of dive capability that I see). Giant Octopus I don't see any mention of depth or dive. Blue Whales have a dive of only 1,000 feet and a max depth of 1 mile.

Sperm Whales have the greatest dive, but Horned Ramrods and Viper Serpents have the best depth tolerance. I'm not sure how much of that helps, but figured I'd provide some numbers where available. Farewell and safe journeys.

[Hotrod]

Update: I've just finished my first draft of the land sculpt. Here's the latest version.

I've put in the hills on the north part of South Bay, the west corner of Totuga, and the west and north of Dragon's Roost. Overall, the land is fairly lumpy, and I want to keep it that way in the jungle-covered areas and hills.

The next step i to flatten out the grasslands and farming areas. I may or may not specifically mark out farmland; I'm not quite sure how to do so, and the scale of the map is such that you wouldn't see any individual farms. I may just leave it as farmland or perhaps mix in a slightly different/darker color in those areas.

Once that's done, I'll work in a few river valleys to make sure each large settlement has a river running through or by it and run the whole sculpt through the erosion program. Then I'll probably have to make corrections and re-run the erosion program a few times until I'm satisfied.


Question for the group: Are there any canon sources on what the terrain is like around Sulanok and Ramsbottom on the peninsula?

[Prysus]

Question for the group: Are there any canon sources on what the terrain is like around Sulanok and Ramsbottom on the peninsula?

Greetings and Salutations. Not much that I'm aware of. As a note about the South Winds in general ...

"The southern coastline is the tail of the Yin-Sloth Jungles and is virtually unexplored by humans. The rest of the South Winds is an expansive, flat land of short grass/savanna, numerous marshes and swamps, and the occasional thin forest."

Now, judging by the various maps, I think the "southern coastline" is referring to most of the coastline, but not the peninsula itself (though the jungle does seem to act as a natural barrier to the peninsula where both cities are located).

AotHS, 1st Edition, page 172: "Situated on the southern tip of the Isthmus of Pendaltor, the town of Sulanok sits protected on the beaches of a natural harbor."
There's also a city map on page 173, but looks like it should be rotated somewhere between 90 and 180 degrees. They do have a lumber yard (page 174), and there's some markings interspersed on the city map that look the same (at least to me) as the "light jungle" markings of Oen (page 157 of AotHS 1st).

AotHS, 1st Edition, page 100: "Day 304: Jungle, jungle, jungle! It seems that we finally put it behind us. Today we dropped anchor in a small bay near a strange native village."
I'd say that this village is in the Land of the South Winds (possibly Sulanok, which is actually a city, but I tend to take the captain's log with a grain or more of salt). This would at least indicate the area is not heavy jungle.

We're told little of Ramsbottom other than it's a fishing town, and is also on the coast.

And I doubt it helps, but Dragons & Gods on page 178 we're told of a "hurricane and monsoon season in the South."

I'm not sure any of that is very useful, but I don't think there's much official on the area so I provided the best I can. If anyone else has more information, I'd love to hear. The peninsula Farewell and safe journeys.



P.S. Personally, with the peninsula on the southeastern coast, with swamps and hurricanes, I tend to think of Florida. Take that for what you will.

[Hotrod]

Update: I've finished my first draft of the land sculpt. Here it is!

I finished the sculpting, smeared and smoothed the farmland and grassy areas of the islands, as well as the peninsula, ran the erosion, and added a colorgradient to the land and a flat dark blue to the water.

Next step will likely be the forests/jungles.

[Whiskeyjack]

The map is looking pretty awesome Hotrod. As for water depth, the islands look like they would have potentially been one land mass in the distant past, so I would think that water between the islands is fairly shallow. Between the islands and the mainland though it definitely gives the appearance of a deep trench in my mind.

[Hotrod]

The map is looking pretty awesome Hotrod. As for water depth, the islands look like they would have potentially been one land mass in the distant past, so I would think that water between the islands is fairly shallow. Between the islands and the mainland though it definitely gives the appearance of a deep trench in my mind.

Thanks! I worked on the bathymetry today, and I'm fairly pleased with the results. The islands are on a sort of shelf that's detached from the continental shelf with a deep trench in between. The only significant remaining issue other than color balancing is the rocks/shoals just off the north coasts of Grimbor Island and South Bay.

I'm working up the rain forests/jungles on the islands now. My goal is to have the bare geography done by the end of the month, or at least a credible draft of it.

[Braden Campbell]

I'm wondering where coral reefs might naturally occur (if at all) in this island chain...

[Hotrod]

All over the place, probably.

Mini-update: I did the jungles today. I'm getting close to a bare version of this being done.

[Hotrod]

The map is looking pretty awesome Hotrod. As for water depth, the islands look like they would have potentially been one land mass in the distant past, so I would think that water between the islands is fairly shallow. Between the islands and the mainland though it definitely gives the appearance of a deep trench in my mind.

I've put a deep trench between the isles and the mainland. I've also put a deep area in the open region south of Totugo and The Rock.

[Hotrod]

Update: the bare geography map is complete and posted to my Patreon page! As a special thank-you to my patrons, it'll remain a backer-exclusive until Saturday night, after which time anyone can see it.

Changes (in addition to the changes I mentioned since my last update screenshot)
+I've added in rocks/shoals on the north sides of Grimbor Island and South Bay Island.
+I re-worked the bathymetry to improve its contrast; I think this is the most-complex bathymetry I've ever done.
+The Rock is now a rocky gray. No green vegetation anywhere.
+I added in some grassland prairie coloring to the grasslands/farms and adjusted the coloring of a few low-lying areas.
+I added in three ley lines and a single nexus. Since it's possible to teleport directly from the Pyramid on Enry Island to the Isle of Ruins at the Edge of the World, I figured there's a single ley line connecting the two pyramids. The other two pyramids come from Bletherad.

[zyanitevp]

Update: the bare geography map is complete and posted to my Patreon page! As a special thank-you to my patrons, it'll remain a backer-exclusive until Saturday night, after which time anyone can see it.

Changes (in addition to the changes I mentioned since my last update screenshot)
+I've added in rocks/shoals on the north sides of Grimbor Island and South Bay Island.
+I re-worked the bathymetry to improve its contrast; I think this is the most-complex bathymetry I've ever done.
+The Rock is now a rocky gray. No green vegetation anywhere.
+I added in some grassland prairie coloring to the grasslands/farms and adjusted the coloring of a few low-lying areas.
+I added in three ley lines and a single nexus. Since it's possible to teleport directly from the Pyramid on Enry Island to the Isle of Ruins at the Edge of the World, I figured there's a single ley line connecting the two pyramids. The other two pyramids come from Bletherad.

I think the decision on the ley lines is a good one- and I think that you should extend the time that this is Patreon only to a minimum of 1 month.

[Hotrod]

I think the decision on the ley lines is a good one- and I think that you should extend the time that this is Patreon only to a minimum of 1 month.

Thanks for the feedback, and you make an excellent point. I think I'll make the exclusive timeframe longer for the next two versions (the labeled natural geography and the full-up political map). I also may make a Patron-exclusive version or two.

[Hotrod]

Mini-update: the bare geography map is now visible to all.

I've also done up some natural geography labels, but I still need to work in a compass rose, scale, and a few other natural geography-focused labels (what do we call the seas around the Floenries?). The Natural Geography version should be complete in a day or two.

I've also been doing some brainstorming on how I want to do political markings on these islands. My tentative idea is to use flags as a way of marking territory for more civilized/organized islands (the ones with cleared farmland) and a simple icon representing the dominant type of creature for undeveloped islands. I'm liking flags in this region because they seem a bit more high-seas-ish and better reflect the colonial feel of the Floenries.

Civilized islands will get a flag with appropriate heraldry:
Timiro (Enry): Griffon, blue on a gold field
South Winds (Oen, Burcee): Winged dragon (red on a yellow field)
Pirates: (Totugo & West Mnn): White skull and crossbones or crossed cutlasses on a black flag (maybe one of each)
Independent (East Mnn) : Plain flag (maybe green?), no devices

Uncivilized islands (ones without cleared farmland but with some dominant species/threat) will get a simple icon unless I can think of something cooler to draw.
Grimbor: Crossed stone clubs (no flag)
Lyrd: A hunting cat paw print (no flag)
Dragons Roost and The Rock: A dragon head (no flag)
South Bay: A rat (no flag)

I'll use some generic button-type settlement icons for towns and villages on the settled islands, a pyramid icon where appropriate, and a ruins icon where appropriate. Unpopulated generic islands with no specific dominant life form will remain un-marked.

[Prysus]

... and a few other natural geography-focused labels (what do we call the seas around the Floenries?).

Greetings and Salutations. I can find two references that might help.

In the vast reaches of the Southern Ocean, the Strait of Relar is a seemingly unimportant stretch of open sea about 100 miles across ...

This is first edition, but it uses "Southern Ocean" with capital letters, indicating a proper noun.


The second reference is in Island at the Edge of the World on page 125. The map in the upper right corner, off the east coast of Pendaltor (of the South Winds) and north of the Floenry Islands there's a label: "The Southeastern Seas". Not sure if that's a description or an official name though, but it's ... something.

Hope some of that helps. Farewell and safe journeys.

[Hotrod]

... and a few other natural geography-focused labels (what do we call the seas around the Floenries?).

Greetings and Salutations. I can find two references that might help.

In the vast reaches of the Southern Ocean, the Strait of Relar is a seemingly unimportant stretch of open sea about 100 miles across ...

This is first edition, but it uses "Southern Ocean" with capital letters, indicating a proper noun.


The second reference is in Island at the Edge of the World on page 125. The map in the upper right corner, off the east coast of Pendaltor (of the South Winds) and north of the Floenry Islands there's a label: "The Southeastern Seas". Not sure if that's a description or an official name though, but it's ... something.

Hope some of that helps. Farewell and safe journeys.

That's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

[Hotrod]

Update: the Natural Geography version is done! Here it is!

+All land masses are labeled
+Three bodies of water are labeled.
+I included an arrow pointing along the appropriate ley line indicating the direction to South Bay and the Island at the Edge of the World. Now that I think about it, those aren't in quite the same direction; maybe I should do two separate arrows. I'm also not sure if I should give some indication of distance to both islands. What do you think?
+I included a simple compass rose and a scale. The scale of the Floenries is wildly inconsistent in the source maps; I went with the regional map scale in High Seas as my basis. I may adjust this a little.

I've also been working on the Political Geography version:
+I've made and placed six heraldic flags on the settled or "civilized" islands. Right now, they're all the same size, and they look a little small on Oen and Enry, which are much larger islands. I may scale those islands' flags up a bit.
+I've made and placed the other icons.

Still to do:
-Create a shipwreck icon
-Create the settlement labels
-Create a legend
-Create a better-looking compass
-Make everything fit well together
-Do up the neat lines and a frame
-Create some kind of frame inscription

Outstanding issues:
-Dragon's Roosts' hills are supposed to be in more of a V with a jungle-covered central valley. The hills I have aren't quite the right shape and the central part is bare.
-Dragons Roost also has three lakes that I need to put in.
-The Rock isn't rocky enough; it's too green.

[Hotrod]

Mini-Update: I've made a fancy new compass (really, I just modified the one I made in Western Empire to be in Timiro's blue and gold color scheme). I also made a shipwreck icon for South Bay, added in settlement labels, and done some optimizing. It's almost ready for a frame now.

[Hotrod]

Mini-Update: I've added in the neat lines, and I'm putting together a frame now.

-Still need to do a legend
-Still need to do an inscription for the frame to evoke the themes of the place.
-Need to readjust the scale and pair it up with the neat lines.

Overall, it's coming together nicely. I think I'll have a political map draft finished in the next few days at this rate.

[Hotrod]

I'm also trying to find an appropriate material texture for the frame that's appropriate for the Floenries. I'm wanting to try something with a tropical sea kind of flavor, like one of these:
+Pearl or Mother of Pearl
+Sand
+Larimar
+Coral or fossilized coral

[Hotrod]

Mini-Update: the rough draft is done. I'm not sharing it yet, because I'm doing a bunch of revisions on it that I want to complete before I post it, but all the major elements are drafted and in place.

The thematic text for the frame:

Far from the great powers of the world, ambition reigns supreme in the windswept Floenry Isles. Colonists carve new farms from the jungle, hunters and slavers capture exotic creatures, and scholars explore ancient ruins in search of lost knowledge. They seek their fortunes in the face of many native dangers: brutish Grimbor, sly Hytril, murderous Were-Cats, mighty Wooly Dragons, and ravenous sea serpents. Worse still are the threats that have followed these settlers here: religious civil war on Enry, imported Serpent Rats in South Bey, and pirates that terrorize shipping along the Straits of Relar and throughout the archipelago. Still, the Floenries are but a gateway to the worst threat of all, far to the south, where the Edge of the World heralds its doom.

I've got a to-do list I hope to complete by tomorrow night:
+Make The Rock rocky
+Add lakes to Dragons Roost and give more of a defined "V-shaped" valley.
+Add jungle to central dragon’s roost between the “V”
+Shrink the map title
+Shrink the straits label
+Rotate and space out the “Southern Ocean” label
+Try a version with the island labels off the islands (the coastal bathymetry is pretty flat; might as well put the labels on the boring part.
+Make all the flags a bit bigger than the current draft
+Desaturate and dim the rim of the compass some (the gold rim that I re-used from my Western Empire map is too bright and saturated)
+Add a legend to identify icons for City, Town, Village, Ruins, Pyramid, and flag allegiances.

Once I've done these, then I'll post the complete political map.

[Hotrod]

Update: the final political map is complete! Here it is!

Non-patrons will be able to see it starting in a month.

[kiralon]

That looks awesome, I'll have to get it professionally printed when the lockdown ends. I guess ill just have to use a projector.

[Hotrod]

That looks awesome, I'll have to get it professionally printed when the lockdown ends. I guess ill just have to use a projector.

Thanks! High Def TVs are pretty good for displaying it, too.

[zyanitevp]

Threw it on my tv and it is absolutely amazing!!