Cartographers' Guild - July 2017 Regular Challenge Results

Desert Dragon by Shall Teclex

July 2017 Challenge : Return of the Fantasy Random Generator

July's challenge was a re-run of a popular challenge from last year, and it didn't disappoint this year. Diamond wrote...

A year ago this month, we had one of our most successful and well-received Challenges.

It did so well, in fact, that we're going to do a repeat. Here's a recap:

For this challenge, the participants will be mapping random locations. It could be anything from a library in a country estate, to a mountain pass, to an entire realm of forests and seas. What you're going to do is visit this generator: http://donjon.bin.sh/fantasy/random/#type=location Leave the settings just like they are, and generate a list of 10 locations. First results shown don't have to count, since you automatically generate a list just clicking the link.

Now here's the challenge: you can only pick one location from that list, and you can only generate ONE list (besides the one that's made clicking the link). Obviously this is unenforceable, so we'll rely on the spirit of chivalrous competition here to keep everyone honest.

Other than that small requirement, it's all yours. Interpret your selection however you want, map it however you want - the voters, in their wisdom, will decide the winner. You can map as much or as little as you want, but your map must contain AT MINIMUM the prompt you chose. If my topic is "A mysterious bridge in an Elven city", I'd have to map at least the bridge, but could also choose to map the entire city around it. An exception is that if you choose one of the Plane/World selections, you don't have to map the entire thing; you can just do a representative part of it, like a regional map.

We had so many fantastic entries this month that it'd be a dis-service to simply write a line of text about each one of them. Instead, at the bottom of this post is a table showing the entries - all 20 of them including our winner! - with links to the WIP threads. Also included is the generator location that was the inspiration for each map. Do check them out full size if you haven't already.

Our congratulations this month go to Shall Teclex for 'Desert Dragon' which, despite the tough, tough competition, won by a comfortable margin. Even more impressive, this map was started only a week before the closing date and finished in seven days. The generator location was "Somewhere in the Dune Sea. An ancient sapphire-scaled dragon lies sleeping in the sun" and Shall wrote "For a person who grew up with the images of Tatooine and Arrakis, visited Sahara twice, and has a fascination with dragons this was not a difficult choice - it took me about five seconds to decide that I will map an ancient sapphire-scaled dragon sleeping somewhere in the Dune Sea."

Shall Teclex wins a second gold compass and the congrats of all at the Guild. Check out the WIP thread here.

August/September 2017 Challenge

Our next regular challenge is a little bit special. Diamond writes...

Okay everybody, we are going to do a two month long challenge! The idea is courtesy of Straf, who suggested that we run a Challenge where we combine themes from Challenges past. Here's the way it will work:

--Below, you'll find two lists, the first made up of 12 Regular Challenges from years past, and the second list made up of 6 Lite Challenges.

--Pick TWO Regular Challenges and ONE Lite Challenge. What you pick is entirely up to you, as long as you choose 2 Regular and 1 Lite.

--Combine your three picks to create a map. How you combine them and what type of map you end up with is entirely up to you, BUT where the "challenge" part of the Challenge comes in is that you must follow all of the guidelines that were laid down in the original Challenges.

--Choose wisely!

REGULAR CHALLENGES
An Invitation to Remember
Urban Mapping
Lost in Space
A Political Map
Trading
Filling a Gap in Time and Space
In the Beginning: A Campaign Starter
Submerged
Local Map
Map a Mountain Location
Gothic Horror
Turning It on Its Side

LITE CHALLENGES
Gold
The Waste Land
Fun With Isometrics
A Garden
Built on a Word
Verticality

Entries are coming in already, and with almost eight weeks to go, this is going to be another great challenge!

July Challenge Entries

	8th Level of Pit of Sago, by AdventureDepot A dark room on the 8th level of the Pit of Sago. Someone has scrawled "In the Year of Madness, when the sun is eclipsed in the Chalice and the forests are made spears, the line of Faith shall end" on the north wall.
	Greystone Abbey, by aeshnidae Somewhere amidst towering mountains.
	Witch's Hovel, by anomiecoalition A long-abandoned witch's hovel in the swamp. A noxious fog fills the still air.
	Dark Crypt of the Demon Knight, by Bogie A large room on the 20th level of the Dark Crypts of the Demon Knight. A tile mosaic of legendary monsters covers the floor.
	Marione, by Chashio Marione, an ancient realm of silver mountains, dark jungles, and ashen wastes. The realm is primarily populated by humans, with smaller numbers of other races. The humans of Marione are at war with a kingdom of hags.
	The Long Night of Dolorond, by Diamond Dolorong, a ruined plane of shattered mountains and poisoned seas, beneath a sky of eternal darkness. The plane is overrun by powerful eldritch things and hordes of aberrant creatures.
	Urdim Usen the Dwarven Wizard Tower, by eViLe_eAgLe A wizard's tower, guarded by stone golems, in a nearby dwarven village.
	The Bloodbath in the Moor of Ghosts, by Falconius Galonde, a fallen realm of shattered mountains, burning wastes, and poisoned seas. The realm is overrun by aberrant phantoms.
	The Lost Temple of the Haura Jungle, by fol2dol Lost in the depths of the Haura jungle lies the long forgotten temple of Tocatlecuhtli, the Spider God
	Dorthellin, by jshoer Dorthellin, a medieval plane of shadowed canyons and azure seas, illuminated by a golden sun. The plane is primarily populated by humans, with a few elves. The denizens of Dorthellin live in the decaying ruins of a fallen empire.
	Treasure Tombs of Malsvir, by Meshon An outcrop of volcanic rock amidst a verdant jungle. A black dragon tears apart the undergrowth, searching for prey.
	Thunder Falls, by Mouse Near a thundering waterfall in the Thunder Mountains.
	Hilonde, by Samstego Hilonde, an ancient realm of white mountains, clear lakes, and sapphire oceans. The realm is primarily populated by elves, with a few halflings. The denizens of Hilonde are beset by manticores.
	Stronghold of Eternal Night, by Tenia Mary, an infernal realm of tangled woodlands, fields of skulls, and oceans of lava. The realm is the deomain of Arith, a deity of greed, and is populated by fire giants. It is also the location of the Stronghold of Eternal Night, a bastion of evil clerics and warlocks.
	Magh Darul and the Temple of Creation, by Tilby A temple in a nearby dwarven city.
	The Lost Cyst of Astidach the Ghastly, by timallen A dark room on the 2nd level of the Lost Cyst of Astidach the Ghastly. The floor is covered with dust.
	Somewhere on Watun Way in a nearby village, by Tonnichiwa Somewhere on Watun Way in a nearby village.
	A gallery in the Palace of Vithmunda, in a distant kingdom, by Weery A gallery in the Palace of Vithmunda, in a distant kingdom.
	Temple of Set, by Wired Somewhere amidst a dense jungle. An overgrown and long-forgotten temple of carved stone stands here.

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