July Entry: the Menhir Dance of the Ui'iliad

[Gamerprinter]

The Menhir Dance of the Ui'iliad is a stone circle of immense upright stones numbering 27, surrounding a "U" shaped dance of menhir stones facing the south southwest, and a white granite omphalos stone lies at the center. It stands at the center of a rising of land over the surrounding plain, just southeast of Lake Fuath, a bottomless pit of turbulent water with no visible rivers emptying it to the sea. The site was built by an extinct culture, though it is currently managed by a council of druids from each of the four kingdoms of Hybrini. They have placed 27 immense runestones surrounding the circle. (Stone Dance is an old term for a menhir stone circle.)

Trinity has power in Celtic numerology, it is their most mystical number. 27 being a trinity of threes (3x3x3) is the second most mystical number (9 has power as well). The trinity of power at this locus is the sun, the moon and the earth - source of arcane power, the providence of the runemaster druids. A precise alignment of lunar and solar movements correspond to geomantic relationship with this precise location on the island manifesting as arcane power.

The attached map below is a larger regional map that will be used as an inset showing the location of the Menhir Dance on the Hybrini Isle and the regions of the four kingdoms, labeled with Celtic shield heraldric devices and names below. The main map will be developed when I complete this inset map. Still contriving ideas to doing this right.

See the lake roughly at the center of the map, southeast of the central mountain range? Just southeast of the lake escarpment is the location of the Menhir Dance of Ui'iliad.

I am using my hand-drawn style (still haven't mastered my Bamboo Fun, so I'm doing it old school with a pen) finished in Xara Xtreme. I'm actually making this map for my intended setting, so it convenient that I can place the Locus here, for use as a challenge entry. I'll get to the main entry map this weekend, and early next week.

Hybrini is my Ireland analog of a Western Europe analog I'm creating called the Lands of Keld setting, I'm developing for publication next year (Pathfinder RPG compatable.)

GP

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[Gamerprinter]

Created a few more hills, put in the forests and the moors. Larger labels are Kingdoms, the smaller labels are tribes, added the water, changed the name to Hybreni. Need to place the heraldric shields and a border and the inset map will be complete.

GP

### Latest WIP ###

[Rythal]

Hmm, I dont really like the green and yellow label. maybe change the yellow to a colour close to that of the land.

[Ascension]

I have to second Rythal, maybe something more light greenish yellow than bright yellow.

[Gamerprinter]

Can't update until tomorrow, got things to do - I can change those label colors, just experimenting so far. Here's some more labels, the heraldric shield symbols for the four kingdoms, and one for the compass rose. Moving right along. I want to start working on the main Locus map. I'm thinking of doing a hand-drawn isometric style like my Iwaizumi map - it better shows the Menhir Circle as 3/4 views rather than top downs.

GP

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[Sapiento]

Looks good as usual, GP.

[Gamerprinter]

@ Ascension and Rythal - thanks for pointing out the color issue on the map title label!

Thanks, Sap!

Inset map is completed. I placed the location of the Locus, as the Menhir Dance, just next to the Shield symbol for the Kingdom of Ui'iliad. Changed the gold in the in the map title label to match the green of the landscape, did that to the compass rose parts, and the scale bar. Chose to go with white lettering on the terrain features.

I will begin to work on the Locus site this weekend.

GP

### Latest WIP ###

[tilt]

damn.. one looks away for a minute and you've made about a trillion updates... ... that just look really good - and really love the stone and also the shields

[mmmmmpig]

Love that you are embracing the insanely colorful... umm color palette of the Celts and Gaels. Can't wait to see the area detail

[Gamerprinter]

Thanks, Tilt. Thanks, Mmmmmpig!

Now for something completely experimental. I created the Menhir circle and the hill in 3D (Nendo and Raydream), then I printed a super-contrasted version in grayscale on my laser printer. I used that to trace and hand-draw detail with a pen on tracing paper. Then I scanned that into the PC, overlayed the hand-drawing directly onto the 3D image. Then I painted the grassy coloring in Xara on the top surfaces of the hill. So this image is a combination of 3D imagery, hand-drawing and vector coloring in Xara - a true composite multi-media illustration. (It turned out well, I think.)

I plan to maintain the isometric view and create thatched roundhouses with stone walls as residential and office areas for the druids that maintain the site, as well as a four point compass of roads going outward from the Menhir Dance. I plan to create large stones cut with runes surrounding the structure next - I'm not sure what else I am going to include beyond that, but I am sure I will think of something.

Just the Menhir circle on the terraced-eroded hill with color and shadowing. I will do this piecemeal, one element at a time, and eventually composite it all in Xara Xtreme Pro.

GP

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