Amalga [WIP]

[elemental_elf]

I'm slowly working on rebooting my oldest setting Amalga. I'm making it more fantastic and less gritty. Right now I am working on the map.

I started off with a basic sketch of the continent. I wanted the continent to look interesting, so I created lots of bays, channels and peninsulas.
New Amalga 1 white and black.jpg


From there, I created added terrain. I decided I was tired of the hand drawn look I usually go for, so I went with terrain that showcases the elevations of the continent. Its more realistic and is strikingly different than kinds of maps I have been creating lately. I really wanted to emphasize how mountain ranges cut people of from one another, which leads to new nations being born. So I made sure to include lots of mountains. I have a weird idea for a Ghost wall where the souls of the recently deceased go for a period of time before heading off to heaven/hell/wherever. Denizens of Amalga can go to the wall and meet and converse with the dearly departed in a safe environment (as opposed to traveling to other plains to do so). The wall is represented by the pink line. As a by product the line also cuts the continent off from the rest of the world.... Or maybe Amalga is a plain and that line represents its eastern edge? I haven't decided yet.
amalga__10_19_2011_by_elemental_elf-d4dcq15.jpg
(LARGER IMAGE)

From there, I decided I did not like the green coloration of the terrain, so I switched it to shades of brown. At this time, I also added the rivers. Rivers serve as the arteries and veins of a medieval world. I often feel I neglect rivers, so I really wanted to try and include as many as possible. I'm still working on creating more tributaries but for now I have the big rivers on the map. I also began testing how to create undersea terrain.
amalga__a_test_picture_by_elemental_elf-d4w1ot0.jpg
(LARGER IMAGE)

At this point, I realized the ocean was looking a bit lacking. My land looked fairly detailed but the seas were just a giant blank blue area. I created undersea terrain. After a few different tests (as seen from the above picture), I found a style I liked. The inclusion of underwater terrain is helpful because I want to include a few Mermaid/folk kingdoms. Having more than wide open blue plains helps make the sea-world appear more realistic. During this iteration, I also sketched out the land and sea borders of the principle kingdoms and empires.
amalga__a_new_map_by_elemental_elf-d4vuita.jpg
(LARGER IMAGE)

Finally, I began the process of adding cities. I have only included a few capitals because I am not sure the icons look appropriate.
amalaga__with_some_labels_by_elemental_elf-d4w1me0.jpg
(LARGER IMAGE)

Well, that is the evolution of the map thus far. What do you guys and gals think? Any and all concerns or criticism is welcome.