September Challenge Extra: Shafiir - Forgotten but not forlorn

[Steel General]

OK, so here was my very first entry in one of the challenges (I have since replaced it with another map that I prefer)...trying some new ideas and a few new textures (all but the forest texture are from Spiral Graphics and modified using Genetica) on this one. Still some work to do such as cities, a scale, etc. but the terrain is largely complete.

"Cut off from the majority of the Empire by nigh-impenetrable mountains, the Shafiir province is considered by many a back-water region. In truth it is largely ignored and nearly forgotten by the more populous and cosmopolitan areas of the central Empire. For nearly 200 years, the imperial governors have had total control of the region, and as long as the taxes continued to flow toward the capital they have been left to their own devices.

The people of who live here have become largely independent of the Empire, and when questioned by visitors refer to themselves as the people of Shafiir, rather than citizens of the Empire."