Looking for Cartographer(s)

[ShadeRaven]

Introduction/background:
I am working on a free module of professional quality that I'd like to make available for Fantasy Grounds (VTT) and as a downloadable PDF, but the Cartography needs of a high quality adventure module is far from my strong suit (and let's not even get into artwork). Recently, though, I've seen work by some talented folk out on the FG forums (Torgaard and Irondrake come to mind) that give me hope that maybe I could recruit someone else to come in and help with the project. The suggestion was to come here, too, so I thought I'd do just that.

Project Scope:
In total, I would need at least 3 quality maps: one of the village that stages the adventure the maps will be used for; one of the area that the adventure takes place; and one for the main structure involved in the adventure. There's also some minor sites that could use quick maps, but they are not necessary at all.

Description of Maps:

Village of Kyrulh
The village of Kyrulh is a typical borderland town--quiet, fundamental, and self-sufficient (though it does rely a little on the occasional trade arrives along the merchant's route that runs through it). Including the residents of the outlying farms (those within 10 miles of the settlement), the population of Kyrulh typically hovers around 400 folk, most of whom are human (about 70%), though there's a modest number of elves (12%), dwarves (8%), and half-elves (5%) in the area, too. There is little opulence to their buildings, just practicality. Kyrulh has seen war and storm tear apart its foundation. It's seen famine and disease strike down the lifeblood that is its people. Yet the hard-working locals have always risen from the ashes and rebuilt, rebounded, and persevered. Outsiders have been known to laugh when describing those stubborn folk of Kyrulh saying, "they will teach a rock to sing and the rain to fall upward." For the Kyrulh resident, they consider it a compliment--they don't give up easily.

Places of note within Kyrulh are the inn (Hilltopper's Rest - a large structure that also has a spacious dining area and bar), smithy (The Ringing Shoe), herbalist's shop (Hazzle's Home), the market square, the temple (a simple building with a prayer alter, kneeling mats, and some symbols to the gods), the provisioner (All My Goods), and the village hall and holding (which is their meeting center but also holds a couple of small cells).

Other places of note include a horse trader (a large farm on the outskirts of town), a small lumbermill (harvests wood from small copses and its own tree farming - does not touch the Forest of Long Shadows), some wealthier farmsteads (which all tend to be on the west side, further from the heavy woods), and Shedder's Creek which enters from the east (coming out of the forest), passes through the mill, and meanders its way through town as it heads west towards the sea.

Forest of Long Shadows
The Forest of Long Shadows is a densely packed, heavy underbrush woodland full of natural hazards and rough terrain. Little sunlight reaches the forest floor so vision is quite poor for those without the ability to see in limited lighting. There are few trails within the forest itself and those that do exist are for small creatures and rarely last for more than a few hundred feet at best.
Features of the forest include the following:

• Size: Relatively small, being roughly 40 miles from southern tip to northern tip and 28 miles from western edge to eastern border.
• Lake: Towards the southern end, about 5 miles from the eastern border, a somewhat small (nameless) lake can be found. Irregular in shape, it slightly resembles an crescent arc with the stream that enters it from the east feeds it and then thins and tapers off to the northwest where the stream exits it. The arced area is one of the few relatively tree-free portions of the forest, but it's very marshy and dangerous in its own right.
• Stream(s): Shedder's Creek is a mountain runoff stream that is generally easy to cross at any time of year except for when the heavy rains of spring mix with snow melt and it doubles in size and strength. Shallow (though there are a few eddies where it gets as much as 4'-6' deep) and usually between 8'-12' wide, the water runs steadily and cold, even in the height of summer. The stream eventually runs out the west side of the forest and leads to Kyrulh.
• Borders: The woodland is bordered by the Hills of Mercy to the north, Thunder Mountains to the east, and rolling grasslands to the west and south.
• Canopy: (Except in winter) The Canopy in the forest is thick enough to prevent almost all direct sunlight from reaching the forest floor. So while it does protect some from rain and wind, it effects visibility (see light).

Within the forest itself, there will be some keyed locations where fixed encounters will take place if the party enters that portion of the woodlands. They are as follows:

1. The Mound: A rather odd mound appeared many years ago when an Evocation Wizard came searching the forest for a rare spell component. Unfortunately for the mage, he ran afoul of an owlbear that was prowling the areas and the caster came to ill end at the creature's claws. Before the wizard died, though, he desperately tried to call to the elemental plane of earth for an ally, but the spell was never fully completed and the earth guardian never appeared. A portal was opened enough, though, for an Earth Animate to come travel across. Centuries later, the elemental creature still resides and protects its mound that marks where the portal to its plane briefly opened.
2. Webbed Wood: On the northeastern side of the forest (near both the mountains and hills), there's a small area that now lies heavy with webbing.
3. Swamp of Nameless Lake: Located in the arc of the lake, this marsh is slow to travel in and heavy with humidity and bugs.
4. Wolves Den: The wolves have found a small, low cave in which they have made a home. They use it for shelter against the worst of the weather, a place to rest or recover from injury, and the abode where they give birth and nurture their cubs.
5. The Crevice: This deep and dark fissure stretches for nearly one mile in total length and is as wide as 50-feet across in places. There is no natural way to cross it other than going around and no creature will come near it. It's depth is difficult to determine as the bottom is lost to darkness. The cause of its appearance has been lost to time.
6. Lair of the Shadowscar Kobolds: Years ago, a mining corporation of some wealth and power had set up a site within the forest (on the eastern edge, near the mountains) because a vein of adamantine was found in abundance there. When war swept through the area, the mine was targeted and most of it destroyed in the conflict. Decades have passed and now the kobolds of the forest have made what's left of the mines their home.

Lair of the Shadowscar Kobolds
More details on this will be added when I have fleshed out all the specifics of its make-up.

Technical:

Resolution: 300 dpi

Format: Jpeg preferably, but open to suggestion.

Deadline:
I hope to have a playtest version of the adventure ready by the end of this week. Maps to accompany it would be great, but the truth is, they are only necessary for when the adventure they are attached to gets converted to PDF form upon free release.

Copyright:
The artist will retain the copyright of the image. Again, I don't plan on making money off of this in any way. However, while this initial release is to be a free adventure in celebration of the release of 5th Edition, there is real possibilities that subsequent projects will involve financial gain.

Contact:
Via this thread and the Cartographer’s Guild messenger is one option, but I am always available via email: bretwd@comcast.net

Thanks in advance for any interest or just for taking the time to read this thread and for any consideration you give it.
SR

[Diamond]

Hi ShadeRaven, I've moved your thread to the Mapmaking Requests forum, seems a more appropriate spot. You might also take a look at the 'Requesting a map?' sticky thread at the top of this subforum.

[ShadeRaven]

Hi ShadeRaven, I've moved your thread to the Mapmaking Requests forum, seems a more appropriate spot. You might also take a look at the 'Requesting a map?' sticky thread at the top of this subforum.

Thanks, Diamond!

Honestly, I am not sure how I missed this forum. Well, no wonder why my wife constantly accuses me of having "Ranger Sense."

I'll check out the thread right away.

Thanks again!
SR

[heavycat]

Impossible to communicate with you. Please post an e-mail address.

[ShadeRaven]

Impossible to communicate with you. Please post an e-mail address.

I added e-mail to the updated format for this request.

[ShadeRaven]

Update: I am closing in on being ready to detail the needs of the third major cartographic request for the project.

Currently, I am 18 pages and 9000 words into this endeavor, but I'm still a ways off from completion when playtesting and final alterations are considered.

Again, thanks for any consideration given to contributing!
SR