October/November 2014 Challenge: The Jester's Eyrie

[Bogie]

Jaxilon and I have commissioned each other. We are both in similar situations, busy with work and other commitments ( of course none of the rest of you are busy either, right? ). We both are hoping to be able to find time to finish this challenge.

Anyway, here is Jaxilon's request of me.

I was thinking about a small Keep that sits up on the side of a mountain. In my gaming group they have a keep like this and I've never bothered to map it. It's not huge. There are about 6 players in my group but they have help that live there as well and sort of keep things running while they are out adventuring. There are also aspects to this keep that they are unaware of but that's easy enough add in later. (By this I mean if I wanted something as a side quest I might have them discover a hidden doorway in the dungeon that leads into underground caverns going deep into the mountain but that's for another time).
In my mind it's just a small fort with a couple levels. Square-ish is fine. There should be an open area within the main gate for horses or whatever.
There is a road that curls around the mountain base leading up to the keep. It's steep enough especially as it approaches the keep that one side is a drop off and a single fortified gate outside the keep can be defended. If it falls the keep itself can be defended from the walls.
The "Road gate" is just a defensive position where the road hits the flat area near the top. It's basically rock wall on one side of the road, dropoff on the other and the gate. Even if the gate falls however the main fortress/keep is able to be defended.
In my mind something along the lines of this: ( Fortress by Stormcrow135 given as an example ) although I want enough area around the hilltop to allow them to build into a full on castle. If they live long enough.

So, Jax was kind enough to ask me to do the kind of map I like to do. In return I asked him to map all 9 layers of Hell in detail with hot linked multiple layers. Wow, that would have been cool!! I will let him post the fairly straight forward map request I sent him.

[Jaxilon]

Awesome

[Bogie]

So, just to prove I haven't been goofing off altogether here is my first WIP.

The keep is supposed to be part way up a mountain on a flat spot with a road leading up to a gatehouse. That's what I have done so far.
It looks rather plain now, but it will be more interesting when there is a building and the big area of grass has more features.

### Latest WIP ###
Jesters Eyrie-Trial.jpg

[Bogie]

I moved the gatehouse and added the Fortress walls and main gate. The building roof may or may not be just a placeholder.

### Latest WIP ###
Jesters Eyrie-2_bg.jpg

[- Max -]

Looks good. The building roof looks a bit too clean regarding the walls and towers (also it overlaps the upper right tower a bit )

[Bogie]

Thanks Max. Yeah that building is just a placeholder, I am making my own roofs for the final map.

[Jaxilon]

Did you get the additional background details I sent you? They aren't crucial but if you are like me the detail helps my imagination.

I'm liking how this is going btw.

[Bogie]

I did, thanks. I will be using that info when I set up the rooms.

[Jaxilon]

Hey, what's that sign say inside the walls? Hehe.

[Bogie]

It says "coming soon to a game near you"