WIP - Wystern Ath

[Sidmandoo]

Wystern Ath is a world I am creating to maybe one day introduce to my players. I used FT3 to generate the land mass and then adjusted the oceans. I really like the geography. I think it has a lot of political potential, especially with the straights and peninsulas.

I got my start on using FT3 with HandsomeRob's Tutorial

I used height map brushes and adjusted them with bevel/emboss effects. (I am trying to track down the source where I got them.)

Other brushes are from JoshStolarz

The color palette is inspired by Kellerica's Slumbering Ocean

Still lots of work. The rivers are more draft, with a bit of a ratty brush, but I kind of like it.Any advice/input would be appreciated.

What I also like is that nearly all of my work is inspired by and the result of what others have contributed here at CG.


Wystern Ath Draft 1.png

[Tiluchi]

Looks like an excellent start overall! I agree that the geography is quite compelling, with lots of potential for worldbuilding. If I had a critique, it might be that the mountains don't look quite right- partly that they seem to rise rather abruptly from the lowlands, and also (and this is probably less of a concern for a fantasy map) seem a bit randomly scattered on, rather than following a noticeable pattern of ridges and river valleys. But overall it's great and aesthetically pleasing!

[Sidmandoo]

Looks like an excellent start overall! I agree that the geography is quite compelling, with lots of potential for worldbuilding. If I had a critique, it might be that the mountains don't look quite right- partly that they seem to rise rather abruptly from the lowlands, and also (and this is probably less of a concern for a fantasy map) seem a bit randomly scattered on, rather than following a noticeable pattern of ridges and river valleys. But overall it's great and aesthetically pleasing!

Thanks Tiluchi. I see what you mean by the mountains. I put some lower relief around the edges but I guess its not coming through as hill country. There is a randomness to it, likely secondary to the brushes. I am going to see if I can shape out the ridges a little more, especially around the beginning of the rivers.

[Kellerica]

Looks nice so far! Honoured to be listed as an inspiration
The transition between even and mountainous terrain could maybe be a tad smoother, but then again I suspect you probably are not done with the elevation yet. Certainly off to a nice start here.

[Sidmandoo]

Thanks Kellerica. I've put some more elevation work around the mountaints. I still need to work on some creating some more ridgeline to it. I redid the rivers with a slightly different brush. Had a bit of a hard lesson on my layers and mask work which I figured out. The upper right of the map will be more of a desert region so I am leaving that clear of water for now.

Wystern Ath Draft 2.png

[Sidmandoo]

I put this aside and have come back to it. I've decided to rework it entirely. I love the land mass and the layout, but I felt like I was not so much drawing as manipulating software to create the map. I wasn't really liking the final product. So I am going back to drawing. I did one pass on mountains and placed rivers and a few lakes, but then scrapped the mountains. I kept the rivers, and I'm reworking the mountain ranges. But I'll probably re do the rivers so they are nestled up and coming out of the new ranges....Taking a lot of inspiration from Ilanthar's style.

Wystern Ath Redo Draft.png

[Sidmandoo]

Shaded the mountains, I reworked the rivers, and started to add some lakes, I staked out some real estate for a compass and title. I've worked a little forest into the upper right, to try it out. I don't know if that's the style I'll go with. I like it, but it takes FOREVER. I am looking at a bunch of other maps and styles to see if there is something maybe a little different, but I don't know.

Wystern Ath 7 Draft.jpg

[Formal Abu]

Love those mountains. The feel of the new version is much better imo.

[Sidmandoo]

Love those mountains. The feel of the new version is much better imo.

Thanks Formal Abu!

I tried several different versions of forests. Because of the size of the map, I am trying to keep the detail less. After a bunch of hand drawing, I decided to create some more abstract brushes to flesh out the forests. I will probably put some hand detail on the edges. I will also probably dial down the opacity. I think, by using 4 different brushes, it's broken up enough so it doesn't look repetitive. Any comments or suggestions are always appreciated.

Wystern Ath 8 Draft.jpg

[Sidmandoo]

Here is some more line work done. I like how it is coming together. I wanted to add some canyon features and worked with some different styles. I am thinking that will be sort of an arctic version of The Badlands. I am not sure what I will do with the north east open space. At first I was going to do more canyons there, but I am thinking maybe a sort of 10,000 lakes/marsh.....probably should have planned ahead, lol. Any ideas from the group, always appreciated.

Wystern Ath 10 Draft.jpg