The Continent of Ictaria

[Caenwyr]

Hey all!

As you probably know by now, for the past 20 years or so I have spent most of my free time working on a fantasy novel, and a whole world to go with it (with several languages, religions, ethnicities etc.). This world has evolved enormously since I first began dreaming it up. It has matured, I guess you could say. The setting has become more and more "low fantasy" to the point that I realized that I could no longer keep adapting my original story. over the years it had changed so grotesquely that it was barely recognizable as a story anymore. Gone were the three-act structure, the clear storyline, the limited set of characters... it was a mess. So I decided to chuck it and begin anew, 250 years in the future. The fantasy dial has now been turned so low, my new story can almost be described as historical fiction, albeit set in a fictional world. No dragons, no pixies or dwarves, and barely a whisper of long-forgotten magic. I have nestled myself firmly into my world's version of the Age of Sail, and the focus is now on the Republic of Gaendyr, which rose from the ashes of a massive war (which was what my original story was about). Gaendyr is a seafaring nation that reminds of the British colonial empire, the Dutch Golden Age or the Republic of Venice. Its mercantile and military fleets roam the Silver Sea, a huge enclosed expanse of water about three times the size of the Mediterranean.

With this Age of Sail, Venice-Britain-Holland amalgamate now firmly in focus, I needed a new version of my continental map too. The original one could serve as the backbone of course, but the style was to be completely different. Almost atlas-like, if I could pull it off. Oh, and all of the borders had to be shifted too, because in 250 years things would have changed a lot! Also, with such a strong emphasis on the Silver Sea, I could hardly just keep it confined to the bottom of the map! I had to draw the sea in full, which meant I'd have to draw the northern bits of Sakhuria too: the continent south of the Silver Sea. One final thing I did, and probably the most time consuming, was the complete recreation of the terrain. Looking back at my original map, I must admit that the mountain ranges were very unrealistic. They look almost as if someone had put them there just to have a convenient border .

Alright, enough jibber-jabber. Here's the map!

0. political map (13c - 200%) BUMP.jpg

Any remarks? Shoot!

[Tonquani]

Stunning! I like the original, but can see what you mean about the mountains. Have some rep!

[Arimel]

This looks good and is really inspiring. The amount you have put into the backstory as well is rather obvious, making it even more impressive.

[Neyasha]

The finished map is amazing! I love how you did the mountains - they fit this political map style really well.

[jshoer]

I really like the political map style you have here!

[Caenwyr]

Thanks all! So glad you seem to like it!

For those who missed it, I recently uploaded a topographic version too, which you can find here. I'll upload a third map (a linguistic breakdown of the region) soon.

[- JO -]

Wow... these mountains... it's amazing! The level of apparent detail is also mesmerizing and gives a real look that I really like! I also really like the fact that the map is as beautiful (but in a different way) as a whole as it is in its details (in zoomed view) It literally catches the eye...