Haibianr - an Asian-themed coastal city

[mearrin69]

Hi all,
First off, I'd like to thank everyone that helped with suggestions, encouragement, and undeserved flattery as I worked on this map. Second, I would like to present the city of Haibianr - a Hong Kong-like city that serves as the introduction to an Asian-themed campaign setting I'm building. The name means "by the ocean". They'd call it Oceanside it were in California.

Here's the "boxed text":

On the mountainous north-eastern coast of the world’s largest continent perches a bustling trading port – a cosmopolitan city of twisting streets protected by ancient magic and modern might. Over the nearly two thousand years since its founding, Haibianr has evolved into a powerful independent city-state. Its masters pay no tribute to the feuding “Five Emperors” that rule the southlands, wielding Haibianr’s near-monopoly over trade with the rest of the world as a cudgel that guarantees freedom from Imperial dominion.

Also called Wanxiangshi, “city of ten-thousand alleyways”, this appellation is often rendered in a twist of words by the locals as “city of ten-thousand odors”, owing to the many curious smells that emanate from Haibianr’s harbor, a by-product of industries ranging from the distillation of rice and soy to the manufacture of explosives and fireworks. These products – along with fine silk, exotic spices, art objects, and the highly addictive “dream flower” snuff – all contribute to heavy trade with lands beyond the continent. Haibianr is the port of choice for foreign traders.

I went through a few stages with this one until I found a style I liked (you can see the WIPs here). This iteration started off on 14"x17" smooth bristol board as a pencil sketch which was then inked using Staedtler pigment liners. I had it scanned at Kinkos (quite reasonably, to my surprise) and brought it into Photoshop for painting. Most of the map is hand-painted, though there are some layer styles (buildings, trees, water, overlays).

This is "forum final" but it will be presented differently when it sees publication...in an adventure called "Curse of the Emperor's Stone", which will be compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo. Later it'll appear in a setting book about Haibianr itself. I'll be posting some encounter maps I'm working on for CotES as I make progress. If anyone feels like using this map or any of the stuff I'm posting for the adventure in their home game please go ahead...but I expect to hear how it went!

Thanks again. So glad I found this wonderful community.
M

P.S. It's pronounced high-bee-are. Don't drag out the last syllable, though, it's a "word-sound" added due to a regional accent - the "real name" of the city to speakers of other dialects is Haibian, pronounced high-bee-enn. Okay, so, I speak a little Chinese and I expect this interests me a heck of a lot more than it interests you.

[Sapiento]

Great map. repped!

[Ramah]

Wonderful map. It's been great watching this thing grow into the work of art it is now. Well done.

[Gandwarf]

Amazing work

[Gidde]

Repped and rated

This is a great city map. Usually I complain about red text but you pulled it off very nicely; it fits well on this one. I love the compass rose as well.

[Steel General]

Nicely done!

[Tear]

Beautiful map.

[Redrobes]

Repped - and, you just made it into the thumbs update too.

[mapposer]

Very cool map. Thanks for posting it, it gives me lots of ideas...