Aran & Ilan - novel version

[Caenwyr]

I like it a lot, Caenwyr! Still the very iconic needle-pointy mountains i know from your works
The labels work well, i think, but i don't like the (country-borders?) lines...they just cover up too much of your lovely mountains. I'm not sure such borders are really necessary if there are country names and the mountains display such clear natural borders. But then that may just be me.

I feel the same way! I might consider leaving them off (thanks, that was a good idea!), but if I do use them, this is the thinnest they can be unfortunately.

[Caenwyr]

Okay, quick test. Ignore the unfinished shading for a minute (especially in the northwest, but really all over the map). This is all about the borders. Or rather, the attempted lack of them. Does this work for you guys?

Aran_and_Ilan (A5) - 07b.jpg as an alternative for this one: Aran_and_Ilan (A5) - 07c.jpg

I feel like it does for the most part, especially for countries entirely surrounded by natural borders. There's Koninkrijk Ilan, its borders easily recognizable as its surrounding mountains. There's Gaendyr, bounded by mountains in the west, and a river in the east. But what about Faltorn, the southernmost country? And even more difficult, the as yet unlabeled Nargwin - the thin strip of land between sea and mountains on the NW edge of the continent?

I think I could solve the Faltorn issue by drawing borders starting a little ways off shore and having them disappear as soon as they hit the mountains, allowing borders in the sea but not on land. But I can't do that for Nargwin.

Do you guys think a hybrid system would work, where I only show borders when necessary? Or is that just the talk of a maniac?

[rdanhenry]

How formally are the borders established? Unless you have a working system of international law and good cartography and surveying, borders are actually going to be a bit vague and may shift simply as one lord extends his patrols or contracts them. Is there an actual country north of Nargwin, or does it simply not settle farther north? Unless they have a neighbor whose borders they need to respect, they'll probably claim the whole coast, even if they have not attempted to settle it, and even if there are some scattered settlements of another people that do not recognize their authority, but have not organized into a nation that could make their own territorial claim recognized.

[bkh1914]

How important is the actual location of the borders in your book?

If the border is simply 'the mountains', then the version without lines
is appropriate since the mountains define the border.

If there are fortifications along the borders, then the lines are better.

Personally, I like the version without lines.
It's less cluttered.

[Caenwyr]

How formally are the borders established?

How important is the actual location of the borders in your book?

Two very pertinent questions - thanks for 'em rdanhenry and bkh1914!

The borders between Ilan, Gaendyr, Faltorn and Araniell are formally established. Together they form the region "Aran & Ilan", being the habitable lands east and west of the Dragon's Backbone respectively. There are (very sparsely) inhabited regions outside of that - the Nargwin Coast, the Safryn Waste and Hamadion, but they are generally considered empty wilderness. South of the Silver Sea (the big blotch of water on the southern part of the map) there are other countries, some quite powerful, and there's a sprawling empire waaaay to the SE, but these don't figure much in the story. At least not in the first book.

For the well-established borders, I guess two are pretty obvious:

• the main ridge functions as the border between Ilan and Gaendyr
• the river east of that functions as the border between Gaendyr and Araniell

These might just as well be left off - viewers will get the picture easily enough.

But there's also some borders that are less easy to find if you don't actually display them:

• The border separating Faltorn from Ilan and Gaendyr follows the course of some pretty minor waterways and hill ridges. This border is pretty important, so I best leave it in.
• Then there's the northern section of Gaendyr's border where it leaves the river and winds its way towards the mountains. Physical geography seems to suggest that happens at the southernmost point of that ridge, while in reality it's quite a bit more to the north. It keeps following the river until it hits the city of Marlyn (currently not displayed on the map), which due to historical reasons is ruled as a diarchy/independent city state - meh, it's complicated. Only there the border veers away from the river and joins the mountains. I can't say this little twist is important for the story though, at least not at this point.
• And then there's the super-mega-ultra important border between Ilan and Araniell on the southern shore of that massive lake. The exact location of the border is however not THAT important, as long as readers (and viewers) understand that it's the only place in the world where the giants actually rub shoulders. The entire strip of land between the mountains and the lake has been stripped from its population, and is now a heavily monitored wasteland, complete with abandoned villages and slowly degrading road system.

So all in all, I guess Faltorn's northern border is the only one that isn't implied by the physical geography and still important enough to be actually displayed.

-------------------------------

Alright. So I also continued work on the map a little! I added the terrain for the southern part of Araniell, and plonked in the rivers. Then I added a very small number of labels. No shading yet though.

For ease of identification I'll also add an image showing the sketched-in locations for the terrain that isn't there yet.

Also, you'll notice my shading is getting stronger. I decided that for such a small map, shading is the perfect tool to do the heavy lifting in bringing across the terrain.

Aran_and_Ilan (A5) - 08d - empty.jpg
Aran_and_Ilan (A5) - 08d - labels.jpg
Aran_and_Ilan (A5) - 08d - labels + terrain.jpg

Do you think this one little border works? Or does it look weird, considering it's the only one?

[Eilathen]

To be honest, it does look a little weird (because it is such a lonely border-line) BUT i still think it can work. At least to me, it is preferable to "border-lines all over the place". This way it is less cluttered and your beautiful map is not blocked by border-lines.

Btw this already looks fantastic. I'm sure this will be a superb map when it is finished! Do you have an idea how to do forests? Or will you leave them out for the sake of readability/simplicity?

[Wingshaw]

Oh wow, this is looking great!!

I think that the border is good. Especially if it's meant to be printed in A5, it's best to keep it simple.

Edit: ninja'd by Eilathen

Wingshaw

[Caenwyr]

To be honest, it does look a little weird (because it is such a lonely border-line) BUT i still think it can work. At least to me, it is preferable to "border-lines all over the place". This way it is less cluttered and your beautiful map is not blocked by border-lines.

Btw this already looks fantastic. I'm sure this will be a superb map when it is finished! Do you have an idea how to do forests? Or will you leave them out for the sake of readability/simplicity?

Yes, these are gonna get dropped too. Might still add some (very subtle) terrain squiggles though, but nothing fancy. Thanks for your opinion on the border(s)!

I think that the border is good. Especially if it's meant to be printed in A5, it's best to keep it simple.

Thanks a bunch Wingshaw! It's an interesting balancing act I've never been faced with before - a humongous learning experience!

[Diamond]

I guess I'm the weird one in that I like the version with all the borders. It really helps solidify things in my mind of 'what's where'.

Oh, and GORGEOUS map.

[Caenwyr]

Thanks all!

Alright, update!!

Aran_and_Ilan (A5) - 09c.jpg

Still gotta add some things (like a legend, a scale, a compass and that kinda stuff), but the mappy part of it seems pretty much done. Unless you guys still have remarks, in which case I'd say: shoot!!