Map 24: The Hundred Celestial Cities

[Bogie]

Thanks for the link to the name generator, now I have a lot of Hobbit names for my map!!

[Diamond]

No problem. Those things have been a godsend to me over the years...

[Abu Lafia]

Hi Diamond, a great map of a very "diamondian" setting . I'm glad you could make some use of those banners again, the symbols look really cool and i love the skull on the ganfalon. Btw.: since you mentioned " fiddling around with minor stuff for the next month"... what layermode did you use for the shadows on the banners? Some of them look like they have a bit too much contrast (or maybe the "wrong" layermode: "normal" instead of "overlay" or "multiply"?). Just asking, because i'm not sure whether it was a deliberate decision, or having to do with the export to .psd from gimp.
Well, i thought about doing a new banner for my own map. Others might follow after this birthday present is done
Cheers,
AL

[Ilanthar]

Hello neighbour! Right now, I feel that I could have good relations with the Pearl Cities, but difficult ones with the Thranlun Hegemony...

[Diamond]

@Abu: I didn't use any blending or shadows at all on the banners; I just dropped them in there. I thought the contrast worked well and made them stand out more, but I'll play with some soft dark outer glows and see how that works. And yes, please please please make more of those banner templates!

@Ilanthar: The Pearl Cities are a trading guild alliance run by fat greedy merchants, and the Thranlun Hegemony is a theocracy run by strict warrior-monks. Not evil, but very unbending and strict.

[Lingon]

I loved those books. Didn't expect anyone to notice that!

I just started reading the first one actually, finding it a bit difficult to get into but it feels like the kind of book that get better on a second read? Always enjoy finding such hints anyway

And the map turned out wonderful of course! Very speedy job.

[Diamond]

The hardest thing for me was getting a feel for the different 'poses'. Once you wrap your mind around how they work, the book(s) really take off. They are quite sad, though. Sort of a Guy Gavriel Kay feeling to them.

[wthrasherb]

I NEED to know how you do those mountains.

Hey Robbie! I THINK this is the tutorial Diamond was referring to...

http://www.cartographersguild.com/sh...ad.php?t=10192

Glad you asked... I was wondering the same thing

[- Max -]

A nice Diamond-esque map indeed

[Lingon]

The hardest thing for me was getting a feel for the different 'poses'. Once you wrap your mind around how they work, the book(s) really take off. They are quite sad, though. Sort of a Guy Gavriel Kay feeling to them.

Yeah, that's what I'm struggling with too. At first I didn't even realize they're doing it with their hands, so I envisioned everyone making silly dance moves Haven't read anything by Kay though he's on my to-read list... I like sad books so it sounds promising