April / May 2015 Lite Challenge: The Kingdom of Clichéa

[Sarithus]

Hello Guild. I love fantasy, but I know its faults. I always cringe when I see certain things in fantasy maps, and in fantasy in general, and so for my entry in my first challenge I decided to go with this idea that I had floating around my head for a few weeks. The darkness comes to destroy all originality and fill the world with as much tropes as possible. Much much much still to do, but here's what I've done today.

### LATEST WIP ###
Clichea 1.png

Thanks.

[Meshon]

Hah! This is a great concept. I think you're missing the city called <insert resoundingly epic name>'s Landing though. It makes an interesting subtlety that the "heroes of light" are probably advancing the agenda of the darkness just by being their cliché heroic selves!

Um. Also, the map looks really good already. Those are some snappy mountains. Looking at the dark forest, I saw a map here recently which had the shapes of trees worked into the forest border line too, it looked really good.

Have fun with this concept!

cheers,
Meshon

[Abu Lafia]

Hey Sarithus, that's a great (original? ) concept. Although known, your mountains and linework in general are just excellent! The colour palette is very lovely and the "in-your-face" names really hit the nail XD
But i'm wondering: The Kingdom of Clichea seems to became corrupted by the dark forces already long ago...
Man, i just imagine the "Legion of Intertextuality" led by the dark marshall Roland Barthes screaming "Death to the authors!" while ravaging the peaceful lands of creativity and genius cult... XD
Looking forward how this develops!

[Sarithus]

Thanks guys for the feedback!

@Meshon: I should try adding the shapes of the trees into the border, thanks for the suggestion.

I was thinking that Abu, that the map does already seem to have fallen into the darkness and all things are already unoriginal. I did add that the darkness is prevailing, but I might need to elaborate and say that Clichea has fallen, but the rest of the world still fights back.

I hope I don't come across as big-headed here, but there's always a mention of my mountains in all recent maps I've made. Perhaps I should make a tutorial. I don't know why they come so easy to me, it's just like scribbling. >.<

[Abu Lafia]

I was thinking that Abu, that the map does already seem to have fallen into the darkness and all things are already unoriginal. I did add that the darkness is prevailing, but I might need to elaborate and say that Clichea has fallen, but the rest of the world still fights back.

I hope I don't come across as big-headed here, but there's always a mention of my mountains in all recent maps I've made. Perhaps I should make a tutorial. I don't know why they come so easy to me, it's just like scribbling. >.<

It's just an idea, but if you see it from a perspective like: the most "evil" ideology is the ideology in which you think you are completely free of ideology, the whole makes sense again. They only think they are the "free" ("original", etc.) ones but are already (and becoming more and more) corrupted, and even help the enemy in the way Meshon mentioned above.

Regarding the mountains: Yeah i noticed that they are praised a lot (and rightly so!) but i wanted to say it just one more time... not very original, i know... It would be great if you could find the time to make a mountain tutorial. I mean there are a lot of them out there, but its always nice to get insight into the tricks of skillful people like you.

[rdanhenry]

Even the descriptive text is copying itself with the fight "against the against the" tide of doom.

[Bogie]

I agree, the mountains are excellent, and love that the Dark Lands of Evil look like a skull !!

[ChickPea]

Haha, love the idea! You'll surely have to include a tiny little dot somewhere that represents the farming community where the hero that saves the world was born. Cos there's always a farmboy with a DESTINY!

I like what you've done, and yes, I'm drooling over your mountains! I'd enjoy seeing a tutorial, though I suspect a lot of it is natural talent on your part. Looking forward to seeing what you do next.

[Sarithus]

Thanks for the kind feedback. If it's not considered cheating I'd be grateful if people could suggest some other tropes of which they are aware. Here's what I've done so far today:

### LATEST WIP ###
clichea2.png

[Bogie]

Gotta have a volcano in the dark/evil lands.

Swamp of "insert choice" : Despair, Forgetfulness, ruin, death, hopelessness, and let's not forget the Fire Swamp with the Lightning Sand and ROUS's!