September 2012 Entry: The Blue Pyramid

[Lukc]

### Winner ###

blue-pyramid-web-1750-textured.jpg

Inspired by a Goblin Tomb Raid D&D game I will run shortly, the Kowloon map and way too much Opeth. I give you a pseudo-panoramic map of the environs of the Ziggurat of Learning, premier institution of higher education in the Theocratic Democratic City-state of Jarech and the broader Round Valley region. This is certainly not a map endorsing the bunk and silly theories of numerous conspiracy nut serfs who claim that three-eyed beings from a higher plane landed here and created the Round Valley and brought the knowledge of metallurgy to the race of man.

Enjoy!

The map was done entirely by hand, also coloured by hand, but stitched together and lightly textured & colour adjusted in photoshop. The original covers 2 A4 pages, while the original .psd file is saved at 600 dpi and comes in at about 11,000 by 7,000 pixies*. Since the map wraps around, I doubled up a bit of the map at the sides, though I worked over the edges with the clone tool to remove bits that were extraneous or just making it look icky.

P.S. - I know it's not much of a WIP, but somehow yesterday I saw the challenge and sat down at 17:00 and finished it, well, now.

*As everyone knows, LCD screen pixels are made from crushed pixie extract mixed with sunshine and rainbows.

[Sapiento]

Fantastic!!!

[anomiecoalition]

Just awesome.

[Schwarzkreuz]

The vile Kitty comes with an awesome Map just at the last Week of Contest. Oh dire winds of winters, i will Be defeated by paw paw Kitty feets. Again. Ha!

[Lukc]

Well, I would have done it in bits and pieces, but I spent pretty much all my time settling in and getting used to a new town, so ... this was my first really free weekend since the end of July! It was great.

[arsheesh]

I love it, and I am so going to steal it for the next campaign I run!

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Bogie]

So much amazing awesome stuff going on here! How did you think it all up?

[Lukc]

Well, I put on my Opeth discography and started drawing ... 12 hours later, more or less, it was done. Mostly it was just doing things slowly, bit by bit. I set up the general structure with some pencilled in guides, then just went crazy with a 0.1mm pen for ... well ... hours. Ideas chained together and this was the result. I actually kind of enjoy the sci-fi/fantasy mashup that resulted and the implicit (explicit) conspiracy between the guys in power up top.

[ravells]

that is just amazing! Absolutely amazing. Did I say amazing?

[Kolyana]

AAHAHAHHAHA. I . LOVE . IT. Crazy amount of detail - exactly the sort of thing I love. BRAVO!