Once part of a grand mining empire, the Rusted Shores are now a haven for smugglers and cutthroats alike.

I wanted to get some shoreline practice in and play with island/archipelago shapes. I also got a bit more involved in the compass rose with this one to try and add some narrative theme. All in all, a very fun map to draw over the course of a Saturday afternoon. Thoughts and tips always appreciated

The Rusted Shores.jpg

All hand-drawn; started with a rough pencil plan before inking with fineliners; 130gsm A4 (~8"x11"); December 2020.

In days long past, all manner of precious metals and sparkling gems would flow from these islands, carried far and wide by the treasure fleets of Nildûr. But the Nildûrians mined too deep, and when Mt. Kida saw fit to unleash her fury, none were spared.

Port Baruut'za now squats in mocking imitation of this one great seat of power and the Court of Rust oversees its sprawling hive of black-market traders and endless skullduggery. Buccaneers lurk in the myriad coves and few now pass this way unharried, bar the Sisters of Foxfire Abbey, of course.

Over it all gazes the formidable peak of Mt. Kida, her fumes curling into the dusky sky, a reminder of what true power looks like.

Whilst pulling this together, my worldbuilding juices got flowing so I wrote this little snippet to accompany it (please let me know if this isn't the place for worldbuildy/flavour text stuff and I can edit it out )