Plateau Country(WIP) 1st map

[Galendae]

Hello Guild!
1st map posting here, so I would appreciate some feedback. Basically the map depicts a lightly populated steppe plateau realm that in its southern reaches is dry and gets more lush (true grasslands) the more north and west you go. To the south lies a major river valley that is densely populated, and made very habitable by irrigation farming, but is dry around it (Colorado river valley?) and is marked by a serious elevation change. It has two major Ridge Lines (Think Rift Valley) separating it from the Plateau Realm above. Does that ridge line make sense?

Really a WIP. I have not colored it yet, as i am constantly changing things. The big gray globs are Forest/Tree Clusters. And I know my Mts suck, for now, but I have much better ones on a different section. Take a good look at that massive seasonal lake/Swamp and the rivers entering and exiting it. I need a good river police analyzing(eh...that does not sound right ) . The River marked outlet #2, that looks like a wadi, is seasonal and only flows when the seasonal lake overflows. What ya think? Is that possible?

Couple rivers disappear into the desert in the east and are really wadis too.

I have not put any man made stuff on the map, and will not until I get the geography just right.

I am imagining a warrior steppe people living above on the Plateau, with a civilized advanced farming people in the Southern River Valley. The Ridgeline is suppose to be a serious hindrance between the two realms, we are talking an elevation change in some cases of 2000'. Several key choke points are/will be utilized by the civilized valley dwellers to keep the Steppe Barbarians out. Well, I hope you get the idea of things.

Galendae

[arsheesh]

Hey not to shabby for a first map! I like the clean lines of the canyons, ridges and rivers. However, that said, the slightly blurry hills clash with the overall "cleanness" of the presentation. I would get rid of them and create some new hills appropriately suited to the map. Otherwise, nice job.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Gidde]

That actually looks pretty cool! Can't find any glaring river violations; the big seasonal lake area looks strange at first glance, but after really studying it I think it at least looks plausible. And I love the elevation handling. Why didn't you just continue that hachure style for the mountainous spots?

[Galendae]

Hey not to shabby for a first map! I like the clean lines of the canyons, ridges and rivers. However, that said, the slightly blurry hills clash with the overall "cleanness" of the presentation. I would get rid of them and create some new hills appropriately suited to the map. Otherwise, nice job.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

Ya, I am not worried about cleaning up Mts/Hills yet, most of that will come in the coloring phase. I am constantly experimenting, adding , subtracting, etc...
Not meant to be a "Clean" map yet. Trying to see if the geography makes sense. Rivers, Plateau, Ridge Line etc...

[Depassage]

Nice start! Eager to see advancing the piece.

[Lyandra]

I really like the way you represented terrain. Very good start, I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[Galendae]

Little Map Key to help explain things:

1 Sunken Valley- Lowest point on the map and set in the middle of a desert. Adventure location, subterranean dungeon.
2 Wadi- Intermittent or seasonal river.
3 Small Ridge/Slope- Depicts moderate rises in elevation 200-300 ft.
4 1st Major Ridge line- Depicts a steep ridge 700-1000 ft tall. Almost wall like.
5 2nd Major Ridge Line- Depicts another steep ridge 1000+ ft tall, major terrain barrier.
6 Tallest section of Ridge line, nearly 2000' ft tall. Ridges 4 & 5 meld here.
7 Tallest Plateau point in the ridge lines- 3000' tall
8 Semi-arid Plateau- Low rainfall, not true grassland and not true desert. Sparsely populated by steppe herders.
9 Grassland- Well watered section of plateau, approx 3000' elevation above lower River valley. Populated by steppe herders. Very Warlike.
10 Seasonal Lake- In the wet season the whole area is a lake. Most of the rain originates in Mts to the North and West. Seasonal Lake has swift evaporation rate in summer.
11 Swamp- Large swamp, home to an empire of man-hating semi-intelligent Lizard men. Area feared by the steppe dwellers.
12 North River valley- Fairly numerous pop area. Very fertile. Most pop is on North Bank.
13 Southern River Valley- Very numerous pop. Area dry, Colorado like, heavy irrigation by the populace. The larger pop is on the South Bank.
14 Fertile Plateau- Densely populated Plateau extending into the Western Mountains.
15 Mountains- Currently poorly drawn. The Eastern slopes are the wet side and very forested.
16 Desert- Not a sand Dune desert, more of a rocky, occasional cactus desert.
17 Dry Region- Colorado like region, the valley dwellers have the area heavily irrigated.
18 Sunken/Hidden Valley- Adventure Area, Lost city with ancient secret people that are deadly xenophobic.
19 Ruined City on Plateau- Ruins of Ancient city, inhabited now by evil creatures, major adventure area.
20 Claw Canyons- Major adventure area, inhabited by evil creatures. Canyons are pock marked with caves.
21 River Tunnel- River carved a tunnel leading to lower river valley from upper plateau.
22 Waterfall- Poorly drawn and needs lots of work to accurately depict a major waterfall.

Hope this clarifies things on the Map.

Thanks
Galendae