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I remember seeing this somewhere before, didn't someone already take this months ago? What happened?
Udu, land of the Oogah's.
Hi!
I'm writing a fantasy about a cave world underneath Australia, and I need a map for it.
I've created a concept map to use as a reference while writing, but it is definitely not adequate for the book, having been thrown together in two minutes in MS-paint.
Here is a brief history of Udu.
Udu was once, thousands of years ago, properly called Svartálfaheimr. Most people simply called it "Erl". It was the home of one of the Svartálfar, rulers of caves. Everyone else knew him as the Erl King.
A flood was coming, and God would use it to destroy evil men. Two of every kind of animal would be saved, and the rest were left behind. Most animals weren't aware of this, but there were some sentient creatures who were aware of what would happen, and they sought refuge in Erl. The Elves, the Oogah's, the Vums, and the Woobles.
At first, the Erl king did not mind. He allowed these creatures to take refuge in his vast kingdom to wait until the raging waters above subsided. He was annoyed, however, that by the art of Memcaeli, the Elves brought light into Erl. Light burned the Erl king, and so he avoided it. He was forced to dwell in a far corner of Udu to wait for everyone to leave. But, when the waters subsided, a fierce Ice Age had taken the overlands, and they were forced again to stay.
Over hundreds of years, all thoughts of leaving Erl were forgotten, and the Elves renamed it Udu for the sake of the linguistically challenged Oogah's, who had a very difficult time pronouncing R's, and L's, nevermind both at once. Furious that they took his kingdom, the Erl king in a fit of madness, with his band of outcasts, attacked the Elves and destroyed their empire. He would have done more, were it not for the bravery of the Oogahs, who stopped the Erl king with light.
Overcome with guilt at what he had done, the Erl king fled to the far corner of Udu, and there he dwells to this day. The elves in Udu all died off, but one, Lunr. And now, the Oogah's rule over Udu, and the two cryptid nations, the Vums, and Woobles.
There are ten primary things on this map that must be heeded.
1. The Oogah city
2.The Oogah towns
3.The Oogah farmlands
4.The ancient Elfin ruins, formerly known as the Elfin City
5.The Oogah mines
6.The Flying Kingdom, or, the Wooble Kingdom
7. The Vast (a volcanic desert)
8.The Erl Kingdom
9. The Swimming Kingdom, or, The Vum Kingdom
10. The River Source
Here is my sample map:
You may change the shape of things as you wish, but please retain the same general direction and position of the key locations. Also, you can change the river in whatever way you wish, but please ensure that the river reaches all the places it does in my map, and that it does not cut through the Vast.
One major improvement that needs to be made (among others), is that there needs to be blank spots, where there is no cave. Otherwise, it will be highly unrealistic.
Another thing, I would like the cave names to be written in the Oogah's own writing system. After all, it is their map.
I will PM whoever accepts this project with copies of the Oogah's handwriting for every name on the map.
As for style, I'm thinking about a sort of rough leather feel, written in a charcoal esque way, but, if you have a better idea, don't hesitate to use it. Please, just make sure it looks like something produced in a cave world.
Please, don't accept this project unless you are certain you will be able to complete it. I am in no hurry. You can go at your own pace, but please keep in contact with me, because the last guy who accepted this task dropped out, and I haven't heard from him since.
I appreciate everyone who considers this. Thankyou for your time.
Have a nice day, and God bless!
I remember seeing this somewhere before, didn't someone already take this months ago? What happened?
“When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden
* Rivengard * My Finished Maps * My Challenge Maps * My deviantArt
As I said, the last guy who accepted this task dropped out. That is to day, he disappeared, and I haven't heard from him since.Originally Posted by Jaxilon
I updated the thread, and said I was accepting new people, but since everyone thought it was a taken thread, I guess no one paid attention.
So I asked the mods, and they said I could repost a request.
I've been waiting for months for the guy to come back, or for someone new to volunteer.
Ah, that makes sense and in that case I hope you get a taker.
“When it’s over and you look in the mirror, did you do the best that you were capable of? If so, the score does not matter. But if you find that you did your best you were capable of, you will find it to your liking.” -John Wooden
Ok - here's my feeble attempt at refining this - "eh ehm" - interesting primitively stylized cartographic presentation a little bit. Just a tiny pokey stab at a preliminary outline sketch.
First of all - thank you for sharing your map with us. Weeeelllll, uuuummmmm, maybe you could label some things on it a tad bit more clearly, or perhaps a friend or family member could help you out with that it you are having some difficulty doing so. Also - we would love to hear a few more details about each part of your map. That might help us to understand the best way to map your particular world here.
For example - is what appears to be a road in the original map above ground, or under ground - because it looks like in the original map you have it coming right out of a body of water? Also is there a water fall terminating the river into a spillage lagoon at the far left of the map, or was that an ink smudge or something? Is the river in the "Flying Kingdom" on an eleveated plateau or cliff - is it flowing "downward" into a depression / crevass - or is it flowing out of the subterranean zone into the surface world? Is it flowing into a seperate cave or massive antichamber? Someone might have to do a series of pre-sketches before they can start to do a final map draft on this. Actually if you could clear up some of the more enigmatic points about the map - if done properly - it would turn out looking pretty cool. My gut tells me that your "cave world" looks to be about the size of Nevada - or maybe roughly 1/6th the total land area of Australia.
Last edited by Terraformer_Author; 11-13-2010 at 09:25 PM.
I am in a hurry now, so I can't answer all your questions now, but there is one I can answer.
As you can see, the original map had numbers all over it. Those numbers actually marked all the locations, and here is a list of what each one was.
1. The Oogah city
2.The Oogah towns
3.The Oogah farmlands
4.The ancient Elfin ruins, formerly known as the Elfin City
5.The Oogah mines
6.The Flying Kingdom, or, the Wooble Kingdom
7. The Vast (a volcanic desert)
8.The Erl Kingdom
9. The Swimming Kingdom, or, The Vum Kingdom
10. The River Source
Sorry I wasn't more clear about that. I'll be back later to answer more questions. Thanks so much for your time! This new map looks alot cleaner.
Okay, I'm back.
Actually, neither. that was just a visual aid that I was using to help me remember the path my characters were taking. You can ignore that. Udu does have a road though. There is a road that connects the Oogah city with the Oogah towns. It crosses the river, so it has a sort of bridge, though a rather primitive one. There is also a small dirt path that leads from the oogah city to the Oogah farmlands. This dirt path leads through the farmlands, and into the mines.
After that, there are no more roads in Udu. The Erl kingdom, being a highly efficient place, probably has paths, as do the Elfin ruins, but those aren't roads, and are in my opinion too miniscule to include in a map.
Well, firstly, those are swamps. Secondly, no, there isn't. However, at the far north east of the map, the river source does a have a waterfall splashing into it. A rather long one.
The river flows all the way from the top right corner of the map "down" to everything. The Wooble kingdom is not, technically, a depression, nor is it a plateau. Though the Wooble kingdom is bordered by cliffs, and filled with enormous high rocky places, the river is on the ground, and flows naturally downward.
Here is a scale for you:
Udu is not like the stuff that alot of you cartographers like doing. It's more like a dungeon then a landscape, but more like a landscape than a dungeon.
Udu is not a land of color. It is a world forever immersed in the dark of night, lit by the floating wisps of moonlight. At first glance, one would find it dark, terrifying, and completely unenchanting. But, it has a beauty of it's own. The beauty of caves. For instance, it doesn't have green farmland like the one in your map. Rather, it has sepia mushroom fields that stretch on, illuminated by the glowing misty shroud of bluish light that illuminates Udu.
So, if you take this "job", then I'll send some more information on Udu so you can get a feel and understanding of things. Be sure you read the OP first.
Again, thank you so much for your time!
Looks like Udu is about, what, 500 miles long east-west and 250 miles north-south? Maybe 600/300?
You say it's bathed in moonlight, but isn't it underground? Are the "floating wisps of moonlight" generated by something other than the moon?
I find a square to be a very odd shape for a giant, underground cavern. I'd say there would be massive pillars of rock running from the ceiling to the floor as well like when stalagmites and stalactites join as well.
What are the mines? Wouldn't the people mine the wall of the cavern? Are they big pits? Are they underground mountains? If so, do they touch the ceiling? If not, how tall are they? How tall is the ceiling?
You say the Vast is a volcanic wasteland, but how is that much different than anything else? Are there volcanoes there? Rivers of lava? Is there heavy vegetation like moss and fungi everywhere else?
Why are the Farmlands so extremely far from The Towns? From the city? Why are the towns grouped together right there if not around the farmlands or mines?
One of the most oft-quoted rules in Cartographer's Guild is that rivers don't split, BTW. They only merge.
If the rivers are coming from the area of the farmland and towns, it must be from several underground springs. If the rivers aren't coming from the farmland, then the river is splitting several times.
I'm afraid I don't have much of a response for this except...why not? Mushrooms and stuff grow there. They always have, and so that's where the Oogah's chose to farm, and continue to hundreds of years later.Why are the Farmlands so extremely far from The Towns? From the city?
Well, the Oogah's in the towns and cities have a bit of a superiority complex. They think it makes them better for living there, and the farming Oogah's think the same about themselves. The mines are where they are because that is the best place to mine.Why are the towns grouped together right there if not around the farmlands or mines?
Another reason Oogahs are where they are is because where they are, there is water. Notice that the rivers goes to all locations where Oogah's live.
In order to distribute food and supplies, there is a big market held in the Oogah city every year. Metals, minerals, and rock are brought from the mines, food is brought from the farms, oddities are brought from the wooble kingdom, and special foods and materials are brought from the Vum kingdom. This occurs at the same time that the Memcaeli ceremony occurs, which all are always present for.
Don't they? Sounds a bit suspicious to me. Well, in that case, rivers may not normally split, but they do in Udu.One of the most oft-quoted rules in Cartographer's Guild is that rivers don't split, BTW. They only merge. If the rivers are coming from the area of the farmland and towns, it must be from several underground springs. If the rivers aren't coming from the farmland, then the river is splitting several times.
Just so we're clear, I'm not downing your map. I think it's imaginative and creative. But there are some things I think you need to reconsider.
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