The Map of the New Wars

Alright, here are the rules for the making of the maps for the new landwars:

It must be on a 500 by 500 map.
It must be submitted before we start.
It must show the location of all bases.
It must show any geographical features -ie moutnains forests rivers etc. Any area left blank will be considered a field, which would make some strategic sense.
You may start with roads between bases.
Don't be cheap. It will be set up to be reveiwed by all other players. So nothing like a ring of mountains aroundo ne base.
If you do so please you may make specific geographic features like if there is a specific mountain river pass whatever, go ahead.
Have some fun with it. Maybe put a smiley face as the shape of your bases or something. I dunno.

Oh, and be sure to post your map with your new accounts. Player confidentiality.

okay, a few questions.

500 by 500 what? Miles? Kilometers? Inches? Pixels? Unspecified square units?

How many bases can we put on the map? (I'm sure this is probably in the other thread but I forgot and it should probably be mentioned here anyway for clarity).

Pixels
4 Bases

that's a bit bigger than 500 x 500 pixels.

Guh wha? I think I oughta make a sample map just to give an example.



Here's a nice sample map. Very simple in color, shows mountains desert plains, hills, a river, some roads and the locations of 4 bases. If I was actually making the map I might give them names, but yeah. Feel free to make it like a sepia or something if you want. Whatever you want.

I'm no good at geography... But here's what this contais:

- There are four Bases (Gestal, Raikoch, Talangrad, Dengal) and four Keeps.
- Mountains (gray) with a cave system (dark gray). A path links Talagrad and Dengal through the caves, which also provide a safe haven and a place to store supplies and resources.
- A lake with a couple swamps, one small, one long. There's also a river cutting the map. The bridge is large, has two Guard Towers and gates on each end.
- Lightest green areas are plain, second lightest are jungles, and darkest are forests.

are you allowed to start with keeps?

Four maximum.

I figure we can start with basic keeps.

Gray is the moutnains
Brown is the paths
Black is the bridges keeps and the one gate in the mountains
Dark Green is the forest
The light green is foot hills
Green is fields

Nathaldor lies on a raised plateau-like area. It isn't incredibly high up, maybe only about 80 feet. Enough to make the pass where it lowers onto normal ground more logical to take (as shown by the roads in violet). The river flows through this into an underground area under Nathaldor, where it is used for water and forging and such.

Nulrun is at the break in the river, which flows upstream (from bottom to top on the map).

Vulren rests on a plateau within the mountains.

Aydral overlooks a valley between those two mountains. Think the castle in OoT.

Troubled Soul is the name for the break, named long ago because the river was split in two forcefully. No one is sure what caused it.

Dead Wood and Serpent Forest are like petrified forests. They are the forests close to the Tundra, and so have been frozen to the point where they no longer live. A somewhat creepy place. The picture is pretty accurate to what I have in mind, just that the frozen forests here aren't nearly that small.

Lush Craw is a normal forest. Somewhat dense. Forbidden Forest and Forbidden Cave are generally avoided from suspicion of wraiths and vengeful spirits. Legend has it that a battle took place there over the borders. No one has entered the Forbidden Cave and come back, so it is a mystery where it may lead or hold.

The small keep, in addition to being a defensible area, serves as a rest stop for messengers, travels, soldiers, etc. Vulren, Nathaldor, and Aydral travelers generally look forward to spending a night here after traveling on cold ground.. Between Aydral and the keep is a lone mountain. Legend has it that beasts live in the mountain, so travelers stay far from it.

Nathaldor is run by the dwarves, from the fortress of Nathaldor. They run off of a hierarchy, as it has been since the kingdom was founded. King Vargus Ironmine is the current king.

Welcome to the Valerian Peninsula of Vacant Empire.

Castle Valeria is on a high hill with the sheer Cliffs Defsin to one side, overlooking the sea. The high position that the castle is set on, with the lightly wooded terrain around it, allows for attacks from any direction to be seen long before they arrive.

Fort Kaltiav is deep within the dense Kaltiav Wood. All the forests of the land consist mainly of evergreen conifers, which remain consistently dense and green all year long. The dense wood makes it hard to see oncoming attacks, but it also makes it hard to find if you aren't following the well guarded road. A secret path leads from Fort Kaltiav to the Sacred Pass, one of the few accessible passes through the foothills of the Andien Ridge.

Andien Fortress is in the middle of the Andien Ridge, rough rocky terrain with tall foothills running along either side. The difficult terrain makes it hard to move large engines to and from the fortress, but it also makes it a good safe place to stay. The crossroads here lead to Valeria on the northwest, to the Sacred Pass on the northeast, and to the somewhat easier Vektan Pass on the southwest.

Vektan Keep is a small fortified tower in the dense Forest Vektan, set there to guard the Citadel Bridge. The Citadel Bridge is a vast stone drawbridge leading over the narrow Strait of Tashk to the small Isle Syr. The isle has very little vegetation, being mostly sheer cliffs and rocky foothills. On the isle is Citadel Syr, set on a high location surrounded by cliffs and small rocky hills.

Alsa Keep is a small keep set to guard the Alsa Bridge, spanning the rapid River Alsa, running from the large Lake Delsiah. A road from Alsa Keep leads into the treacherous Wyerin Wetlands, thick muddy marshland fed by snowmelt from the mountains and seasonal flooding from the lake and rivers.

Between the great Lake Delsiah and the greatest of the Andien Mountains, Vacant Mountain, in the middle of the wetlands is Wyerin Keep. Just to the north of Wyerin Keep is the great Vacant Mountain, the largest feature on the Valerian Peninsula, visible from virtually anywhere on it. The top of the mountain is covered with ice and snow. Getting over it is near impossible, and there are no passes through the Andien Mountains. However, there is one secret passage. Inside Vacant Mountain is the Vacant Stronghold, carved directly from the walls of the great Vacant Cavern within the mountain. The stronghold protects the extensive network of mining caves inside the mountain, where most of the empire's iron and gold come from. It is also the ultimate sanctuary of protection for the citizens of the land in times of war.

Lastly, on the other side of the rivers and the lake, are the Plains of Passing. The plains are mostly flat, and lacking of trees. They consist mainly of tall coarse grass. A well traveled path through the plains connects the three bridges together, but there is no path leading all the way across the plains, mostly because people do not often pass through the Plains of Passing.

The Gnomish kingdom of Gearstorm is based mainly out of the mountainous city at The Tinker's Tip. The Tinker's Tip is only the very top level of the city. The bulk of the city is a vertical cylinder with many compartments built in. The city is split into 3 general sections. The upper most being the Military section. The center, the civilian sector. The bottom most being the most prized by the gnomes, the laboratories.

The Tinker's Scar is a large burnt valley left behind by the passing of meteors through the mountain range. The base here is essentially a small fort extending underground. The magical aura left by the meteor shower on the mountains is being harvested to power the gnomes many inventions. Over long periods of time the gasses in the air in the tinker's scar can be slightly poisonous without protection.

Gearwind Plains is a flat grassland with a constant blowing wind. The gnomes here rely on less magic than others. The outpost is made up of a series of wind towers, that power machines below the ground. A series of watch towers is set up here to keep watch on the wide border that is the plains.

Everdrift lake is a large lake that appeared shortly after a meteor crashed deep into the earth's surface. The waters in this lake are rich in magical energies. The gnomes have an underwater station rooted into the bottom of the lake. The area is much more sensitive to magic than other areas.

The Torque wood, a tangled forested mess. The forest is almost inavigable to most humans due to it's thick old roots. Most of the trees are close together, with large amounts of brush. The gnomes don't quite understand how so many trees can live so close together without running out of nourishment.

I'll explain most of the story behind this in the other thread.

Alright, I've begun compiling the maps. I realize we have 1 or 2 that still need to come in, maybe more, but there's plenty of space.

As it stands, I've begun placing territories in a position so that geographical features line up and make logical sense. So mountains to mountains, forests to forests, rivers to rivers, oceans to nothing...

Also, I have had to flip a few maps around to make everything fit a bit better. If you take issue with this, you have two options

1) Suck it.
2) Explain your reasoning as to why you shouldn't suck it.

Before I make my map, what's a keep? Is it just a place where troops and supplies are held, like a millitary base or is it something more complex?

It's just a go between type place where you can hold up troops and use as a stronghold -not a base- should you lose access to a base. Also good for retreat points.

Oh, and vacant, I may be redesigning your map to fit with the style of the others. the geography will be generally the same.

Also, I have reshaped a couple lands for a shoreline, but no worries, any land you've lost is more than made up for. Infact there's almost no land loss at all.

It was pretty much expected. We need borders to match of course.

I'm diggin the avatar dude

I don't care about off topicness

I figured you would.

Welcome to the Iridonia, the first installment of the Roy Teppert Republic.

To the west, the land is coated in rich Savanna Grasslands, known as the Sestero Plains (Green). The Sestero Plains are a flat area of open fields laced with dry underbrush and a sparse population of small trees. Areas nearer to the Bindu River and Lake Starks are more densely forested, with larger trees that can be used as lumber, though most Iridonian architecture is comprised of stone. The Sestero Plains are similar in climate to the African Savannah. The Bindu River and Lake Starks are bodies of fresh water that flow into the sea.

West of the Bindu and southeast of Lake Starks are some keeps.

Just letting you know, "Iridonian" is also the adjective form of Zabrak, my secondary race. So watch out.

The second climate region Iridonia is the Dengus Desert, which is, well, a desert. It's hot, dry and arid, and it's filled with steep, rolling dunes. The object marked "2" is the Great Pyramid of Dengus, which will be used as a keep during times of war.

The third climate region is the Jundland Wastes, an elevated rocky canyon area full of buttes, mesas and mountains. The Jundland Wastes are a very dangerous place, similar to the Badlands inSouth Dakota, except these aren't as steep. On the map, darker areas indicate lower elevation, while areas of higher elevation are colored in a lighter tone. The object marked "1" is the underground tomb of Lord Haidek'ur, which, like the Pyramid of Dengus, is used as a keep during times of War. Although it is an underground tomb, it isn't a hidden one, as both exits are marked by giant statues. A system of underground tunnels are still existent from older Sith kingdoms, but they are too old and decayed for practical use and must be restored.

At the northern end of the Jundland Wastes lies the Sith City of Taargus. In contrast, the southern end of the badlands is marked with the mouth of the Morano River. and the Jedi City of Rim. South of Rim is the Valley of the Jedi (marked as "3"), which is made up of many tall, jagged rock spires that are similar to those at Bryce Canyon, but they are much shorter.

So yeah, that's pretty much it. I hope I didn't draw the cities too small.

That's the ocean to the right. Might name it later.


FLORA AND FAUNA
Sestero Plains: The Sestero plains are home to many types of vegetation. The ground is coated in tall, dry grass, with thick underbrush in some places. The plains are home to many types of trees, with the most popular ones being live oak trees, palm trees and bamboo plants, but they are very sparse. The most common is the Live Oak. As far as Fauna goes, the Sestero plains house many desert cats, such as lions, cougars, tigers and leopards. Other mammals include antelopes, giraffes, and common grazing animals, such as sheep, cattle, and horses.

Beware of attacks by large cats!

Dengus Desert: Deserts typically house very small amounts of life, which is usually limited to shrubs, cacti, small rodents, reptiles and arthropods. Large birds of prey are also present, such as vultures and eagles.

Beware of attacks by coyotes and hyenas! Don't forget to watch out for scorpion stings!

Jundland Watses: No flora is present in the wastes. The fauna is similar to that of the desert, as it is only populated by small insects, rodents and birds. No larger mammals are present.

Impressive graphically and it fits perfect with how the map is already setting up.

Sasson's is still cooler D:

But yeah, I'm excited to see the finished product.

And just letting you know, that's the sea to the east. I forgot to add that.

I've been working some possibilities in my head. I must say... this can turn out very interesting.

Hmmm... so thats all of us? I'll have the map finished in a bit.

TAADAA!

Yes it's kinda crappy at parts but what can I say? And yeah the site downsized it

copy image address into your addressbar for full size

looks like you .jpg'd it.

And a legend for the colors would be nice.

Sorry if I'm sounding like a prick.

Most of the colors mean different things in different places. A key would be rather hard. Just ask questions and I can explain.

And it's not jpg'd, it was resized by photobucket so it looks crappy.

Well, I think the general consensus is that light green is plains or grasslands, darker green is jungles or forests, grey is mountains, beige is desert, light blue (on land) is tundra, teal is swamps and brown is rocky badlands.

As far as water goes, dark blue is salt water and light blue is freshwater.

And that's pretty much a general legend. People with weird maps like vacant complicate things, but yeah.




The swamp right next to the Savannah doesn't make too much sense, but then again, I didn't really expect our map to make much sense at all, with a tundra and a desert on the same continent ._.

Ever look at North America. Lo and behold, Canada has tundras while parts of the US and Mexico have deserts.

Secondly, the changes would be gradual. There wouldn't suddenly be ocean instead of land, there are beaches. There wouldn't suddenly be a swamp, the area just outside the teal would show signs of swampish features, before becoming a true swamp.

Teal is swamp in the south, but up by the tundra it's a thicker section of forest

True, but I would imagine that our continent would be much, much smaller.


And yeah, that's pretty much a given that the changes are gradual, but still, a wet swamp adjacent to a dry savannah doesn't make much sense.

But that doesn't matter. After all, this IS a fantasy.

Actually, the teal by mine is a regular forest. The green in my area represents dead trees that don't grow due to it being cold 24/7. They're dead forests.

swamp by desert happens. Check out louisiana and texas

Well, once everyone agrees that the map is fine, we should begin. I hope you have some sort of rules and guidelines in the works.

Hmmm... I think I have a good little sub chief somewhere to do that for me...

by that I mean no, and anyone can go for it. I figure I can work better at editing a list of rules than making one and I am kinda busy with summer reading and such right now.