This week is a series of five posts about Mirelyn’s Skyrealm – a map I drew at the beginning of December as part of a cartographic challenge. The challenge was to draw a map of a “floating island” and the map that will unfold over this week was the result. I don’t normally give a lot of work-in-progress material for my pieces, so I’ll discuss what I did as I went along for this one.
Mirelyn’s Skyrealm is also known as the Highplains Community, although that name has mostly been dropped in the last few years. Consisting of three small skyrealms with remarkably flat upper surfaces, the original Highplains settlers linked the three together with bridges to keep them from drifting apart.
The main island was built up by the financiers of the community with a fortress, tower, landing zone and connecting passages between them. These semi-retired adventurers also brought their families with them and established the Highplains farm on one small island, and the church and mill on the second.
Mirelyn’s Skyream – Isometric Overview
There used to be a number of additional farm buildings and houses on the main island that have been removed as the population dwindled. Then everything changed three years ago. In one night the lake was poisoned by unknown means, the guards in the nearby tower killed, the priest of the Highplains church poisoned, and the mill burned down. With the water poisoned, the people of Highplains also destroyed the bridge linking the islands and began importing what water they couldn’t collect from rains as well as flour.
Now the Skyrealm is still reeling from the disaster, and would be an optimal set up for a base of operations for rich individuals who seek a headquarters that is relatively difficult to sneak up on. The main need for financial backing isn’t to acquire the land, but to continue importing food and water as the islands cannot be self-sufficient at this time.
The maps on Dyson’s Dodecahedron are released for free personal use thanks to the support of awesome patrons like you over on Patreon. Every month 400 patrons come together to make these releases possible. You can help too in order to keep the flow of maps coming and to improve their quality – and even get a map of your own!
Is the lake fed by only rainwater? It would seem that the poison would have been diluted enough by now after three years, especially if some effort was made to empty the lake and let it refill. Or, just digging a new basin to fill with water.
It would seem that way, thus we have one of two problems:
1. No one trusts the water now.
2. It is still poisoned somehow.
Either one is enough to trigger a minor adventure.
Reblogged this on DDOCentral.
Some of your best work in my opinion! The map looks beautiful and the attention to detail really brings it to life!
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