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This week is a series of 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. 

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So after teasing everyone with the rough maps for the structures of the skyrealm, here they are in the finished glory.

The biggest and most striking structure on the skyrealm is Handau’s Fort which hangs off one edge of the island. Construction of the fort was the first thing undertaken by the original inhabitants of the Highplains – at the time the skyrealm was lashed to a low mountain with easy passage to the area where the island was secured as well as a good quarry for construction material.

The fort has a small “bailey” which is occasionally used to land flying mounts or small flying craft (but most craft dock at “the Ledge” below the overlook). While covered in arrow slits for defensive use, the main lower floor also has five large windows leading into the main hall.

That same level with the windows and the main hall has a door into a passageway that leads through the interior of the island, roughly 500 feet to the foundations of Gilray’s Overlook.

Gilray’s Overlook is the tower and associated structure on the main island. The building itself isn’t all that exciting (although fairly defensible), but the basement of the structure is more interesting in architecture and design and also includes both linkages to “the Ledge” where most flying craft dock with the Skyrealm and back to Handau’s Fort.

Finally, Corvalus Spire is the name of the abandoned tower on the smaller island beside the Highplains Church and the burned ruins of the Highplains mill. Each of the two levels of the tower has very high (30′) ceilings, making it feel weirdly claustrophobic as most rooms within are taller than they are wide.

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!