<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/">
	<channel>
		<title><![CDATA[Cartographers' Guild - Blogs]]></title>
		<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/blog.php</link>
		<description>A website and forum for enthusiasts of fantasy maps mapmaking and cartography of all types.  We are a thriving community of fantasy map makers that provide tutorials, references, and resources for fellow mapmakers.</description>
		<language>en</language>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 07:42:26 GMT</lastBuildDate>
		<generator>vBulletin</generator>
		<ttl>60</ttl>
		<image>
			<url>http://www.cartographersguild.com/images/cartographer/misc/rss.jpg</url>
			<title><![CDATA[Cartographers' Guild - Blogs]]></title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/blog.php</link>
		</image>
		<item>
			<title>Move complete...now what?</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?60-Move-complete-now-what</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:30:17 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[I moved into my new house this weekend. Been off the grid the whole time mostly, except for the ability to check a few things from my phone. I'm...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">I moved into my new house this weekend. Been off the grid the whole time mostly, except for the ability to check a few things from my phone. I'm happy to see this place it at least still here! I know my CLs would have notified me if something bad happened.<br />
<br />
Anyways, the move went off without a hitch. We had a truck on Friday and filled it with quite a bit of stuff, all the furniture, and a bunch of boxes. We had to leave behind some things, and we went back to get them on Saturday which proved to be a lot of work considering how wore out we were from the Friday move effort.<br />
<br />
Then began the task of putting everything together and in its place. We have a few well water problems we're going to have to work out, but overall it's nice. I'll probably have to replace the hot water heater soon too. We got our bedroom arranged, bought some shelving for the closet, bought new locks, a new shower head, some fittings to connect the water supply to the fridge, and some general miscellaneous new house things.<br />
<br />
While installing the fittings to get water to the fridge's ice maker, I managed to bust my head open on a key that was in the garage door right by the fridge. That put a damper on things for the rest of the evening, so after my wife cleaned up my wound we just sat on th ebed and chilled out til bedtime.<br />
<br />
Waking up for the first work morning was pretty cool.  Set the alarm for 5:30, got a shower, and when I was done the wife was ready with coffee. Had plenty of time to sit and relax and enjoy the coffee before attempting my first cross-Dayton-area drive to work in the morning. Made it to work at 7am almost on the dot before the gate traffic backed up too. I think this is going to work out great! Loving the new place!<br />
<br />
We get our internet turned on tomorrow so I'll be able to spend more time here from home once that happens and I get my office set up, but overall I'm back from the long weekend and ready to see where this week takes me!</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Arcana</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?60-Move-complete-now-what</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Shade's Kind of Town (includes city map)...]]></title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?59-Shade-s-Kind-of-Town-(includes-city-map)</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:41:35 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>A lot of readers have noted that our towns possess as much character as our people. Jile is a seedy, remote swamp town located in the heart of the...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">A lot of readers have noted that our towns possess as much character as our people. Jile is a seedy, remote swamp town located in the heart of the Ice Marshes. The men of Doljinaar have always stuck to the roads that wind far around the marshes, which transformed Jile into a breeding ground for criminals, night mortals, half-breeds and others in hiding.  Of course this makes Jile a very dangerous and undesirable place to visit. That said, if you can get past the thug filled taverns, the back alley thieves and the powerful drug cartels you would find one of the most rare cultures in all Doljinaar.<br />
<br />
If you were lucky enough to go unaccosted down Jile&#8217;s dark streets, you would have quite the eye-opening experience. Jile is the only town in all of Doljinaar where night mortals live among men (well if you don&#8217;t count the stinky sewers of Kurn that have been converted into an underground black market).  Perhaps, we should rephrase: Jile is the only town in all Doljinaar where men and night mortals live side by side, house next to house, under the sun.<br />
<br />
Under the moon might be a more befitting description. Jile has a thriving night life. Drunkards and thugs fill its streets; too much frosty ale burning in their bellies. Harlots acquire quite a lot of business by making catcalls off porches and balconies. Night mortals who cannot stand the burning glare of the sun creep out of their homes late at night. They make useful bodyguards and debt collectors, which hound the frivolous throngs of drunken ruffians.<br />
<br />
But wait!  Before I move on let me give you what everyone came here for today&#8230;tourist information!<br />
<br />
Jile offers a wide array of tourist attractions! For happy hour, don&#8217;t miss out on The Dragon&#8217;s Den Inn &amp; Tavern! It&#8217;s the safest place to drink, provided you don&#8217;t stare too long at the hooded Dark Elven assassin in the back of the room. The Pig&#8217;s Trough Eathouse is the best place to eat in town, and don&#8217;t miss out on their infamous Mudcrab Medley! Drazel&#8217;s Goods and Wares is a great place to find souvenirs; especially recrafted trinkets made of trash and scrap metal that prove surprisingly useful. Oh, and if you want fireworks, get some scrolls from Mizban&#8217;s Tower of Magic, but you&#8217;ll have to sign a release form just in case a spell blows up in your face. Just don&#8217;t break any of the local customs or you&#8217;ll end up in the barracks or cartel dungeons where prisoners have been known to drown or freeze to death in the far too frequent backups of subsurface water.<br />
<a href="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44284&amp;d=1335194859" id="attachment44284" rel="Lightbox_59" ><img src="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44284&amp;d=1335194859&amp;thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version.&nbsp;

Name:	Jile-Low-Rez.jpg&nbsp;
Views:	15&nbsp;
Size:	593.4 KB&nbsp;
ID:	44284" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" /></a><br />
As you can see, Jile is an old city. Jile is slowly sinking back into the Ice Marshes. Its walls and buildings are retreating into the mud. Many of the long winding roads to Jile have been swallowed by the marshes long ago. The sunken remains of wagons and the skeletons harness animals are at times the best indicators of an Ice Marsh road. The south edge of the city is being inundated with floodwaters. Poor families have been pushed to the uncomfortable mosquitoe-infested edges of town, and although many of them work reputable trades, they lock their doors come nightfall. Every window in Jile is heavily barred and every door is bolted with a minimum of four locks.<br />
<br />
Now Jile isn&#8217;t all bad. The town has many diamonds buried in the rough. Jile has the strongest tolerance of all the great cities of Doljinaar. Here night mortals and half-breeds can live and work freely among humans. Many men and night mortals who seek refuge in Jile are runaway slaves. Slaves who can earn a large enough living to bribe the corrupt city guards, might even have a chance of staying if a bounty hunter ever bothers to come looking for them. Doelm runts who take asylum in Jile live better here than anywhere else in the world, as long as they don&#8217;t cross the rough and tumble Doelm Drug Cartel.<br />
<br />
The Shamite Drug Cartel is the worst of the cartels and is backed by the powerful resources of the Merchant Guild. All of Jile&#8217;s drug cartels deal mainly in Stardust, which is a strong hallucinogen that can be harvested from the Ice Marshes. Stardust drug addicts are called Dustheads. They lean over steaming bowls of water mixed with Stardust, with towels over their heads, and inhale the fumes for a good high. Many Dustheads have been known to wander out of town under the influence of powerful hallucinations and suffer horrible deaths in the Ice Marshes.<br />
<br />
Jile&#8217;s most unwanted population is the Dragols. Dragols are short hunched little rat-men with nearly bald scraggly heads and rat shaped snouts. They move quickly through alleys and sewers, making themselves immensely elusive and a general pain the neck. They are worse than raccoons and dig through garbage cans leaving behind piles of spilled trash. Dragols were once hunted down until the Shamite Drug Cartel discovered that Dragol agility enabled them to retrieve Stardust with ease. The drug is collected from the pollen of Starlilies that grow in the warmer months in the Ice Marshes. This has made some Dragols very rich, but of course, Dragols never lost their unquenchable taste for garbage. They can be found in the original Dragol overflow housing in the city outskirts or even paddling among the flooded south searching for fish and stashing treasure troves of garbage.<br />
<br />
The Ice Marshes don&#8217;t live up to their wintry name in the warmer seasons. They become brown marshlands that bloom with ugly and thorny plants, but plant life nonetheless. This also awakens even more dangerous wildlife that hibernates through the long and harsh winters.  I originally got the idea for the Ice Marshes from Illinois, which is my home state, after I found out much of Illinois had once been marshland before it had been converted into farmland.<br />
<br />
Shade, the infamous Dark Elven Assassin of Jui-Sae, has also come to call Jile home. Jile is the only town in all Doljinaar which permits him to walk its streets. Shade&#8217;s fearsome reputation in Jile is so well known by the locals that they often call it, &#8220;Shade&#8217;s Town&#8221;. He has a permanent room at The Dragon&#8217;s Den Inn &amp; Tavern. Many of the locals come to drink at The Dragon&#8217;s Den since the fear of Shade&#8217;s presence delivers a sliver of law and order. The locals have grown smart enough not to cross Shade, so they can often drink unmolested at The Dragon&#8217;s Den.  You can read about The Dragon&#8217;s Den in Chapter One <a href="http://chroniclesofcovent.wordpress.com/sh1ch1/" target="_blank">here</a>, which is an excerpt from Shade&#8217;s first book: Waiting Game.<br />
<br />
Below is a picture of Shade walking through the streets of Jile. You can see the air of dominance he projects over all the locals. Two supposedly fearless drunken Braznian warriors grovel at his feet, begging forgiveness for blocking his way. A harlot and a witch still to quiet whispers as he passes by. Men stop at the doorways and thieves shrink back into the alleys. Corrupt Doljinaarian soldiers let him pass without a word. This is one of the killer black and white illustrations our artist put together for Shade 1.<br />
<br />
I will be posting chapter samples from Shade 2, which includes new scenes from Jile and the Ice Marshes as we get closer to launch.  For now feel free to explore many other great locales of Covent and check out our free chapter samples.<br />
<a href="http://www.chroniclesofcovent.com/places.html" target="_blank">www.chroniclesofcovent.com/places.html</a></blockquote>


<!-- attachments -->
	<div class="blogattachments">
		
			<fieldset class="blogcontent">
				<legend>Attached Thumbnails</legend>
				
			</fieldset>
		
		
		
		

	</div>
<!-- / attachments -->
]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>jlficks</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?59-Shade-s-Kind-of-Town-(includes-city-map)</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>My First Attempt at an Overland Map</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?58-My-First-Attempt-at-an-Overland-Map</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:04:47 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>This is my first attempt at making an overland map in Photoshop. Any thoughts or recommendations? 
 
Attachment 44243...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">This is my first attempt at making an overland map in Photoshop. Any thoughts or recommendations?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44243&amp;d=1335107027" id="attachment44243" rel="Lightbox_58" ><img src="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44243&amp;d=1335107027&amp;thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version.&nbsp;

Name:	World-Map.jpg&nbsp;
Views:	13&nbsp;
Size:	325.3 KB&nbsp;
ID:	44243" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" /></a></blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Anthony Cook</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?58-My-First-Attempt-at-an-Overland-Map</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>On moving EVERYTHING.</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?57-On-moving-EVERYTHING</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:37:09 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[I may have mentioned that I'm buying a house.  My wife and I have moved from Florida to Ohio and have been living in a small apartment with most of...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">I may have mentioned that I'm buying a house.  My wife and I have moved from Florida to Ohio and have been living in a small apartment with most of our home-making implements in storage (since we had a nice house in florida). This is all about to change because we're buying a nice smallish brick ranch house on 5 acres.  I'm super excited about it because even though the living space is listed as only 1218 square feet, there's a full finished basement that is the same size as the house that's not considered &quot;lliving space&quot; because there's no egress. I'm ok with that.<br />
<br />
So, next week we'll be closing on the house and beginning the move. This may make me a little scarce here for a few days, but ultimately I'll be around while I'm at my day job.<br />
<br />
But I did mention moving EVERYTHING right?<br />
<br />
Yes, that means the guild has to move too. I'm currently considering setting up a VPS account over at InMotion and moving us over to there until we get more ad/donation revenue. This will facilitate moving to a dedicated server and make it a little easier since we'll be in there system already. I've decided against DreamHost's dedicated server hosting because while they have great customer service and great business ethics, they've just had too much downtime lately and their datacenters have been plagued by DDOS attacks for some reason. I'm looking for a host that guarantees 99.9% uptime and I'd like a big beefy server to make this website scream!<br />
<br />
So, if anyone has any suggestions for US based (or overseas with english speaking support) burstable vps servers with the ability to eventually upgrade to dedicated without having to go through a major move process linux based web hosting company that has good prices and 99.9% guaranteed uptime...please comment and I'll check them out.</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Arcana</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?57-On-moving-EVERYTHING</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[I've decided to do an admin blog ;)]]></title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?56-I-ve-decided-to-do-an-admin-blog-)</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:10:50 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[So, I think I'm going to try and maintain a blog here as admin/owner of the site. If you decide to follow this blog, expect it to be mainly website...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">So, I think I'm going to try and maintain a blog here as admin/owner of the site. If you decide to follow this blog, expect it to be mainly website oriented with the occasional work related post, and then the occasional graphics/art related post. I haven't done any mapping in a while, but I'm still the occasional artist for work, though that's been scarce as well since I'm mostly coding.<br />
<br />
As for the guild, I've been working on beefing up the front page, the public relations, the advertising, and funding for the guild.  We need to move hosts again, Dreamhost keeps having trouble, and I don't want to just arbitrarily change to another VPS provider.  I want us to upgrade to dedicated hosting, and that's going to be expensive.<br />
<br />
Anyways, keep an eye here if you want any insight into my head and stuff.  I'll post more later.</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Arcana</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?56-I-ve-decided-to-do-an-admin-blog-)</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>Third map</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?55-Third-map</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:13:06 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>My third map: 
 
Image: http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1843/mapa3c.th.jpg  (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/mapa3c.jpg/) 
 
Made in PS,...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">My third map:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/801/mapa3c.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1843/mapa3c.th.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
<br />
Made in PS, with <i>Antique Style Maps In PhotoShop</i> tutorial.<br />
<br />
I got the compass rose in <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Compass_thumbnail.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Mustak</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?55-Third-map</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>Layer Effects in Gimp</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?54-Layer-Effects-in-Gimp</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:14:46 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>How interesting, I found a plugin for Gimp that allows you to use layer styles as Potoshop, Layer Effects (http://registry.gimp.org/node/186). 
 
The...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">How interesting, I found a plugin for Gimp that allows you to use layer styles as Potoshop, <a href="http://registry.gimp.org/node/186" target="_blank">Layer Effects</a>.<br />
<br />
The Python version (<span style="font-family: Fixedsys">layerfx.py</span>) allows preview.</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Mustak</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?54-Layer-Effects-in-Gimp</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>Second map</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?53-Second-map</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:09:11 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>My second map: 
 
Image: http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6674/mapa2fz.th.jpg  (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/217/mapa2fz.jpg/) 
 
No...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">My second map:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/217/mapa2fz.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6674/mapa2fz.th.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
<br />
No countries, no rivers.<br />
<br />
I make it with Photoshop using Ascension's Atlas Tutorial.<br />
<br />
In Creating the Continental Shelf, Select &gt; Color range = black with a fuzziness of 150, I use 50 instead.</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Mustak</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?53-Second-map</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>First map</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?52-First-map</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:06:10 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>My first map: 
 
Image: http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2473/mapa1a.th.jpg  (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/mapa1a.jpg/) 
 
I make it...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">My first map:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/mapa1a.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/2473/mapa1a.th.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
<br />
I make it using Ascension's Atlas Tutorial in Gimp.<br />
<br />
Remains to be done: Rivers and Countries. Felimage too; not installed it because I could not.<br />
<br />
(It is the first time I write in English, please be patient.)</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Mustak</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?52-First-map</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[darrenkitlor's Abeir-Toril Map - Forgotten Realms]]></title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?50-darrenkitlor-s-Abeir-Toril-Map-Forgotten-Realms</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:24:23 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>If I have a map at 100% size, I will put names in and send it to you</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">If I have a map at 100% size, I will put names in and send it to you</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Javelin Divine</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?50-darrenkitlor-s-Abeir-Toril-Map-Forgotten-Realms</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>getting to grips with styling</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?49-getting-to-grips-with-styling</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:58:22 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>My first blog is about styling. It can be time consumming finding fonts and photoshop brushes, colours and styles in map making. But the effort is...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">My first blog is about styling. It can be time consumming finding fonts and photoshop brushes, colours and styles in map making. But the effort is truely worth the while even if it means rehashing existing maps. I use some fonts which don't have the full character set so that numbers, for example, don't come out in text. What a pain! And being a poor artist I can't afford to buy pro fonts. I have tried to make my own font up and it  took ages! And when you use it it is damn hard to read as the spacing hasn't been sorted out too well. Fontographer, my early version, was a little buggy!<br />
<br />
If anyone knows of a particular good old medieval style of written text similar to uncial, hobbiton brushhand, unzial etc etc give me a poke (I'll be eternally grateful!)<br />
<br />
It also looks like the more you work on a map the better it becomes BUT don't over work it. Give it a rest and let it lie around for a while before going back to have a look. You'll then get a fresh look at it and anything  that needs a tweak can then be tackled objectively. I've just noticed on my ERIA maps that the gems in the top and bottom corners look a little big and distracting and as mentioned before the coast line needs lifting by lighter blur line.....but that can wait. Being an artist involves looking 90% of the time and doing only 10% of the time! Give it a go and you'll find that the time will be well spent!:idea:</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Madandy</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?49-getting-to-grips-with-styling</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>Introductions, Stepping Stones, and Future Dreams</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?48-Introductions-Stepping-Stones-and-Future-Dreams</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:37:20 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>At one point, I could never understand why some people allow their dreams and passions to die away. Buried under piles mediocrity and tedious work....</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">At one point, I could never understand why some people allow their dreams and passions to die away. Buried under piles mediocrity and tedious work. Then I'm brought back to my time in college, sitting in my networking class, listening to my professor talk about &quot;dreams&quot;. He told my class, &quot;Don't follow your dreams. You'll just be disappointed in the long run. Dreams and passions can die off just as easily as they start, and sooner or later, you'll come to hate what you once loved.&quot; I stupidly took that to heart, and tried to bury my dreams of writing and creation under piles of lies and money. I thought that so long as I looked at the amount of money being thrown in my face, I could be satisfied with some 9 to 5 job working with computers.<br />
<br />
$70,000 later, I am now stuck as a courier delivering mail. It wasn't that I didn't try hard enough to work a job in I.T. Hell, I have both my associates and bachelors degree, but what I lacked was motivation and a sense of passion for my work. I discovered this while my wife was driving me to work one day as I was studying for certifications for Net+ and Security+. I just couldn't stay focused on the material. Always my mind would wonder to my writings. Trying to put pieces to my world together, bridging gaps in my time-lines, and mulling over the motives of my characters. That is what got my torch burning. That is what sparked the flames in my soul and gave the passion I had lost long ago.<br />
<br />
I closed my textbook and sighed in realization. &quot;Honey.... I can't do it. This isn't for me.&quot; Is what I told my wife, halfway to my job.<br />
<br />
&quot;What do you mean?&quot; She turned down the radio to hear me speak.<br />
<br />
&quot;I'm just wasting my time with this studying. This isn't what I want in life.&quot; Was the only thing I could manage to say.<br />
<br />
&quot;Okay... then what?&quot; Though she kept her eyes on the road, she listened intently as I explained to her about my writings and need for fulfillment. The best part about it though? In the end, she agreed with me.<br />
<br />
Even though I have been writing and world building for about five years now, these past two years have been the greatest times for me. All the back story I've worked out, all of the history I have created and am still creating, all of the characters I have made and am still making today... That's what I love to do. That is what brings that satisfying smile to my face and that sense of purpose to my life. That is what helps me sleep soundly at night, and helps wake me up nice and refreshed. That is what I have worked to achieve everyday.<br />
<br />
Anyways, I don't know why I went on about that. Sometimes it's just best to write what you feel, and at the moment, that's what was mulling around in my head. <br />
<br />
So maps. That's what this site is for right? I love maps you know? Maps are great! You know, how they tell you where you are and where you are going and all that. Yeah.... My maps suck. For now. That's why I'm here. To learn about map making and to make a map I don't cringe at every time I look at it. Not only will these maps be used for me, but for the people who are interested in reading my material when I finally do put it up. You know, as reference and all that! I have big dreams for my future, and I hope you all do to if you aren't already living them! Never give up! Never surrender!</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>MindOfTheo</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?48-Introductions-Stepping-Stones-and-Future-Dreams</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>The Evolution of a Fantasy Map</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?46-The-Evolution-of-a-Fantasy-Map</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:36:07 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>This first image is the original map, as penciled by my partner, J. E. Dugue.  J. E. is an all around talented guy.  Besides his natural born...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">This first image is the original map, as penciled by my partner, J. E. Dugue.  J. E. is an all around talented guy.  Besides his natural born abilities in writing and music, he is also a natural born artist. He chose to pursue his first two loves, but this map will always possess a special place in my heart.  This map was first drawn in the late 90’s when we were in high school.<br />
<a href="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43030&amp;d=1331676645" id="attachment43030" rel="Lightbox_46" ><img src="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43030&amp;d=1331676645&amp;thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version.&nbsp;

Name:	Sylvane Map 1.0.jpg&nbsp;
Views:	66&nbsp;
Size:	179.2 KB&nbsp;
ID:	43030" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" /></a><br />
This is the continent of Sylvane where the first stories take place. Sylvane is a crowded continent in the lower hemisphere. Its lands were originally divided by seven races.  Our concept nations were Doljinaar, Kildore, Jui-Sae, Jui-Rae, Sssyrinya, the Blacklands and Myst Valley.  The map really only had two major cities labeled back then: Doljinaar and Kurn.  Doljinaar was always the name for both the nation and the capital of the united kingdom of men.  Looking back, Capital Doljinaar took up the entire southwestern peninsula of Sylvane, which is absurd.  When compared to Kurn, which was basically a dot by comparison, Capital Doljinaar was astronomically too large.<br />
<br />
Of course, we were but a pair of dreamy-eyed high school boys back then, so every flaw is still married to the original dream.  One of my favorite aspects of the original map is that it actually looked like a continent.  Far too many fantasy stories have these strangely shaped landmasses that fit conveniently in portrait format on a page when most real continents are far more landscaped in shape.   Just pull out a map and take a glance at the Americas, Asia and Europe for example.<br />
<br />
That said the original Sylvane seems scrunched now.  There is not enough room for sprawling fields or untamed forests.  We did not understand the concept of snowcaps providing meltwater to feed rivers at that time, so Mount Haven had a ridiculously large lake atop it.  LOL!  There are also far too many mountains.  Whenever we wanted to keep nations apart we had a habit of slapping mountain ranges in between the borders.  Far be it from us to leave room for conflict in the beginning, which is at the heart of good story-telling.  Nevertheless, this map laid the groundwork for all Sylvane’s future renditions.<br />
<a href="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43032&amp;d=1331676996" id="attachment43032" rel="Lightbox_46" ><img src="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43032&amp;d=1331676996&amp;thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version.&nbsp;

Name:	Sylvane Map 2.0.gif&nbsp;
Views:	36&nbsp;
Size:	2.69 MB&nbsp;
ID:	43032" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" /></a><br />
The next map was made by J. L. in 2007 on AutoREALM, a free fantasy map making program.  I called it the expanded world.  For starters I used the original map as an underlay and then I stretched it to make the continent feel much wider.  This was our first labeling of the cities, towns and capitals.   Kingdoms began to feel more like kingdoms complete with roads, wilds, rivers and ruins.  We opened up some of the mountain passes to make war torn borders. We replaced much of the northern mountains with a swirling, but passable desert called the Great Waste.<br />
<br />
The kingdom of Doljinaar became far larger and grander.  Its concept was supposed to represent the united kingdom of men at the height of their power.  Their boundaries now extended to nearly one third of the western continent—an empire unequaled in our world.  And then we salted it with hides and wastelands where dark and forgotten things lurked.   We added the Ice Marshes, the Jaded Wood, the Ruins of Garrlohan, the Rusharken Hills, the Grublands, Mizzle Drizzle and greatly inflated the sprawling brigand-infested woods of Karus Forest.<br />
<br />
Sylvane had now grown to house over 15 nations, 30 races and 10 unique human nationalities.  The dragon-men now took their place in bleak tower cities atop the fiery black Bloodstorm Mountains. Bloodthirsty shark-men crawled out of the seas to drag land-dwellers back into the depths. A people who glowed like gods took shelter in a crystal city in dragon-infested lands.<br />
<br />
Capital Doljinaar’s size was reduced to a more realistic grandeur, though admittedly it still remained too big.  We were still in a love with its idea…a sprawling architectural wonder that could be seen from space like the Great Wall of China.  Ten massive districts, each a city in itself, walled together side by side to form the largest city to ever grace the pages of fantasy literature.  A spectacle of pride and glory, impregnable and a symbol of mankind’s insurmountable power, the shadow that cast across the west causing every dark thing to both cower and yearn to cast every great stone down.<br />
<br />
Alas, this map lacked its final polish.  Its lines and colors painted an unbalanced contrast.  Some lines were far too light to express their full significance, others were far too dark.  And then the map file was plagued with technical issues.  We could scarcely move a tree without waiting five minutes for the change to take.  The file became unusable and I wasn’t sure about commercial rights.  I finally caved in and purchased a commercial map-making program called Campaign Cartographer 3.  We worked with Photoshop and CC3.  We tweaked and tweaked until the final map was born.<br />
<a href="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43033&amp;d=1331677145" id="attachment43033" rel="Lightbox_46" ><img src="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43033&amp;d=1331587704&amp;thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version.&nbsp;

Name:	Sylvane-Mid-High-Rez.jpg&nbsp;
Views:	40&nbsp;
Size:	4.66 MB&nbsp;
ID:	43033" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" /></a><br />
The expanded world did not prove vast enough for the growing population of our world.  J. E. and I exploded with new ideas.  Covent’s population boomed to include over 50 races, 20 unique human nationalities and over 20 nations.  Races migrated from Sylvane to the far wilds of the other continents, a few even sailing by ship to even further off lands.  Peoples and creatures wandered into caves and into uncharted caverns little known to the surface world.<br />
<br />
Centuries upon centuries of history made its mark on our world leaving war-torn lands, lost ruins and artifacts, enslaved, vanquished and forgotten peoples. Wars between ancient wizards left wounds upon the world.  The southern forests of Jui-Sae and Jui-Rae burned forming the warped deadwood known as the Ashwood.  The Blasted Plain was forever scorched never to yield vegetation again.  Dark abominations stalked magic ruins still possessed by the ancient and forbidden black arts.  Magic gates and secret fortresses were erected.<br />
<br />
The final map at last crystallized the extreme depths of our obsessions.  The mountains, coasts and sea finally made a bolder statement to help the whole map fall together.  J. L. finally found a map he was satisfied with and J. E. added the final touch.  We set the map against a sheet of dirty, grungy parchment and at last we were finished. Feedback from readers and map-makers advised a mere glance at the map made them want to read about our world.  We hope fantasy fans will find all the love and care we have poured into this world.  The low resolution map above doesn’t do the final map justice.  Feel free to visit the fully zoomable high resolution map available on our website if you would like to know more:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chroniclesofcovent.com/map.html" target="_blank">http://www.chroniclesofcovent.com/map.html</a></blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>jlficks</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?46-The-Evolution-of-a-Fantasy-Map</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>My Arrival to THe Guild, and Current Projects</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?45-My-Arrival-to-THe-Guild-and-Current-Projects</link>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:34:04 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>I doubt I will use this blog much, but as a place to store project notes and ideas I think I shall. 
 
Over 30 years ago I developed a campaign world...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">I doubt I will use this blog much, but as a place to store project notes and ideas I think I shall.<br />
<br />
Over 30 years ago I developed a campaign world larger than Judges Guild or Greyhawk.  Now I am trying to digitize these maps by redrawing them in gimp.  No scans allowed!  Huge project for just the world is the same size as the Earth, and I am starting there.<br />
<br />
At the same time (more as a hobby effort) I am writing a book about my efforts to design the world, and digitize it.  The book will be formated as the ultimate how-to guide for world development, from conceptualization to finished work.</blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>jazzon</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?45-My-Arrival-to-THe-Guild-and-Current-Projects</guid>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title>That big step...</title>
			<link>http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?44-That-big-step</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:44:55 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Just recently I posted my map on a forum to see what others thought should be changed. 
 
I'm going to have to change a lot.... 
 
The mountains...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="blogcontent restore">Just recently I posted my map on a forum to see what others thought should be changed.<br />
<br />
I'm going to have to change a lot....<br />
<br />
The mountains aren't a big deal.<br />
<br />
The Rivers however...<br />
<br />
Wow. That is going to be a big project to do. <br />
<br />
Also I'm looking for some way to make my map bigger, as to show more detail when zoomed in.<br />
<br />
This way I can get the most out of every pixel.<br />
<br />
Well, wish me luck. :\<br />
<a href="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42560&amp;d=1330281874" id="attachment42560" rel="Lightbox_44" ><img src="http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42560&amp;d=1330115623&amp;thumb=1" border="0" alt="Click image for larger version.&nbsp;

Name:	No Name New Map.jpg&nbsp;
Views:	10&nbsp;
Size:	2.45 MB&nbsp;
ID:	42560" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" /></a></blockquote>

]]></content:encoded>
			<dc:creator>Yorick Sofer</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.cartographersguild.com/entry.php?44-That-big-step</guid>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

