The Realm of Parthwon

This is my first mapping attempt. Before I go on to posting maps, a brief history of how Parthwon came to be. Parthwon was created by the classic Frankenstein procedure. Piecing together numerous D&D 2.0 adventures/campaigns gave birth to the now living, breathing world of Parthwon. Parthwon is now home to over 10 years of gaming and 3 current adventuring groups.

Parthwon first took shape as a simple pencil/pen drawing on white paper like so:

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Thus the world took form. Continents rose from the void of the seas and life soon sprung forth into the world. My photoshop skills were novice at best back then though. So the first color version of the map was limited to what I call "the colored pencil" look. Regardless of the quality, Parthwon now had mountains, grasslands, swamps, and more importantly, life.

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And that's the way Parthwon remained for many years. Through photoshop I added a few things here and there via layers and such (i.e. an underwater view, location of active volcanoes, monastaries, etc). Overall though, Parthwon didn't change until a few weeks ago.

If the map's previous incarnations gave my home brew world life, it's newest version (made from skills I've picked up lurking on the forums) has made my world all the more real. I'm incredibly excited to do more work over time and I have to honestly say that this experience has truly invigorated numerous aspects of my imagination. I look forward to sharing more as the world evolves and grows.

I present to you the new and improved realm of Parthwon:

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I like your color choices very much. They make it all look much more interesting.

What a great improvement. Its all together more inviting and evocative. I like your gray sea - looks dangerous but not forbidding.


Sigurd

Sandocrast - The most populated of the landmasses on Parthwon. Over 60% of the realm's population is based out of Sandocrast. The most advanced cultures also reside here. Most of the campaigns have taken place on this continent.

Janavie - Janavie is the only unified continent. The people of Janavie are isolationists and have little interaction with the outside world save for the island nations.

Porotholos - The last landmass to be populated by the humanoid races of Parthwon. Once a dragon sanctuary in the early history of Parthwon, Porotholos teems with wildlife and monsters that have endured through sheer strength and brutality. Only the bravest venture here.

Lakosnaria - The nearly untouched land is home to the largest empire (area-wise) of elves and other fey races. Few humanoid races venture to the southern half of the continent due to swarming jungles that choke the central mountains and hill lands.

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The Aluvian Tower is a tower of gargantuan proportions. It was originally crafted by a race now forgotten to time. Originally erected as a seat of the gods, it now remains near barren since the sealing of Parthwon. Without deities to watch over such a wonder, the tower has fallen into near decay. The tower ascends so high into the heavens that it can be seen almost half a world away. Seafarers use the tower for simple navigation at times, but never venture to close. The sea boils around the tower and only fools eager for death come close.

No one has ever returned from Aluvian Tower.

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Aquatic Campaigns, while not the norm, are a great way to give worlds new depth. (:lol:)

Parthwon is as vivid above ground as it is in the dark abyss. The following shows markers for both trenches (in red) and coral reef concentrations (purple).

This provides a fundamental guide to the underwater machinations of the world. Notice the crescent isle (The Dwarven Kingdom of Paren-lok) to the east of Sandocrast. This mountainous isle was created when the goddess of war cleaved the land from the main continent. The resulting trench is the deepest and most defined. The reef systems are also a result of ocean currents and nutrient deposits. The dark purple sections are complex reef structures that have formed interconnecting networks of numerous self sustained ecosystems. Life in such sectors, is incredibly abundant.

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cool concept!

Nicely done, on your map with the blue labels - I think it needs some sort of glow/stroke on the text or perhaps a different shade of blue. The current color clashes with the rest of the map.

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Originally Posted by Steel General

Nicely done, on your map with the blue labels - I think it needs some sort of glow/stroke on the text or perhaps a different shade of blue. The current color clashes with the rest of the map.

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I was actually thinking of redoing this. It does seem out of place. Maybe giving the text some substance through a cracked/grained look to give the appearance of antiquity. I'll see what I come up with though. Thanks for the constructive criticism though! :D