Kiryakor, the Silver City

[feanaaro]

Hello,

this is the last city I mapped, within my ongoing Arya world. Here you can find the WIP. It has been a very long work, mostly because of a months-long hiatus in-between.

A bit of background:
The city is built around a huge waterfall – whence the nickname, "silver" being the reflection of the sun or the moon on the sprinkling water – and as such it is the point of passage between the high and the lower course of the river Kelerion, which is by far the greatest river in the world and, as such, one of the largest avenue for commerce.
However, the city has a decidedly militaristic character, due to their constant fighting with the Namharim tribes (bull-riding barbarians, no less) who roams the highplains you can see in the minimap (east of the city). The city is therefore ruled by a mixed aristocratic-democratic regime, similar to the hoplites system in some ancient Greek poleis, where only the arm-bearing men – plus women who have sons enrolled in the military, a remarkably openness toward women in the "Kelerion" culture (the whole course of the river has been colonised prevalently by the same ethnic group, although of course with some mixing, and they share a more or less common language despite political divisions, "Kelerion" indeed meaning "river of the language").
Since the city houses a considerable population of merchants, especially in the lower section, there is a considerable political tension – to the point that the mercantile population tries to avoid the city legal system, using instead their own tribunals to settle commercial controversies. The non-military citizens also tends to be culturally and religiously similar to the populations of the lower course of the river, while the soldier-citizens sees themselves as closer to the austere ancestors coming from upstream (they all presume to come, originally, from the higher plateau, the second one going upstream which you can see on the minimap, though very few have actually travelled there in the last few centuries). However, the pressure from the Namharim and the other cities from the lower course of the river, keeps Kiryakor citizens together, their divergent ideals and ways of life notwithstanding.

Kiryakor-City-Final.jpg

[Shantan]

I'd always been curious how to pull off a elevation change like you did. It looks amazing!

[- Max -]

Usually not the kind of map I like but you really put some efforts on this one and it's well done! Though I would have seen labels on the two maps on the right cartouche (it looks a bit unfinished like this)
Have some rep

[krasimir]

Amazing map, very inspiring location for a city.

The only suggestion will be to increase the visual separation between the down river and the banks, it is too close right now. I suppose it's an effect you're looking for but it's a bit too much for me.

[feanaaro]

Krasimir, you mean that you would like if the change from land to water were starker? That was discussed in the WIP and the suggestions I got went in the other direction, that's why it ended up this way.

[arsheesh]

Nice work on this Feanarro, turned out great.

Cheers,
-Arsheesh

[Vinoex]

This is a great location for a fantasy city and a great map. My only thoughts are that the islands at and above the falls are begging for something to be place on them, I'm just not sure what.

[feanaaro]

I thought about that, but then what could be placed there indeed? A bumpy rock in the middle of a waterfall is not exactly a place where people would want, or be able to, build much.

[Vinoex]

A statue is the only logical thing I can think of. Luckily fantasy often involves illogical eccentric individuals.

[vorropohaiah]

though its not my type of map this is very nice and its come a long way from the first WIP post. i love the water and the foam, which really turned out well. my only minor 'crit' would be the perspective on lifts which still looks a bit odd to me, though given the type of the not-quite-isometric perspective youre using, its a bit of a pickle.

great work