Lots of talent on display in this one. A veritable smorgasbord of cartographic delight within easy reach of my eyes.
On numerous occasions, I visited the Work In Progress (WIP) thread for this map. I wasn't particularly enamored of it, in its early stages. The large door opening on Pic de Havern was a particular thorn that I just didn't care for.
Yet, the end product is quite invigorating. Having judged this book by its partial cover, I atone for my sins by grasping an appreciation for the hand of the master, as he weaves his spell to completion.
Atonement, however, is not to be confused with acquiescence. The laying of the text labels in rote horizontal manner deprives the map of a degree of grandeur that I believe could have been achieved, had the cartographer been so inclined. Clearly, he wasn't. He had his own ideas about what this map should be, and now here we stand in admiration of his handiwork.
It has a certain sort of majesty about it, this map does. The outline of the land masses is superb, a delight to make their acquaintance. The dark brown highlighting splotches that adorn the coastline are nothing short of magnificent! A strong addicting quality this Splotch Lord has imbued his coastlines with. What a scoundrel he is, to amass such talent and to hoard such skill. Curse him and his wonderful map!
The islands fill the whitespace of the waters well, populating the seas with points of interest to draw the eye toward. The end result is a very balanced visual feel to this map.
Not content with one compass rose, this bastard of the cartographic high seas entices us with two. He is wicked, this one is!
And behold those creatures of the seas taunting our eyes, not going overboard by over-populating the oceans with their presence. Rather, he used them sparingly, and they serve their master well.
The mountains project their power across the map, rising to summon us to behold them in all their towering glory. The Croc du Drak Rouge rising in the North West, grand this towering behemoth is! Far to the South of it lies Monts Gris, just north of Galathar.
In the North Central part of the map, L'Epee des Dieux and le Poignard des Dieux tower side by side, overshadowing Dos du Behemoth which lies a short distance north of them. Further north, still, one discovers the Cirque de Basalte, a depression or canyon of some sort. Oh, the eye is pleased, the eye is pleased by this point of dramatic interest. It contrasts well against all of the mountains, yet there it stands, alone, marking its territory on this cartographic wonder of recent vintage.
There, in the far North West, is Mont Tatoue, with its ornate carvings on the side of the mountain. And in the far South East, the Chaine de Morsul rises, not a place to take lightly, to be certain.
The forests of Foret d'Evanas and Les Pins Noirs make the mouth salivate. Now, here be forests, boys! A pity that those forests in the South and in the East do not rise to their level. This is an instance where one sees both the forests and the trees, and the northern trees wear their kingly crown of visual superiority with quiet dignity.
Behold, the escarpment where the Bois sans fin look out upon the world! Yes, yes, yes, I say!
The Chaine des Drakaens grabs my eye, yet again! It commands me to look, to behold it, to appreciate its place in this world. These are ancient mountains, formed long before men overran this world.
The map border is interesting. In the upper left corner, decorative artwork in the form of a castle and coats of arms serve their function well. The same coats of arms make token appearances on the map, itself. It's all about visual interest, you see. The decorative curls, that extend past the edges of the border, proper, balance one another well. I do not know that I am yet a fan of this particular methodology of visual teasing, but because both corners feature it, it balances out well enough with my all-scrutinizing eye.
Why, 'O why, is all of this text laid out in horizontal fashion?
The Terres de Gorjas seeks to wipe my tears from my eyes, to comfort me, as I ponder this Mystery of the Text. How very odd that this world was not big enough to support the weight of text with curves.
Even still, I count myself amongst the admirers of this work, of this place called Lorn.
The Grand Empire de Lorn - How very grand, indeed!
A fitting map, one to please the emperor with, for certain.
Crafted by the hand of Max, eh? Your splotches in the waters help to maximize the positive visual aura that emanates from this map.
I salute your prowess, Max of Lorn.
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