If you introduce someone named, say, Nils the Sunderer, in a tell, and say he has an ancient map of the world hidden away, a map that was the reason for his success upon the seas, sooner or later some liddle one will ask to see it.
Things get forgotten and then the map gets mentioned again, that same liddle one will ask where it came from.
Other things come up, like the Haskwood Canifers, and Redrobes tale of ancient forests dwindled to secluded heartwoods, and the focus is shifted.
Things get forgotten again until it comes time to have a tell about two of the FHCO characters who haven't heard just where they came from yet in any great detail, and half born ideas all come together.
Nil's ancient map becomes the map of the world in its first ages, when the world was in the half light of false dawn, the Haskwood Canifers become the FirstHome of the Naim, Bumblemouse becomes the Last of the Naim, and Lemur becomes the Tells speaker.
From there the story grows and grows until it is firmly rooted in Snapgallows lore as one of many of the tells and songs Lemur relates at each visit to the Village.
From there more goes in, and some comes back out, until it becomes the creation myth of the Naim and the Traveller's Sky. The lighting of the ink black sky by Jahk Jahk Flicker Flahk, son of Bien, who is Bumblemouse, one star at a time as he strives to light the World so he can find his lost mother, taken by forces unknown come to slay both the Naim and the Haskwoods.
The world is dark, the forests deep, so a bit of Redrobe's firefly lamp is borrowed and the Naim are enabled with the Light. A soft glow that they can summon when needed, like a fireflies fluorescence. Jahk can't find his mother Bien by her light, or another Naim by theirs , and is lost.
So we pinched inspiration from Redrobes, Torstan, and Toff, leaping from Haskwood Canifers, to Black Holes, and finally to Star systems and the vast distances of space.
12 mice and a hamster appear, the Loahm and a Tantan, who accompany Lemur both in her travels and in her music. Nil's map gets started and it develops its own life, now the map needs a reason, so it shows the Haskwood Canifers as they covered the world in their youth,,,,,but it is a seafarers map, and the Naim are forest dwellers and caretakers of the Canifers ( a major "Oi" on my part once pointed out) so others appear who sail the seas, transporting their brothers the Naim where they would go, in their service to the forests. They become the Timen, and of them we only now there name, their map, and their brothers the Naim.
So the land detail is basic, the Timen were folk of the waters, and only the seas were of their concern.
So indirectly the map below is related to Snapgallows, as it is central to the inhabitants story for the FHCO, much more needs done, tracks and plots, sparse ports of safe harbour, an ancient script for names and such, and whatever else they think of. As it is right now it is just the Heightfield Redrobes kindly supplied us ( as he does for everyone, busy guy) a few shaders generated in Global Mapper, layered in Photoshop, and down sized from its original 8k+ by 4k+ size and converted to jpg. All in all a nice way to spend an hour after an excellent day at Wind Cave, dungeon touring at its best .
SeerBlue, Bumblemouse, and Lemur
Reply With Quote