The First Mark - Cordigan's Cross

[Kier]

After my last month's challenge entry, "DarkWater", I had really wanted to do another map or series with the same feel. Throw in my fond memories of the Gold Box, Pool of Radiance on my Commodore 64, and the Pyramid in the swamp, and it led to this so far.

I did it in GIMP, textures from CGTextures and my back yard. The Swamp Tree came from the dundjinni forum, with only a little mod, (original was a little too hairy for),. I had 67 layers going, as I was trying to blend the textures and colors accordingly. I tried to bring the colors into the paper. I really wanted to add some of the linen strands in colors(not a lot but a couple) but didnt manage that of yet.

The First Mark-
Cordigan’s Cross, the solitary tree, standing at the swamp’s edge is the First Mark, warning all of the danger that lays ahead. Named for the first of the settlers to be killed for fishing the waters of the sacred swamp. His body was left to rot and bones to bleach like the skeletal limbs of the hallowed tree from which beneath he was chained.