The Bleak Castle

[foremost]

Wow Foremost, much luck on your 10 day project! I wish I could be as methodical and self-disciplined as you are. The thought of making 1 map a day along with a couple pages of story to go along with it sounds like a mountaneous task to me. :3 But I am sure you will succeed with flying colors!

Thanks It won't be as demanding as it sounds - I'll only post twice a week. I'll post the first day Saturday, then Sunday, then I'll have the weekdays to write the story. So it should leave me plenty of time; five weeks. I've got the majority of the maps ready, and those I need to make are near the end. So I won't be working straight out (though it will take some work and dedication).

I was taking a look at your Bleak Castle map which looks fantastic, and thought I would share what went through my mind. I really enjoy the elevation change which is something I clearly understood while looking over it. I was reading your text and wanted to suggest maybe putting the sleeping quarters of the castle above the Library and Dining Hall instead of below them, underground. Maybe turning that part of your castle into a 2-story, or whatever it takes to stick those bedrooms up above. Of course if that is not consistent with your story, as if it is not something natural to the culture to have balconies in your royal bedrooms, it would make sense to stick them underground then.

I know! I completely agree. In the story, I do have a balcony (or I will, haven't got there yet) so I sorta need it to be above. Alternatively, the balcony could be in the side of the cliff. I don't want to redo this to put it on top, but I will if I have to.

And also, your secret underground study room with the map table (which is my most favorite part about this castle) - I was thinking it would be neat to have something on top of that hill above ground, like a gazeebo or religious circle or graveyard or any kind of a structure that would give reason to its existence. If I was a 'nobody' looking at the grounds of this castle I would wonder what that empty space of land near the castle is being used for. Because there is nothing to be seen above ground I would naturally think that there is something underground. So I guess what I am saying is if I was looking for a secret chamber of sorts, that round steep hill would be the first place I would start searching! But if you had something on top of that hill then it would kind of fool the mind of the average person.

Again, I'm not sure how to represent this. Maybe several maps (on for each layer) or make the map again on a smaller scale and add in the upstairs bedrooms and hill-stuff in on the side.