City of Fogdown - WIP

[Midgardsormr]

I have one: The docks are provided for a mythical soulship, which is said to take the spirits of the departed across the sea to the land of the dead.

[Ghalev]

I have one: The docks are provided for a mythical soulship, which is said to take the spirits of the departed across the sea to the land of the dead.

Very nice!

Here's another (sadly, pretty dull) one: this cemetery wasn't built slowly over time, it was constructed rapidly (possibly because of a mass death, possibly because it's been moved from another location) so the docks were constructed for all the barges carrying the stonework for the crypts and markers.

[Sigurd]

Here's another (sadly, pretty dull) one: this cemetery wasn't built slowly over time, it was constructed rapidly (possibly because of a mass death, possibly because it's been moved from another location) so the docks were constructed for all the barges carrying the stonework for the crypts and markers.

Sepulcher Island

Perhaps the docks were constructed to haul barges of the dead away to a sacrificial island on the horizon. From that island the spirits are closer to the sky and carried away by the rising sun.

The island may only be visited by the anointed few. Not all bodies dumped on this island are dead however owing to misdiagnosis or ????. Horrifically, the island has a small ragged population of ghouls and scavengers who loot the bodies of the slain and try to survive on an inhospitable rock.

The anointed kill this rabble on site as pirates or worse.....


Sigurd

[Redstar]

Just finished up WIP number 4 and thought I would put it up before bed. I think it's coming along. Just a few things left to do I would say. I'll post some other comments and what not tomorrow. As always CC's are welcome.

Cheers!

PS: I have to say those ideas for the cemetery are great! I originally had just thought maybe it was an old dock, was in disuse, the land was cheap and they needed it for the bodies so they converted it into a cemetery but after a fairly nasty hurricane the area became permanently flooded. I hope you guys don't mind if I incorporate some of your ideas!

[loogie]

mmmmmmm drown zombies.

love the map... looks great

the little circle thingy... i don't even know what it is at the top... its a bit odd, if you explained it, or its part of your campaign, then its all good.. i'm just curious as to what its is (mostly cause i think it looks so cool )

[Redrobes]

This is very sweet - my vote for a featured map ! I like a lot of things about it. Sensible fortifications, sand banks, houses grouped, color - actually havent anything bad to say about it. Well done.

[Ascension]

Looks very nice, I like the color scheme and the layout. I tend to suspend my own logic when it comes to looking at maps so I don't even care that there isn't any real farmland to feed a city of that size. With such an extensive network of docks I'm assuming that this is very much a maritime culture with a huge navy and commerce...sorta like the Minoans. That lil thingy at the top looks sorta like a minimap and I think I like that idea...might have to try it myself.

[Ghalev]

Looks very nice, I like the color scheme and the layout. I tend to suspend my own logic when it comes to looking at maps so I don't even care that there isn't any real farmland to feed a city of that size. With such an extensive network of docks I'm assuming that this is very much a maritime culture with a huge navy and commerce...sorta like the Minoans.

There are many other examples, too ... really, only in stock fantasy worlds are cities required to be surrounded by farmland Early Novgorod had no outside-the-walls farmland at all, for just one example ... but heavy river-traffic (and a bit of cart-traffic) did the trick. And that's without any handwaving or magic to ease the strain. A cool climate helps, of course!

Edited to Add: I think it's kinda cool that most of the threads on WIPs tend to branch off into unrelated worldbuilding matters in addition to cartographic matters, but is there a site etiquette for requesting cartography-only critiques with no worldbuilding tangents?

[Redstar]

There are many other examples, too ... really, only in stock fantasy worlds are cities required to be surrounded by farmland Early Novgorod had no outside-the-walls farmland at all, for just one example ... but heavy river-traffic (and a bit of cart-traffic) did the trick. And that's without any handwaving or magic to ease the strain. A cool climate helps, of course!

Edited to Add: I think it's kinda cool that most of the threads on WIPs tend to branch off into unrelated worldbuilding matters in addition to cartographic matters, but is there a site etiquette for requesting cartography-only critiques with no worldbuilding tangents?

I agree it is pretty cool to have a lively discussion about general world building. I would say if the OP has questions specifically about mapping, then those should be the focus, else, it's all good The comments have really sparked my imagination about issues and features of the city.

In regards to food: scarcity is actually one of the defining features of Fogdown, thus the reason why the city is divided into districts by walls and its large thief population. It's in an effort by the Lawful Neutral/Evil rulers to contain poverty (and the rampant crime that comes with it) to the north. Think: Johannesburg - industrialized (and in Fogdown, also magical), but ruthlessly class divided in a neo-apartheid fashion.

On the "mini-map": actually it's the beginnings of a compass/rose

[Ghalev]

I agree it is pretty cool to have a lively discussion about general world building. I would say if the OP has questions specifically about mapping, then those should be the focus, else, it's all good The comments have really sparked my imagination about issues and features of the city.

Yeah, this has been a good thread ... but I'm just wondering if there's a polite way to say "worldbuilding questions and comments are inappropriate for this thread" without ruffling any feathers, for those of us who might want (in our own WIP threads) to focus 100% on cartography. If it's just a matter of politely asking, that would be cool ... but since I'm still a n00b here I'm just curious if there's a specific etiquette or tag for it.