In Principio

[Corvus Marinus]

I've redrawn borders and changed a few plate motions. I implemented the idea above for oceanic crust creation. It looks pretty consistent in G.Projector. I'm still a little unsure if I got it right in the southern hemisphere around 12/14/4.



EDIT: Also, if it helps, here is the tectonic map with the Hammer projection. I generally used Azimuthal to see plate movements, but of course you can't see very much with any one projection.

[Pixie]

I see what you mean at the 12/14/4 plates boundary. But it's not really problematic. I'd say a "plausible" explanation stems from plate 10 and 12, actually. It seems to be they are two smallish plates of oceanic floor that aren't moving anymore (kind of leftovers from a previous oceanic rift that is no more). So, whatever was fueling movement in that region has stopped except from the little oceanic crust being formed at 11.

Job well done. (I think it's time for you to retrace the continents over this map, if I may suggest)

[Corvus Marinus]

Lo, hypothetical continents. And hypothetical orange highlands.

I made some small modifications to the crust when I realized I couldn't justify 11 and 10 being continental. So I merged 12 into 4 and slightly modified 14 and 13. Now we have clearer movement between the rifting and the oceanic crust creation with less confusion and a more equitable balance of land and water than leaving out any land masses in the south.

When I've settled on the shapes of the continents, I'll switch to Gimp to refine the coastline, work on elevations, and such.

I know the interior of these large continents will be inhospitable.

By the way, Pixie, I've found your "tutorials" very informative, in addition to the direct input you've given. I'm sure they'll come in useful as I move through topography and toward climate.

[Pixie]

I think this is now a good piece of work and very believable tectonics. You got the mechanics of continental crust vs oceanic crust, and that is (as I come to realize from helping more and more people imagining their earth-like planets), the key for it all.

I'm glad I was able to help. And yeah, that inland is going to be filled with massive deserts, I wonder how it will shape out...

Keep us posted!

[Corvus Marinus]

Some elevation. I'm not looking to be super-precise. I think it looks natural.... Anyone? The dark green is 0-500 meters above sea level, then 500-1000, 1000-2000, and so forth in increments of 1000.



EDIT: I have done some climate work, mostly following Pixie's tutorial steps and using the Climate Cookbook where he left off. I think this world is shaping up the way I want; I just don't have a good map to show yet. I am only planning to do precision work on the area for the novel, but I'll probably first generate a world map. If I can resolve the climates in a timely manner, I may try constructing something presentable next week.

[Pixie]

I'd say you have it good enough to work out the rough climate map. Please share when you have something you are happy with (and if I may ask, include your working maps, just for my own pleasure of seeing stuff done the "way I prescribe").

[Corvus Marinus]

Okay. Here are the working climate maps I came up with. Please let me know if I missed or misunderstood anything.

Ocean currents:


Pressure areas and wind currents (January):


Pressure areas and wind currents (July):


Rain patterns (January):


Rain patterns (July):


I haven't gotten much further yet. Based on the Climate Cookbook, I drew up this for the area in which my novel is based:


Apologies for not including latitude lines in the images. I used program guide lines to help me keep track of the 0/30/60 lines.

[Pixie]

Wow! To see my "way of doing things" taken by others.. that's a powerful motivator, thanks for sharing, Corvus.

I think it's generally well, but I would advise revising because of two things you might have missed or downplayed:
- the ITCZ wanders a lot between north and south when over large continents - your 1/3 of the planet pangea sure is a large continent. I think it is advisable to make ITCZ much southern in january and much northern in july - maybe well into the 30º.
- on the cold half of the year, large continents generate very big high pressure zones at its center - that's because the cooling is extreme in comparison to the water covered areas - It seems you completely overlooked this and placed low pressure centers instead.

Good job nevertheless!

[Corvus Marinus]

Ah! Thanks for catching that about the continental high-pressure points. Definitely something I missed.

I'll make the ITCZ wander more. I was wondering about that, given how similar my January/July rain maps looked when I was done, and I expected a bit more variation. It makes sense.

[Corvus Marinus]

I've been traveling/camping over the past couple weeks. That and the intense busyness leading up to the trip are why I've been so entirely absent of late.

I'm afraid my map-making skills are not yet up to the task of producing something handsome and complete. I've tried and continued to try, but so far have produced nothing remotely satisfactory. So I'll offer a non-visual description of the world, or at least the continent on which my novels are set, and see if that fills the void for now.

First, some history as it currently appears.

There was war on the face of the earth between the gods. The rebellious jinni Bajenl sowed destruction and hatred with his shadow-mirror, and many glorious beings fell back into the Uncreated Light from whom they first arose. Yet at last Bajenl was defeated, and went into hiding deep in the bowels of the earth with what remained of his armies, and the gods did not pursue him. The war left the world a lifeless wasteland, and the gods returned to the heavens, keeping watch lest Bajenl should appear again. An age of ice and wind followed, an age of deserts and desolation over the vast continent.

Yet there remained a secret and protected place, a warm crater lake called the Grail in which were green islands. As the age of ice and wind drew to a close, men emerged from the Grail. Bajenl appeared with his demons to oppose man and enslave him, and for many years men suffered under their oppressions. But the Thaumaturge King raised a rebellion against them, and defeated them, and sealed them in the earth to await the return of the gods. He established a holy council of guardians to look after humanity after his death

For several centuries mankind prospered. Men learned the art of agriculture and built great cities and kingdoms, and all the kings and queens sat on the council of guardians and followed the ways of the Thaumaturge King, honoring the light. But there was a young man, Hanad, who sought to master the occult powers of the earth, and in his travels discovered the door to the underworld. He loosed the demons in return for incredible powers and immortality; he became a sorcerer-king, the White Flying Serpent, and the demons appointed him to administer the earth. With demonic power behind him, he conquered many kingdoms and defeated the guardian council. Yet a prophet led a remnant north into the wastes, and found there a high mountain, from which came a race of angelic beings, send by the gods to defend the world from the power of the demons. Hanad's empire fell, and the sorcerer-king fled over the sea, while the demons concealed themselves again and waited for their opportunity.

The Celestials, as the new angelic guardians were called, divided up the world between them, and they chose a line of men through whom to rule, the Sceptered, and gave them great occult powers and long lives. Though the Celestials grew reclusive and wore masks before men, their empire was great; many worshiped them as gods. In time, however, there was a rifting in their unity, for what reasons men were not privy, nor even most of the Sceptered. Though many Celestials maintained their power, the empire split and receded in places, until only the northwest corner of the world was still under the power of the empire called Celestial and the Sceptered Emperor. Elsewhere, the Celestials often seemed to have vanished altogether, remaining alive only in folklore and the occasional visions of priests and holy men.

This is the time at which the novel is set. The Celestial Empire in the west appears stable at its present boundaries but is rotten at its core and more fragile than it seems; the Celestials are aloof, the Sceptered Emperors struggle to rule the many peoples under their dominion, and discontent is spreading. Meanwhile, Hanad has secretly returned from over the sea, and wanders about in disguise, preparing for the restoration of his kingdom.

Now for a description of geography, at least of that northwestern area in which the novels are set. Hopefully anyone desirous of close examination can follow along with the elevation map posted previously.

The small, mountainous continent in the western ocean is very wet on the west side, especially during winter, and driest on the southeast side. There is a small empire there which centuries before broke away from the Celestial Empire; it is unstable, frequently breaking apart and reforming, intermittently gaining power over the islands to its north.

The northwest corner of the major continent is cold and wet in the coastal regions and dry and rocky inland. Several smaller kingdoms are there and many tribes, frequently rebellious and caught up in inner strife. They are nevertheless united under the Principality of Hurom, a vassal state to the Celestial Empire administered by governing princes.

Just to the south and over the mountains is the heartland of the Celestial Empire. The northwestern parts are fertile; the southwest coast is mostly scrub, and inland lie forests and grasslands. The most populous city is situated in the fertile land not far from the coast, while the capital sits at the feet of the eastern mountains.

Further south lies another empire, the Four Nersite Kingdoms, whose size exceeds the Celestial Empire, though the population is smaller. The country it covers is arid and mostly desert, with its most fertile land in the south and from a major river floodplain near their northern boundary. The Nersite empire is highly cultured and stable, often in conflict with the Celestial Empire to the north.

The borders of this empire end at the the great central desert, which is also the present limit of the Celestial Empire. Over the Quiet Salt Sea the grass and scrublands soon turn to hot desert, and then further north cold desert and a cold, arid plateau of whirling winds. This desert is uninhabitable at its center; the northern and southern periphery host a few nomadic tribes, and more still in the steppes to the east and southeast.

Across the ancient mountains on the far side of the desert is the land of Kalbakan (or Tsul-Bavand), which in the highland north is populated mostly by semi-nomadic herding tribes, and in the south supports a small valley civilization. The northeast peninsula is actively volcanic, no longer inhabited, and borders an arctic waste. Further east and south is a vast forested land that, toward the equator, becomes jungle.

The protagonist of the novel begins as a child in Kalbakan, ends up crossing the desert, and most of the narrative takes place in and around the Celestial Empire.