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Thread: Dichros: Lands surrounding the Firmament

  1. #1
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    Default Dichros: Lands surrounding the Firmament

    Hi there! Long (long) time lurker first time poster.
    Here is a map I did for a Deathwatch campaign a year or so ago. It represents the lands surrounding the holy Firmament on the planet Dichros. Dichros was the homeworld of my player group. The planet is in constant tectonic flux, and is roughly divided into two types of terrain: solid ground and the Shifts. The solid ground changes its geography fairly slowly, with some areas remaining recognizable decades or even centuries later, however the Shifts of Dichros are in a constant state of terrifying Flux. Mountains and valleys are born and leveled there daily, and to journey across them is to tempt fate. From any point on Dichros can be heard the rumbling of cracking stone, and always in the air is the smell of brimstone. One point alone on Dichros seems immune to this flux: the Firmament. On this mysterious point the Horizon Knights have built their great and terrible fortress. What forces keep it from slipping beneath the ocean of rock? If any man knows, he will not say.

    It is thought that the Imperium tried to build hives on Dichros once, as now and then from beneath the rock a crumbling ruin or statue is cast up before being pulled again beneath the crushing tide. These artifacts become rarer and rarer over the centuries as the planet cleanses itself again and again. The statues seem particularly common, though sometimes the countenances they represent seem strange or even... nonhuman.

    There is a native population on Dichros from which the Horizon Knights draw their ranks. These natives largely survive as herders of goats and sheep and are adapted to a constant alertness and light sleep to survive unexpected tectonic activity.

    Because geography is a moving target on Dichros, Cartography is incredibly important as a matter of survival. Cartographers are honored as having the same roles as shamans and are always treated as honored guests wherever they go. They alone dare to approach the great Firmament. It is whispered that they have made some deal with the terrible knights of the sky to live forever, and indeed many seem to last far beyond their natural lifespans. Their task is made possible by the Monoliths. Scattered throughout the planet are great stones set on plinths, too large for ten men to move and each engraved with a great symbol. These are holy places both for the natives and the Knights. The cartographers stop at these monoliths upon their journeys as a matter of course and mark on their maps which still stand. Every century, the knights ride from their fortress on terrible burning wings and set each once again upon its plinth. In this way, the maps of Dichros are dated.

    The map was drafted initially in pencil and then inked with Micron art pens on parchment. There is a wax seal on the left that (on the reverse side) bears the countenance of a skull. The map was presented to my players rolled and sealed.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  2. #2
    Guild Expert jbgibson's Avatar
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    Nice work, Rob - map and tale both. And welcome to the Guild! We really appreciate folks jumping right in with substantive content, so that's worth a smidgen or rep all by itself.

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