[unpaid]Wanna draw me a pretty simple map?

[Rel]

Sounds interesting. Do you have a sketch - doesn't matter how rough - to give people an idea of the layout? Also, it's worth saying how much detail you need - b&w, greyscale or colour, number of labels - that sort of thing. It would help people get an idea of the amount of time it would take to do what you're after.

Thanks for the response. Sorry if I was too vague.

I don't have a sketch at this point. I've got some vague ideas in my head about a couple of political factions that I plan to have vying for control. But honestly, to this point, I've been hunting (unsuccessfully) for a random map generator that I could work from. So I'm not at all picky.

I guess what I had in mind was something I could start from and add some place names and other such data to as I developed things (other stuff I might add would maybe be altitude of a given plateau and whether it was civilized or "wild"). A black and white sketch with a couple dozen peaks poking out through the mists would be enough to get me started.

Does that make sense?

As I'm typing it, it almost sounds so simple that I'm wondering why I'm bothering you guys with it.

[RobA]

Sounds neat Rel!

Something like this? (sorry, render, not map )



-Rob A>

[Sigurd]

Sounds very Edgar Rice Burroughs.

There is an excellent pdf by Adamant Games... Franklin's Almanac Issue 1. It has a couple of flying prestige classes for a world of steampunk and gunpowder set in Atlas's Northern Crown setting.

Northern Crown died badly but this pdf is a lot of fun.


Do you have an idea of how high this elevation would be to stay above 'the mists'? How about surviving cities hidden inside of domes or dug deep into the rocks?


Sigurd - Like the idea.

[Rel]

Sounds very Edgar Rice Burroughs.

There is an excellent pdf by Adamant Games... Franklin's Almanac Issue 1. It has a couple of flying prestige classes for a world of steampunk and gunpowder set in Atlas's Northern Crown setting.

Northern Crown died badly but this pdf is a lot of fun.

Hmm...I might have to check that out. Although probably more for "fluff" than "crunch" since this is going to be a 4e game (and skirting away from the steampunk since my last campaign was more along those lines).

Do you have an idea of how high this elevation would be to stay above 'the mists'? How about surviving cities hidden inside of domes or dug deep into the rocks?


Sigurd - Like the idea.

As far as elevation, the real life examples are in Venezuela and they get up to around 3000 feet. I figure my fantasy versions can stand to range at least up to a mile, maybe a little more.

As far as surviving cities at lower altitudes, I am leaning more toward dug into caves than under domes. But I defiinitely like the idea. Maybe a place where some sort of other gases bubble out of a big lake and bond with the poisons in the Mist rendering it inert.

Big thanks to everybody here for being receptive to this request by a total newbie! You are all very generous.

[Rel]

Just as a point of reference, the real life land feature that this is sort of based on is called a "tepui". Here is a map I copied from a tourist website:

[Sigurd]

So I have to ask. Is this a plateau above a wasteland or peaks above a poison sea? or .... How do you envisage these safe areas existing with the rest of the geography?

Is the poison fog Windblown? If so are spaces in the lea of mountains safer?

Is it generated by lowlands ? In which case are the leading edges of islands safer?

If this is all mountainous - how do they deal with water? Often, not a lot of land around a mountain that's usable. Plateau's can be limited or very far apart....

Just trying to work out the wrinkles in my own head....


Sigurd

[Rel]

So I have to ask. Is this a plateau above a wasteland or peaks above a poison sea? or .... How do you envisage these safe areas existing with the rest of the geography?

These are all good questions. I've given it a bit of thought but, from the perspective of the civilized populace, the lowlands are very much a mystery. That's "Here There Be Dragons (and Mist Demons)" territory.

Is the poison fog Windblown? If so are spaces in the lea of mountains safer?

The fog is effected by tides a bit as well as weather patterns. I'd say that the lea of the mountains might be a bit safer in some areas but altitude is the primary safety feature from the toxins of The Mist. There are definitely low lying areas that can get swamped by The Mists when there is bad weather at "high tide". These areas are analagous to places like Florida or the Gulf Coast of the US where the coastline doesn't provide much protection against rising water.

Is it generated by lowlands ? In which case are the leading edges of islands safer?

The exact origins of The Mist are unknown.
To be honest, I've not quite decided. Some friends I've been talking the idea over with have posed the idea that The Mist is a by-product of the use of Arcane Magic and that the rise of an empire of Wizards of late (who have solved the problem of transport by way of magical portals) is causing The Mist to rise.

One thing I should clarify about The Mist: It's not like cyanide gas or anything quite so dangerous. It is toxic over long periods and exposure for even a day is enough for weaker individuals to become sick. Eventually (in as short as a few days) it can be fatal. But exposure to small doses over a long period can also cause memory loss and mutation. And of course there is the hazard of the Mist Demons who can't live for long periods outside The Mist. (some think that the Mist Demons are humanoids who became mutated by The Mist - they may be right)

If this is all mountainous - how do they deal with water? Often, not a lot of land around a mountain that's usable. Plateau's can be limited or very far apart....

Yeah, I'd considered this as well. So far my answer is that the humid Mists of the lowlands cause the area to get a larger than average amount of rainfall. The flatter, larger plateaus have some sizable lakes (and some AMAZING waterfalls off the edges!). In places where water tends not to collect so easily, the inhabitants have dug large cisterns inside the mountains and plateaus. All that and a little GM handwaving makes the world habitable.

Just trying to work out the wrinkles in my own head....


Sigurd

Me too man.

[Rel]

Sounds neat Rel!

Something like this? (sorry, render, not map )



-Rob A>

Awesome! That's a great example of what I had in mind for an individual plateau cluster. Depending on size, something like that would be a single kingdom or collection of city-states (who may or may not be on good terms with one another).

Now if you had a couple dozen groups like that (mixed in with a few individual but larger plateaus) separated by distances from a couple miles to a hundred miles or more, that's what my campaign world would look like.