Easteorra (Remake of my very first custom map)
This is a remake of my very first ever custom map, Easteorra.
I thought it would be a good way to showcase to me, but also to others, the kind of progress that I've been able to make with the great support of this community since then.
When Silas the Sunseeker led his follower across the Endless Expanse, fleeing the Maltari and their inquisitors' pyres, it was only after a long and grueling voyage that, with their last breath they made landfall near Leothora at dawn. The isles were bleak, windswept rocks, but they were a refuge, a new home to the prophet and his people.
But they found these lands were already claimed by someone other than them. It was a spot at the outermost edge of the realm of the Alvae, a lithe, gray-skinned, white-haired and long-lived people who held dominion over most the known lands of the new continent. High King Aldwênnuin on his throne of ivory and ebony welcomed Silas' people, giving them aid and shelter and the isles they had landed to live on. Little did he know that his generosity would bring ruin to his people and the world he knew.
Humans are a short-lived lot, especially to an Alvae. But Silas' people bred quickly, and when his great-grandson ascended to the throne on the First Isles, the rocky shores could no longer sustain the people he commanded. Aldwênnuin still bore the silver crown of the Alvae when Saleras Sunseeker, 4th King of Dawn came ashore near what now is Silas' Orchard, an army wielding iron and steel behind him. For the Alvae, for all their knowledge, wisdom and might, the touch of iron was like poison, and warriors clad in leather, wielding the finest bronze weapons craftsmen could forge stood little chance against such an army. But Alvae Spellsingers and Bonedancers brought the first advance to a standstill in a four day long slaughter on what is now the Bloodgrass Plains.
But it was only the first phase in a very long war that drove the Alvae ever more eastwards and saw their formerly gentle character become hard and twisted.
First, they created the Scortalves by perverting the essence of dying Alvae, hoping that the twisted creations immunity to the curse of iron would win them the war. But the Scortalves were but dim reflections of their source, weaker, less intelligent. Later, the Spellsingers tried the same idea anew, but this time they mixed the essence of Alvae and captive men. Thus the Cerenalvae where born. Void of the failures of the Scortalves they still proved a deadly disappointment to their makers.
For three centuries the Alvae fought a losing war. It was at this point that Aldwênnuin, old and tired even for an Alvae, accepted the suggestion of a young, ambitious Spellsinger by the name of Mâllagon. The West was a festering wound, Mâllagon argued, and if one could not rescue a limb one had to cut it out. The sacrifice of some had to save the future of many. So he gathered the best and most powerful of the Spellsingers, and together they began to sing the Êallor enn Roonarok, the song to end the world. The earth tore open. Fire spew from the chasms, and clouds of ash darkened the sky up to the shores of the Dawn Sea. The Forodduin swelled, fueled by foul magic, while at the same time giant floods rushed in from the sea. Lands shattered and sank. Tens of thousands died beneath the waves or in the fires, unknowing that it was their very lifes' essence that allowed Mâllagon to fuel his deed. To the east of the devastation the same magic worked, but quietly. Trees that otherwise needed decades to grow sprouted from the ground, covering fertile lands and Alvae homesteads alike.
When Mâllagon was done, a zone of death and devastation of hundreds of miles had created an impassable barrier for any invader. It is said that when Aldwênnuin saw what his spellsinger had done, he wept for seven days and nights before he took his own life. But none of this is known to the descendants of Silas the Sunseeker, for five hundred years have passed since.
Muir Logainn and other ruins in the Quiet Marshes still tell of the Alvae's wealth and power, and many of the larger cities in the Six Realms are built on Alvae foundations. The Quiet Marshes mark the eastern extent of the Six Realms. Nobody has ever crossed them and returned, just as no ship has ever sailed back from the Widow's Tears...
Last edited by Wired; 01-15-2017 at 04:18 AM.
This looks awesome Wired.
There are so many cool and varied features in here, one really has to soak it in for a while.
I am gonna have to save a copy of this and look it over for a while.
You did a great job on this and you should feel quite proud of it.
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That is quite nice, Wired, quite nice indeed! I like the original map too.
That shore line! :O I LOVE it! Great work!
Si tu n'as rien fait pour ton rêve aujourd'hui, est-ce que c'est vraiment ton rêve? - Fred Pellerin
Twitter -> https://twitter.com/benoit_janie
Very nice! Like J. i find all the little details to be the big thing about this map. I love your iconography you have here...all the cool cities and different towers and stuff. I love the overall feel a lot.
For some reason i am not that big a fan of the mountains...maybe it is the dark colors or...i don't know. I can't put it my finger on it.
Anyway, great map! If i can, I'll rep you.
I'm trapped in Darkness,
Still I reach out for the Stars
Lovely work Wired. Your linework is always fantastic and I think the best part about his remake is the way you differentiated it form the original with their different looks and style makign both pieces nice and unique.
I remember being blown away by your mountain linework in the WIP for this, and these finished ones are gorgeous. Great work and rep coming your way!
Awesome work and so many interesting details to gaze at. That's not a map, that's a world
Brilliant! The kind of map you stare at many times, looking for the details you missed
Thank you, for the kind words and for the inspiration and advice you and many others here have been over these past years!Originally Posted by J.Edward
This looks awesome Wired.
There are so many cool and varied features in here, one really has to soak it in for a while.
I am gonna have to save a copy of this and look it over for a while.
You did a great job on this and you should feel quite proud of it.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy both versions.That is quite nice, Wired, quite nice indeed! I like the original map too.
Hours and hours of refining it... *ouch*
Thank you. I understand what you mean with the mountains. The original version was lighter than what I have now, but I wanted them to be a bite more distinctive than that (call it a bit of a concession to my usually more saturated color style), so I chose a comparably dark blue-grey instead.
Thank you, very kind. I decided about halfway through the creative process that I didn't want this to be just a simple remake but wanted to expand on the original in a number of ways, giving the map and the setting itself a bit more depth while staying true to the core idea.Lovely work Wired. Your linework is always fantastic and I think the best part about his remake is the way you differentiated it form the original with their different looks and style makign both pieces nice and unique.
I remember being blown away by your mountain linework in the WIP for this, and these finished ones are gorgeous. Great work and rep coming your way!
Well, part of a continent, but I get what you mean (and I agree!)Awesome work and so many interesting details to gaze at. That's not a map, that's a world
Thank you, that kind of praise is more than I dared to hope for.Brilliant! The kind of map you stare at many times, looking for the details you missed
I really, really like this map. The ICONs are top notch. I love your Argonath like Icon, Top Right.
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