Current Action Map

Below is a map of the area Archer and Hieronymus are currently traipsing around in, the Blackstahl Mountians. Lot's of dwarf history in this area to explore but I'm trying to keep it under control and not overwhelm the reader.


Their destination is the ruins of Mithdros Dhuruuk, an ancient dwarf fortress long forgotten. Finding it reveals a threat to the Three Realms not seen since the Great Burning.
Oh, and lot's of fun.

Forgotten Empire Map

Here's a map of the world that Hieronymus and Archer adventure within the novel The Forgotten Empire.

The Forgotten Empire map (click to view)

As you can see it's quite large and the two adventurers will need some time to get from point to point on the map. The majority of this book takes place in Choy, the Urdraxian Desert, Gulgash, and finally deep in the Blackstahl Mountains.

A variation of this map is also posted under the Maps tab showing the starting point of each character and the route of the Verdant Swan.

There are also plenty of other interesting places to visit, many of which I hope to cover in future stories about these two men.

Enjoy

Chapter 9 Posted

Posted Chapter 9 - A Busy Night for your evaluation and enjoyment.

Synopsis: Hieronymus seeks revenge in a card game on Vikenti for his beating, Archer discovers Hieronymus might be worth getting to know after all, and the two meet in a clash of arms that leaves them deeper in trouble then they were originally.

All-in-all, this was a very productive week for this project, for several reasons.

• First, Chapter 9 is the largest of all my chapters so far, weighing in at 5700 words. Partly this is due to the content of the chapter, but also because I've starting to feel more comfortable writing about these characters, which means I'm relaxing my writing style from what I use in my daily tech writing, which is very terse and matter of fact.
• Second, it was a tricky chapter to write as well, melding four different points of view (PoV), of which everyone sees nearly the same events, but interpreted them differently. I've used PoVs in previous chapters, but really liked the stylistic manner in which this one came around. The fight in the alley, of which I'd written a long time ago, evolved much differently then I'd originally planned it. Partly that's due to the new events leading up to this fight scene, and partly its due to my learning more about my characters motives while writing the story.
• Third, in speaking with my brother Kevin about the project he complained about not being able to pronounce all the weird names. So, I've collected and exposed my glossary, all 1700 words of it, for your edification. If you're wondering what an item is or how to pronounce Hieronymus' name, you'll find it here. Going forward I'll do my best to keep it as up-to-date as possible.
• Fourth, I also had some time to work on my maps, as described in my previous post. Still lots of work to do, but I am liking the results.

So, in conclusion, a very productive week, 7400 words by my count, map making, and a growing excitement as this portion of the book ends. Next up, the two adventurers start to roam the world together.

Enjoy

The Road Less Travelled

When I designed the site I set up a section for Maps so everyone could get oriented with the world Archer and Hieronymus are traipsing across. Well, the idea was good, but the material needed some work to make it acceptable for sharing.

First, the main map for Bulinnarm is on a huge piece of poster board that I remember drawing back when I was stationed in 29 Palms and attending Electronics and Radar schools. It's a great map showing the three continents (Bulinnarm, Alexiandromor, and Ulax) in all their glory and with many of the major details already filled in. This is the master map, from which all others are derived.

Below is just one of the scans (Builinnarm region) made of the master map which I am enhancing, expanding, and detailing this week.

Bulinnarm scan from master map (click to view at full size)

Next up, I have a complete expandable notebook filled with D&D adventures, drawings, dungeons, and maps, lots of maps, for the areas in which I ran several campaigns through the world. These provide even greater detail on specific areas of the map. As my characters pass through those regions I expect to add some of this detail to the new master maps.

The new maps are done using vector graphics software (Acorn, from Flying Meat). For those that don't know what that is, it simply means that there is almost no limit to the amount of detail I can add to them. In addition, they are resolution independent, which means they can be scaled easily without losing any detail. Lots of work, but the final results will be worth it.

Below is the work-in-progress for the Bulinnarm area of the map. Still lots of detail to add and I'm figuring out the capabilities of the software as I work, but so far, I'm liking the results.

Bulinnarm in vector graphics (click to view at full size)

I hope to post Chapter 9 - A Busy Night as well as one or two of the new maps this weekend.