# Community Participation > Mapping Challenge Archive >  Apr/May 2019 Lite Mapping Challenge: Drala's

## Kier

Just a place holder for now to ease ladiestorm's mind.

I am in. I hope to get a sketch up later tonight to begin the process in earnest other than the million images bouncing around in my head.

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## Bogie

Welcome to the Challenge Kier!

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## Kier

Alright, so the sketch was just too horrible to put up, lol. So this is a first draft. 

I have no doubt I will be able to finish, but have sufficient doubt that I will be able to pull off exactly what I want. 

I am Not really happy with the cliff, I think I need to go higher somehow without taking too much of the map up. And also my resolution is off.
The grass is just to have something down. The first of several layers to come. 
Struggling mightily on the trees. Right now they are just place holders as I fight for their positions and try to get the color right. I don't know what it is with green leaves, so damn hard to get right, and they blend in with the grass. But maybe once I get the full grass layers on, bringing in some taller weeds in the brown spectrum, that might set off the green leaves better. If not, I will be forced to go full Autumn mode with the colors from the left side.

Drala's house will be a stone cottage tucked under the boughs of the trees. 

### LATEST WIP ###

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## ladiestorm

Yay!  someone to join me in this challenge!

I think this is looking great, so far!  I love the trees!  Those colors really pop, and they look great together  :Smile: 
And I don't see anything wrong with your cliff!  :Smile:

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## bkh1914

The cliff looks good to me.  The deep shadow tells me that it is pretty tall vertical drop.

The leaf size and texture of the tree on the right are different enough from the grass that it is clearly visible to me.
But if you're worried about the contrast with the grass, maybe mid to late summer when the grass is going to seed and turning brown...

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## Kier

Thank you everyone.

It was funny I spent a couple days working on the cliff, making it taller, and perspective, etc. And... Well after that I shrunk the trees a bit and like the cliff posted best of all, lol. There is 2 days I wont get back.

I am beginning to think the houses secret might be that it's invisible. Can I get away with that?

But, truthfully I have a couple things I need to hit up in the next couple days, but hope to get another pass up Monday or so.

Thanks again for the comments.

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## Bogie

Great terrain map, looking forward to seeing the building added in.

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## Kier

Thanks Bogie.

Have been very busy of late working on the waters around SkullRock, and starting to map the interior now. 

But I found some time yesterday and today. Brought the house in, worked on the grass, added some boulders, still moving the rocks and trees around. 

The secret is the black circle, still working on that, not sure I can pull it off as well as I see it in my head, but going to give it a shot over the next couple days.
Still need to flesh the interior of the house out. Cot, bed, rocks around the duel chimney, symbols in the dirt floor. Yes, its dirt floor, very common back in the pioneer days. You could wet them and draw designs on them to decorate. Thinking, its perfect for magic symbols, and casting of magic items from the fireplace.  

### LATEST WIP ###

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## ladiestorm

I think it's looking good so far!  I'm wondering what that circle is!

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## Bogie

Nice update Kier!  Ahhh, the mysterious circle, the circle of life perhaps....

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## Kier

Actually pretty stoked at this point. The Secret turned out better than I thought. The Big Fir, and the staircase in the Big Fir was my last big challenge in this map. I am still not sold on the opacity of the tree branches over the house. But as its a challenge to map a building with a secret I kind of feel I need to show the interior some and the branches are too thick to see below without the transparency.

I have the interior left to do, and shadows to bring in around the boulders, into the grass, beneath the trees. General last minute tweaking of shades, hues, and saturations of the colors to try and get it all where I want it to be. And the Title, need to find a place for that.

So what is Drala's?

Drala is an Herbalist, Sage, or Druid, whatever you want to call her. Older than the massive Fir that challenges the cliff itself. The hidden staircase inside the Fir leads up to open onto thick branches hidden from view beneath the mighty boughs of the Fir, giving her access to secret caves in the cliff. Deep inside the rock she pulls the rarest of herbs and powders for her spells and potions.

### LATEST WIP ###

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## Bogie

Oh very cool!

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## ladiestorm

very nice!!!

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## Kier

> Oh very cool!





> very nice!!!


Thank you.

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## Kier

I am content to call this done, although to be honest I will probably spend the next couple hours playing around with it. If something sticks I might post another update, but for now she is done.

Worked on the grass, the shadows and the interior of the house. 

I added the runes on the dirt floor, barrier spells. The one inside the door is anything but a welcome mat, barring entrance until passed through. The one around the cot, keeps anyone caught in the dreamworld locked away as Drala finds away to free them. The one around the double sided fireplace allows her to work in the darkest of magics without fear of ever releasing her Hell upon the world should her magic betray her. And last the one around tree, hides the secret passage into its trunk.

### LATEST WIP ###

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