Ethran: Merelan City

[Mouse]

I see your point, Falconius. Those pesky Romans, eh? Obsessed with power and the getting of it. Always leads to a downfall!

However..

The politics of this island are such that the native Merles were conquered five centuries ago by the invading Blucrans, who claimed the island, enslaved the Merles, and now treat Merelan as if it had always been theirs. They were, and still are, the most numerous and aggressive of the five races of Ethran, and fear absolutely no one and nothing.

However, the climate has changed on a global scale, and the tents on the marsh are just a symptom of the fact that Blucrene (the Blucran state, of which Merelan is the curiously side-attached capital) is the only land where things might still grow, and people may yet live. All the other four races have become little more than climate refugees.

Faced by the human tide flowing into Blucrene the Blucrans have defended their city with a new wall - something that was never considered necessary before because of their military might. Why, after all, would a supreme and undefeated army of holy warriors like the Sayers have to hide behind a wall? to them, a wall is a cowardly device! but they are not about to be invaded by a highly trained and battle tested army. No. The wall, unfortunately, is to keep the starving refugees out of Merelan, so that the wealthy aristocratic society of that city do not have to put up with their presence, or share their good fortune with all these... 'dirty impoverished strangers'!

That the refugees might scale the cliff and get into the city that way, is possible, but unlikely, since the Blucrans are defined by a facial stripe they are born with - an azure marking that spreads across the brow like antlers, and which sinks down the nose in a very fine line. It cannot be imitated even by the best of tattoo artists, because it is luminous in the shade of a cowl or behind any wreath of loose hair, so allows them to tell at a glance any person in their midst who is not one of their own. And woe betide any non-Blucran who is caught within the city limits without an official pass!

Well... having said that, I might put more defences on Jamne Head. I don't know. Worth thinking about.

Thanks for that, and thanks for the compliment too

Ps - Glad you're enjoying the tale

[Mouse]

Version 29 (apologies for the delay. I had a system problem through yesterday, so the work here represents only a few hours on last time)

Something was missing... I forgot the trees!!!

Here they are - at least in the top portion of the city. Building work has crept along and up the slopes from Cherrin and Jamne Head, and some of the cave dwellings in the more vertical parts of the cliff have been marked by mysteriously disappearing footpaths The top of the island that isn't covered with buildings and trees on that side will be tumuli tombs, field systems, and a cemetery/pyre arrangement. Yet to decide what style to use for that, and I would have just bashed on with it today, only I have an appointment to attend in an hour...

[ladiestorm]

This is great!!! this is the first time I've ever seen the whole thing at one time. absolutely beautiful!

[Falconius]

Ah that makes sense. I saw the walls and assumed they were there for a martial function.

[Mouse]

This is great!!! this is the first time I've ever seen the whole thing at one time. absolutely beautiful!

Thanks Storm It looks a lot better here than it does on PF - this is only a 50% reduction on the original, rather than a 75% reduction. Here the trees actually look like trees, instead of coloured lollipops!!!

LOL...

Ah that makes sense. I saw the walls and assumed they were there for a martial function.

No, I'm afraid its a socio-political thing - racism/xenophobia/arrogance on the part of the Blucrans. Don't worry - they get their come-uppance! Rusaar's justice is about to fall on them, yet this is the city where one of the heroes of the tale was born and grew up - Eonat's home is the observatory.

[snodsy]

This has really come far, you have yourself a really beautiful map going on here, on thing bothers me, the cliff edge rock color, seems too white, what if it had just a little brown or gray or transparency to dial it back just a little.

[Mouse]

Thank you Snodsy

The cliffs have always bothered me. They're a simple bevel, and they don't look anything like I wanted them to look. But just as it took me a while to work out what was wrong with the ocean (too pale and not transparent enough in the earlier versions) I have yet to realize a solution for the cliffs. They should be rough and fluted and look much more like cliffs, than rather thick pancakes, and I agree with you - they are several shades too pale on the lighted side. LOL Trouble is, that if I reduce the angle of the bevel to get rid of the glare, I loose the shade on the dark side.

The stone is meant to be fairly pale, since it's limestone, but perhaps I have made it a tad on the white side of pale.

There's nothing for it. I shall just have to make those cliff symbols I've been sort of thinking about for a while now! Shouldn't be so lazy in my old age - LOL

We'll see what I can come up with over the next week

[Mouse]

Version 30

New improved cliffs. Hmmmn

Not sure these look better or worse than before, but the cliffs have a completely different form of bevel on them now. I also fractalized the unnaturally smooth outline, which gave me no end of headaches because I buried half my houses under the more jagged outline and had to spend ages trying to uncover them. Some are still stuck half way under the cliff, but that's ok because some are built into the entrances of older cave dwellings.

I also removed the tree symbols that were conflicting with the transparency of the relief layer and turning opaque. That was what was giving me a strange whitish halo around them - in particular the red varieties! So - only green and brown trees left on the map at the moment. I kind of like the reduced colour range - less distracting.

Let me know if you want to go back to the old cliffs!!!

[Diamond]

DEFINITELY keep these cliffs. This is just astonishing work, Mouse. I've spent the last ten minutes just taking in all the little details. I want to live there!

[Josiah VE]

Is this made with CC3? If so it's one of the most stunning CC3 maps I have ever seen! Keep it up!