Post by Benzo on Sept 6, 2017 16:08:27 GMT -4
Anyone here halfway decent with creating fictional cartography? I'm in a bit of a stump with my Skyrim mod and could use help forming a basic idea or outline for the new landmass I want to create. When I say this, I'm not looking for a fully filled map, though you are free to add a few caves or ruins if you'd like, but rather I'm just after just the borders and general shape of the area. To provide a little background information on what the goal is;
Jotunnheim is what I'm attempting, if you are familiar with Norse mythology, though slightly altered for our purposes, of course. In the TES universe, Jotunnheim was a once-green utopia though now covered in the snow of a thousand winters, permanently locked in winter; Think of Iceland or, better, Greenland if they were to suddenly be encased in ice. Not exactly amazon-level of greenery, but beautiful countries nonetheless. The environment will be rough and jagged in most areas, roads existing only as beaten-down paths through the snow, nothing fancy such as cobble to aid the way. Only the toughest of shrubbery and plant-life is able to grow in Jotunnheim, and the same could be said about the creatures that live here. The main feature of Jotunnheim will be the city of Hlifdagar, stronghold of those resistant to Hel's reign. Hlifdagar and similar villages will be modeled after the cliff dwellings that can be seen scattered across the southwestern US.
A portioned off section of Jotunnheim, or perhaps a new zone/map entirely, is where Hel resides and rules from; Helheim. Very similar to Jotunnheim in that everything is covered in snow, but to a larger degree. In a sense, this is the heart of the endless winter, emanating directly from Hel's frozen palace. Most ruins or trees in this area are much more covered than before, to give the player a sense that the blizzards in Helheim have been going for well over a century.
If it's of any help, in the spoiler below is a map of Skyrim as it exists; I am not attempting to match it's size, or even half it. This is just to help you with an idea for scale, if you want it.
Skyrim as it exists is roughly 120 cells across and 94 cells high; Each cell is ~190 feet per side, thus making Skyrim approximately 4.3 miles across and 3.4 miles high.
Across: 120 cells @ 4.3 mi.
Height: 94 cells @ 3.4 mi.
Remember: I'm not looking for you to be plotting everything out like it is here; Just the geography is all I'm after. If you're feeling creative, I don't mind you throwing on a couple ideas. Be sure to include a backstory for it, if you can think of one. Even something as simple as 'Necromancer lair' works.
Jotunnheim is what I'm attempting, if you are familiar with Norse mythology, though slightly altered for our purposes, of course. In the TES universe, Jotunnheim was a once-green utopia though now covered in the snow of a thousand winters, permanently locked in winter; Think of Iceland or, better, Greenland if they were to suddenly be encased in ice. Not exactly amazon-level of greenery, but beautiful countries nonetheless. The environment will be rough and jagged in most areas, roads existing only as beaten-down paths through the snow, nothing fancy such as cobble to aid the way. Only the toughest of shrubbery and plant-life is able to grow in Jotunnheim, and the same could be said about the creatures that live here. The main feature of Jotunnheim will be the city of Hlifdagar, stronghold of those resistant to Hel's reign. Hlifdagar and similar villages will be modeled after the cliff dwellings that can be seen scattered across the southwestern US.
A portioned off section of Jotunnheim, or perhaps a new zone/map entirely, is where Hel resides and rules from; Helheim. Very similar to Jotunnheim in that everything is covered in snow, but to a larger degree. In a sense, this is the heart of the endless winter, emanating directly from Hel's frozen palace. Most ruins or trees in this area are much more covered than before, to give the player a sense that the blizzards in Helheim have been going for well over a century.
If it's of any help, in the spoiler below is a map of Skyrim as it exists; I am not attempting to match it's size, or even half it. This is just to help you with an idea for scale, if you want it.
Skyrim as it exists is roughly 120 cells across and 94 cells high; Each cell is ~190 feet per side, thus making Skyrim approximately 4.3 miles across and 3.4 miles high.
Across: 120 cells @ 4.3 mi.
Height: 94 cells @ 3.4 mi.
