Been struggling to be inspired lately to work on any maps, but I broke through that this week for my homebrew campaign. Here is an encounter map that takes place in Nyhst. I was just trying to do some experimentation with light and shortcuts for creating areas of light quickly. Definitely some great moments here, but as a whole I'm not sure it's working as well as I'd like. Still some experimentation to do. 

Was experiencing a bit of a creative block after the online con last weekend. Which usually happens to me. I race and race to get stuff finished, stress about running games, run the games and play to all hours. After it's all said and done, I usually feel a bit burned out. So to kick start my work this week I went back to an old piece I did for Legendary Pants' book/kickstarter Ordinary Towns. I thought a makeover would be nice, considering my group will arrive there this week. 

“...Nyhst is now the seat of a Naga oracle. It was once a great civilization of Yuan-ti, the Keepers of the Serpent, worshipers of Merrshaulk. However, in the wave of goblinoids that destroyed most of southern Dravenholm during the first years of the war, The Keepers were also casualties. Displaced from their ancestral home by war they tried to return, but found it inhabited by the Naga and other peoples also displaced by the war. There were some skirmishes in the early days, but The Keepers had already lost so many of their tribe to the war. These new losses were too much to bear. They instead found Longsunder, the abandoned dwarven fort on the Longhorn delta, and built a new community--always with an eye towards Nyhst.”

Started a new series: Towns, Taverns and Terrain

Will be releasing town maps in ten different climes to help diversify my range a bit and provide a good variety of locations to add to Dravlun. I'm also working on a template for quick copy/paste  assets for internal encounter maps. By creating the taverns I'm also working on building that library out some.

Additionally, I tend to need those three items most when I bring my players to a new town. My players spend most mornings and evenings at taverns, just doing role play and interacting with the villagers, so having a placeholder will be super helpful. I also tend to plan encounters nearby town or traveling to and fro which is where the terrain come in.

This is the first town, Alton! A small farming village in a safe, northern region.

This is Longsunder. Longsunder is a Dwarven redoubt at the heart of a small delta and swampland. It was fashioned as a forward operating base on the front of a war won long ago. It has since fallen into disrepair and was abandoned as the enemies that it hoped to deter are no longer a threat. Since it's vacancy, Longsunder has become a haven for a displaced people from a more recent conflict. They have built up around the fort in a much more sustainable way given the changing landscape of the flooded lands; however they maintain the fort as communal housing and gathering spaces for their religious ceremonies.

Shanta Tirith, a decimated Elvish ruin that was once a healthy thriving city. The city suffered an extreme blast that snuffed out life as well as the civilization that once lived here.

This is all so new! Just starting this process, but to give a peek at what kinds of things to expect, here are some images!