# I've restarted my languishing Greyhawk mapping project



## AdmundfortGeographer (Nov 26, 2011)

I've been letting my mapping project sit idle for years now. At once the victim of ever increasing map sizes challenging the processing power of my computer, and the intimidating scope of what I bit off in front of me, teamed up to just overwhelm me at it all. So I let it sit. For 8 years.

Computing power has caught up; CPU, RAM, graphic cards and OS advances. I plunked down for an upgrade to Photoshop and I could feel the mojo returning.

So I restarted my Greyhawk mapping project where I left off and I can say that I have finished off the most intimidating part, the mountains surrounding the Sheldomar Valley are completed, I'm off to finish the forest details and research the Greyhawk site locations. That's just time consuming off the computer, while the drawing of the mountains was time consuming at the computer.

So I just started a DeviantArt gallery to host all my completed Greyhawk maps. I held off getting my own website because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of domain names and web hosts. DeviantArt really fits my needs, and I'm glad I was turned on to it recently.

I've only posted the small-format images for now. The poster-scale images could be forthcoming someday.

I don't intend to post the in progress maps, but I might if demand is there.

For now though, jump on over there and take a look and download away!


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Nov 28, 2011)

I've posted a new preview of the Sheldomar Valley project

Here is a link to the most recent progress on the northern portion of the valley, including Bissel, Gran March, and the Valley of the Mage. The little details are getting placed.

I've begun the mountainside forests, really shows in the Barrier Peaks. I've finished most of the streams in the Sheldomar Valley, the streams to the north and west of the Barrier Peaks are yet to come.

Nearly all roads, trails, and settlements are located. I've yet to decide what to do with the castle building project underway in Bissel nor the ruins left behind by Ket. (I'm setting this in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer era). I'm still researching for more ruins and castles in the Valley . . .

Enjoy!


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## Vascant (Dec 2, 2011)

This is good news, I remember asking you about this many many many years ago.  This would be incredible for an entire map of GH in your style.

Thanks and keep up the good work


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Dec 4, 2011)

*Pondering the ruins and castles of the Bissel frontier*

I've cross posted this to a couple other forums where I'd announced my project was restarted. I'm posting it around to hopefully get ideas from people who are interested and would like to influence the final product. So . . .


The LGG describes Bissel's northern frontier as pretty much either covered in ruins of old castles and towers, or being built up with new ones.

"A large castle-biulding project is underway along the southern banks of the Fals (Bissel's new northern border) and along the neutral zone around Thornward. Ket destroyed many forts, minor castles, barracks, signal towers, and army bases when it invaded Bissel and later when it withdrew."

If you compare the amount of detail I was able to squeeze in my Central Flanaess map around the lands near the City of Greyhawk, you get an idea how much I could squeeze in around Bissel's frontier. Do I just scatter ruins about the countryside of northern Bissel? Just put them in a line along the river?

How far about should the fortifications be spread in the castle-building project on the Fals River and around Thornward?

Bissel's entry says this about Ket's presence, (sometime just in the period 587-589 I think) "Ket completely withdrew its armies, taking control of all Bisselite forts, towns, and lands north of the Bramblewood Gap." It also says earlier that Ket struck in 584 by "attack(ing) Bissel's watchtowers along the Fals River at the northern end of the Bramblewood Gap".

Okay, since it took control of sites "north of the . . . Gap", does that mean that Ket moved its forces *out* of the gap? How far out is out? Is getting OUT of the gap in 589 mean getting back beyond the watchtowers that were IN the gap that were attacked in 584? Or maybe this really is just asking where does the Bramblewood Gap start and end? Is Thornward IN it?


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Dec 5, 2011)

New update posted. 

The southern Sheldomar Valley quad just got a preview posted to my gallery.

I'm on to the research stage pretty heavy now. I'm conflicted ok how to best finish the Sea Princes well enough since the map cuts the Kamph mountains off badly.


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## grodog (Dec 11, 2011)

Eric Anondson said:


> New update posted.
> The southern Sheldomar Valley quad just got a preview posted to my gallery.




Sounds great, Eric.

FYI, the tags are working again, so I tagged the thread with greyhawk and maps, but you may want to add some others (perhaps regions, "GH" etc.)


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 2, 2012)

*Update*

My Barrier Peaks region has some completed maps in it.

I'll be getting to the placenames in time, I'm getting these out now to share. The poster-sized maps are 1/4 my working file resolution of 21,000 pixels by 18,000 pixels, so you get something pretty detailed there.

Credit: I've used Mortellan's fan material for Ull to settle it with some places as Ull seemed to have a lack of canon material to work with there . . .

Enjoy!


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## Boz Shulun (Jan 2, 2012)

Great stuff, Eric!

Our episode this week is about maps and we mention you. It comes out Tuesday. (click here for our site)

As always we link to all things we love and your work is no exception (Mort spearheaded this episode so I credit him for turning us onto your stuff).

Keep up the awesome work.

Eric (from Gamerstable)


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 2, 2012)

Thanks for the heads up! I'll be sure to check out the episode when it's available. Can't wait!


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 2, 2012)

My Northern Sheldomar Valley region has some complete maps in it now.

Placenames soon. Enjoy!


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 3, 2012)

I've been on a roll. My Crystalmists regional map now has some completed maps in it.

Enjoy!


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 3, 2012)

My Southern Sheldomar Valley gallery now has some completed maps in it.

The race to the finish was so close I could feel it. I should be sleeping but I would have just lost sleep knowing it would have taken a few minutes generating it from my files.

Whew! After eight long years . . . 

Hmm, maybe I'll get to Jeklea Bay, Amedio and the Sea of Dust next.


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## Boz Shulun (Jan 3, 2012)

Hey Eric (and everyone else), our maps episode is now out.

Click here to listen.


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 12, 2012)

I've finished the names research of my Southern Sheldomar Valley quad of the Sheldomar Valley project.

Consider this an open call for review. Look at the map, scour it for missing places and missing names. I had a map of the LG Yeomanry region, but I couldn't read some of the places. If you know them, let me know!

There are some missing places in southern Keoland. I can't find the source I used to place the towns and keeps, but I'm keeping them there. I don't have a map from the U 1-3 series, but I recall seeing a scan years ago.

While I don't think I invented the look the the peninsula Monmurg is on wholesale, I believe I found someone else's map and used it for inspiration, if the Monmurg map reminds you of something you've seen before, let me know where that was! Still, I did put in some more unnamed towns on the Sea Princes coast myself. I never found a good source, canon or fanon, putting in any small towns on the Sea Princes mainland (except Berghof).

If you have seen a detailed map of the Duchy and County Ulek, let me know, I haven't seen one that was reliable.


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## Vascant (Jan 13, 2012)

Just started taking a look but found one thing based on the map from Dungeon issue 117, page 32

Chapel of time, located on the otherside of the Davish between Oestral Abyss and Istivin in Sterich


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 13, 2012)

Yeaaaaaaah.

I kept forgetting to put that back in. Not sure why I missed it the first time around, it's added to my list now. Including my misspelling of Jurnre. 

In anycase, good eyes!


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Jan 19, 2012)

It wasn't much to do because there didn't seem to be much to find, but I found some scraps I was surprised to see, but I finished the placename version of the Crystalmists quad of my map project.

Please, if any one knows more info I can include let me know! Corrections, I'll take too. I considered adding some scattered camps around the Dry Steppes, but I held my desire to see more out there . . .


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Feb 6, 2012)

Long time. But my Northern Sheldomar Valley map with place names is finally finished. I've already found mistakes that will be fixed ASAP, but if you spot any lemme know.


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Feb 11, 2012)

Celebrate!

All four parts of my Sheldomar Valley project have been completed. All the maps for this project have had updates since originally published, check them out. The Crystalmists geography-only and Barrier Peaks geography-only maps will have their updates posted soon, maybe as soon as tomorrow night.

Check them all out. There weren't many Gord-isms I found that I could confidently place somewhere, but a few showed up! Mike Bridges Ull project served as the basis for placenames around Ull.


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## Klaus (Mar 11, 2012)

Eric Anondson said:


> Celebrate!
> 
> All four parts of my Sheldomar Valley project have been completed. All the maps for this project have had updates since originally published, check them out. The Crystalmists geography-only and Barrier Peaks geography-only maps will have their updates posted soon, maybe as soon as tomorrow night.
> 
> Check them all out. There weren't many Gord-isms I found that I could confidently place somewhere, but a few showed up! Mike Bridges Ull project served as the basis for placenames around Ull.



Hey, Eric!

Where did you find those keeps you placed near the Dim Forest? Are those from an adventure?


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## AdmundfortGeographer (Mar 11, 2012)

Klaus said:


> Where did you find those keeps you placed near the Dim Forest? Are those from an adventure?



The ones around Hochoch? Those would be a legacy of the Greyhawk Wars and then Living Greyhawk development. LG took the timeline a few years after the Greyhawk Wars, had forces from Gran March liberate Hochoch from the occupying armies of the giants.

The LG campaign had a series of protective forts built around Hochoch. I found the forts on multiple Geoff Triad maps.


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