Arga Redux (see other Arga thread)

[Superfluous Crow]

Your maps are too bloody good...
What are those circles on each of the continents?
Seems to me like it is decently busy; not too much, and not too little. You could argue whether the central part of the Sigil Sea seems a bit empty, but I'd argue that it is supposed to be a bit empty. Otherwise you end up with all your oceans being clogged by islands and such.
I still had a slight sense of confusion as to what was land and what was water like with your first map, but you should probably get some more map-proficient people to tell you how to correct this :)

[O Senhor Leetz]

well thank you, but I've been dicking around with some of the effects on the little paint program I have and it looks even awesomer now once I get around to posting it.

the circles are basically just visual fluff. the land was looking monotonous without anything breaking it up. I was thinking that they could be used as a magical ley-line map or something if one wanted to expand that idea.

in the gap that is in the Sigil Seas I was thinking about plopping the Fisherman Kingdoms on a set of islands in the middle to break it up a bit.

and is it really confusing between land and water? I'm not sure what else I could do to make it more defined.

[TheMeanestGuest]

I thought it was immediately obvious which was which, for what it's worth.

[Superfluous Crow]

It's not that bad. It probably can't be much better :)

[O Senhor Leetz]

ok, for some reason I cannot post my final map... But anyhow, here is a complete list of the cities of Arga in alphabetical order.

Atha - A small city build under the shadow of the great Aelen city of Faelynwyn. A haven for explorers, treasure hunters, and adventures.

Atox - A beautiful city of carved buildings, street artists, and musicians. Maker of musical instruments.

Belka - The 'Queen of the North Seas.' The key trading port in the northern third of Arga. Famed for the skill of its sailors and the quality of its ships.

Cimmer - A great library city build into the mouth of a dead volcano. Fire is outlawed within the city, as are weapons of any kinds - even ink.

Cyr - A foggy city of smiths and foundries. Rare metals found in the Dead-Moon Sea are forged by Cyrians into some of the finest weapons and armors in Arga.

Fell - The frostbit port of Norsund. Most visitors find it unbearably cold and windy.

Ib - The bizarre pirate city of the Broken Sea. Iban fire-whiskey is perhaps the best drink on Arga.  

Illix - A shadowy city of dream-wielding sorcerers. Also famed for the quality of their glassware and alchemists.

Mabe - The city on the edge of the world. A mysterious city of fortune tellers, mad prophets, and vagabonds.

Merluna - Arguably the heart of Arga. A sprawling port city where all manner of creatures and creeds can be found.

Penda - The clockwork city. Specializes in replicating and finding Old Duran artifacts and technology. The city's latest invention is a strange mechanism that can write without a quill.

Pem Poxa - The city of the God-King. The largest city in Arga, its huddled masses are barely contained under the iron fist of their ruler - Tyrua.

Pik - A small port city that has carved itself a niche in the trade of fresh water, as the city sits on numerous springs.

Piratua - An exotic port city of sweltering heat and thousands of birds. Gateway to the lands of the Far South.

Sanctum - The fortress-city of the Vorr. Has been under siege from the Wildling of Barbarael for as long as anyone can remember.

Surelle - A small city that rules a forested countryside. There is no finer timber than that from Surelle.

Thiago - A small port city with no small connection to the pirate lords of Ib. The well-fortified city frequently harbors raiders and corsairs who venture into the Nevamar Sea.

Urk - A half-dead desert city of madmen and lunatics. The city was once greater than any in Arga, but was cursed by a long forgotten god for a long forgotten reason.

Voy - A small city famed for its navigators and cartographers. Voyish maps have no equal.

[Superfluous Crow]

Ehm, you might not care, but I should tell you that pik is sort of a dirty word in danish. (you know, you called one of your cities that; it wasn't a random fact).
They all sound kind of niche, but I'm sure you can make that work :)
I'd like to see more on Mabe at some point.

[LD]

I don't see anything wrong with the map. It seems clear to me.
The "design lines" are a little odd and they do make it seem a bit busy, but other than that- no glaring problems.

It is a nice map. :)

The aged look works for your theme.

[LD]

Cimmer - A great library city build into the mouth of a dead volcano. Fire is outlawed within the city, as are weapons of any kinds - even ink.

Penda - The clockwork city. Specializes in replicating and finding Old Duran artifacts and technology. The city's latest invention is a strange mechanism that can write without a quill.[/quote]
Is anyone interested in conquering them? stealing from them? kidnapping scientists?

[Superfluous Crow]

The city between Surelle and Atha is unnamed on the map. Why is Penda so far away from its livelihood Old Dura? Seems unlikely that an entire city dedicated to the technology of a continent would be found many continents away.
Also, the city of Umber on Barbarael is not listed. Why is Sanctum located on Barbarael? I thought the Vorr were largely Norsundians. Also seems an odd Vorr name; a bit too soft.

[O Senhor Leetz]

ok my newer map finally loaded up. hopefully it's large enough to be readable. This should also explain some of your questions about the old map CC. also..

Umber - A violent tent-city that is the traditional meeting place of Barbarael's Wildlings. The slave trade flourishes in this city.

and @ LD. basically anything that can destroy paper is outlawed within the city, but this rule doesn't completely apply to the librarians, as they are allowed to use ink. I thought little glow beetles would be a cool light source in the city.

And as for general city conquering, it really doesn't happen, the cities are too far apart to make it worth while, as the journey would be dangerous to a large army. the cities have reached a sort-of stalemate with each other.

[edit] on the scale, the measurement is a mila, the Argan measure of distance. Each mila is equal to 2 earth miles.

[Nomadic]

Very sexy... though you might want to try reversing the bevel on the coastline so the land looks higher than the water.

[LordVreeg]

The Sea of Bobbing Skulls...
That certainly caught me off guard and evoked an image.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Very nice. I Like it!

[O Senhor Leetz]

ok here is a more fleshed out map. Added some more cities and fixed a few things. The gray lines between cities are what will be some kind of crude railroad. I'll write up a quick blurb on the new cities when I can.

oh yeah, thanks for the compliments so far.

[Superfluous Crow]

Hmm, it's a bit difficult to read some of the city names and other small labels. Perhaps add half a font size. Otherwise that's a damn nice map...
Any info on the new cities?
Also, is it on purpose that all your cities have such short names? Just caught my attention...
Are any of the cities "together"? As ruled by the same king/despot/organization/church? Looks like Ardune might be a nation.
What's up with the Bonegnaw? And i still don't get what the Vorrs are doing on Barbarael...
what is the climate like? I reckon that Piratua is tropical and Norsund arctic?