UPDATE: The rough draft of the map is complete. All elements are in place, though there's plenty of touching up to do.
If you have the time/interest, I need your help! Now is the time for nit-picking as I try to find and fix every error and tweak features to make the final product look as good and as accurate as possible. Please go over these maps and the book (if you own/can find a copy) and point out anything you see that might be wrong or need improvement.
Here is the current version of the map.Here is the current version with the main source map from Island at the Edge of the World superimposed.New Features:
+I added a compass rose and scale. I opted for a green look. Since Archie is the principal guiding NPC of the book, it seemed symbolically appropriate to color the compass rose and scale according to his crystal sword's core, which is green. I tried adding a subtle yellow swirly effect behind the compass, too. I chose the red crystal in the middle based on his sword in the cover art, and I added in a rune of mystical forces for fun.
+I added a title and tried to give it a deep blue crystal look. The SF Archery black font's hard angles worked nicely here for the look.
+I added an inscription to the frame. For those who don't care to read sideways and upside-down, it reads, “Hidden amidst the barren heights of the Old Kingdom Mountains, a lush valley flourishes under an ancient power. This is the dominion of the Crystal King. This master of a long-forgotten magic reigns over his secret valley through the powers of his fortress and the bravery of his knights. The Crystal Fortress exerts his will, keeping the monsters and deadly cold of the Old Kingdom Mountains at bay. It also exerts the Crystal King's will over the people, for his is a jealous power that suffers neither challenges nor defections. Few ever venture here, and none ever leave. As warden of this gilded prison, the Crystal King keeps the peace and unwittingly guards the key to saving the world.”
At this point, the map is functionally complete. Unless someone spots a glaring omission, I do not intend to add more features to the map. That said, this project is not yet complete. My approach with this map was to make each feature "good enough" to continue, then come back later to fine tune it. As such, there are a lot of little things to be done. If you see any that aren't on the list below, please point them out to me.
Intended Fixes, Tweaks, and Improvements.
-The title text letters are packed together too closely. I'll widen them out a bit.
-The map needs more scattered trees, especially in the south. I'll probably add a few to the southern shore; I don't want it being a straight-up desert at the shore.
-The compass rose needs to be reworked so its highlights match the title text and scale.
-I may change the green of the compass rose and scale to blue; I'm concerned that the saturated green and blue color combination detracts from the aesthetics. I'll either ditch or emphasize the yellow swirl background.
-The central crystal of the compass rose seems too big and too simple. I'm not sure if I should re-size, re-shape, or totally replace it, but I feel like some kind of structural change is in order.
-The River's label should move along with the river. It should probably be bigger, too. I'll fix it.
-The cliffs are too regular. I need to adjust the shadows to make them look more irregular and natural.
-The water needs texture and color work, especially the wider spots like the lake and Old Kingdom River.
-The waterfall south of The Lake needs to be defined with some kind of technique or effect, like a bit of cloud or something. As it is now, it looks like you could just paddle into The Lake from the Old Kingdom River.
-There's no road going to Steinborn in the north. There should be. I'll fix it.
-The main entrance to the valley doesn't match the canon description. There should be a deep, narrow canyon that winds a bit before it opens up into the main path.
-The barren area north of Lake Town needs more attention. It should look a bit colder, with a bit of scrub. I'll blend in a bit of arctic gradient and add a few scattered trees.
-The period at the end of the inscription is missing. Oops. I'll fix it.
-There is no legend. I'm not sure if it would improve the map to add one, since there are only two types of icons, and each spot is labeled.
-Colors and shading will need some final re-balancing after everything else is done.
Known Discrepancies:-
The fortress is blue on the map. Although the fortress is described in the book as shimmering with many colors, this isn't practical to show. I chose blue based on the alignment color scheme of crystal swords described in the book. The dominant personality of the fortress is Anarchist and paranoid (which is kind of evil), but it wants to keep things in the valley peaceful. Since dark blue is associated with evil and warlike natures, and light blue is associated with peace loving, an intermediate deep blue seemed symbolically appropriate.
-Mountain placement and shape isn't a precise match to the upside-down V's shown on the various source maps. I superimposed and re-sized the published maps against each other; they don't come close to matching. Therefore, I just put mountains in the mountain regions and tried to make them look intimidating and impassable.