Maps: Relative Location of Locations

[Hazgarn]

In trying to come up with a background for a character, I wound up making a rough map to help keep track of where the various settlements are in relation to each other based on the information from the wiki.

Are these fairly accurate? Also, would there be interest if I made a more aesthetically pleasing map with this information?

[Frigga]

A prettier map would be amazing.

Ideal would be a pretty map we can easily edit.

[Octavius]

Utterby is located just to the west of where you have Georgsholt now. It is on the east-west river, and doesn't touch the River Running, which is about five miles east of it. It is essentially due east of the Mountains of Mirkwood. The eastern-most peak of the Mountains is for the orcs. The Alpha play area is the forest between those two points.

[sod]

There's a pretty nice interactive map here, though it's not specific to our area of the world (and non-canon places, of course). Maybe we could ultimately slap together our own.

I was going to offer some basic interactive map skills that I have - Mapbox or Openstreets are both capable of having multiple users add content, though I'd have to break up some cobwebs in my brain to manage it. Hazgarn, if you make a prettified map in high resolution I could try tiling it for one of these services.

[Octavius]

Helping with the visual... I've always been partial to Chris Tolkien's Wilderland map.

On the attached version, I did a rough approximation of the Alpha play area with Orc and Human settlements based on what we've already told you.

[Hazgarn]

Utterby is located just to the west of where you have Georgsholt now. It is on the east-west river, and doesn't touch the River Running, which is about five miles east of it. It is essentially due east of the Mountains of Mirkwood. The eastern-most peak of the Mountains is for the orcs. The Alpha play area is the forest between those two points.

Alright. Is everything else where it should be?

Hazgarn, if you make a prettified map in high resolution I could try tiling it for one of these services.

What dimensions would be ideal for this?

[Throttle]

A prettier map would be amazing.

I think his map is beautiful and he shouldn't let anyone tell him otherwise.

[Icarus]

I like fancy maps

Everything else looks good!

Utterby is just up the stream from where the River Running intersects it.

[Hazgarn]

Here's the first draft of the "pretty" map. I've left off the locations and most of the text until I know what size sod wants it to be for his needs.

Right now it's in layers, so anything would be pretty easy to change.

[Icarus]

Someone make that fellow's forum title to "Cartographer"

This looks excellent!

[Matt]

I think it should extend to the Misty mountains.

[stalinbulldog]

I think maybe just to western mirkwood, the halls of thranduil and the skirts of the iron hills ( or even just erebor, honestly ) would be good boundaries?

That would cover all of IG area along with the major local players.

[Songweaver]

Looks great, and saves me from my next project! I'd love to see it extend north to the Iron Hills, west to the Misty Mountains and south to Dol Guldur. That way, it might eventually be able to include locations for player-created IG clans/etc.

Awesome work, Hazgarn.

[sod]

That looks really great, Hazgarn. I'll send you a private message about dimensions and stuff.

[Hawkwind]

I am so very happy we snared you Hazgan!

[Hazgarn]

Looks great, and saves me from my next project! I'd love to see it extend north to the Iron Hills, west to the Misty Mountains and south to Dol Guldur. That way, it might eventually be able to include locations for player-created IG clans/etc.

It might be a bit difficult to extend this exact map that far, but I wouldn't mind doing another larger one encompassing a wider area.

I am so very happy we snared you Hazgan!

Yeah, you know whose fault this is, don't you?

Anyway, it might need a few tweaks but this is what I have right now:

[Songweaver]

Very cool, and very helpful.

[Droll]

I do like the map, but I wouldn't mind seeing the orc tribes' territories on there. Vadok Mal and Utterby look to be about 50 miles apart, and The Splintered Tusk is supposedly to the east of Vadok's territory. Depending how much the roaming range of warg riders is, Utterby could already be under siege.

[Hazgarn]

Had to search for the post...

It says the Splintered Tusk's territory "borders with the Vadok Ushtarak to the east", which sounds like it would actually be to the west of Vadok Mal sharing its eastern border.

I don't know enough about the tribes' territories to add that information to the map.

[Droll]

Oh, ha, I think you're right. My reading comprehension sucks.

And yeah, I was mostly just curious as to where they all were roughly. I'll find out the normal way: wander around until something cuts my head off.

[GreenRiver]

The map looks great Hazgarn.

I think the Long Marshes should extend further south, though, all the way along the river, to the point where the Old Forest Road exits Mirkwood.

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Long_Marshes

http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/l/longmarshes.html

ETA: Just realised this isn't actually marked on Christopher Tolkien's map.
Gandalf does mention though (in the Hobbit) that if Bilbo and the Dwarves stuck to the path through the wood, they would come out at the Eastern edge with a view of the Long Marshes below them. I guess it's up to you (and the Admins) if you want to put this in or not. (I only mention it because I may have written this into my background... ) It does seem like it would be a fairly important part of the geography though.

In any case, nice work with the map!

[Icarus]

I'll post a screenshot of our major IG room-based map, let me see if I can find it.

[Octavius]

The map looks great Hazgarn.

I think the Long Marshes should extend further south, though, all the way along the river, to the point where the Old Forest Road exits Mirkwood.

In any case, nice work with the map!

Yes, our current staff planning map does have marshes all along there. That was one of the reasons that Utterby was said to be inset to the west on the Forest River (to be at Mirkwood's eaves instead of in the marsh.)

This also impacts the proposed locale shown for Georgsholt.

[Hazgarn]

The map looks great Hazgarn.

I think the Long Marshes should extend further south, though, all the way along the river, to the point where the Old Forest Road exits Mirkwood.

In any case, nice work with the map!

Yes, our current staff planning map does have marshes all along there. That was one of the reasons that Utterby was said to be inset to the west on the Forest River (to be at Mirkwood's eaves instead of in the marsh.)

This also impacts the proposed locale shown for Georgsholt.

I can extend the marshes pretty easily. How far should they run? Just down into Mirkwood, or toward Southglain as well? Also, do I need to move Georgsholt, or just make sure the marshes envelope it also? Do you want the marshes on both sides of the river?

[Pallando]

Had to search for the post...

It says the Splintered Tusk's territory "borders with the Vadok Ushtarak to the east", which sounds like it would actually be to the west of Vadok Mal sharing its eastern border.

I don't know enough about the tribes' territories to add that information to the map.

Hey Hazgarn!

Icarus and I are finalizing the zones of the nearest 5 warbands, and should get something more precise to you soon so we can integrate this with your awesome map.

Edited to add: Tusk's location was erroneously labeled in the previous outline, thanks for picking that up!