• Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!

Help!

I have been trying to create a map that ties in with the Elements, Water, Air, Fire and Earth etc. After attempting drawing a basic map I am really struggling with it.

My general idea was to have the four constricting each other by having areas that are off limits to certain people or having to have special permisson to be in the part. I was also pondering the idea of creating an unusual map by drafting a few spheres but I am aware that, that may be a little complicated or just too out there.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you go with your heart and try or stick with the general map? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 

Ankari

Hero Breaker
Moderator
So you would have 4 different land masses intertwined with one another? Or would you have one large land mass somehow separated by magic or natural barriers?
 

Queshire

Auror
I suggest taking a look at the map of Creation in the table top role playing game Exalted, in it there are five poles, Air, Wood, Fire, and Water in the north, east, south, and west respectively with the pole of Earth in the center. The closer you get to each pole the more that pole's element dominates. Around the Fire pole is a roaring inferno, Wood a stupidly huge forest, etc, and so on.

I have to admit... I didn't really understand your orignal post... can you give more information?
 
Sorry Queshire it is hard to get my thoughts across sometimes.

The map I am wanting to create is where I have four circles, the middle one is Earth, the top left one is Water, the top right one is Air and the bottom one is Fire.

This is just a mind map, nothing is set in stone yet but I just thought I'd use that as an example.

These elements represent the people and influence the forebearers decision into which parts they are allowed to go/ where they belong and so on.

People who are represented by Fire would only be allowed to access the Air anytime during the day or night at any time whereas if people represented by Earth or Water they would need a set time, an appropriate setting and a very good reason for example for work relations, schooling etc.

Hope this helps.
 

ArielFingolfin

Troubadour
So the circles are like four seperate realms that can only be entered by certain people from other realms at certain times? I kind of have a picture in my mind's eye, almost like the tree from Thor (the movie) with branches connecting the different worlds and only the gatekeeper dude could let people over the bridge. Is that what you meant?
 

ArielFingolfin

Troubadour
Ok, so maybe you could have some sort of center to it, like the bridge from Thor, and have the spheres connected to it. I would just get a pencil and paper and start playing with it, I guess.
 
Yeah that's what I'm doing right now. It's been bugging me for a while now so I'm just going to go with whatever comes up on the page.
 
Ok, just as i was getting somehwere with my map i've stumbled again!

Anybody know whether i should highlight my cities in the chosen colours of my elements or whether they should be done in black ink?

So confusing.
 
Last edited:

Justme

Banned
Why not draw one overall map. Create all the routes, population centers, rivers, mountain, valleys and plains. Then, all you have to do is make copies of that master map and add the environment specific details for each of the worlds.

That way all the features add up and when your party phase from one dimension to the next they will stay relative to each other and you wont end up needing equipment you didn't original have. One example would be if you were on a ship and phased from a realm of fire into a realm of air, you would phase into the same space and be on a ship, when you appear in the realm of air. It wouldn't do to phase into a realm from a plains area to a mountainside in another area and not have the equipment to cross the new terrain.
 
Top