Gont from Earthsea
Welcome to the most popular mapper store on this block of the city. Hey, this is a long street and there are five others, so don’t roll your eyes about it. We worked hard for that reputation. Now, you must be setting out to become a mapper. I assume you have the correct paperwork, which proves you went through the correct training? The forgery detection spell says you’re good, so congrats on making it through your apprenticeship and studies. Did you have a field teacher or a book teacher? Ouch, the field ones are always the toughest ones. That means you’ll be needing some durable equipment.
First thing we need to get you is a blank map book and a case bundle. Believe it or not, we have a variety of these things. You can go with the non-magical types, but those can be stolen and destroyed when on a job. Now, the case enchantments range from sticky ones that can adhere to the inside of your jacket to collapsible. That one doesn’t damage what is inside and can be shrunk to the side of a coin. I recommend those for mappers who plan on having a large collection. It would also mean you need a book that has removable and regenerative pages. That’s our more popular model. By the way, you can only draw maps in here. The magic gets angry if you attempt to make a picture. Doodles are okay because who doesn’t do that. Just be careful when bored. One guy tried to draw his girlfriend in the nude and it sealed her in the book. She was really angry when she got out, especially since he went to a lot of specialists to get her out and they all saw her in the buff.
Let’s be honest. You want the toys. We don’t have many packages like those other types of shops because every mapper is different. Here’s an eyepiece that has a knowledge crystal on the end. Each one has a category like flora, fauna, history, changes over time, and cultures, which you can use to make notes on your map. They only know what has already been discovered, so you can add to it and bring your crystals back for sharing. We pay for updated info if that helps. That got your attention. It goes very well with a climate prediction ring, which analyzes the residual natural magic to get a feel for what the patterns are. It isn’t a great item because it can be confused by the use of lightning and other climate-like spells. Still, it can help you with making ocean charts since it can tell you about the wind and tide patterns.
Now for the most important tool for a new mapper. You need something to help you find your way. Compasses are nice and all, but they can run into problems with some areas. Hit the middle of the ocean or a chaos magic region and you may never be seen again. I prefer the Northern Jewel earrings that give you a subconscious sense of where you’re going. It can be a little unnerving and you have three minutes of disorientation whenever you put them back on, so field mappers have issues with them. This direction item is one that you spin over your head to create a fist-sized tornado that will travel south. A little dangerous to use in a city, but it can make for a good backup. The list can go on and on when it comes to these things.
So, let me know what you’re planning and . . . I guess we could give you the non-magical basics. I’d recommend an atlas to study though. Many mappers have come before you and their spirits would appreciate you using their work. Just something to consider. We have a pocket atlas if you’re worried about space. Fine, do things the hard way. Crazy kids and their death wishes.
Legends of Windemere 
I so love these posts. I think a cartographer would be a great addition to a story I’ve been pondering.
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They take a lot of work, but I’ll admit it’s easier when you control the geography. The next Windemere book is going to be the big test for the Mappers since that’s one of the new characters.
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Very cool. They were mysterious back when, so I think they’re intriguing.
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Interesting how they’re mysterious themselves when they’re investigating the world’s secrets. They uncover lost or undiscovered lands while people wonder about their methods. Seems almost superhuman in a way.
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Even navigators were looked on with suspicion as if they had arcane knowledge.
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Well, they did keep drawing those sea monsters. That probably didn’t help their case.
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That’s how they kept outsiders from crashing their party.
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Good to know. Wonder if that could be done today.
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Rottweilers, use those.
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True. Call then a Rottweiler and pitbull mix to really scare people
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You’ll have to work on your drawing skills for the party map.
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Dang. Blobs and all male stick figures won’t work, huh?
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I’m glad I finally stumbled across this store. Got lost on the way here. I would love a pair of Northern jewel earrings. They come in pairs, right? And I’d like one eyepiece with the knowledge crystal. It would be nice to know if I’m looking at an aspen or a birch tree.
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We’ll ring you right up. The earrings do come in pairs and you don’t want to wear only one of them. That can result in your directions always skewing to one side instead of going straight.
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Do you make Northern Jewel earrings for men? I’m allergic to most metals so I need something in platinum and something that won’t clash with my white horse.
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The earrings aren’t for one specific gender, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The platinum backing will take a day to order since they’re typically only gold and silver. Not really sure why you would have the horse wear the earrings, but stranger requests have been made.
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Ha ha ha.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Not only do I enjoy these little posts by Charles – I also enjoy reading the comments under them – bantering of the best kind 👍😄
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Thanks. Glad you enjoyed all of comments too. 😁
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I’ve got a bit odd of a request, I want to make maps for flying adventurers, I heard that’s a growing market that’s currently underserved, you know things look different on the ground or in the air, a landmark for someone on horse back might not work for someone flying on a griffin, but I don’t have anyway to fly myself, so I was looking for something that I could send up, like a kite or gargoyle or something and I need to see what it sees, maybe via enchanted glasses?
I also need all the normal stuff, including a pen that never runs out of ink.
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Well, we don’t sell mounts or any type of service animal. That requires certain licenses and our business is too far into the city to allow for most flying beasts. There is an item called a sight crown set, which you and your animal wear. It requires that you remain within three miles of the animal and you won’t be able to see through your own eyes. Works better on people since an animal can wander off and the communication side of the relic only allows for two word transmissions. There is a gnome who is works as an aerial mapper over in Nevra Coil, so we can send you his way. Pretty sure he has some devices that we don’t carry because of our ‘do not blow up the customer’ rule.
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Okay, I’ll try him, thanks, I’ll be back when I need some of the great things you do carry.
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The door is always open . . . during business hours.
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