Long ago, I had maps of various areas of Windemere and a world map. Most importantly, I had one of Elysium, which was very important for one of the series. Well, the folder that they were in got left somewhere and tossed out. I believe I left it at an old friend’s house and we never saw it again. All of my original role-playing character sheets were in there too. They were rather amateur anyway.
So, I don’t use or make maps. I’m too scared I’ll lose them again, but many authors use them to help in fantasy world building. They help readers follow along and get a visual for the world. Maybe someone will draw real maps of Windemere one day, but it won’t be me as you’ll see below.
Continent of Ralian
This is the continent where Legends of Windemere takes place. It looks rather empty, but there are three reasons for that. First is that there are a lot of small villages that will pop up when stories need them. Second is that many of the cities are huge and take up a lot of space, so much of the populations of some regions are there. There are many nomadic groups that exist outside of the cities like the gypsies and orcs. Third is that I haven’t created the series that other cities appear in or they haven’t appeared in Legend of Windemere. For example, the city of Fyric, ruins of Gale Hollow, and the Widowhorn aren’t on there since I just finished making them for Curse of the Dark Wind. They’ll be around the ‘T’ in ‘Forest’. This is why the entire region to the East is void of cities. The Yagervan Plains are also a nomadic region with the tribes moving into the Conifer Woods at times. The Tundra and Cold Desert are monster regions with only a few small ports and outposts.
Canst’s Fields
This map is of another continent called Canst’s Fields. Named after the Primordial God of Hope and the Yellow Moon, this western land holds most of the ancient ruins from before the Great Cataclysm. The population is a lot less than Ralian and each town has its own government. It’s a lot of farming villages and merchants with many of the big towns circling around a central business. The map covers the ruins and major areas of this place and was used for the planning of Ruins of the Zodiac Gods. I need to figure out what to call the Zodiac in Windemere at some point. I don’t go here as often as Ralian and Cerascent Islands. It’s very quiet here.
Speaking of Cerascent Islands, I don’t think I’d ever draw that one. It’s a huge archipelago that I’m always adding islands to. It plays a role in a lot of the later books because the Orcs have their central government there and many islands are unique with their own cultures. It is the perfect place for me to use when I need to do something strange with the land or creatures. A lot happens there and I make at least one island for every event. Sin’s first adventure probably puts 5-7 big ones in the area. Reason for the name is that the continent is shaped like a serpent trying to swallow a crescent moon.
Those are the surviving maps of Windemere and my quick thoughts on the use of maps. Not as short and sweet as I expected.
