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Hi all,
well I feel quite sad and sniffly.
The map-making project has come to an end and I have posted the final 'Palarandi' map, showing Blackstone, the head of the Bray Valley and out to the lower end of the wider part of Blackstone Vale.
I started this project in the middleish of May, thinking that it would take me maybe a week.
It became a part of my life, its talons sinking deep into my soul and nearly every waking moment since then has been concerned with these maps.
And now it's not there any more.
I feel strangely empty.
I have one tiny little extra to compile and post, which I will do without fanfare.
You'll just have to see it when it goes up as entry number 6. (This will be within 24 hours, probably within 2 hours!)
I have slightly rejiggled the sequence of maps in the map repository, so that the first three sorta work their way up to Blackstone (which does not appear on the the first 2 maps), starting with the Great Valley, then showing the side valley (that of the Palar) and finally zooming in on Blackstone itself. These 3 have been snuck past the VMBs and I have made Earthly copies of them, with English translations where necessary.
Map 2 is NOT totally contiguous with Map 3, as there is a stretch of forest between them (therefore with not much to show on a map) with not much story action in there. (Yes, yes, yes - I am aware of the roadhouse and the old fort which might well be destined to be a nature preserve).
The next 2 maps already up there are designed as reader's aids, and thus never appeared on parchment!
I wish to thank Penny for her patience and kindness, and most of all, for her brilliance in creating this wonderful tale.
Ladies, gentlemen, and others, I ask you to be upstanding to drink to the health of Ms. Penny Lane.
Enjoy,
Diana.
Comments
As before...
For those who've lost it, click this link to be whisked off to the map repository :)
We've now got the political map of the valley as well, which extends almost all the way to Blackstone, demonstrating that Palarand owns considerably more territory than the city-states further upstream (although as the territory closely follows the river valleys, it's rather narrow and spread out, unlike the more contiguous blocks owned by the two featured coastal states).
Thanks for your hard work (and negotiating skills?) Di, and again thanks to Penny for creating the territory Di's been busy mapping :)
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Thanks, Di
I've said it privately but I don't mind repeating this at all in public - you have done an amazing job of something that I could only ever have made a dog's breakfast of. I think both my readers will be eternally grateful for your efforts.
The story just about stands alone without the maps, as I thought I had described everything in enough detail to permit the reader to visualise the landscape. Of course, the addition of maps makes everything so much clearer for everyone, including me!
The production of these maps has made me think a little more clearly about what I wrote and there are a number of small story points (and one big point!) which will need retrospective adjustment. It's amazing what you discover when you look at the maps and figure out just why things are the way they are.
Once again, brilliant work, Di, and I will forever be grateful for your offer of assistance.
Penny
PS. There's this other planet... only joking. Almost.
It really was a labour of love
Because it's such a superb story.
The Kudos should go to you.....
Do not hesitate to ask at any time
All the best
Di