Lakes of Michigami - Regional Maps
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This is a thread for all sub maps of the Lakes of Michigami - could everyone who wants to make a map, please put their finished product on the first post of the thread. You can either use this thread for your WIP's, or a separate one, so long as you post the finished product here.
Jerry has a whole campaign lore worked out - see below. Could you please put your requests here, so Jerry can point you in the right directions as far as his requirements are.
This is a bit different arrangement to the Community Atlas, since each map has to fit in with Jerry's world lore.
Comments
Here is what Jerry has written:
History and Descriptions of the New Lands beyond the Sea
by Brennus of Eboricum
In this year 632 of our Tiarnaí and Mban, upon the occasion of the coronation of our new Rex Baldlice, the 3rd of that name, I feel it appropriate to convey the history, population make up, and noted locations in our newest province, known by its First People as “Michigami.”
First Peoples
The First People of Michigami can be broken into three main Tribes, Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi, with each tribe being broken into numerous small clan groups. The Chippewa inhabit most of the Upper Peninsula. The Potawatomi live mostly south of a line drawn between the City of the Grand Traverse and the Ville des Troits. The Ottawa live north of that line in the north of the Lower Peninsula.
They exist primarily as hunter gatherers, though with the arrival of the Franks and later of the Anglo-Jutes, many clans have begun to farm albeit on a small scale. They can be found living in small to medium sized family and extended family groups. The First People form temporary alliances between different tribal groups with the alliances constantly shifting.
Their relationships with the Franks is generally friendly, as the Franks arrived as explorers, fur traders, and Missionaries. The Franks built few permanent settlements and were and are happy to adopt First People dress and customs.
Unfortunately, the first meetings between the First Peoples and the Anglo-Jutes have set the course for our current enmity. In the year 594 explorers seeking wealth and land crossed from the established province of Toronton, heading west across the “Lac des Hurons” landing on the eastern shore of the Pouce de Michigami. There they encountered a village of the Sauk, a clan within Tribe Ottawa, and their guests, a party of Franks who were there trading for a large quantity of furs. Seeing this wealth, the Anglo-Jutes attacked, slaying everyone in the village. The governor of Toronton upon learning of these murders, tried and had executed the murderers. But the damage had been done.
The Frank
First arriving from the south, having travelled north along the Great River, reaching the shores of Lake Michigami in the year 523. There amidst the fields of endless wild onions, they founded what would become the major settlement of the Franks, Ville Champs d’Oignon.
They came as explorers setting out to map, in their long canoes, the coast of the great lake they found themselves. Soon realizing that there was great wealth to be made in the collection and trade in furs, especially in the highly prized, luxurious pelts of the beaver they began to create a network of trading posts on the shores of first Lake Michigami and later on the other great lakes as they were discovered. Accompanying these explorers and trappers were missionaries who desired to spread the good news of the Lords and Ladies.
Early on they determined that the best way to encourage trade with the First People was to make friends and soon they were beginning to accept the culture and customs of the natives.
The Franks are known to the First Peoples as “Zhawan Ahdawaywinineeg – South Traders.”
The Anglo-Jutes
Hearing news of the discovery of new lands that bordered the west coast of the Great Ocean, in the year 553, they sent ships of settlers and soldiers to carve out new provinces in this rich new land. Unlike the Franks, they looked upon the First Peoples as worthy only to work the new plantations being carved out of the wilderness. Their powerful and deadly weaponry and disciplined soldiery easily over-matched the First Peoples of these new lands. While the invaders had long learned to fight as organized armies, the natives fought as individuals and could not stand against these unknown weapons and tactics. These not slain, along with their women and children were soon forced to clear and farm the vast plantations carved from the wilderness. Within a generation, the Anglo-Jutes had claimed all the lands from the Great Ocean west to the shores of what had become known as the “Lac des Hurons.”
On the shore of this Lac at Longchlos in the province of Toronton, a shipyard was built and soon small sloops were sailing upon the great lakes. The voyages were primarily scouting missions, looking to find and gauge the strength of the settlements being founded by their long-time enemies in the Old World, the Franks. In addition to finding the main Frankish bases of Ville des Troits, Commerce de St. Ignacio, Sault Ste. Marie, and Ville Champs d’Oignon, they found that the weather on the great lakes can turn deadly with incredible speed as many of the sloops were lost into the depths, or were cast, broken, upon the shores.
Known to the First People as “Chimookamonnug Maengun – Long Knive Wolves.”
The War
Whatever actually caused the outbreak of the “difficulties” between Anglo-Jutes and The Frankish and First Peoples coalition is unclear, but the result is clear. The Anglo-Jutes seized control of Ville de Troits, Grand Traverse, and Fort Mackinaw. The Franks maintained control of Sault Ste Marie, Commerce de St. Ignacio, and their primary settlement of Ville Champs Oignon.
The First Peoples had been brought into the conflict almost as an afterthought. Allied with the Franks, they fought well but the superior forces of the Anglo-jutes prevailed. The natives maintained their control of the inland regions, due to lessons they have learned from their distant kin who had been conquered in the lands to the east of Lac des Hurons. Unable to fight head-to-head battles, they have excelled at ambushing their enemies. Part of the treaties ending the fighting, limited Anglo-Jutes to lands directly on the lake shores. Parties that wander to far inland, tend to disappear.
Dwarves
None of the surface dwellers know for sure when the Dwarves first arrived, but they are featured in some of the earliest First Peoples oral tales. There are three main settlements of the dwarves, chief among them are the Halls of the Stone-kin ruled over by Thonli Braided-Beard, the latest of a long line of “Masters of the Mines.”
Further details of the dwarves will go here. Known to the First Peoples as “Manajiwin Mishomisinonnig -- Respected Grandfathers”
Elf-home
Details of elvish activity here. Known to the First Peoples as “Wabunukeeg -- Daybreak People”
Ancients
Details of the mysterious Ancients may go here Known to the First Peoples as “Waaban Chiahyaog – Dawn Elders”
Prominent Settlements and geographical features.
Descriptions here.
This is my WIP of the area Jerry would like me to do - the Straits of Mackinac.
Here are his notes on the region:
Between the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula of “Michigami” is the 5 mile wide Straits of Mackinac which connects “Lake Michigami” and “Lac des Hurons.” The weather in the Straits can turn extreme quite quickly. Today the 12th, the Mackinaw Bridge was closed to most traffic as the winds were blowing across it at 50 MPH. In winter the Straits freeze over and it is possible to walk across the ice between the two peninsulas.
On the tip of the small peninsula jutting into the Straits from the north is the village of “Commerce de St Ignacio” – Trading Post of St Ignacio – modern St. Ignace. On the opposite side is Fort Mackinaw – modern day Mackinaw City. Mackinac and Mackinaw are both pronounced with the “naw” sound. The different spelling is caused by the English and French transliterating the native Chippewa Indian name.
Commerce de St Ignacio is a trading post/fortified settlement founded by the Franks as part of the fur trading network. They share it with members of a local clan of the Chippewa Tribe of the First Peoples who are predominate in the UP. It is going to be mostly of wood construction, with perhaps a stone armory. Its defenses are just strong enough to hold off an attack while other natives in the area can be summoned and arrive to help. The Franks' basic mode of transport around the lakes is by long canoe which can hold up to a dozen rowers and room for a large amount of fairly low weight goods. Just to the north of the village is “Castle Rock”, a 50s postcard picture is also attached. This is an interesting spiritual site, lookout point/last stand defensive point.
Fort Mackinaw is currently held by the Anglo-Jutes, they having recently won it in the was with the Franks and their First Peoples allies. It is primarily a military strong point, used to try to control the Straits. It is a wooded palisaded enclosure with docks were the Anglos can dock the small sloops that they use to sail the lakes. Within the palisade are the storehouses, huts, smithies,cookhouses, etc. necessary to provide for the military and the military's dependents. They have hired the Dwarves to build a stone command building as well as a stone armory.
And here is my first go.
move th mtns slightly east and add a tril running from the fort along the western coast that leads down to Grand Traverse.. The entire region is quite heavily forested with cedar, pine, and maple trees.
I think the lack of forestation might be blamed on the source map, Jerry. It currently shows the woodland thinning out towards the tip of the peninsula.
No blame intended :-)
I know :)
If you make a list of things that need adjusting over time I can add them all to the map next time you want to add a new location - do it all in one shot then.
Jerry, what do you mean by a tril?
That's a trail - between the fort and Grand Traverse.
The extract you have shown is not the most up to date map. The finished map has a trail between those two places, marked as a pale dashed line.
The full sized, full map is here in my album:
https://forum.profantasy.com/uploads/galleryplus/300/fDW7YTPPOE85D.JPG
Thanks Sue. I even googled tril with no luck! ?
sorry, my typing has become rather hit and miss, miss, miss .. .. ..
That's fine, I should have guessed - I kept thinking of rill!
While typing up place descriptions, a warf whispered the following into my ear.
"Dwarven Mines
The dwarves discovered vast veins of Iron and Copper in the low mountains of the Upper Peninsula. They, over the years, have built for themselves a comfortable and extensive seies of halls and deep mines seeking out the richest ore veins. They trade with the local natives for wood to fire their furnaces, giving in return fine arrowheads, knives, and hatchets.
Once a year a caravan sets forth from the mines, heading to the Halls of the Stone-kin many leagues to the south. They load up a pack train of 100 or more of their great moose and make the trek heading for the Straits. On the way, they trade with native settlements, getting pelts, tanned leathers, and dried berries for many useful metal products.
In the steep bluffs near the Straits, there is an enormous steel-clad wooden door. When they arrive, they blow the great signaling horn and soon the doors open from the inside and the caravan enters, vanishing into the depths.
A few weeks later, a return caravan emerges from the door. The mmose are laded with supplies for the mines as well as a supply of finely carved talismans made from an ancient fossilized coral (“Petoskey Stone”) that they give out to any shaman that they should meet on their travel home."
I do have a couple of other questions about the Dwarves. How technologically advanced are they? Most fantasy settlings that I've played the Dwarves are in decline, beset by subterranean racial enemies, but they are declining from a higher level of technology than humans have.
In this case though, the Anglo-Jutes especially are much more advanced than typical medieval fantasy humans, so I was wondering about the Dwarf tech level. Do they use steam, or gunpowder/dynamite or clockwork while mining, or just more traditional methods?
Also linked to the above, your earlier notes about the salt mines mentions the Duergar, do other traditional Dwarf fantasy enemies plague them as well? Goblins, Orcs, Warhammer's Skaven ratman?
If nobody else is working on them I'd like to map one or other of the Dwarf mines. And also do a local map of the surroundings. I'm not as quick at this as Sue or Quenten, but I'll make WIP posts, so you know I'm working on it.
The subterranean maps would likely be in a similar style to these maps:
https://forum.profantasy.com/discussion/10583/the-cult-of-life-and-death-simple-dungeon-map
https://forum.profantasy.com/discussion/8971/pathfinder-age-of-the-runelords-wishers-well
(but larger in scale).
I would welcome your mapping either one.
You might want to do a write up describing how you picture which ever mine that you decide upon. I am trying to not be to controlling, but do want the bits to fit into a cohesive whole while allowing for individual creativity. I would hope that someone someday would take these maps and use them to run a campaign.
The Frank and Anglo-Jute time line is roughly 1680 -1720 our world, with fewer firearms. While the Franks and Anglos disagree on just about everything, they have agreed that allowing the First Peoples to obtain firearms would probably be a "very bad thing!!"
The dwarves tend to be very conservative -- "if it was good enough for great=great-great grandfather, it is good enough for me!!" but that doesn't mean that they don't have advanced technologies when it comes to mining and smelting. After all, they have been doing it for a long time.
I picture the Dwarven mines in the north having a level that has many store rooms, living halls, moose stable areas. there would be a separate section for forges and smelters. below lie the twisty-turnie mines that follow the veins of ore.
I don't really know what other antagonists might be lurking in the depths of the salt mines, just waiting their chance to erupt. We do need to be careful about using monsters that exist in copyrighted material. The Anglos who live in the above ground city know of the dwarves and are big buyers of the mined salt that they then send on to the eastern provinces and to the motherland back in the old world. A short article describing the extent of the real world salt mine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_salt_mine
@Raiko More dwarf whispers .. .. ..
"Dwarven Salt Mines
One day, a shaman receiving a gift of a coral-stone talisman, told a party of dwarves that an earth spirit had revealed to him that salt could be found deep in the earth near the river that fed the lake of the Erielhonan. Salt was important in many of the shamanic ceremonies and the dwarves were asked ir they could dig up some of the salt. The dwarves agreed as salt was also useful to them in many of their smelting tasks.
The shaman traveled with the dwarves and helped locate where the salt was closest to the surface and the dwarves began the process of digging a new mine. Little did they know that it would be 10 years before they reached the salt.
At first all they found was dirt and thick layers of gravel. Local natives told them stories passed down though the generations of a time when the earth was covered in tick layers of ice, which while melting laid down thick layers of rubble scraped from the earth. For three hundred feet they had to slowly dig through the soft dirt and loose gravel. Cut stone was brought in from the Halls of the Stone-kin, and being that dwarves were incapable of simple work, the tunnel they built was carefully cut so that no gaps were to be seen and every surface was elaborately embellished and great doors of steel and stone were erected to seal the surface entry. Once solid stone, was reached, the work went somewhat faster, but carefully carved embellishments meant that it still took years before the layers of salt were reached. Vertically, fro the surface to the salt, but the passage down wended it's way in a great spiral of near a mile in length.
In the years since, great halls were dug through the hundreds of feet of salt and mile upon mile of mining tunnels were dug. The vast amounts of salt brought to the surface were riches beyond compare. Unfortunately the dwarves got greedy and dug to deep breaking through into the Underdark. And from those depths an ancient foe appeared, the Duergar. The lower levels of the mines have been lost and a srate of constant war exists. Salt production has been drastically curtailed."
I have created "The Lakes of Michigami" group on Facebook. Come over there to join in discussions. I hope to have other mappers work on sub-maps.
I'm there :)
I can't afford any more time myself, but I will be around cheering everyone else on ;)
I'll take a look at the Facebook group later today, and I'll definitely take on one of the Dwarf mines, if nobody beats me to both of them.
As either would be quite large scale for a detailed dungeon map, I'll likely make an overview map of the whole mine with noteable locations highlighted, and then several several detailed close-up areas mapped as dungeons: for example where the breach into the Underdark occurred in the Salt Mines and the fortified entranceway.
I'll also make a local region map outside the mine and a village type map for a surface trading outpost where the Dwarves trade with the surface folk.
If both are still available, then I'll pick the salt mine first.
Glad you are back and NP about the delay.
You should be aware, that the salt mine sits below the Ville de Troits -- aka Detroit -- which is a major town first built by the Franks and recently seized by the Anglo-Jutes.
If you can give me your FB name, I will send you an invite to the group. I have added a little more info concerning dwarves there.