Community Atlas - Peredur - City of Dun Fingolfen
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This is the beginning of my city map making of the city of Dun Fingolfen, capital of the High Kingdom of Fionnuala, done both for Lorelei (under a different name), and the Atlas. This will involve me in mapping the overland map of Fionnuala, and altering the geographical layout to fit. However I will develop the city according Lorelei’s specifications, though use names for Dun Fingolfen (Irish Gaelic) so as not to destroy the deadly shocks she will have in her RPG gaming world.
I have the following specs from Lorelei:
Population of 45,000 made up of humans, elves with dwarves, gnomes, tieflings, halflings, Dragonborn and genasi.
It is set at the foot of the mountains beside a river which originates from the Underdark. There is a mine about 15 miles distant, and animal husbandry. Apart from that, the main industry is that of government and trade. It is ruled by a Queen. It houses the main military training facility of the country, the Kinsman Academy, along with the largest Library, the Kin Library, and the Kin Arcane Academy where the realm’s mages are trained. In addition there are a medium sized museum, art gallery, theatre and concert/Opera House and the like- the city is not the centre of culture in the realm but certainly second. Finally there is the great judicial Court of Doors dealing with major criminal offences.
The Royal Castle sits on a hill surrounded by a moat, with the city spread around it. I will make this an ‘island in the river, with the main city on the south bank.
There are various districts, including the Garden District which houses mainly the nobles, many on small estates with a manor house, barns and dovecotes etc.
The religion is of a Mother Goddess for all races, who gave birth to all the other gods who also are for all the different races.
The following are my additions.
There are 3 walls, an older, partly demolished one around the ‘old’ city, a complete one surrounding the city proper, on the south side, and a new extension surrounding new districts on the Northside, not yet fully fortified.
There will be a docklands on the river, a bridge or two across the river linking the central island in the river with the city on both sides of the river.
There will be a major basilica as the main religious building of the realm, and seat of Her Serenity, Matrista Pelosi Ewarainne.
There will be various specialist districts, and some racial ones (though not ghettos) eg dwarves and gnomes, dragonkin and tieflings. I see the elves, humans, and halflings as being mixed throughout the city.
As requested I will be basing it mainly on City Bitmap A, with Vintyri and Bogie city fills and symbols and DD3 fills as well.
I hope you all will jump in with your suggestions for additions and changes, and critique as we go. I will develop it as I hope to with my next cities, discussing each step along the way.
Step 1: Rationale.
As discussed, government and trade with centre of military and magical training as well as seat of the ruling monarch.
Step 2: Geography
At the base of a mountain range, with a river flowing through it, and a castle on a hill with a moat, and a mine close by.
The first and second step can be reversed in order if you start with a city on the map (geography), which will help determine its rationale. In this case I have been given both the rationale and geography.
Step 3: calculate the number of buildings, and hence the area of the city, and of the map overall. With a population of approx 45,000 and low- medium density (say average of 4 people per 100 Sq metres), and an average of 2.5 floors per building for a total of 10 people for 100 sq metres and 4500 100 sq metre building footprint. This gives an area of 450,000 sq metres, say 1000 x500 metres to allow for parks and streets. Therefore I will start with a map of 1500 x 1000 metres.
[I haven’t got access to a PC or laptop at present, just an IPad, so cannot really show you the next 2 steps, but will when I return on the 19th from my wonderful trip to Athens, Egypt and Jordan (just added that to make you all green with envy).]
Step 4: The surrounding area (not all will be included in the final map). I will use contours to help me with elevation, put them on a sheet close to the top, and layer of their own (relief/contours) and use red colour, then freeze the layer so it can’t be altered by the next steps. I use lines rather than coloured fills, and if the contours get complicated, as they can in a small area map, I might use different colour lines.
Step 5: Draw a rough outline of the city, initially on sketchpaper.
Step 6: List all the major buildings you MUST have - these will help work out districts.
Step 7: Decide on what various districts ( by function - names can come later) are present, and draw them in roughly on sketch of your city. When reasonably satisfied, translate it to a Sheet and layer, both called Sketch. Do this in green.
My various districts will come in the next post.
I have the following specs from Lorelei:
Population of 45,000 made up of humans, elves with dwarves, gnomes, tieflings, halflings, Dragonborn and genasi.
It is set at the foot of the mountains beside a river which originates from the Underdark. There is a mine about 15 miles distant, and animal husbandry. Apart from that, the main industry is that of government and trade. It is ruled by a Queen. It houses the main military training facility of the country, the Kinsman Academy, along with the largest Library, the Kin Library, and the Kin Arcane Academy where the realm’s mages are trained. In addition there are a medium sized museum, art gallery, theatre and concert/Opera House and the like- the city is not the centre of culture in the realm but certainly second. Finally there is the great judicial Court of Doors dealing with major criminal offences.
The Royal Castle sits on a hill surrounded by a moat, with the city spread around it. I will make this an ‘island in the river, with the main city on the south bank.
There are various districts, including the Garden District which houses mainly the nobles, many on small estates with a manor house, barns and dovecotes etc.
The religion is of a Mother Goddess for all races, who gave birth to all the other gods who also are for all the different races.
The following are my additions.
There are 3 walls, an older, partly demolished one around the ‘old’ city, a complete one surrounding the city proper, on the south side, and a new extension surrounding new districts on the Northside, not yet fully fortified.
There will be a docklands on the river, a bridge or two across the river linking the central island in the river with the city on both sides of the river.
There will be a major basilica as the main religious building of the realm, and seat of Her Serenity, Matrista Pelosi Ewarainne.
There will be various specialist districts, and some racial ones (though not ghettos) eg dwarves and gnomes, dragonkin and tieflings. I see the elves, humans, and halflings as being mixed throughout the city.
As requested I will be basing it mainly on City Bitmap A, with Vintyri and Bogie city fills and symbols and DD3 fills as well.
I hope you all will jump in with your suggestions for additions and changes, and critique as we go. I will develop it as I hope to with my next cities, discussing each step along the way.
Step 1: Rationale.
As discussed, government and trade with centre of military and magical training as well as seat of the ruling monarch.
Step 2: Geography
At the base of a mountain range, with a river flowing through it, and a castle on a hill with a moat, and a mine close by.
The first and second step can be reversed in order if you start with a city on the map (geography), which will help determine its rationale. In this case I have been given both the rationale and geography.
Step 3: calculate the number of buildings, and hence the area of the city, and of the map overall. With a population of approx 45,000 and low- medium density (say average of 4 people per 100 Sq metres), and an average of 2.5 floors per building for a total of 10 people for 100 sq metres and 4500 100 sq metre building footprint. This gives an area of 450,000 sq metres, say 1000 x500 metres to allow for parks and streets. Therefore I will start with a map of 1500 x 1000 metres.
[I haven’t got access to a PC or laptop at present, just an IPad, so cannot really show you the next 2 steps, but will when I return on the 19th from my wonderful trip to Athens, Egypt and Jordan (just added that to make you all green with envy).]
Step 4: The surrounding area (not all will be included in the final map). I will use contours to help me with elevation, put them on a sheet close to the top, and layer of their own (relief/contours) and use red colour, then freeze the layer so it can’t be altered by the next steps. I use lines rather than coloured fills, and if the contours get complicated, as they can in a small area map, I might use different colour lines.
Step 5: Draw a rough outline of the city, initially on sketchpaper.
Step 6: List all the major buildings you MUST have - these will help work out districts.
Step 7: Decide on what various districts ( by function - names can come later) are present, and draw them in roughly on sketch of your city. When reasonably satisfied, translate it to a Sheet and layer, both called Sketch. Do this in green.
My various districts will come in the next post.
Comments
Royal Castle with moat
Kin Assembly (a parliament)
Court of Doors (main Court)
Kin Military Academy
Arcane Lyceum, housing the Kin Arcane Academy
Kinsman Academy (university/high school) for Kin only
Kin Library
Temple(s)
Museum
Art Gallery
Opera House
Main Market
Dockyards
Customs house
Town Hall
Lesser Court(s)
Execution square
Prison
Hospital
College(s)
Government offices
Barracks (? in castle)
Sporting Arena(s)
Guild Buildings: Adventurer's Guild, Hunter's Quarry, Arcane Society, Artificers Guild, College of Psionics, Gleeman's Guild, Merchant's Consortium, various craftsmen guilds, the Shadow Guild (guild of assassins) and the Thieves Guild
Also city walls and Towers and Gatehouses and Bridges. I will probably do 2-3 wall 'circles' with the oldest being partly in ruins.
I also like to have buildings outside the main city walls - a sign of a growing dynamic city, perhaps with new defensive structures being added.
These are the ones I want (by function, not necessaily name):
Castle
Government
Military
Arcane
Academic
Judicial
Hospital
Town Market
Dockyards
Main Bridge District, with bridge having 1-2 storey shops on either side, aka Rialto bridge in Venice, or the great bridge in Florence.
Garden district for noble estates (probably outside main city walls)
Middle class residences
Craftsman districts and subdistricts
Poor districts
Red light - Brothels, gambling and drug dens and the like
Temple district(s)
Park(s)
Some racial districts - eg gnomes and dwarves, orcs, halflings
Theatre and Culture
Necropolis
Embassies
Tannery (and malodorous) district
Industrial
79 buildings. Pop ~ 500
Nicely done
I have also refined the contours on the north bank to make pretty impassable cliffs
Finally, I have 'completed' the judicial, Guild and Market areas. There will of course be other guild and market areas.
Just a note about city building. Be prepared to alter things even radically, and don't put them off till you have done more work. Here I realized that I wanted the buildings above to all link up via a grand esplanade, and more in the centre of the old city. Hence the change, which wasn't much more than the Move command. So I did this before working on the newer districts.
Second, I recommend you start with the social centre (here the Assembly) of the city, and get its position right in relation to the ruler's dwelling - which I hadn't done properly initially. Just lessons to be learnt.
We need you to go on a holiday more often! The creative surge on your return is always spectacular.
How do you find the time?
This is probably going to be the biggest city ever done in CC3!