Because I always have at least three mapping projects going on at once, I decided to work on the interior of my Wizard's Tower while I work through experimenting with three different approaches for cliff shadows for the Hei Shan Si monastery.

I decided to start with the third floor, because that's where the main entrance is. Here, visitors can ring a bell at an outer gate to be admitted into an entry foyer, which has a wardrobe for storing cloaks and such, as well as access to a water closet (complete with a wash basin with water pumped up through an interior well). From there, guests can wait in a waiting room (complete with fireplace) until the wizard is ready to receive them in a more comfortable

Arrow slits allow the wizard or other defenders to guard the tower. The arrow slit that is immediately counterclockwise to the entrance is about waist-high to people on the stairs. The next two counterclockwise would be above anyone on the stairs; the others clockwise would be below the stairs as they continue to ascend. Plenty of magical torches keep the interior bright. In D&D terms, they have been enchanted with a Continual Flame spell that produces a smokeless, heatless flame forever, or until dismissed. (Sure, you have to spend 50 gp in spell components for each, but you'll never have to replace them.) In addition to the exterior stairs, an interior spiral staircase provides interior access to both levels two and four.

This uses Creepy Crypts as the base, with extensive use of Beaumaris Castle assets (plus vegetation from Japanese Temple and furnishings from DD3. And a few tidbits from Forest Trail.

I had another idea: Hunting Lodge Trophies.

Taxidermied wall-mounted heads of typical hunting prey (deer, bears, boars, maybe mythological creatures)

Bear-skinned rugs

Weapons display rack

The most time-consuming part was the rivers. It was easy enough to bring them in and use Change Like Draw Tool to convert them to the color cutout rivers. The problem is that when Fractal Terrains exports them, they don't quite run to the oceans properly. I had to move some nodes and draw in some river lines to adjust them (and with over 500 rivers, that took some time). They're still not perfect, but good enough at this scale.

First pass at rendering my campaign world, Adnati, to the new Fractal Parchment Worlds format.

I haven't tried to incorporate the mountain symbols yet. For now, I copied over a few contour layers and changed them to be darker contours in the new format -- except for the mountain peaks, which were converted into the TERRAIN DEFAULT, COLDER REGIONS tool.

I will try the mountains next, but I rather like this as is.

This is the second of three monasteries that I am collaborating with Ricko on. The ideas and text description are Ricko's. The mapping is from me, with his advice, but he is currently traveling and hasn't had a chance to see a lot of the newest stuff. Since he won't be back for nearly a week, I figured I would solicit feedback here in the meantime.

(Also, I have not yet added the clouds that Ricko includes so beautifully in his maps. I will be experimenting with that next.)

There's a full description that will be included when it's submitted for the Atlas, but for now, here's a synopsis:

The Sacred Path of Hei Shan Si

In the heart of the Black Mountains and surrounded by the Ancient Forest, amidst peaks that touch the sky, stands the Hei Shan Si Monastery (Temple of the Black Mountain), a sanctuary of spiritual peace in contrast to the chaos of the surrounding region. Founded by an anonymous sage, the temple is said to have been built with the help of divine forces, its black walls harmonizing with the eternal shadows of the mountains.

The Challenging Path

The road to Hei Shan Si is a test in itself. It begins in the fertile valleys, and ends at the final stop in the village of Yuan Lin Zhen, passing through the living heart of the forest, steep cliffs and narrow trails that wind dangerously through the mountains. Incessant rain, dense fog and biting winds are constant companions of travelers. Worn rope bridges span unfathomable chasms, and legends tell of guardian spirits who punish those who disrespect them.

I didn't have a lot of birds to work with, but I did use the cartouche from Forest Trails and a few other birds from Dundjinni Archives. Like with the last monastery, Chuan Bei Si, the monks use a labyrinth path for meditation (similar to the Labyrinth at the Cathedral of Chartres). But while Chuan Bei Si's stone-and-tile labyrinth is poorly maintained, cracked and worn, the brass-and-tile labyrinth at Hei Shan Si is immaculately maintained.

Clouds are coming, but that will require some experimentation to get it right. They will be on a separate layer that can be toggled on and off.