Hmmm.

Considering whether some kind of wake can be shown behind a tree...

DD4 is most of what I do these days ;)

...

A little background info on the village...

The people of Elkton are a mix of dwarves and humans - many of mingled blood. Some of the inhabitants prefer to live underground, especially in winter.

There are mines in the foothills of the mountains just to the north of the village where most of the people work to extract precious gems. Among the most highly sought gems are called elk diamonds for their sheer size - hence 'Elkton'

The mining community are supported by hunters and fur traders, but they don't have an easy time. Other predators compete for the game but are rarely seen by anything other than their tracks. It is rumoured that some of the hunters are more than just human or dwarf. There may be werewolves living in this community, but if there are their identities are unknown.

There is also a rumour that the pureblood dwarves have a secret cavern somewhere in this area where the largest and most perfect elk diamond is housed in a secret temple of wealth.

I've been a bit busy doing DD4 things, but I'm going to take a few breaks this week/next week to map Elkton for the competition.

The map notes for Alarius are that it is a continent of high fantasy and magic. I'll have to see what I can do to capture that kind of atmosphere. Elkton is one of the most northerly settlements, so there are bound to be a few legends from the cold dark north.

That's a nicer font, but it still looks quite spidery.

How about making the labels a little larger, or using the bold version of the font?

Do you have a drop shadow on that sheet? It may not be helping.

You could also try making the glow a little more definite?

These are all just suggestions.

Looks like a great start :)