My First City Map
Added 2018-06-28 12:35:51 +0000 UTCI fell in love drawing city, region and battle-maps for my Homebrew Campaigns from the first moment that I started playing D&D. Here is a throwback to about a year and a half ago when I started really putting in the effort to make more detailed maps for the new Campaign Setting I was about to introduce to my party.
The underground part of a city called Skypeak, located inside a mountain with the the same name. The city winds up and down inside a massive cavern, divided in several districts including a Market district with 3 tiers and an entertainment district with a Colosseum like arena.
In the center of the city is a massive mechanical platform that is attached to four pillars reaching all the way to the top of the mountain. The second and more exclusive part of the city is located there. Located high above the clouds, hence the name: Skypeak.
You can find a HD version of the map inside of my FREE dropbox folder.
Comments
Sure! Here is a list of all the districts and notable buildings inside of the city:
Crosshead
2018-06-28 17:48:50 +0000 UTCA. THE HALL OF ENLIGHTENMENT The Hall of Enlightenment marks the entrance to the lower levels of Skypeak. It is a large open hallway filled with statues of all the enlightened minds that head the Grand Charter. Above each statue is a large slab of text, which tells of its owners deeds. The statues and their slabs are illuminated by three horizontal rows of torches on each wall. All the way from the city gates to deep into the gargantuan cave where the city has been built. Every member of the Charter can pay for their own entry within the Hall of Enlightenment. It started out as a couple of statues, all the way in the back of the Hall, where it opens up into the City itself, you can find the oldest entries of the first Inklar King and Queen. Now it has expanded all the way to main gates and even outside deep into the crevasse. B. THE MARKET DISTRICT (“THE SHOPS”) The market district is a bustling place. Divided in several quarters, each quarter home to a specific trade. You can also find small temples dedicated to the God of wealth, Lothar, all over the district. There are small streets and alleys that connect the quarters, where you will find shops of all sorts. The district is built out of different levels, and the higher you go, the more money you will have to spend. You can allow them access to all sorts of shops. You should be able to find almost anything in this city. The shop owners in the lower levels might be a bit rough on the edges, dishonest outright, but the ones on the high levels are intelligent and will try to gauge the sort of buyer he is dealing with. They will swindle if they think it is someone inexperienced they’re dealing with. The High Street shops have strict security, so they are not easily scared either. You can also find several inn and pubs around here. There are some pubs where you might only find a couple of costumers lurking about, and taverns that are booming. To find any information you might talk to a bartender in one of these places, especially the ones that see a lot of people coming and going. Most taverns have a place to sleep as well. The High Street The top floor of the Market District. Here you will find items of the highest quality or, at least, the most deftly decorated items. All the shops here are owned by wealthy families, who sell their patented wears here. Walking all the way at the top of the Market District, you bathe in the light of the Caval Ray. Some of the finest taverns are located at the edge of the District, providing you with a glorious view of the city. True Malt Inn: The famed tavern owned by the dwarven Malt family. They have the patent for the Inklar Malt, the most widely available beer in all of Inklar. What once used to be a beer for people of all trades, has become one of the more high class brews. As the family rose within the Charter, so did their products become more exclusive. Sparkles Inc.: The headquarters of the Sparkles retail chain is located right here in Skypeak. These stores are famous for adding gems to any sort of equipment or clothing. The only Inklar business that seems to do very well in Modanai. Owned by the orc Sparkles Family famous for their catchphrase: “NEEDS MORE SHINY!” They demand that their employees try to slip it into conversation with a client as much as possible. The word shiny should definitely be overused. Buff Boys & Bouncers: The orc family Buff’s training facilities are well known throughout the country. Training quality guardsmen, nobles and even the royal offspring. Here you will find the highest quality of protection for sale. The Tiny Dancer: Clothing imported straight from the fashion capital of the world. The Tiny Dancer sells clothing for any respected nobleman or noblewoman. They have a large special section for costumed balls. Owned by the human Cotillion Family. The Maul Mall: A store dedicated to blunt weaponry and axes. Owned by a human family with the surname Le Pernach. The Katana Kings: A boutique store dedicated to fine swords. Owned by the elven Katana family. Repro’s Replicatas: This store looks more like a fancy warehouse. It is home to thousands of books, from all over the world. You won’t find an original book here, these are all duplicates. The elven Repro family became filthy rich, patenting the idea of copying books. So every time a book gets remade, anywhere in Inklar, they would get a share of the taxes that are paid on that replica. Naughty Knights: A store where you can find very skimpy armor. Located in a side alley of the main street. You will see people glaring through the window, not really daring to go in and younger people, who seem to have no shame, just walk in there very casually. Naughty Knights is for warriors, who believe that looking sexy, should always be on the table, even when going into battle. Owned by a human family named the Von Tramps. Twin Street Located at a lower level, on the midlevel underneath High Street and above Shady Street, Twin Street is an exact copy of High Street. Here you can enter the basement level of the stores on High Street. You will find the similar wears as the store on High Street above, but most of these wears are old models or even second hand. The middle class loves to come here to find bargains of products that are normally only affordable for the nobility. Shady Street All the way at ground level, Shady Street doesn’t just derive its name from its ill-lighted street. When you are looking for something off the books, Shady Street definitely is the place for you. You will need to earn the trust of the people that work here, before you gain entrance to the most interesting places. Mighty Brew Inn: The busiest tavern in all of Shady Street. Here you will find people from all over the world. If you are looking for information on anything, you should be able to find it here. It may cost you though. A great place to gamble, drink and fight. Preferably in that order. The Cloak and Dagger: A shop that always seems to be closed, but if you spend a little time around you easily notice people going in and out constantly. All the people that enter have a unique knock, upon which the door opens to a slit. After that they whisper something to the owner and the door opens just wide enough for them to come through. The shop sells all sorts of equipment for people who like to operate in the shadows. They have books on all their clientele, this allows them to operate within the cities laws. They cooperate with local police, something most shoppers aren’t aware of. Each of their items bears a unique brand, so they can finger criminals when the crime has been committed with their equipment. They get paid twice this way. Owned by the Masked Lord. The Crusty Blade: If you are looking for something sharp, the Crusty Blade isn’t really the place to be. But it is the cheapest place to find something to stab someone with in the entire city of Skypeak. It’s worth coming in, just to witness the state of their goods. The Readit: A second hand book shop. Whatever you find here, you probably already read it. C. THE ARCANE DISTRICT (“ARCANIA”) Magic users from all over the country come together in the Arcane District to share their knowledge. Several libraries dedicated to the arcane disciplines can be found all over Arcania and open colleges can be attended by those who seek knowledge. Deep inside the colleges, spread all over the district, you can find small altars dedicated to Lunus, God of Knowledge. Although it seems like a very welcoming place, many of the students and teachers, who live in the dorms and houses of the district, are very weary of people who enter their domain. Spies are everywhere here in Skypeak, who are constantly lurking about trying to uncover the latest discoveries and inventions made by the academy. It is a tiresome game of cat and mouse, but because it such an old game, the people, who live here, are excellently trained at keeping their secrets safe. D. THE PITS The citizens of Inklar love a good fight. Especially here in Skypeak, people love the distraction of watching two people bash each other’s brains in. The Pits are an entire districted dedicated to that distraction, with several smaller fighting arenas and one main stadium (THE CHROME DOME), where people can fight and take bets on the fights that are taking place. The Chrome Dome: is the number one attraction in the pits, it is a large oval stone building, surrounded by large pillar-like statues of the Goddess Regna, completely covered in chromium. Here people come to watch large scale battles take place, emulating the great battles of the past. The Chrome Champions are held in great esteem all over Skypeak, they are even granted audiences with the King himself. E. THE JUDICIAL DISTRICT (“THE COURT”) The Judicial District is the most important, and therefore, the largest district in Lowtown. The district houses several offices, almost exclusively offices, which are linked to the Grand Charter in some way. The smallest and cheapest buildings house independent lawyers, who are making their way up the food chain in the judicial system. The larger ones house firms, with names like: “The Chain and Whip”, “The Golden Gavel”, “The Royal Ruling”, etc. All the way in the center square of the district you can find penalty offices, where the claims are submitted, and the tribunals where the cases are decided. The largest buildings in the district are all dedicated to the Grand Charter: The Houses of Charter (the HoC = where you submit your patent request), the Charter Penalty Office (the CPO) and the Charter Court (the CC = Where the High Council of the Charter convenes). In the center of the square is a statue dedicated to the first King of Inklar, Donald McPatentson the First. The statue is surrounded by several stone benches, where you see lawyers conversing with other lawyers or their clients. F. LOWER CLASS DISTRICT (“THE PLEBS”) & THE SLUMS Located in the back of the city, these two districts are home to the two largest groups of citizens of the Capital. Players can buy a home in either of these two districts. Or in any other if they have the gold for it. G. THE MILITARY DISTRICT (“THE GARRISON”) The military is an important part in the Inklar culture. Everyone in Skypeak has great respect for the soldiers, who serve in the Garrison. A grand part of the military force of Inklar is stationed right here in the city of Skypeak. They spend their days training and patrolling the streets of the capital. The Garrison also serves as a barrier between the common folk and the wealthy. Only Lords or people with a permit are allowed to pass through to visit the Middle Order and Uptown. H. MIDDLE CLASS DISTRICT (“THE MIDDLE ORDER”) & THE GREAT LIFT Located all the way in the center of Lowtown, this district is home to the middle class citizens of Skypeak. The people who live here, are actively taking part in the Grand Charter, trying to make their way up the ladder. They actually live right at the bottom of The Great Lift, a massive elevator that takes you up to the second part of the city: Uptown.
Crosshead
2018-06-28 17:48:11 +0000 UTCThe map looks awesome thanks for sharing. You said the city apart of your campaign setting, mind giving a bit more of the city or the people who live there?
Blackpan2
2018-06-28 15:18:56 +0000 UTC
