The Ember Vault

433ThEmVa

The walls and raised pillars in the centre of the walls are smooth and razor sharp chunks of obsidian. To slip would result in being cut to ribbons before you even hit the rocky-crusted lava twenty feet below. But if you can survive the trek at the end a trapped efreeti waits for those who want to make a deal and receive a wish – but the catch is normally that it will do what ever it wants and grant your wish in a way that you really, really don’t want it.

---

Many, many textured layers this week to get the right blend of stone, lava rocks and shadows. The asset stamps are quite simple really with six or so in total that blend together to highlight the details in of the texture and other assets. A relatively straight forward map this week but something that I hope poses a challenge and has a lot of visual appeal (despite the lava looking nearly like muscles…)

---

Thren Den

432ThThDe

The clearing where the Thren live has knee high grass that grows darker and more compact than grass found elsewhere. A thick canopy of giant trees means that only a few shafts of light pierce down to the forest floor and this is where the Thren plan, and other medicinal plants thrive on the biological scraps of the Threns food. Skeletons can be found throughout the clearing but many are burried under the thick grass.

Trees can be found everywhere around the clearing and make for perfect blockers of line of sight for anything wanted to find the Thren Den. Or those who want to stay out of sight of what lies within.

---

Seven texture layers created the forest floor ranging from dirt to stone, three types of grass textures and even a smidge of water to add contrast to the ground itself. There are three types of trees in the clearing and a plant that has a heart shaped leaf which can be seen growing in the pillars of light. The forest floor filter was applied over the top to darken it, but no all of it to give a depth to the visual appeal and my go-to breaker of zones was used, the craggy hills which provides the evidence for a recession into the Thren den itself.

---

City Slum Park

431ThCiSlPa

The few houses that are present are falling apart and not looked after. Holes in the roof provide access to the interior and many people live in the cavities between roof and ceiling. These also provide great places to plan ambushes and to lay a trap for people. There are a few tents in the small ‘park’ where people have set up a small community of homeless near a small animal pen. A pile of wood, likely from houses, fuels a camp fire that burns defiantly against the dingy backdrop.

---

A few layers here blended together create the muddy-grass of the park. Layering the tree art assets creates the feel of a taller tree than the others whilst not overtaking the field. The watercolours instead of more distinct art assets add a softness and more whimsical nature to the battlefield which surprised me in how much I liked it. Many of the assets blend well with the texture brushes and overall my time using the watercolour map was rewarding and I will experiment with my other normal preferred battlemaps to see how they look in watercolour.

---

Desmodus Market Quarter

430ThDeMaQu

The destruction isn’t total but it isn’t an easy sight to see. The temple lays in nearly complete ruins with some of the more dangerous walls, and debris having been hauled away already. The streets are more dusty than normal due to the cleaners already being here, for some of the rubble at least. However the danger of this environment is most of the rubble is brittle and will break if not carefully walked upon which could injure those who fall through the initial layer of brittle wood or stone to be stabbed, lacerated or caught in a secondary layer beneath the first. A dangerous place to be engaging in any form of combat.

---

A few different tones of the same textures were used tonight to gain a bit of depth across the map. roads were created with a transparent dirt texture and then, to make my life easier, a lot of “roof” tiles were added to give the district its shape. The ruins are some great tiles (art assets) that look good when blended together and chaotically put in a rough shape – I think it turned out ok with some room for improvement.

---

Midfern Keep Vault

429ThMiKeVa

A few ruined pillars dot the room and dirt has come to hide most of the stone work that made up the base of the keep. The vault itself is a large, reinforced elven door that has become overgrown with vegetation that has crept in from the cliff face in which it was built into. Two large what appears to be golden statues guard the vault door and stare menacingly at any who approach it.

---

Multiple layered textures create this map, as usual, with some of the asset packs also being lightly transparent. Controlling opacity in these maps can create depth and add something a bit more of a softer appearance that I believe really lends itself to the immersion of the map. Different rocks (and the new art packs from Inkarnate – soo good!) created the rocky wall with some runes carved into it (for added magical protection) which I believe helps sell the feel of the map.

---

Sylphare Quarry Cavern

428ThSyQuCa

Several deep ponds are within this cavern which only adds to the chill factor. At points they get very deep and a tunnel, big enough for a medium or smaller sized creature to swim and squeeze through can be found underneath. However this is not for the faint hearted.

A pile of ancient bones can be seen near a throne that radiates cold and power towards the centre of the cavern. The walls are rough and rocky with no visible way out of the cavern and beyond from here. However the under-water passages do lead deeper into the cavern system for those who can really, really hold their breath.

---

Multiple layered textures and the dig tool used this week to great a visible depth for the ponds. Using the craggy-rock asset method created a smoother transition to the water which worked mostly well. Otherwise the stone-skulls in the wall leading to this cavern had some over-texture brushed onto them to remove some of the asset that I wanted to hide – but it wasn’t the cleanest work but it gets the effect across.

---

Kilderken Clearing Camp

427ThKiClCa

Forest clearings Trees house little green lights – fey, bug or magic is up to the host of it but it created a nice visual appeal. Several trees around the camp provide cover as well as depth to the map while the river doesn’t do much other than provide something to jump over if the party is feeling brave. Lastly using a hill texture asset to create the depression into the water adds another layer of depth. If I would change something I would add a half-transparent layer of water texture on the creek banks to make it look like the water was deeper. A simple map with two tents but it will get the job done.

---

Multiple layers of ground, grass and water layers created tonight’s visual. Some lower layers for logs and rocks in the water created depth without having to add too much effort. I am finding that many of the camp fire assets are too bright when I add my normal lighting effects over the tops however I reduced it a bit this week to still try and have the glow around the fire but not making it too bright to look at. A rather simple composition tonight but I think it worked nicely.

---

Amber Vault

426ThAmVa

While the vault rising from the lake bed we have a lot of debris under water. However slippery stones have formed a bit of a path leading to the vault where the party are greeted by a great door.

---

Beyond this door there lies what could be a throne, and a lot of ruins. Centuries under water has done this building no favours which is evident from the damage internally. There is a bit of a door puzzle to get into the final, magically reinforced room but it’s not that difficult to work out.

---

Overlapping textures with different shades is the name of the game this week with blended watery hues, rubble, debris and earth creating the lake itself. The platform was made to make it look as ‘close to sitting at waters edge’ as possible with some water within the rooms itself on the floor – its not a perfect drainage system. Double walls for the central area help give it depth as well as making it look larger while we we have a pretty simple and sparse affair everywhere else.

---

Simple Rundown Courtyard

425ThSiRuCo

Entering from either the lounge, top floor oval room, or the front door path (under the roof top of the map) into the courtyard. The fountain is not well maintained but it is functional with a few potted plants around it. Beyond that is an archway with a room beyond with a stairway up to the left and right.

This side of the courtyard holds a nobles bed room, vanity, tables, a sword, book case and finishing off with a suit of armour. However between bookcase and armour is a secret door that enables the noble within to have a way of escaping what ever is happening to the small manor and courtyard. I didn’t mention that the balcony has stairs that enable people to climb down to defend the courtyard, or if nimble enough climb up to the balcony in a hurry.

---

Overlapping textures are a norm these days with even textures painted over the top of art assets (the roofs). This enables the balcony over the roof that is to the top of the map. Line tools were used this week to show the flow of movement and highlight the secret doors so it was more obvious. Otherwise a rather simple map with a few rooms, two layers and a few options of different art assets try to give the flow of the map a consistent and cosy feel.

---

Shemet Forest Peak

424ThShFoPe

Trying to highlight the intense heat of this encounter has made the forest come alive with reds and yellows. The contrast with the green grass makes the peak of the mountain feel more like a psychedelic episode rather than an intense battle with a powerful mage and elemental. Rocks and steep paths lead up to the peak and embers litter the trees creating hazards that the adventurers must watch out for.

---

A few overlapping textures were used (primarily on the rocks) which includes changing the colour of the base texture and applying it with a transparent layer. However the true daunting activity with this map build was the vast amount of assets used from trees, rocks, rocky hills, embers and light sources to try and make the area feel vividly terrifying.

---