Samarahd - Bonus Map Colaboration

UPDATE: A Night version and a spelling fix

Horror of horrors... there was a little spelling typo on the labeled versions... that is now fixed in the free version attached as well as in the main files for Patreon Supporters.

On the plus side though....
I had a fancy to make a night version a couple of weeks ago... Just for fun ;-)
Night versions have been added to the main download zip for Patreon supporters, 

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Here is something big and exciting that I have been hinting at for a while now....
Earlier this year, my fellow mapper and friend Tom Cartos asked me if I would like to draw a map of a desert oasis city for him that he could then create battlemaps from ...  
I could not resist the adventure of a desert city - and a nice big one too, so we worked out a basic layout of oases, older & newer areas, palace, fort & market locations, and mountains, and then I went for it!  It grew and evolved quite a bit along the way....

We are both pretty stoked with how it has come out and hope that you will find it full of inspiration for some epic stories. 

Here it is in all it's glory (then keep scrolling for a bit of history and the download links):

Actually, after not looking at it for the last couple of weeks since I finished it ... don't tell anyone ;-)  but I keep going back to it just to explore the streets and wonder what is going on there and who is up to what sort of misadventure ... and I drew it! Love it when a map feels like it just grew out of the end of my pen and I get to explore it like it's a new place all over again! One day. when I have a wall to put it on, this is one of the maps that I will print out in full poster sized glory - meanwhile, if anyone happens to print it out... send me a photo so I can see?!

For a bit of city history, this is how Tom describes the city:

The desert sprawls for weeks in all directions, monotonous and deadly in equal measure. However for those who know where to go, there exists a safe haven that is home to thousands.

Nestled at the base of a solitary mountain, a small group of sparkling green oases are protected from the raging sandstorms that plague the region. In the past, it was said that an emerald dragon would appear to those who were lost amongst the sands and guide them here. This site became a seasonal meeting and trading place for many of the wandering nomadic groups that called the harsh desert home.

Over time, some of these tribes chose to settle here all year round, building a new diverse community. The city thrived and grew, attracting more and more of the wanderers and slowly outsiders became aware of the jewel in the desert. Some came to trade peacefully, others to learn, but a rotten few thought to take this city for themselves. Infighting among the different tribal leaders had led to poor defenceefences and a lack of any cohesive guard meant these few saw the city as ripe for taking.

A great army was sent to traverse the desert and conquer the city, but their passage was hampered. The desert is a dangerous place at all times, but it was almost as though the endless sands and their denizens were deliberately targeting the invaders. When they finally arrived at the city they were less than half their original number, and found themselves facing a newly erected wall built of wet mud and sand, twice the height of a man.

They gathered their strength and flung themselves at the walls, but as they did so a mighty sandstorm gathered about them and struck. It blew for half a day, and when it abated none of the soldiers remained, but the walls still stood. A few of the defenders later told stories of huge beating green wings in the centre of the storm.

In the hundred years or so since, the city has continued to grow, and is now more than capable of defending itself. The mud wall has been replaced by a towering stone fortification and the people have an elected council and strong leadership. There have been no recent sightings of the emerald dragon, but some of the citizens believe it still sleeps in the mountain above them, and you will often hear tales in the many caravanserais of lost travellers being guided to safety by an unseeable presence.

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Below is a little preview of what our Patreon supporters also have access to
- For this bonus city map, all tiers are receiving all the variations - have fun :-)  

• Framed & Unframed versions:  Full-colour, Parchment and labeled versions of each
• Print sizes are: 24x34_300dpi ... (suitable for printing at A1 poster size)
• Vtt sizes are: 24x34_140pixles per square (72dpi)  (or print at about A2 size)
• A PDF with more detailed information about the special locations that we thought you might find interesting ...

Adventurer's downloads page
Navigators & Explorers downloads page  

PS .. Keep an eye on Tom's mapping endeavors in the near future for battlemaps based on places in Samarahd 

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Not a patron yet? .. Just dropping in for the free map?

All good, hope you have some fun with it ...  While you are here, check out some of my other maps... and if you find that you like what I am creating and have a bit of spare change hanging around looking for a good home, consider signing up as a regular patron subscriber.

Your support will enable me to carry on making maps for everyone to enjoy and you will have access to higher resolutions & alternate variations (depending on what tier you settle on)