Some maps of the Globe

[I shall publish Faadon's descusion of these maps at a later date - for now here are a few raw maps...]

A view of the Earth as it would be seen on the back of a dragon flying very high over the continent of Ottarol. In the center right is the ancient homelands of the Dwarves of Rock.  The dessert at the bottom is the home of the sand Dwarves, while the crescent in the center is where one can find dinosaurs. Essam, bottom left, is the now deserted continent where the Mage-created lifeforms such as Humans, Elves and Dwarves where created.

A rough design for a Sea-Nation trading map of the globe.  It serves the ego of the Sea-Elvish captain rather than any practical sense, not even having the currents depicted.

The captain who commissioned this map was obviously most interested in the trading opportunities in north-eastern Ottarol...

...and in Tuyun. There is an established trade rout following the currents and the winds between them. Yeno, the island in the top right, for instance, is not named, for the Ice Dwarves here do not engage in trading.

Ottarol , Gortyn and Essam depicted in the opening page of a book called "An Anthology of the World"

Tuyun, Tuy F'Fowyap and the Jagraana Archipelago in the same book.

In search of Trolls...?

"Troll Rock formation"

"Troll carving?"

Fragment #1

 

"Troll Rock formation from Gortyn. Is there then some truth in the idea that the rare Trolls turn to stone?  Or is this some totemic carving, weathered and cracked?  I did not wait to find out."

"Weathered Troll rock."

Fragment #2

"I have a hunch that Trolls still exist in the southern lands of Gortyn."

 

"Stone Arrow Head"

Fragment #3

"We came to these distant shores in search of the rare Trolls, the aboriginal inhabitants of this ancient lands. But after 3 days walk inland I had seen no sign, no path beyond that animals make, no house nor tent nor sheltered cave, nothing, save this stone found on the second day that might be a primitive arrow head.  I was about to turn back to the coast when the mountain scrub-land cleared and revealed what I have named (in my arrogance) "The Valley of the Ancient Gods".  Around me on the rocky crags are ranged the widely spaced statues (I hope that is all they are) - great heads and torsos of colossal giants with jutting brows and chins, weathered and cracked like they have stood here for eons. Some are clearly the features of Trollish beings while others are so warn by time it takes the presence of the former to correctly divine their form.

"Hurried sketch of Troll rock head. It there a hint of an Elvish ear?"

It was about noon that Elrash reminded me of the rumor that stone and troll-flesh are much the same substance.  I started to sketch, but as the shadows lengthened his words began to play upon my mind, and returning to where only an hour before I had sketched a better preserved specimen I found it not.

We slept that night deep in the under-brush, and heard mighty drums on the heights... We could not find the valley come dawn."

"Sketch of well-preserved Troll statue."

Fragment #4

"Perhaps these rocky Giants I have witnessed where not the Trolls I sought - the old texts speak of true Trolls as not that much bigger than a tall Sea-Elve, though stronger by far. Could instead these vanishing statues have been a wild band of Faerie making a long escapade into the world of the physical, far from the interfering machinations of the magic-fascinated introverts of our organic races?  If so, long let them dance!"

"Sketch of a well-preserved Troll statue. The ear is clearly and distinctly elvish in character.  Why? Where not Humans the mid point between Trolls and the Elvish people?"