Café de Nuit

Hi, so I made a map of the Ravenloft setting, figured this'd be the place to put it if I wanted old-school fans to see it. Let me know if the links don't work and I'll see if I can update them. It is quite large so no imgur links.

Google Drive link:


Dropbox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/27b9avc5 ... w6vc9&dl=0

Honestly I started this months ago, I don't really recall but I THINK the sources were a pair of black and white maps of the Core and the seas, from a Campaign Setting book. Which I then added detail to by skim reading through the Gazetteer Vol 1 - 5, I probably missed some things, but there should be quite a bit of detail.

This was followed by some information from two maps sourced from the adventure 'Ship of Horror' for Graben and Todstein (sp?) islands.

There was some information from another adventure map I don't know where it came from but it was about Markovia, liberties were taken, partly because that adventure's map has a very boring blob like shape so I wanted to keep the more interesting one from the Campaign Setting maps, and partially because I just wanted to stop working on this, I'm behind on other projects and having this sat around unfinished was bugging me.

For Vechor, Isle of the Ravens, L'ile de la Tempete, Liffe, and Vechor I used the Campaign Cartography maps made by Gomez as guides since I could not find any other information whatsoever.

The map definitely will have issues, I have never played, nor do intend to play in Ravenloft any time soon. I like me my Forgotten Realms, so spelling may be off or there may be glaring issues that to anyone who knows the setting will see immediately. My style of mapmaking has always involved making it so that the map appears appropriate and immersive to the setting, as such my excuse shall simply be that given the technology available of course even a rare map such as that pieced together by S herself must be expected to be flawed.

If you do have any comments about having revisions made, I may get around to editing any problems people can correct me on, though that will likely be some time from now as I got stuff to do right now. If you have an issue with it, please be very clear about what the problem is, if possible provide a canon source I can use to confirm what you are saying (the amount of corrections on the internet that are just people saying what they feel should be true ...). I did intend to put in a scale, as I think they are generally important but even getting a vague idea of where Ravenloft sits in this regard seemed a problem and as I say I wanted to finish this up, this would be an edit I'd like to make if there exists any concensus on sizes here.

As to why someone who claims to not care about Ravenloft would make a map like this, well, I've always loved gothic aesthetics and after a long project on making a map of Faerun I figured I'd have a look at what maps there are of the spooky setting - I figured you guys would have lots of maps, detailed maps, beautiful maps, modern maps, interactive maps etc. You know, since Ravenloft is hugely famous as a setting. Finding out you have like two maps and neither are particularly immersive made me genuinely kind of angry, it seems frankly insulting to the fans and the setting - and then fifth edition just said "Nah, no Ravenloft, just some demi-planes in the Shadow" (I may have misunderstood that, I play 3rd ed only). Figured I may not be the best person for it, but I was going to do something, 'cause as a former goth and continuing nerd with a dark streak this was not okay to me.

Anyway, I hope someone finds this and enjoys it even if only a little. If you want to share, host, or mirror it go ahead, have fun, just don't claim credit and don't put it in anything for which you charge money - if I'm not making anything off of all this work you sure as heck shouldn't be.

nice map, a couple of minor suggestions for a next draft, you have the village of forfarmax a little to far north as it should be on the Hazlan side of the border of Forlorn rather than in Forlorn.

As to missing locations there are the following locations, the village of Tidemore in Darkon on the nocturnal sea; the villages of Berez, Cuzau, Hoessla, Krofburg, Renika and Löwenturm in Barovia; the villages of Kubar and Skansorro in Hazlan; the villages of Caina, Chiara, Silverton, Vasey & Vor Talmut in Borca; the villages of Cerlimieu, Edrigan & Villebois; the villages of Dunkelheit, Leidenheim & Stillwater Springs in Lamordia; Drataan, Haaldam, Mavalga & Mel Fira; Allendine, Idlethorp & Steadwall in Mordent; Kendralind & The Iron Warden in Sithicus; Fylfot & Tricco in Verbrek; Gyda in Valachan; Grashen Falls, Vulchardtwache, Waintower & Delmunster; Tancos & Valetta in Invidia; Chebney, Cortton & Sangfugi.

There is a few more settlements but they are homebrews from netbooks so i haven't mentioned them.

I like the style of this map a lot, it is different from any I'd seen before. A few little adjustments: it's Mt. Nirka, not Mt. Nirk. The Dlisnya estate is called Degravo, not Devargo. Since you're not a Ravenloft fan, I can see these slip by. Still, visually I think it is marvelous, great job. What program did you use to make it?

There are better maps than the ones you've found, but a lot are old. Second Edition maps were the best, in my opinion, as the mapping in 3rd was the weakest link of the edition. More lore got jammed into the 3E stuff you've already referenced so it was a fine tradeoff. A lot of members here, like Jester and myself, have taken a stab at exactly what you've done, with my maps cleaving to that 2nd edition style. If you're interested, the Ravenloft Cartographic Society post stickied above can lead you to some, and so can the FB group of the same name--I'll approve you within 24 hours if you care to join.

I for one appreciate the gift you brought us and if you ever want a good lore dive, this site has it all!

Okay, re-draft versions.

Google :
DropBox : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/igs1u3me ... 6pg8b&dl=0


Some edits that you folks didn't ask for, I moved some names, recoloured a few, changed a couple of icons, drew in the Koshka Bluffs, added a bit of shadow to the entire base map (it was too bright to my eyes), and have added in far more coniferous forest - the whole thing seemed a touch too homogenous to me, I took the Gomez maps as a rough guide on where to place conifer versus deciduous, and whilst I am sure this is not canonically correct hopefully it isn't too egregious and just makes for a more textured feel.

I also added in a scale, I understand people may be split on whether Ravenloft maps ought have one, but the map just doesn't feel complete without one for my tastes. Found in the Fraternity's FAQ section a vague scale used in early editions, just used that.

The noted spelling mistakes are corrected.

So, regarding the missing locations. For the most part I had to rely only on the Mistipedia for details and that was pretty thin, that combined with one of the maps already made (by members of the cartographical society or Gomez's CC2 map), so some things have not been added or may be placed incorrectly, I did what I could. This is a list of items I did not add or did add which I had to take a degree of liberty on the location along with my reasoning. (If I don't mention a location from the first reply, I believe that I have added it.)

Darkon:
* Tidemoor, placed as best I could while including the netbook-canon cited on Mistipedia.

Barovia:
* Renika was not added as there is no information to be found (outside of a novel which I doubt gives strong geographical instruction - aside from the fact I do not have it).
* Löwenturm is added, along with a shift in the Barovian border to include it inside that domain, the map from The Evil Eye is quite different from the base 3rd edition map, it was why I pretty much ignored it during the first draft actually. So the border has been shifted only as much as required to encompass this new settlement.


Hazlan:
* Kubar was not added, no geographical information on Mistipedia, don't have the adventure, was not included in Gomez's maps nor the other fan map I checked.
* Skansorro, I did add it, seeing as half the info was homebrew I kept with the Cartographic Society's opinion and stuck it on the river. I haven't added in the canon 'dense forest' as the map is quite simply very busy in that area and went with the assumption that it is dense and small, or dense and climbs the slopes of the mountains and those mountains are considered the more relevant geographical concern for that part of the map.

Borca:
* Chiara skipped, no location provided.
* Silverton, couldn't really find where this should go, beyond 'Mountains' previously 'Dorvinia'. So I threw it in there, right up near the rift, because that seems like a horrible place to be, gave it and the surrounding areas some breathing room, plus makes it easy to ignore for anyone who disagrees with the placement.
* Vassey I probably should have skipped this as there is no information other than 'North Borca', but I added it on a river because I do prefer detailed maps. And it isn't like the canon says I'm wrong. (I may or may not be a hypocrite.)
* Vor Talmut, skipped this one. Mistipedia isn't even sure which domain it is supposed to be in.

Dementlieu:
* Cerlimieu, described as on the river and in the east. I went with north east to place it down river, figured it a good place for access to more trade, and a rest stop for river travellers moving north west. It also separates it a little, tiny hamlet rest stop for player groups off the beaten path.
* Edrigan - Placed, just took the location used in another fan map. Couldn't find any direct information.
* Villebois - Skipped, could not find a location for it beyond Dementlieu.


Lamordia:
* Dunkelheit I skipped as there is no real information on this. Heck, it may not even be a settlement. Going off of the descriptions cited by the Mistipedia it could equally be referring to an historical dwarven realm in Lamordia.
* Leidenheim I skipped. There is no information beyond that it is a town in Lamordia. Perhaps more is said on a location in the novel, but I don't have that, and it seems unlikely.

Nova Vaasa:
* Drataan, Mistipedia speculates it to be near the Darkon border, seems fair so i stuck it up there. On the turn of the river between the two domains.
* Haaldam, placed it on the same plains as Drataan. Did not want two places on the same river so I moved it over to the sea, placed between a break in the cliffs this gives it access to fishing whilst still placed far back enough to be defined by plains living.
* Mel Fira I added, though other maps placed it into Ehredton, Mistipedia speculates the location as historic Ehredton, prior to the Great Upheaval when that referred to the west of the Dnar River. So I moved it over.

Mordent:
* Idlethorp was placed between Tumbledown and Blackburn's Crossing, Mistipedia's description places it on a crossroads and that is the only location where one made sense with what I have.
* Steadwall, needed to be on the river. References to a hill and mists are fitting for moorlands. Access to wood for construction. Wanting to keep things spaced out. All led to it being placed north of Blackburn's Crossing.

Sithicus:
* Kendralind has no location information. But one of the fan maps has it so I just followed their lead.
* Iron Warden was skipped. No location information.

Verbrek:
* Fylfot, is described to be on the Arden River. Without moving borders from the base 3rd ed maps that leaves exactly one location I can place it, so it is there.
* Tricco, and now we are into why I ignored the map from Evil Eye. Urgh, nothing lines up. Okay, so it is clearly downriver. Opposite bank. It is supposed to be on the conjunction of a tributary coming from the west. The only appropriate tributary is River of Salmon, which
a) already has a settlement at this location
b) is firmly within another domain - way beyond where I feel comfortable moving the border
c) is north of The Circle which is wildly out of position.

So I can't keep Tricco on the River Arden. What I could do is shift it onto Ulvflod River.
This shift has the problem of separating Fylfot and Tricco, but allows Tricco to be placed more along a river inside the right domain, and the tributary (though not on the map) makes sense as the river Ulvflod is abutting the Forest of Streams (which I am going to assume has lots of waterways, for obvious reasons).

Alternatives to this one would be shifting the borders (a LOT) or moving Fylfot onto the Ulvflod River as well, up next to the Ghostflame Bottoms.

Valachan:
* Gyda - I skipped Gyda. Gyda is described as 'in central Valachan' on Mistipedia, however after checking the cited source even that much specificity is not true.

Kartakass:
* Chebney couldn't find information outisde of a fan map. I moved it to the other side of the lake, as I also had the road on the other side of the lake.
* Cortton, couldn't find any information outside of a fan map. I took their location, then moved it north as it seemed to be where I had placed Ambrose Compound and I wanted the two not to be touching.
* Sangfugi, skipped due to lack of information.

Falkovnia:
* Grashen Falls, two fan maps seem to place it in Falkovnia south of Stangengrad, so I've followed suit, and named some previously anonymous rivers to that purpose. (though I moved it just north instead of just south).
* Waintower, I skipped as I couldn't get a location.

If you believe I've made a mistake or think I should undo the trees or the shading or anything else, let me know.

Also, thank you Strahdsbuddy for the invitation to the Facebook group, but I would do a lot of things before getting back on social media. I did look through the topic here, and I'm going to say they don't need much help, those city maps are absolutely lovely. Not my style, but I always take the position of "If I can't improve what I can find regarding maps, I should find something else to map out." I think my Ravenloft map is good enough, or at least different enough in style to meet that criteria, but my city maps for Ravenloft would probably be a waste of time with how well they're being handled as things are.

As to the program used, I use GIMP a free open source image editing program. I've no money so if it isn't free I can't justify using it for niche hobby stuff. It isn't exactly designed for map making obviously, but it does have the option of using whatever size image you like (very important when dealing with continental scale maps), you can make your own brushes and patterns, apply blurs and other such effects, or change opacity of layers, use any font you have on your PC and so on which allows you to make things according to your own tastes as opposed to most specialist map making softwares which cost money and tend to have more limited customizability - hence that it does not look like most other maps we see online for game setting stuff, I made everything except the fonts.

I wouldn't necessarily suggest using GIMP, unless you have time, or really want a specific style to your maps. Things like Inkarnate or Wonderdraft are simpler programs that fullfil the function for most people who just want their map done fast and straightforward - and though I've not ever looked into it, I am given to understand that Campaign Cartographer is very good (these days at least), if you are willing to learn the ins and outs.

This is beautiful; I love the colors chosen. Thank you for this!