Maps

History

Map making was not just invented as a profession in Arusian times but invented as a concept. While paintings of towns exist as aids to navigation none solely or even primarily so.

Map making was not just invented as a profession in Arusian times but invented as a concept. While paintings of towns exist as aids to navigation none solely or even primarily so. But under Aruseus map making became a government role and every inch of the middle mountains, leon, illia and even the far flung land that would come to be Narlwage were mapped in immaculate detail.

After the death of Aruseus, however, map making fell into a period of long and sharp decline. It turned from something done at the scale of a war to a cottage industry of one man bands.

Maps became stuck between newer but less accurate ones and copies and originals of Arusian era pieces (originals being preferred due to the loss of reliable drawing equipment and skills to accurately draw copies). Copies were frequently updated with new information but as many things thought 'fixed' had moved in the intervening hundreds of years they were between hard and impossible to update.

The emergence of woodblock print did allow the introduction of mas produced maps but because of the limitations of woodblock at the time these were less desirable then even copies. A weird situation developed where it was far easier to get a map in a far-flung town than find said town on the map.

The emergence of woodblock print did allow the introduction of mas produced maps but because of the limitations of woodblock at the time these were less desirable then even copies. A weird situation developed where it was far easier to get a map in a far-flung town than find said town on the map.