Thorf wrote:If you have any comments, corrections, or suggestions for things to add to the map, please post them here.
I'm taking your word - after nine years!
Spurred by Thorf's recent post about Atruaghin on the FB page, I cast a more in-depth look at the updated map in regard to the original one. I've come up with some comments about the updated map, which I'm dropping below.
First, up the plateau. The updated map shows a plateau whose area is basically doubled. To fill this area up with something, Thorf expanded the grasslands, while leaving the size of the Elk Clan forest substantially untouched. This, in my opinion, generates some problems: (1) it changes the relative distances between the plateau clans, since the Elk Clan now is more distant from the Bear Clan; (2) it reduces the size of the Elk Clan territory in regard to the other plateau clans, since now the Elk Clan's land is smaller - coming from the original map - than the other two; (3) it extends the distance between the Elk Clan villages and the three battle sites down the plateau (Storms, Spirits, Fire Tears) - which supposedly and likely are battles against the Tiger Clan.
To overcome these problems, I propose to expand the forest and surrouding woods of the Elk Clan, about 5-6 hexes eastward and 1-2 hexes northward. Eastward, the woods's limit would end more or less one hex before the vertical line of hexes which includes the Battle of Storms. The distance of existing Elk Clan villages could be stretched on 1-2 hexes, in order to have Raccoon Tribe in line with the Battle of Storms, and the Deer Tribe (out of the woods, as in the original map) in line with the Battle of Spirits.
This would balance the territory of the three plateau clans, keeping their relative distances (and those between Elk and Tiger Clans) mostly as in the original map. Of course, the position of the three southern Elk villages (Owl, Beaver, and Raccoon) in relation to the two small spurs on the southern border of the plateau would be lost, but I consider this the lesser evil, since the original map is vastly wrong.
Then, down the plateau. The updated map has much more land between the Turtle and the Tiger Clans; however, the location of the Tiger Clan villages has stayed basically the same as in the original map, which has distanced too much the Tiger Clan villages from their counterparts in the Turtle lands. This, again, becomes inconsistent with the three battle sites on that border (Moon, Cowards, and Darkness).
Therefore I'd stretch a little the distance between the westernmost Tiger Clan tribes, in order to get a couple of them - and the three battle sites as well - as close as possible to the Turtle Clan border. On the Turtle side of the border, I'd stretch the distance between villages as well by 1-2 hexes in total, in order to have the Sea Lion Tribe on the border with the Tiger Clan.*
[* I see that in the slice of the new updated map posted on the Facebook page, Thorf has already put his hands on this issue, introducing a new Viper Tribe and adjusting the battle sites locations. I'd suggest moving one hex westward the Monkey Tribe, so as to have a distance between it and the other tribes more consistent with the ones of the original map.]
Another last thing I see on the northeastern border of the Clans is that the Darokinian trail going from Akesoli - besides, shouldn't the city be found on the lake coast? - to Fort Anselbury in a couple of hexes passes through Atruaghin lands, and in forested hill country. Is this making sense? I suppose the Republic created the trail, which is also an important military road connecting the Republic's heart with Akesoli via land, so why the trail passes through the Clans' lands and in rougher territory? Wouldn't it make more sense if the trail winded across the coastal plains, staying in Darokin-controlled lands?
As a last note, I found reference to
some minor Atruaghin clans in canon modules. These are the Wolf, the Ferret, and the Boar Clans. Since there are several areas devoid of clans - the whole eastern half of the southern coast, the whole northern two-thirds of the Turtle lands, maybe even the hill country down the plateau around the Horse lands - could those minor clans be used to add some color to these regions (even only putting a simple label on the map, without villages)?
"The prince should study historical accounts of the actions of great men, to see how they conducted themselves in war; he should study the
causes of their victories and defeats, so as to avoid the defeats and imitate the victories" N. Machiavelli, The Prince, XIV, 5