Map of Blackheart, 8 miles per hex
by Francesco DefferrariI made a map of Blackheart back in 2006, as one of my players at the time was a Prince of Alphatia tasked with "cleaning up" the place after an Alphatian civil war in which Xanthus, who had become the ruler of Blackheart after the Cataclysm which IMC damaged but not sunk Outer world Alphatia, had been defeated.
I completely forgot about it until recently when Thorf posted his map of Blackheart and then forgot again until Ramelin's version was included in Threshold issue #19.
The map is here
and here is the description I once wrote for the player (which uses resources of other people from the Vaults, mostly Andrew Theisen and Jamuga Khan). Most of the locations are wizards' towers and obviously they do not fit with Thorf/Ramelin's map which was published earlier but done later. Probably the two maps could be merged as the place is not so thick with information, but this could be the work of another day:
Starting from Shraek, the capital, it stands in the middle of a large clearing of about 20 per 20 miles, where none of the local inhabitants has ever taken care however to start grazing and cultivation. The city has about 20,000 inhabitants, and of these we say that at least 12,000 are human and non-human servants. There are golem guards that keeps order in the city, the buildings are almost all black, gray or purple by ancient decree, and part of the poor anyway live beyond wall, which is very thin, black and certainly magical, even if nobody knows when it was built exactly. The nearest village, Males, is home to a magical university renowned for studies of necromancy, magic surgery, demonology and other dark arts. The forest area north of the capital, we speak of an extension of about 60 per 60 miles, is uninhabited. They call it The Ugly Woods and it seems to be infested with terrible monsters and poisonous vapors. It is said that once there was an elven realm, Ilmaryl, fallen before the foundation of Blackheart, more than 1,300 years ago. The Ugly Woods are said to be full of elven ruins, in fact, even if no one has ever been able to explore them because those who enter usually die. North of Lake Shiell there is one of the few Blackheart villages, Enst. It is a quiet fishing village, subjected to the Kilsuth Tower. The current occupant is a young wizard named Estur. From there to the west there are the Hills of the Severed Heads, which run along the rainbow river. Povros is an ancient tower built by a magician, who together with other 8 colleagues, a century ago, participated in a challenge for those who would create the most amazing terrain ... well he created a swamp around his tower. Mekron is inhabited by a large family of wizards. Eneka is a inhabited by a powerful sorceress. The tower of Saath is abandoned. Adera is of a female wizard who trades stones and gems with the Frisland mines to the west. South of the hills, Uzkuzul is a powerful magician who created a moor and a 25 km long acid lake. Missanti, an ancient enemy of Uzkuzul, created a stone forest near her tower. Zentar is an apparently peaceful wizard. The ruins of Qain are the site of an ancient battle between two magicians, a rather dangerous place. Sasime is also an important sorceress, she trades in metals with Frisland. Tailea rules the Hills of the Deep Night, a labyrinth of monster-infested caves, east of her tower. Graek was a magician who built a desert around the tower. His son Kader just killed him. The Xanthus tower is empty. The tower of Belroth to the west of the capital belonged to the king before Xanthus, who died in the cataclysm, and then to his son. The Tevoth tower east of the capital belonged to a follower of Xanthus. Kanzar and Lenissa belong to two council wizards, living in Vertiloch. The Rizeth Tower is surrounded by a kind of rocky desert. Sistari belongs to a powerful sorceress loyal to the Empire. Kelmok and Zudenar are two rival magicians who have been fighting for decades, accusing one another of treason. Seskna is a sorceress who created 20 miles of arid lands around her tower. There she has a sort of city with thousands of slaves. She is rumored to be Xanthus's lover. Sashesti is another dissident council wizard living in Sundsvall. Kulst pretend to be loyal to the Empire. Mikzar is a wizard with a large tribe of humanoids at his service. To the southeast of the capital, here are the Woods of Screams. The tower of Celidna is inhabited by a sorceress with her servants. Enkide is a wizard with many followers. Yliemor is a palace belonging to a circle of 4 wizards. The area to the south is called The Drake Treesbecause, in the place called Drakal resides a dragonkin sorcerer named Lexor Mayr, who has carved himself a sort of private kingdom, repeatedly defeating the wizards of Blackheart. Veskat is another tower surrounded by arid lands. Crezu, further south, is now empty. Azeribal, in the Blood Forest, belongs to a reclusive wizard. Kentozor to a friend of Xanthus. Demadar is a Council magician who has not come to Blackheart recently. Hor Mor is an old ruin of a Blackheart fortress destroyed by elves many years ago. Velkid is inhabited by the family of a wizard who shows loyalty to the Empire. his tower has many inhabitants, not particularly happy with his government. Sheyss is one of the few villages, there are some along the valley of the Elfripple river. Jevein is the tower of a wizard who pretends too to be loyal. Vridim is a magician who controls the village of Javar. Samazar , Kalsid and Kilsith, who dominates the village of Markinn and has a prairie around the tower, are all isolationists friends of Xanthus. Kuth has disappeared. Olmud is a wizard of Randel. Meklat, surrounded by 20 miles of dry areas, is dominated by a powerful sorceress and her family. Vijnar and Dimeramis are more hard liners followers of Xanthus who control the Woods of Fear. Anast is a village that suffers the rule of the local wizards. Vinser is another powerful ally of Xanthus. In addition to these Archmages and their towers the forests are dotted with abandoned towers and many more still occupied towers belonging to about 1,000 less powerful wizards, not all present in Blackheart at any time. There are also about 5,000 wizards of middle to considerable power which live in the capital.