An Asian-themed fantasy map for the web novel The Villain's Apprentice by huntress on Wattpad.
About the WEb Novel Behind the Map
Dana, an assistant feature writer of the best-selling newspaper of the country, suddenly finds herself in a parallel world resembling ancient China after she was inspecting a mysterious, ancient book in the restricted section of the city library. In this world, where some people, called 'awakened ones', have qi, where sects and martial arts abound, and where everyday life follows dizzying customs and traditions; in this world, she is called Da Xia and is just being sold as a maidservant to warrior Yong Jie - the main lead of the book. And the only way to go back home seems to be to stick to him and ensure he gets a happy ending with his female lead. But as we all can imagine, things won't be as simple...
What sounds like the up and coming romance-fantasy-adventure drama of 2024 is actually a story called The Villain's Apprentice (on Wattpad) by my absolutely favourite webnovel writer huntress.
Exploring the Map
Best exploring experience is on a big screen because you can see more details there. You can also click on the map itself (works on small screens too, but big ones are better) to get a close up view of the map. Here are some questions or features to look for in the map to get you started with exploring the map:
First of all, if you have read the web novel, can you trace Dana's and Yong Jie's journey?
Can you locate the five Sects of the Chun Empire?
Where are the tombs of the empire's royal family located?
HINT: A city near the capital is named after it.
SOLUTION: At the City of Everlasting Peace in North Mountain Country.
HINT: A city near the capital is named after it.
SOLUTION: At the City of Everlasting Peace in North Mountain Country.
Where does the Chun Empire get their salt from?
HINT: In ancient times, salt was as precious as gold.
SOLUTION: From the White Gold City in Middle Lake Country.
HINT: In ancient times, salt was as precious as gold.
SOLUTION: From the White Gold City in Middle Lake Country.
If you wanted to set up a herb trading business, would you invest in ships or carriages for transportation? What if you wanted to set up a fox fur business instead?
HINT: Moving cargo on ships, even smaller river ships, is much more efficient than using carriages, as bigger volumes can be transported.
SOLUTION: In ships for herb trade since there is a direct water way from the City of Herbs to Grand Jade City, and into carriages for fox fur, as there is no direct waterway connection.
HINT: Moving cargo on ships, even smaller river ships, is much more efficient than using carriages, as bigger volumes can be transported.
SOLUTION: In ships for herb trade since there is a direct water way from the City of Herbs to Grand Jade City, and into carriages for fox fur, as there is no direct waterway connection.
Your family lives in the capital Grand Jade City. Your aunt is worried because her son hasn't come back home in days. He is nowhere to be found in the city's pleasure houses, gambling dens, etc. that he likes to frequent, either. You know he doesn't like to travel beyond North Mountain Country. Where would you go look for him?
HINT: He found a pleasure house outside Grand Jade City.
SOLUTION: In the City of Joy in North Mountain Country.
HINT: He found a pleasure house outside Grand Jade City.
SOLUTION: In the City of Joy in North Mountain Country.
Where to find an active volcano with flowing lava?
HINT: A village is named after the lava flowing from the volcano.
SOLUTION: On Phoenix Island near Earth Fire Village.
HINT: A village is named after the lava flowing from the volcano.
SOLUTION: On Phoenix Island near Earth Fire Village.
Thanks
Huntress' stories were what pulled me into the AFF community and subsequently dramaland more than a decade ago. Her stories and the community there were what kept me sane during my years at university. Thus, I still can't believe I actually got to make a map for her now; it is such an honour! I had lots of fun making it: taking a deep-dive into the story, the world she created, and letting my own imagination run wild in it! Thank you, dear huntress, for giving me this opportunity!!! And also for being patient with me, since it took such a long time to finally finish it! ❤️
Credits
Huntress provided me a detailed account of the various geographical elements that feature in her story, including how they are spatially related and with hints regarding vegetation, climate or special features. For example: "At the eastern part beyond one of the roads of Merchant Silk Trail is the Molten Iron village which is a village at the at the bottom of a gorge with a steep, rocky path (it’s at the bottom of a cliff). The village has a stream passing through it. The northern and southern part of the village are lined by dense trees." She also gave me feedback on the drafts I made based on this account and regarding the look-and-feel of the map. As for coming up with names for places that were not mentioned in the story, I was left with quite a lot of creative freedom. The table below lists all the place names, their credits, and the worldbuilding considerations behind them (if I know them).
Sources
The map was created using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Most of the map was painted by myself using a Wacom drawing pad. However, I have used a few brushes from StarRaven's Sketchy Cartography Brushes and the Simple Ink Map Brushes pack, if only as inspiration.
