Well, I've just finished updating the ethereal aetherspace map to adapt to the new changes (and using a better recording system than I was before), but I'm a little disappointed that we don't have any beautiful artistic maps for aetherspace yet.

While my contributions are accurate, they aren't exactly stunning to look at, so I'd like to challenge all those wonderful artists we have out there to come up with some nicer versions of cartography. Go wild and be creative! I'll be updating the prime aetherspace map to include the new bubbles over the next week or so, but I'm fairly sure cosmic, elemental and astral remain unchanged. If we're lucky, Estarra might even reward the best designs.

Anyway, here's the basic layout of ethereal to get you started:

Smallish version:


Detailed:


Edit: Updated smallish version.

Theres nothing there?

I heard that he was having quite a few problems with the forums when he was trying to post that.. and I was having problems with the forums as well actually, not sure what went wrong.

Edit:I edited out my edits because they aren't valid anymore, and are only confusing.

Grr, the forums completely crashed while I was trying to post. After an hour, I gave up.

I've added the attachments that were supposed to be there, so all's good again!

Why does it look like a squirrel with a nut?

I would be happy to make a nicer version of the map. however without a good recording device I'm not so sure how possible it is. That thing is just huge, unless you want a non functional pretty map.



All the planes look like things.

Its one of the things I liked about Lusternia "planes" is that they have shaped related to the ideas that they represent.

Apparntly all forests mean squirrels...

I hope they return the Tree aetherbubble.. then your map changes again!

But if it helps to explain what I mean... when I think of lovely cartography I think of this kind of thing:



or even something like



But there's no way I have the artistic/drawing skill to make smooth, pretty maps like that, even with the exact layout of the maps we have.

Where ar the links to your maps in yoru sig?

Oops. Avaerin Aether Cartography

As requested, the descriptions that correspond to each colour on the map -

green = Meandering the ethereal.
Strange shadowy figures swim within the emerald clouds that glitter throughout the space here. As
the aethership skims near each cloud, occasionally the silhouettes come into focus as trees,
flowers, and even dancing fae.

red = Lurching through dimensional shifts.
As the dimensional walls between worlds thin, the aetheric currents here continuously solidify and
dissolve as competing realities assert themselves. The aetherspace itself is cloudy and viscous,
making aethership movement slow and cumbersome.

yellow = Fighting the temporal storms.
Howling streaks of colour buffet the aethership, as it struggles to maintain balance amidst the
temporal storms that whip dangerously around its hull. Small islands of stillness are few and far
away in this tempestuous roiling mass of energy.

Anything with a cross in it (that looks pinky or blackish on the small version) is a solid wall.

Also, from HELP AETHERSPACE ENVIRONMENTS -

When traveling through the aetherways in an aethership, there are several types
of environments that one could encounter. Some environments could slow down the
speed of the aethership while other environments may even increase the speed.
Some of the comment environments:

Flux: Dimensional flux is the most common environment of aetherspace. (purple - moderately fast)

Shift: Dimensional shifts usually indicate that realities are forming, either
from aether bubbles or planes of existence. (red - uberslow)

Slipstream: Slipstreams are the favorite environment of most aethership
captains, as traveling is much faster. (white - uberfast)

Tempest: Aether tempests are quite common, especially near dimensional shifts. (yellow - medium)

Aether: The outer most reaches of aetherspace is simply the aether, which
borders upon the Void itself. (cyan I think, dragon/death territory)

I can take your map and add textures to it if thats what you want?

Ok, well. I decided I'd have a go at making still very simple maps, but updated slightly from what I had before. Here's my astral revision



Along with the plainer, detailed version.

And I hate tentacles. Kethuru should learn to keep them in his damn pants.

Add tentacles to the map!

Hmm, I think I'll leave that for someone else if they really want to add it. Someone who can actually draw.

My attempt:


Done by manually tracing things on Xara, colouring, and adding a few names for particular seas and things in the area.

That is DAMN cool! (And not just because you put my ship name in there )

Unfortunately I've no idea right now of how to make it look more visually appealing.

I think it looks awesome as is. If you don't mind, may I put that on my cartography page?

I've just finished recharting cosmic (which was nice because it is the smallest), and I'll keep the link in my signature.

Avaerin Aether Cartography

can you post the meaning of the white + signs and the black + signs in both celestia and nil aether, please?

Trespassing in Nil Space.
Though the space here is pitch dark, a thick, tainted miasma clings to the sides of the aethership.
Even through the thick hull, a sweltering heat invades the air within. There is an aetherways dock
here connected to a river of lost souls.

Cruising in the Celestial Realms.
Bright golden light suffuses everything around the aethership, as small twinkling stars cluster
nearby. The thick hull cannot completely keep out the angelic voices of a disembodied choir.