Santharian Development

The Santharian Members Council has made a decision on the subject of "Granting Masterwork Permission for Smee" and has concluded its voting with a positive result for the aspiring member in question! While the circumstance of Smee's regular presence is improvable, the contributions of Smee cover a vast variety of works, ranging from Places entries to map drawings, beasts, plants and even a spell. Plus Smee returns to the Dream regularly, so with other words: Smee has earned his right to work on a masterwork, which should eventually get him into the official Santharian membership ranks! Congrats, Smee!  :thumbup:

Congrats. Smee. :D

Yeah, congrats from me, too.

*sigh* Ah s'pose vis means ah'll av ter fink o' summat else t'give as a prezzy now. Ah'm runnin' out o' ideas, tha nose.

Congratulations, Smee!

Congratulations Smee

Goodluck Smee, I look forward to seeing what you choose for your masterwork.

Woohoo! Congratulations Smee!  ;)

Many thanks to the Council for the opportunity (I think  ;) ) and similar thanks for the kind words of support.

I know my presence in the dream is 'varied' at best, and as such I never expected to reach the point of contemplating a masterwork. I was content to flit in and out doing entries as and when time permits (*eyes Genani, as she stands there stubbornly unfinished*).

However,with the offer before me I can't help but feel tempted. It may take a year (or two... *cough*) but a masterpiece you shall have! Many thanks again for the opportunity.

Happy Dreaming. :)

P.S There may have to be a discussion about membership though - yellow simply isn't my colour. Perhaps blue? *grins* 

Think of the membership colour as 'gold'?

Heartfelt congratulations from me, too! I look forward to what you come up with for your masterwork.

come now, everything looks better in yellow.... (oh! idea for another small wriggly thing!)  :grin:
Congratulations Smee! can't wait to see what you come up with. :)

Thanks you two.  :grin:

I have one idea that has bubbled up. But I'll hold off revealing it until I have another as I want to explore other possibilities too.

To that end I welcome ideas from people - as Arti noted I've dabbled in quite a few areas and entry types so I'm open to most things.

Well Masterworks are typically larger place, people or tribe/race entries so exploring in any of those areas might be a good place to start. 

Masterworks have tended to be a bit more involved lately. Although a place, person or tribe/race is seen as the norm due to the length and amount of research involved, a masterwork can also be a story, myth or misc item. Don't get too bogged down trying to choose and neither get too involved in a huge entry that it takes you months and months to complete.

Most important: Choose something that interests YOU and not something that is long and involved just for the sake of it.

I agree with Azhira. In principle, any type of entry can be a masterwork, in my opinion. What counts for me is quality, originality, and fit into the Santharian dream. Seth's masterwork was a Bestiary entry, the Hiveling, which has turned out to be a fruitful innovation that has since inspired other compendiumists to make it a central element of their own stories and myths.

Smee, I find it difficult to make suggestions for your  masterwork. As Azhira said, the most important thing is that it's something you want to do, and feel is worth putting sustained effort into.

But if you let us know your idea(s), I'm sure lack of comments and offers of help won't be your problem.

You're both right, it should be something I really want to do.

And so I've chosen.

It's something I've thought about before, and I think will be a significant contribution to the Dream. It's an opinion I know others share that maps really help bring out the creativity and imagination. They help spark ideas and visualise areas like nothing else. And it's not surprising that most of my works have been in either Manthria or the Scattersand Shoals - the two places in the dream with detailed maps.

When I last came back after a longer away period I noticed a group were busy working on one area, getting lots of ideas together. That work has kind of fizzled a bit now, but I'm sure will start up again at some point. And when that happens I would like them to be able to work from a more concrete guide.

As such, with Council approval, I have decided that my Masterwork will be a manthria-style map of the Xaramon region.

I attach a small sample of some work I did towards this a while ago.

(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b31/SmeeDyer/XaramonOutline.jpg)

It will be a large undertaking, as Arti for one knows only too well after his efforts on the Manthrian map. I will need a lot of input from a variety of people on places, names, areas, borders, roads, and a hundred other things I'm sure. Thankfully I have Mina's excellent map as a starting point.

I think it's time Ximax and other local places finally get themselves mapped out.

I welcome all thoughts :)

Personally, I love this idea for a masterwork.  I think it will require alot of work but as you say Smee it will be soooo useful.  You picked a great region too.

Wow, that's quite an endeavour, Smee! :grin:

Keep in mind that a Manthria supersized map is waaaay larger than the Scattersand Shoals, and I needed several months to get the Manthrian map done, but then again a lot of time was spent on actually drawing/re-adjusting certain mountains, finding ground textures, work on getting the right look for items like houses, trees, and so on... - I'm a bit wiser now, but it's still a challenge, even for me!

Nevertheless, seeing how you mastered the Scattersand Shoals map, I know you've got the hang of it and can definitely tackl another map project. There is a map Mina provided, though I'm not sure if it's detailed enough, but what's missing or needed to define in more detail will become apparent as you work your way through...

So yup, I'd say: Just give it a try and see how far we get! :cool: I can try contributing certain textures, items, mountain designs, fix things etc. where we need it and help to bring the effort along. With other words: Let's give it a try! :thumbup:

I think it's a wonderful idea, Smee, and if you pull it off, it would really be a major contribution to the dream that might inspire many further entries, stories, and roleplaying adventures.

The only disadvantage I see is that Altario will feel threatened, as he is currently the record holder for 'Longest Time Spent Composing a Masterwork'. But as Arti said: you can see how far you get, and if the map takes very long and you want to become a member quicker, you could still change your mind and write a more conventional masterwork entry, while keeping the map alive as a long-term project.

Anyway, you've got my enthusiastic approval!

Great idea Smee! :)

Approved, approved! I have a particular fascination with Xaramon (Ximax City, the Academy, an unfinished Arwoods entry somewhere...)

And, as coincidence would have it...I am planning a Xaramon-related entry now! An update on the Shivering Woods (but Ashfell Spire got my attention first...)

 :thumbup: :thumbup:

 :clap: