Cartographer’s Tools

“On my journey to the distant shores of Uthuria, we had a cartographer on board. He was no warrior, but his maps proved invaluable—we never got lost.”
-Pelleas of Pailos, Cyclopean warrior, modern

All manner of adventurers—from scholars and seafarers to thieves and guardians of the law—often find themselves in want of a map. While an overview sketch can be quickly drawn, a good map requires more than paper and writing tools. Cartographers need a ruler, a divider, different colored inks, a good light source, and a knife (though this last item is merely to keep the quill or pencil sharp). The divider and ruler help measure distances and transfer them to the map, so that the map’s scale remains consistent.

Aventurian scholars often argue over what constitutes a good map. Questions arise regarding which feature to place at the center of a world map, and which cardinal direction to set at the top of the map. Arguments over the latter point (which almost always focus on whether North or South belongs at the top) lead to heated confrontations. It is true that many map makers still place South at the top, but only because the Aventurian compass (commonly known as a south pointer) always points to the South Star.