The Dwarven City of Bharzul - Hi-Res City Map by Marco Bernardini (Patreon)

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This map was created by the incomparable Marco Bernardini. Marco has been working on it for several months, and you can see much of the work in progress on his Twitter account (links below).

The amount of detail and thought Marco put into this piece is unbelievable and many of his ideas directly influenced my own work. I strongly recommend you download the hi-res versions of this map and zoom in. You can easily get absorbed exploring the city.

In the downloads you can find the full version of Marco's map, as well as variants without the title blocks if you wish to rename the city, and with a Map Key highlighting the locations of my Bharzul Battlemap series

Background

Bharzul is uniquely located within the Dawn Lands of Cartosia. Behind the city’s northern wall is the great Moribund Sea, filled with all manner of pirates, dangerous beasts and unknown leviathans. To the East and West are the Epicouatl mountains, impassable save for a few known routes many hundreds of miles away. Directly to the South is an almost sheer drop for thousands of feet.

A narrow, carved stone stair, known as the Steps of Agony, winds its way up the southern cliffside, but it is constantly soaked in spray from the Moribund Falls, making it treacherous at best. Any approach to the city is deadly, making it one of the best protected places on the continent.

Despite this, the dwarves have spent centuries perfecting their own methods of defence, should the natural barriers ever prove ineffective. While visitors are permitted if they can make the journey, particularly for trade, the native dwarves and their kin almost never leave. They have watched civilisation completely crumble around them twice in their history and know that their impenetrable citadel is all that saved them from the same fate.

The current King of Bharzul is Braun Lodbrook VII. Like many of his kin, he is wary of outsiders. However the wealth of Bharzul relies largely on trade with others so visitors to the city are allowed, although closely watched. Lodbrook is secretly building a fleet of airships deep within the palace, using new technology taken from the Machinists Guild. A few of these have been sent out to patrol the skies above the city in an apparent test of their capabilities, but no one outside the council of five know his true intent for them.

Resolution

• Size - 22x17 inches
• Print Resolution - 6600x5100
• VTT Resolution - 3080x2380
• Recommended Print Size - A2/ANSI C

Collaborator

Marco Bernardini

Marco is a freelancer cartographer from Italy, with a passion for highly detailed and painterly-like, colorful maps. He's worked with clients such as Wizard of the Coast, Paizo, Beadle&Grimm's and Panini Comics. He is also a full time Dungeon Master, Cat Dad and Cooking Lover!

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