Bellissaria!!

Here’s one I only just noticed last night.  Well, I may have noticed years ago, but this project has been going on so long at this point that it’s hard to tell if something is new or just forgotten!

What am I talking about?  There’s a tiny part of Bellissaria’s coastline visible in the corner of the Alatian Islands map!

This is great, because it gives us a much-needed reference for Bellissaria’s exact position in regard to the other parts of the map.

But wait, don’t we already have this on the 72 mile per hex maps?

The simple answer is, no.  The 72 mile per hex maps just don’t line up well with the other maps at all.  Look again at the image above.  Did you think I staggered the 72 mile per hex map in order to show how it should fit?  I’m afraid not.  The placement here is based on a best fit with the Known World and the northern tip of the Isle of Dawn.

The good news is that it’s roughly a hex out.  It turns out that the 72 mile per hex map fits not that badly with the Alatians, as well as Alphatia and the southern Isle of Dawn, if we shift its position.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a perfect placement — lining it nicely with Alphatia puts the others out of sync, and vice versa.

It seems like the best solution here may be to use multiple placements of the 72 mile per hex map to expand the world.  For the far east, it makes more sense to reference it with Alphatia or the Isle of Dawn than with the Known World.  The only remaining question is, which one?

There are three choices.  We can determine the locations of Bellissaria and Esterhold by centring the 72 mile per hex map on the (24 mile per hex) map for:

1. Alphatia
2. Isle of Dawn
3. Alatian Islands

I’m inclined to go with either choice 1 or choice 3.  Alphatia fits well with Dawn of the Emperors‘ 72 mile per hex map, and it’s also the closest major body to both Bellissaria and Esterhold.  On the other hand, the Alatians are the only source to provide a 24 mile per hex reference for Bellissaria, however small it may be.

Thoughts?  Which do you prefer?