Weary travellers curse the icy gales; steep, muddy tracks and thin air. Their choicest profanities, they save for the indefatigable mountainfolk who nimbly traverse the precipitous ledges at pace.
Tensions rise and hands drift towards wands and blades when they reach the switchback, steeper and more exposed to the elements, there is the added uncertainty of what lies around the bend, bandits, giants or the ever sought warm camp.
Hi
This is our Switchback set, 16 maps ...
2023-09-17 00:24:59 +0000 UTC
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The Magistrate’s justice is swift, for the lucky few who die resisting arrest. For the rest, justice moves at the Magistrate’s chosen own pace. Squalid cells, starvation, beatings and leg breaking interrogations welcome prisoners. Crucifixion, boiling, flaying and drowning are some of the ways the Magistrate bids sayonara. Of course, nobles can get redemption with a swift beheading to end their seppuku.
As an added torture, the sounds of music, laughter and feasting can...
2023-08-31 12:57:42 +0000 UTC
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Snarling, underfed curs greet visitors to the ramshackle assortment of shacks and huts. Dank smoke from the damp wood fires sits in the air. Stronger than the smoke's aroma, the stench of human waste overpowers the senses. While official maps show this is within the Empire, tax collectors don't come round here. Known outlaws are among the surly locals. They have little time and even fewer words for strangers.
The crone in the central hut runs the show, no business goes down...
2023-08-17 12:17:02 +0000 UTC
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The boom of the taiko drums and accompanying chants are clear to the passersby outside the walls. The smiling, dancing priests greet visitors with a joke and a wave inside. Popular with the youth and unnerving to devotees of the more serene temples, the Temple of the Phoenix revels in its ethos of peace, great luck, and rebirth. All are welcome to the appointed revels, determined by an enigmatic lunar and seasonal formula. Cynics say the day of the next celebration is decided when the high pr...
2023-07-30 13:40:11 +0000 UTC
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Surrounded by huge jade boulders, approaching the Jade Pools is akin to travelling between worlds. Emanating serenity, cool on even searing summer days, the alluring pools draw visitors in. There is an edge to the peace though, a water dragon, golden scales glistening, coiled on a lone boulder radiates power. A living statue, or just a statue, one cannot tell. Impervious to mundane and enchanted tools, unaffected by spells, she sits unmoving. One legend states she awaits the return of her...
2023-07-20 13:04:40 +0000 UTC
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The mountain range stands as an impenetrable barrier to most, providing better fortifications than anything hewn by hand or conjured by spell. Skilled mountaineers make use of the range for hideouts, swift travel, foraging and an invigorating swim in the icy tarns.
Here is our Mountain Tarn set. Variants for all seasons, Feudal Japan, River, Fey, Jungle and the Heart of the Mountain are included in the 22 maps. As always, our maps are available with and without grids and as hig...
2023-06-30 13:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Encased in spiked iron plates, smoke spewing from its draconic masthead, the arrival of the Turtle Ship strikes fear in the hearts of its foes. Packing a brutal array of cannons, faster than its namesake and more manoeuvrable than a fortress has a right to be, the fear is well founded.
Mere rumour of the arrival of a Turtle Ship reduces piracy in an area and the Admiral's fleet has vanquished all rivals.
Hi
This is our Korean Turtle Ship map set, suggested ...
2023-06-24 13:19:04 +0000 UTC
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With dusk approaching, the adventurers hurry on to reach the town before nightfall. The rickety old bridge gives the first hint all is not as promised. Crossing the bridge, deathly silence and dilapidated buildings greet them.
A dearth of cursing fishmongers, no jolly bald barkeeps, a distinct lack of dour samurai haggling with nervous merchants and, somewhat of a relief, zero pious priests glaring disapprovingly at the sinners of the world.
Where are the peo...
2023-06-16 12:48:49 +0000 UTC
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No charge for this update.
Hi
Last month we had a covid diversion and so only brought out two maps. In appreciation of your patience before we drop our the next set, here are updated maps for the Akigawa set. We added some interior maps and have corrected the grids.
Cheers to you wonderful people.
Ame Kuma
2023-06-11 12:42:10 +0000 UTC
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So the twig is bent...*
The Forest Free Folk were trapped between the Unseelie Hordes and the wide raging rapids. Unable to negotiate calm waters with the River Gods, the Fey Spirits combined to tear a twig from the world tree and hurl it across the waters. After the Hordes were pushed back, the bridge remained, resistant to storms, fires and floods, becoming a central pathway across the woods. Dwarven miners were engaged to create the bridge village.
Hi,
T...
2023-05-28 11:16:33 +0000 UTC
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The dwarven Arch Mage Majnarg built the Wizards' Sanctum after dragons toppled the majestic Tower of the Wizarding Conclave, the third conclave tower trashed in a century. The Sanctum, whereabouts unclear is probably deep underground. Said, at the time of construction, to be warded beyond reason, it is still around centuries after Majnarg left this mortal plane.
Access to the Sanctum is by invitation only. The price of admission is usually an addition to the already vast co...
2023-05-14 13:14:01 +0000 UTC
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The Harbour is an entity unto itself. A perpetual hive of chaos, overlaid by a kaleidoscope of mostly malign aromas and a cacophony of sound.
Teeming with junks and sampans, mooring points are at a premium. Profanities are exchanged as vessels collide with each other, in the rush to secure a berth. The dockmaster, glares at all arrivals while scribbling into the ledger. Mooring fees are paid promptly to avoid goods seizure or the suspension of dock access.
Th...
2023-04-30 12:13:35 +0000 UTC
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Incongruously defiant, the Gateway gleams on the side of the rocky crag. Lit at all hours by ever burning braziers, the darkness within beckons, enticing the adventurous inside.
Few get out and even fewer make it out intact, sane, unpossessed or living. Those rare survivors return loaded with loot. If they manage to get back to town without being robbed of their gains, they have wealth to last many lifetimes, or at least until wanderlust takes them to their next adventure.<...
2023-04-22 07:26:13 +0000 UTC
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While the philosopher may say the Pen is mightier than the Sword, in reality, twelve quill armed academics are no match for one samurai wielding a tamahagane steel katana. Not to say the blade precludes its wielder from philosophising. Quite the contrary, the finer the blade, the greater the custodian’s scope to express their views.
The tamahagane steel is smelted on site, despite the risks. The swords are cast, honed, inscribed and sharpened to a razor’s edge. More tha...
2023-04-12 11:27:35 +0000 UTC
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When Titans battle Leviathans of the Deep, all manner of flotsam washes ashore. Chief among the beachcomber scavengers are the Fae-folk of Shuckton who claim the largest and sturdiest cockles and conches as their own. A little magic for transport. A bit more enchantment to clean and remove the rotting seafood aroma. Some fairy dust to join them to their feywood frames. Finally, and most bizarrely a solid bout of hand and spit polishing to bring out the natural bling. One more home in the ...
2023-03-30 12:21:09 +0000 UTC
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Rising above the sea, the sheer immensity of the stone docks and stairs to the Seagate are visible from afar. Getting closer, the docks are a hive of activity.
Under the relentless impassive, gaze of the stone guardians and the suspicious glare of the flesh soldiers, merchants and sailors dart about peddling wares and loading ships.
The telescope inspects all vessels long before they are in range of the ballista. In days like these, the first a captain knows ...
2023-03-19 10:55:25 +0000 UTC
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Tired of stale mochi, watery sake and more of the same tales?
Time to skip the tavern and go straight to the Kabuki Theatre.
Fine cuisine and beverages await the lucky visitors. All this and a show that must be seen to be believed. Actors who famously graced the Imperial Court perform outrageous tales of old and fresh satire. Amazing props, grand dancing and incredible costumes. Bring a friend and have the night of your life.
Hi
Here is our K...
2023-03-11 03:24:54 +0000 UTC
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Deep in primordial wilderness, guarded by ancient hexerei and zealous devotees, lies the Heart of the Forest. Neither gentle nor malicious, the Heart empowers the spirits and denizens of the woodland realm. As with any heart, its health is linked to the body it feeds. When the timberlands fall, so too the Heart is corrupted...
Hi
This is our Heart of the Forest map set. 15 maps in all, variants including peaceful spring, dazzling night, toxic corruption, unseelie and unde...
2023-02-27 07:31:23 +0000 UTC
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Welcome one and all to the Royal Tourney of the Spring Equinox.
Step up and show your skills, lest you be called craven. To avoid a thrashing, squires are advised to check the lists and ensure their masters know when they are up.
The day opens with the melee. No entry allowed after the horn sounds thrice.
Keep off the archery range during the contest lest one’s body interferes with the flight of an arrow. Youths collecting overshot arrows are...
2023-02-19 07:46:12 +0000 UTC
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Ageless or well-aged, the Hermit has always been there. Brewing tea with the same care as he manicures his grove. Prized across the Empire, his bonsai are gifted, not sold and there is no discernible pattern to the eclectic mix of recipients.
Rumours abound, is this a god amongst men, a cult leader, master of a secret society or an accursed eternal madman? The knowing smile behind the long white beard hints the answer is yes.
Hello
Here is our Bonsai Hermit...
2023-02-16 12:07:08 +0000 UTC
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Welcome good sages. Please sign into the visitor journal. Of course the journal is protected from nefarious soul snatchers, we don’t abide those types. Feel free to view and study the Orrery though we advise you to stay out of the pools, they are deeper than they seem. Alchemists are catered for on the West, past the Phlogiston Dais, always best to give an “Ahoy” before entering to avoid wandering into toxic fumes or explosions.
The stairs to the North take you ...
2023-01-28 06:26:56 +0000 UTC
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Perfectly tended with lashings of chaos, the Garden is an apothecary’s delight. At the right time of night or day, in the correct seasons all the missing ingredients can be found. The gardeners’ price for access is the challenge. Gold is rarely the currency of the Feywild. Some harvesters choose to bypass permission and take what they want. There are many tales, not all apocryphal, of the punishments meted out for such ill-mannered snatching.
Hi
This is our Fey Garden...
2023-01-21 11:34:56 +0000 UTC
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The wide, charming strip of expensive wares and entertainment is a world removed from the crowded, odorous, hustle and bustle of the common markets. Here the wealthy stroll in silk kimonos protected from the elements by marvellous parasols. The owners bow low when they welcome their clientele, to their exquisitely maintained premises.
The small theatre provides its select audience with intimate shows, worthy of the Imperial Court. The tranquillity of the tea ceremony puts m...
2023-01-12 06:26:03 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-12 02:15:09 +0000 UTC
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As per the title, this is where new 2023 Maps will be added.
2023-01-12 02:14:04 +0000 UTC
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As per the title, this is where new 2023 Maps will be added.
2023-01-12 02:12:08 +0000 UTC
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High amongst the canopy, above the dangers of the dark forest floor, the Treehouse Inn offers travellers sunlight, comfort and, (occasionally) safety. Have a meal, exchange war stories, watch the bards try and perform their way into a free night. Ponder the uncanny resemblance of the balding jolly Innkeeper to Innkeepers at the previous three Inns. Leave refreshed the next day and don't think too much about not remembering how you found the Inn or that now you have left you can't re...
2022-12-29 02:18:00 +0000 UTC
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Merry Christmas, happy holidays.
Free maps in place of a Christmas card.
Have an amazing 2023.
Extra eggnog and cheer to our incredible patrons.
The Ame Kuma Team
2022-12-24 00:57:49 +0000 UTC
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After a day of stirges, zombie crocodiles and swamp witches, things take a turn for the freaky with the skulls and bones encased in the trees, are they moving? There is relief and some celebration on discovering the dragon skeleton that at least the dragon is dead. The ranger ruins that euphoria after a quick check of the bones and surrounds. The dragon is not long dead. Probably whatever killed and ate it is not far away. The bard disagrees and tells a tale of a dragon who died of a brok...
2022-12-23 23:30:58 +0000 UTC
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Deep amongst the bamboo forest, blessed waters lie at the site where the Ki-rin Shyougama, Mountain Guardian, ascended back to her celestial home. The monks who followed her built the shrine and golden pavilion to honour her. The Legend says, when the mountains are threatened, she returns to defend her realm.
Hi
Here is our Golden Ki-rin Pavilion map set.
19 maps in all including day, night, winter, bamboo glade, golden and wooden pavilion variants. Plenty of ...
2022-12-13 06:13:09 +0000 UTC
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