Map of the Kingdom of Aël

This hand-drawn map depicts the Kingdom of Aël, a realm born in my childhood imagination. Back then, it was called Eilburg – a place that never left my mind. Over the years, I kept redrawing and refining it, from my early sketches as a boy, through my teenage years, to this finished piece as a professional illustrator. Created with pencil and watercolour, and lettered in ink calligraphy, it is both a journey back to where it all began and a glimpse into a world that exists only on paper – yet feels very real to me.

North of the Kingdom of Aël lies the realm of Forgoth, ruled with an iron hand by the despotic Magardoth. Its capital, grimly known as the City of Death, rises from the bleak lands like a curse upon the earth. At its heart stands a towering black-and-blue keep — Magardoth’s palace, cold and unyielding as its master.

Fortunately, Aël is spared much of his reach, shielded by the soaring mountains and the dense, treacherous forest of the enigmatic wizard Pallatio — a place few dare to cross.

Where the River Aël cuts through the mountains stands the Statue of the Guardian, ever watchful over the Kingdom of Aël. Ancient enchantments lie upon it: should Forgoth ever dare to strike, the Guardian will awaken to aid Aël in driving back Magardoth’s armies.

At the mouth of the River Aël, beneath the thundering cascade of a vast waterfall, lies the kingdom’s capital, spread across both banks. The river’s mouth is spanned by the longest and greatest bridge in the world — not merely a crossing, but a monumental multi-storey structure housing a sprawling bazaar. It would be hailed as one of the wonders of the world, were it not for the floating palace.

Perched upon a levitating isle whose mystery has eluded even the most learned scholars, the palace is home to Queen Alondula II. In Aël, airships drift through the skies as a common means of travel, making it no challenge at all to reach the palace itself.

For more than forty years, Queen Alondula II has ruled Aël with wisdom and a rare spirit of liberty. She had not been destined for the throne — until, in her youth, tragedy struck: her elder sister fell from the floating palace to her death. To this day, no one knows the hand behind the murder.