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When Polygon last spoke to Critical Role’s co-founders about Campaign 4, we couldn’t help but bring up a much-anticipated and requested feature that hadn’t yet been revealed in the first 25 episodes: a map. Despite Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan’s elegance in describing the world of Aramán, particularly the bustling city of Dol-Makjar, Critters had yet to see a world or city map.
“That seems like an oversight on our part,” Taliesin Jaffe previously told Polygon, swearing that not only did one exist, but that it was beautiful. Now, after many months of waiting, we can confirm that Jaffe wasn’t exaggerating: there is indeed a map of Dol-Makjar, and it’s absolutely ethereal.
The map was shared via the official Critical Role website in Campaign 4’s lore section. It’s not easy to find, as you’ll have to slide till the very last entry in the “Dol-Makjar” section. The city has been beautifully illustrated by artist, game producer, designer, and cartographer Andy Law. Law has worked with Critical Role previously on creating maps for official content, such as the Tal’Dorei continent for Critical Role’s campaign setting book, Tal’Dorei Reborn.
One of the greatest fantasy authors of all time, J.R.R. Tolkien, once wrote in a letter to a fellow novelist that to design his world, he “wisely started with a map,” because to do otherwise would “land one in confusions and impossibilities.” Despite Mulligan’s wonderful narration of Dol-Makjar, from the rushing waters of the Vrosh to the intricately detailed, artistically aligned district of the Rookery, the visual side of the city may be hard to imagine for some.
The new map, however, provides a wealth of insight into Dol-Makjar that we didn’t have before. For one thing, it captures just how massive the city is. No wonder the Schemers’ table is so exhausted; they’re literally running back and forth from multiple ends of the city every day!
The map also reveals 16 districts, and with this visual aid, we can see how status and class affect their locations. We know from previous episodes that the Tanners, a district that you can see south of the city’s map, is known to be seedy and underdeveloped, where dark deeds are as likely to happen in the open as they are behind closed doors. The buildings there are closed in and ramshackle, whereas if you look towards Villa Aurora — the location of the religious sect the Candescent Creed and home of House Halovar — it is far more inviting, nestled among places like Dol-Makjar Castle and the famous Lloy Estate.
Our biggest delight, however, is to finally see Halandil Fang’s famous amphitheater, the Hallowed Round. Just outside Dol-Makjar’s southern walls, the sheer size of it on the map highlights just how grandiose Hal’s theater company is — and gives us some level of visual insight into just how monumental his play — which several of the Sundered Houses have been invited to witness — will be in future episodes of Critical Role Campaign 4.
The reveal of a city map will have cartography-loving Critters nerding out for weeks, and with a map as intricately designed as this, we can hardly blame them.
