I wonder how much geometry Liavan knows? If she thinks of it (or talks to a surveyor) she could do a fairly quick survey in a hurry.
She'd need something along the lines of a theodolite (even an astrolabe and a cross-staff would work in a pinch, a quadrant would be better, so would a sextant).
Measure a baseline with as much accuracy as she can and place markers at each end (if she can, a large flat stone that goes at least a foot deep and has a mark in the center is best). An arrow indicating true north would be good as well.
Assuming a theodolite, she can place it over the marker with the plumb bob hanging down. Move the tripod until the bob is directly over the mark.
Align the "compass ring" so the zero mark is pointing true north (that's why you want the arrow :-)
Then pick various landmarks and measure the angle from true north and write it down.
Repeat from the other end of the baseline. Then some "simple" trig will give the distances and let you place then on a map.
Even just a protractor and a ruler will let you place them on the map fairly well.
Go to each of the landmarks and use the theodolite to take and record sighting of all the other landmark you can see from there, and add any you couldn't see from the baseline.
Repeat as necessary to cover the territory you want to map.
oops. I forgot. It goes better with an assistant to hold a marker at each landmark so you have something to sight on more accurately.
Liavan could erect some sort of pole for that purpose. Heck, she could probably create benchmark stones at each location and use something to place the poles over them.
For *her* getting between the landmarks is not a large problem with her travel spell.
So she could get a not that bad map fairly quickly.
At some point, she or someone else would need to go out (and this *does* take two people) and use a surveyor's chain or the like to accurately measure the distance between the chosen landmarks.
That will give a *very* accurate map. (that's essentially how they did it up until well into the 20th century).
But just recording the angles from various points and trying to plot them on a map will give something much better than most medieval maps.
Me? I'd start out with trying to find the boundary markers for her land. There will be *something* listed as part of the legal description of the land.
Get those plotted (and erect survey poles if necessary) then work from them.
First priority is making sure of the boundaries and where he house is. After that, plotting things like the roads, streams, etc as well as any significant landmarks.
Then comes rough plots of land features. Grasslands, forests, etc. Swamps, fens, and the like go in at that point.
I'm sure that as she gets to it she'll be adding locations of various plants she has use for, as well as noting where various animals are likely to be encountered.
If done something like this, her map will start as a web of bearings for the plotted landmarks.
Depending on what sort of "steps" she takes to move between the landmarks, she can note vegetation and land features along the narrow strip between survey points.
That'll expand the web by broadening the lines, and adding rough detail.
filling in the details for the holes in the web will take some time and be the most hazardous part I'd think.
no subject
I wonder how much geometry Liavan knows? If she thinks of it (or talks to a surveyor) she could do a fairly quick survey in a hurry.
She'd need something along the lines of a theodolite (even an astrolabe and a cross-staff would work in a pinch, a quadrant would be better, so would a sextant).
Measure a baseline with as much accuracy as she can and place markers at each end (if she can, a large flat stone that goes at least a foot deep and has a mark in the center is best). An arrow indicating true north would be good as well.
Assuming a theodolite, she can place it over the marker with the plumb bob hanging down. Move the tripod until the bob is directly over the mark.
Align the "compass ring" so the zero mark is pointing true north (that's why you want the arrow :-)
Then pick various landmarks and measure the angle from true north and write it down.
Repeat from the other end of the baseline. Then some "simple" trig will give the distances and let you place then on a map.
Even just a protractor and a ruler will let you place them on the map fairly well.
Go to each of the landmarks and use the theodolite to take and record sighting of all the other landmark you can see from there, and add any you couldn't see from the baseline.
Repeat as necessary to cover the territory you want to map.
oops. I forgot. It goes better with an assistant to hold a marker at each landmark so you have something to sight on more accurately.
Liavan could erect some sort of pole for that purpose. Heck, she could probably create benchmark stones at each location and use something to place the poles over them.
For *her* getting between the landmarks is not a large problem with her travel spell.
So she could get a not that bad map fairly quickly.
At some point, she or someone else would need to go out (and this *does* take two people) and use a surveyor's chain or the like to accurately measure the distance between the chosen landmarks.
That will give a *very* accurate map. (that's essentially how they did it up until well into the 20th century).
But just recording the angles from various points and trying to plot them on a map will give something much better than most medieval maps.
Me? I'd start out with trying to find the boundary markers for her land. There will be *something* listed as part of the legal description of the land.
Get those plotted (and erect survey poles if necessary) then work from them.
First priority is making sure of the boundaries and where he house is. After that, plotting things like the roads, streams, etc as well as any significant landmarks.
Then comes rough plots of land features. Grasslands, forests, etc.
Swamps, fens, and the like go in at that point.
I'm sure that as she gets to it she'll be adding locations of various plants she has use for, as well as noting where various animals are likely to be encountered.
If done something like this, her map will start as a web of bearings for the plotted landmarks.
Depending on what sort of "steps" she takes to move between the landmarks, she can note vegetation and land features along the narrow strip between survey points.
That'll expand the web by broadening the lines, and adding rough detail.
filling in the details for the holes in the web will take some time and be the most hazardous part I'd think.
hope my ramblings prove useful. :-)