How Was the Map Created?

I know there was a map.  Then the devs overlaid some sort of "fractal map" on top of the map.  But how did they create the original map?  Was it hand drawn or was there code to create that?  How did they create the "fractal overlay".  Was it based on Perlin Noise or some other type of fractal algorithm?  Did they use separate fractal overlays for land height, tree density, soil moisture, etc...?  How did they create lakes and rivers?  Did they develop a technique to create those from a fractal algorithm too or were they hand drawn?

The Devs tore its raw elements from the Aether and forged it from will alone.  They first wrought the ancient montains and the deep places of Illyriad, then the seas of the south and the rivers that flow accross the land.  Next, they hung the sun and the moon in the heavens, and causes great forests and grasslands to grow across the land.  They then created the creatures of the world, the spiders and wolves and fish and birds, and set the lines of mana surging accross the realms, which in turn created new creatures undreamed of even by the Devs.  Still, the world's creators felt it was not yet complete, and so finally created the five great races, the elves they grew from the wood of the trees themselves, the dwarves were hewn from the stone of the mountains, the orcs they molded from mud and clay.  Another race they formed from the strongest iron, though it has been lost to time, and few remember it once existed.  The Devs looked upon these creations and saw that while each was strong in its own way, their weaknesses would cripple them even more, and none would achieve the perfection the Devs sought.  And so the Devs created a fifth race, humans, weaving together the wood, the iron, the stone and the clay in equal measures.  And thus the world of Illyriad came to be.  The exact methods the Devs may have used, I suspect, would be too arcane for a mortal to even speculate on.

Edited by Aurordan - 03 Apr 2012 at 20:00

Salararius wrote: The devs also created a forum, with distinct sub-forums for discussions on "Technology & data" and "Travelers Tales"...

I believe they started with fractals and then did manual modifications.  Or rather, started with a hand-drawn map, then added fractals, then did manual modifications.  Doesn't it address that in the forum post?

sorry, I meant the blog.