*6/21/19 - Still pending additional updating! As of now, this only includes location parallels that are the most relevant to Ch. 78 - 80, along with some basic assumptions for calculating distances and travel times for this fic. Directions to a viewable map for this fic as well as elaboration on the parallels is still forthcoming. (That is, I worked late tonight and ran out of time to finish & scan the map before it was time to post the promised Ch 79, so this Appendix will be updated soon...just not tonight.)*
Appendix A:
Maps, Location Parallels, and Calculating Travel Time
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Most relevant parallels for Ch 78 & 79:
For the purposes of this fic, the location of the Fortress of Níþdraca (the Fortress of the Fisher King in the Perilous Lands) corresponds roughly to the modern city of Leeds (in West Yorkshire, UK).
The underground river and cave network correspond to the River Aire, which cuts a meandering 15-mile route southeast from Leeds to the town of Castleford before the River Caulder joins from the west and the combined river flows eastward (though not currently through a ravine). After fording the river there, Arthur, Merlin, and the knights crossed a plain and ended up in the Forest of Engred.
The place in the Forest of Engred where Arthur learns that Merlin is Balinor's son corresponds roughly to the modern location of Pontefract, roughly a league southeast of Castleford. Pontefract is a municipality whose history stretches back to the Middle Ages and whose name translates from French to English as "broken bridge." Scattered across this area are a number of small areas designated as "ancient woods," according to conservation standards in the UK, from which I'm extrapolating a larger, contiguous ancient wood that might have covered most of that area a thousand years ago.
My favorite factoid from my research and map-geekery is Pontefract's town motto (a reference to Charles II and the English Civil War), "Post mortem patris pro filio," which roughly translates from Latin as "After the death of the father, support the son." It is here that Merlin grieves for Balinor and also where the bridge of trust between Merlin and Arthur is broken just as Aredian attacks.
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- Maps -
[There is a map-in-progress for this fic, which basically overlays the prop maps used in the series onto a modern map of England and Wales, with some tweaks & exceptions that are plot-relevant. As of 6/21/19, the map is not quite ready for uploading and linking yet - sorry!]
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- Distances and Travel Times -
For purposes of measurements and estimates in this fic, a league is presumed to be approximately 3 miles and a 'pace' is between 2.5-3 feet.
*Side note: Yes, I'm American, so I'm more comfortable estimating distances in feet & miles because that's how I've learned to quantify and experience distance. I have a clear sense of what it feels like to run 2 miles or drive 200 miles, but talking about running 3.2km or driving 320km evoke no memories or points of reference...so my apologies for this Appendix to readers in the rest of the world who use the much more logical metric system for everything! (I will, however, stand by the logic of Fahrenheit over Celsius in reporting weather conditions, but that's another argument for another day.)*
Travel on foot is presumed to be 1 league per hour (3 miles per hour). For the sake of easy estimates and rounding, the assumption is that travelers on foot can cover 8 leagues or 25 miles in a day, assuming that they will then camp for the night if it's a multi-day journey (i.e. A "four days' journey" on foot is approx 100 miles or 32+ leagues). Exceptions: travel on foot through difficult terrain (bogs, caves/slippery ground, seriously inclement weather, deep snow or mud) is presumed to be 1/3 to 1/2 as fast as usual (so only 1-1.5 miles per hour or 1/3 to 1/2 of a league per hour; approx 8-12 miles per day).
Travel on horseback is presumed to be twice as fast as on foot (2 leagues per hour or 6 miles per hour) over long distances, although short sprints would obviously be much faster. Travelers on horseback can therefore cover 50 miles per 24-hr day on sustained journeys (i.e. A "four days' ride" is approx 200 miles or approx 64+ leagues). However, travelers on horseback can cover more ground in a shorter period of time by riding more hours per day and/or swapping out horses along the way - the horses' point of exhaustion is the rate-limiting factor in these cases.
Ambrosius the hawk, by contrast, can cover distances much faster than travelers on foot or on horseback. For the purposes of this fic, he can cover ground twice as fast as travelers on horseback (that is, 4 leagues or 12 miles per hour). This means he can go 100 miles in a day. However, this is compounded by the fact that he doesn't really have to stop to sleep - he can get by just fine with his power naps at either destination, so he can theoretically travel for the entirety of the 24-hour day+night, allowing him to do a "four days' ride" in 24 hours (200 miles or 64+ leagues).
tl;dr - In a journey of 200 miles (64+ leagues), Elyan hiking through slimy, claustrophobic caves will take 16 days to reach his destination, while Merlin walking on level forest trails will get there in 8 days. Arthur on horseback will get there in only 4 days (and then spend the next 4 complaining until Merlin catches up). Leaving them all in the dust, Ambrosius will get there in a mere 24 hours.