The vast frozen lake
Algēre
Cities in the Sky,
Battlemaps set in this location
Hayren
Floating on the edge of Algēre, a floating island mote of Ivorice glistens beneath the twin suns of Cruidlex. Known as Hayren, it is distant from most civilization but to those who dwell nearby, it is an indispensable arcane bulwark safeguarding them from danger. Suspended high in the frozen expanse, Hayren endures the brutal storms of Algēre and, through a shower of magic, safeguards the lands beneath it.
The Kingdom of Korem and its court wizard harness Hayren as a conduit, channeling the power of the Auran Leyline, a force known as the Manderwind. This immense reservoir of essence not only sustains the spells of Korem but generates an excess so vast that it can shape the very climate of the land below. The spells fueled by the Manderwind weave a barrier around the region, shielding it from the merciless tempests that ravage Algēre. The lands below bathed in the breathtaking auroras that erupt from Hayren and dance across the ice.
Kingdom of Korem
One of the few human-founded settlements beyond the Plains of Avarice, Korem was established during the Occlusion, a time when the witch covens of Cruidlex barred humans from reaching its outer lands. Isolated and entirely self-sufficient, Korem is a kingdom defined by its insular nature and deep-seated fear of the outside world.
The city, built in a tight circle around the royal castle, is surrounded by farmlands that sustain its people. Generations have been raised to believe that beyond the frozen Loch, the world is nothing but peril—endless ice prowled by hungry giants dragging trees, mountains haunted by shambling undead and shadowy mimsy, and northern skies dominated by monstrous dragons. While these dangers hold some truth, they have long been exaggerated into myths, reinforced by rulers and elders to maintain control and discourage exploration.
Voidmaw Falls
Voidmaw Falls stands as one of Crudilex's most breathtaking landmarks. the end of the immense, ever-moving glacier of Algēre, which slowly drifts northward before reaching the cliff’s edge in the region of Baanjax. The glacier’s farthest edge cascades off into the endless abyss of the void below. As the ice fractures and shatters against the cliff, enormous jagged chunks are violently thrust skyward, forming towering spires. These natural formations make the cliff face look like a colossal maw of dagger-like fangs that earned the region its name. The roar of the maw, made up of giant sheets of falling ice, is constant, reverberating through the otherwise silent snowy lands of Algēre.
It is said that those who gaze too long over the side of the falls hear something down in the dark and are overcome by a compulsion to leap. That the void’s embrace is cool and complete, an end to all strife and pain. promising a last solace. So- if you must cross the Voidmaw it's best to not look down.
Vyraskinna
The largest settlement in all of Algēre, Vyraskinna is the heart of the Vyraskim people—a culture composed largely of Blooded Riven, founded on the practice of Vyrask, or The Fettering, a form of dark magic. The settlement itself is an icy sprawl of tents, yurts, and temporary structures, forming a vast network of winding streets and roadways like a city-sized encampment. At its center lies a massive pit, plunging into the darkness of the inner glacier. The Vyraskim believe that by meditating at the pit’s rim, they can hear echoes from below—the whispers of Kaika, the greatest Vyraskim Fetterer to have ever lived. They claim Kaika transcended mortality, descending into the glacier where only those like him can walk among the spirits dwelling within. His followers believe that the echoed mantras from below guide them toward the same path of enlightenment, shaping the very foundation of Vyraskinna’s culture.
Above the settlement, jagged ice towers once loomed, but recent collapses have revealed a monstrous skeleton—an Archwhale, its enormous bones entombed within the ice, now hanging ominously above the city. Many among the Vyraskim believe this is a message from the Ancients, and a sect of Fetterers has begun communing with the dead creature, obeying its undead commands and claiming it as the city's true leader. However, Grand Vizier Faloka, the current ruler, has condemned these beliefs, warning that the Archwhale is a false prophet seeking to send the people below before they are ready. This has led to a growing schism—a deep divide among the people of Vyraskinna, torn between their faith in Kaika’s echoes and the Archwhale’s silent authority. As tensions rise, the future of the Vyraskim people has never been more uncertain.
Wytch's Dale
Nestled at the eastern edge of the Algere glacier lies Wytch's Dale, a forest choked by a chilling silence. This woodland is home to one of the oldest witch covens in all of Crudilex, a sisterhood of Blooded Riven who forged a pact with the skygiants in ages long past. Through this pact, the witches gained dominion over the Dale, ruling unchallenged and exacting tribute from all who pass through. Magic and secrets must be offered, and any who cross their territory must pay this tithe.
The region itself is a haunting snowy forest, where each tree is inscribed with spells and sigils that glow faintly under moonlight. Bones, fetishes, and effigies crafted from twigs hang from every canopy, swaying in the wind. A profound,
unnatural silence covers the dale, not a birdsong and animal call to be heard within as even beasts respect the dominion of the coven.
To cross Wytch's Dale I welcomed is to invite disaster into your life, perhaps not right away, but well into your future. curses are grown right into the roots of the trees and those who fail to pay their due to cross will find the dale has a way of following you back to where you are going and getting what it is owed.
Yamir
A fortress towers on the back of a giant Royal Mammoth, home to the elves of Yamir. This nomadic stronghold lumbers its way across the glacier. Far removed from the lands where the masks that protect their kind are crafted, the wild elves of Yamir have adapted to their curse in a uniquely savage way. Their survival hinges on movement—venturing into the Wilder to sustain themselves through its power before raiding the settlements of Algere like divers surfacing for air.
The wild elves have transformed their curse into a weapon. Unlike any other fallen elven cultures, they have embraced their feral brothers as tools of war. Cages dangle from the great mammoth’s sides, holding those among them who have succumbed fully to the curse. During raids, these feral elves are unleashed upon their enemies, descending in a tide of primal fury that spreads chaos. Once the cursed have ravaged the battlefield, the rest of the Yamir forces descend from the fortress, striking with precision to finish the attack.
The fortress itself is constructed from wood, bone, and rope that anchors to the mammoth's body. Its battlements bristle with ballistae and banners of lost elven kingdoms taken by their curse, and its underbelly houses hanging ropes, and giant hooks among which clamber the raiding parties.
Savaka Serac
A towering, ice-crusted monolith at the leading edge of the Algēre Glacier, Savaka Serac is a sacred and forbidden peak. Known to some as the Blue Castle, it emits a beam of shifting magical blue light from its summit each night. This crumbling ice mountain is believed to be the abode of Kaika, the greatest of all Vyrask shamans. According to legend, through the power of his Fettering, Kaika transcended, becoming something beyond mortal.
The sheer ice cliffs of Savaka Serac are belived to be unclimbable and otherworldly. Among the Vyraskim, many traditions warn that trespassing into its domain unprepared invites doom. It is said that only those who have achieved enlightenment as Kaika did can survive the hidden realm within. Others—outsiders, or those who enter before they are ready—are said to be captured as reflections in the icy walls, their souls transformed into draugr. Savaka Serac connects to the caverns and tunnels threading deep within the glacier, and many Vyraskim cults build their settlements nearby, hoping to learn from Kaika’s echoes and honor those lost souls who perished delving within. They leave offerings upon painted sleds at the mouths of sacred caverns, gifts meant to appease the dead and seek the wisdom of the Kaika.
The Blade of Cosh
Wielded enos ago, during the Age of Beasts by Cosh, the god of the skygiants, this monumental weapon was said to be the instrument of Crudilex’s near destruction. Cosh, the first of the gods to descend from the celestial realms and make war among mortals, carried this colossal blade to sunder Crudilex, intending to erase all lands and leave only the skies.
Giant myth holds that the blade's devastating power carved a wound into the world, unleashing torrents of water that formed what is now the Lake of Algere. This wound would have grown unchecked, consuming the world, had the other gods not intervened. Together, they transformed Cosh’s blade into ice, freezing the bleeding wound and halting its destructive march.
Enraged by their interference, Cosh is said to have driven his blade deep into the earth before abandoning his conquest and pursuing the other gods into Nocturne, never to be seen again. The great ice blade remains embedded in the frozen loch, rising like an impossibly massive tower of ice that pierces the sky. Its sheer size renders it unmovable—an artifact no being, mortal or divine, could ever hope to wield again
Obosso: Eye in the Ice
Obosso is one of a rare few eldritch Great Old Ones to pierce the veil of Oorn and manifest in physical form within reality. A late arrival among the elder entities, Obosso was cautious, aware of the dangers inherent in material existence. To mitigate the risks, it chose a form designed for immense psychic reach, limiting its physical vulnerability by sealing itself in eternal hibernation deep beneath the surface.
This plan might have succeeded, were it not for the shifting Algere glacier, which unearthed Obosso and tore it from its eternal tomb. Now trapped in what mortals might compare to sleep paralysis—Obosso’s enormous, otherworldly body remains still, save for the massive eye embedded in its back, which shifts and moves under the ice.
Though physically bound, Obosso's consciousness continues to extend far beyond its prison. It reaches into the dreams of those who wander too close, infiltrating their minds with subtle manipulations. Many who fall under its psychic influence become its unwitting agents, carrying out plans on its behalf without realizing it. Through them, Obosso works its intricate schemes from within its frozen tomb.
Sapphire Hallow
Sapphire Hallow is a pool of the coldest, bluest glacial water, nestled within a natural bowl of pristine ice. This crystalline lake is formed as the waters of the mountain spill over the top of the Algere glacier, pooling in a massive divot carved into the ice over millennia.
Behind the lake, a series of cascading waterfalls tumbles over a sheer cliff. These waterfalls are the entrance to an underground river system, hiding the mouth of a cavern that descends deep into the glacier’s heart.
Remohal Icefields
The Remohal Icefields, located at the lowest point of the Algere Glacier Loch, form a vast, chaotic sea of shattered, drifting glacial ice. Enormous chunks of ice regularly flip, collide, and break apart, creating an ever-shifting treacherous landscape. Sailors must navigate its frigid waters with extreme caution, as even the hardiest of vessels risk being crushed or capsized.
The icefields are home to a host of the monsters of Algere. These creatures, adapted to the harsh and unforgiving conditions, make the icefields their hunting ground. Many of them venture south toward the Lucanford coast, the stronghold of the Brawnwall Clan, where they wreak havoc by attacking settlements, devouring livestock, and even abducting people to drag back to their icy caverns.
Montamboro
Montamboro, the Seat of Aluwasha, was a city of unparalleled splendor, constructed in partnership with the ancient Limin and Skygiants to serve as their largest and primary city. Designed to reflect the grandeur of the heavens, Montamboro became the pinnacle of lumin civilization, its people endowed with remarkable gifts by Aluwasha, their god of knowledge and grief. Aluwasha was a sphinx-like figure adorned with glowing, conjured wings. As a goddess of craft she granted her worshippers tangible artifacts rather than magical abilities. These divine creations, known as the Gifts of Aluwasha, were wondrously powerful fueled on the essence of their users—the Lumens themselves.
The glory of Montamboro came to an abrupt and tragic end during a catastrophic event known as The Doubting. The city plummeted from the sky, a fall so devastating that it annihilated most of its population, including the Khan and his bride, who ruled the Skygiants. Their deaths were so traumatic that their spirits transformed into spectral entities known as Nightwatchers, becoming apothic shadows of their former selves. These dark spirits now haunt the ruins of Montamboro. Over generations, the corrupting influence of the Nightwatchers began to infect the surviving Illumians who had miraculously endured the calamity. Their descendants, increasingly reliant on the Nightwatchers for survival, developed into a cult-like society. This cult of captive followers reveres the Nightwatchers as their protectors and tormentors.
The Kettle Lakes
Formed in the primordial ages of Crudilex, the Kettle Lakes are scattered across the frozen landscape of Algere, their deep, icy waters filling countless pits left behind by retreating glaciers. While these glacial depressions are found throughout Algere, they are most abundant in this region, creating a vital ecosystem amidst the otherwise barren land.
The terrain around the Kettle Lakes is stark with the advance of ancient glaciers having stripped the ground down to bare stone long ago. The sparse vegetation struggles to take root in the thin, rocky soil, leaving the region nearly desolate. The lakes' frigid waters are some of the only sources of unfrozen water in Algere, drawing a myriad of wildlife. From furry frost-tolerant Basanna to small hares and mice, countless species depend on these lakes for survival.
Faver Tund
Home to Khan Rothermel and his peaceful clan of Skygiants, Faver Tund is an isolated fortress on the southern reach of Algere. This clan, an offshoot of the greater Skygiant civilization, was among the first to take an interest in the surface world in ancient times. They have since made a home in the wilderness of Algere, mastering the art of woodcraft. The Skygiants of Faver Tund see all the trees of the world as saplings of great, ancient world trees that must be carefully nurtured. These giants tend to the forest Like a farmer to their crop. They believe that in time, the mightiest trees will grow tall enough to allow them to climb back into the sky.
The Giants can often be found walking across the glacier with whole trees slung over their broad shoulders, or wielding enormous axes—each one as large as a tower, and headed to and from their fortress. Faver Tund itself is home
to only a few buildings, but these structures are grand, sprawling longhouses and vast halls, proportioned to fit the towering 40-foot Skygiants who call this place home. They live quietly together and stay out of small folk’s business, preferring to maintain a peaceful existence on a glacier that is otherwise inhospitable to most.