The shattered lands
Baanjax
The shattered north of Baanjax. A broken world where islands float in a sea of clouds that hang above a mysterious void below where only the bones of the antlered god and its chains are vast enough to reach the lowest depths. Sundered by the death of the personification of this world, baanjax is the begining of a horrible rippling doom as Crudilex slowly crumbles into the void of that yawning, hungry sky.
Battlemaps set in this location
Mololom Shatter
Baanjax was once a united landmass, but a cataclysmic event fractured it into thousands of floating islands, defying gravity and hovering above a bottomless void. Today, this shattered land is a maze of airborne landmasses, with fragments drifting like scattered puzzle pieces. Nowhere is the devastation more clear than in the Mololom region, where the breaking was most violent. The islands here are smaller and more chaotic, forming a dense, asteroid-like cloud of broken rock along the edge of the Soulgate—a mysterious barrier said to shield Crudilex from horrors beyond.
The indigenous Mololom people once thrived in the lands of Baanjax before the desolation that shattered their homeland. Despite the devastation, they have adapted to life among the floating islands, becoming renowned for their unique bond with the arch whales. These immense, skyborne creatures, resembling a mix of whales and leviathans, fly among the shattered terrain. The Mololom are among the only people capable of taming and riding these creatures, using them as transportation and companions in the skies.
Rokal
Rokal is the last surviving city of the Mololom people in the shattered expanse of Baanjax. Once a thriving hub of their civilization, Rokal now serves as both a cultural sanctuary and an Arch Whale rearing ground. It remains fortified against the ancient enemies of the Mololom from Bozzeto, an adversary from a war fought thousands of years ago. However, the history of that conflict—like much of the pre-desolation world—has been almost completely lost, eroded by time.
The city is the spiritual heart of their culture, home to grand temples dedicated to Rahido, the Father Arch Whale. Rahido is believed to be the progenitor of all arch whales and the guardian of the Mololom people. In the present day, Rokal has become a sacred temple city where the Mololom people preserve this fading heritage. It is here that young Mololom are trained in the revered art of arch whaling, a skill essential for navigating the perilous skies of the shattered lands.
Divialto
In the Baanjax Shatter, seeing shapes in the clouds takes on a far more ominous meaning than elsewhere in the world. To the people of this fractured land, cloud formations could carry profound significance—an omen spelled out through cloudshaping, a fleeting glimpse of a creature peering through the misty veil, or the silhouette of an arch whale or great finch soaring among the skies. Yet sometimes, the shapes in the clouds are far more sinister. They could be the clouds themselves.
Divialto Clouds, as they are called, are living, shape-shifting predators that prowl the skies of the Shatter. These awakened beings take the form of serene wildlife or playful, harmless shapes drifting lazily through the air. However, beneath their fluffy exteriors lies a dangerous truth: a jellyfish-like core of gaseous mass, capable of unleashing deadly tendrils.
These clouds are patient and cunning hunters, preying on the curious and unwary. Their preferred method is to lure creatures closer with their deceptive appearances, then strike with blinding speed, wrapping their victims in tendrils and pulling them into their suffocating interiors. Divialto Clouds are feared by all who traverse the shattered skies, posing a constant threat to arch whale riders, airship crews, and any brave soul who dares to travel the cloudroads.
Nonstar
Beneath the Iarian island mote lies a vast network of megalithic structures, hidden from the stars. Now known only as the Nonstar, this prison was designed to contain divine energy. Within its impenetrable walls, godly beings may enter but can never leave.
Deep within this labyrinth, the Lumen cultists gather to enact their profane will upon the divine. Through dark and unholy rituals, they strip their captives of their sacred domains, reshaping these once-mighty gods into twisted, unrecognizable husks of their former selves. The gods become hollowed and alien, bearing no resemblance to what they were when they entered.
Over the centuries, the balance of power within the Nonstar has become disturbingly unclear. The Lumen cultists worship these shattered remnants of divinity, yet it is uncertain whether they are the captors or the captives. The deformed gods, hollowed and bereft of purpose, may hold sway over their followers, warping their minds and eroding their free will. Conversely, the cultists' own identities fade as they lose themselves to their grotesque worship. Within the Nonstar, captor and captive have become indistinguishable, their identities slowly stripped away.
Anrahm of Udora
Nestled within the chaotic skies of Baanjax, Anrahm serves as the seat of power for Udora, the master of the shattered realm. Known as the "City of Moths," it is a beacon of her authority and a reflection of her enduring rule, which has remained unchallenged for decades.
The city’s architecture is a juxtaposition of the natural and the imposing. Rounded, organic domes crafted from clay-like materials blend seamlessly with the brutalist, monolithic structures characteristic of Iarian design. This combination of ethereal elegance and austere strength gives Anrahm it’s famous dominating-otherworldly aesthetic.
Iarin
The largest and most prominent of Baanjax’s motes, Iarin is a colossal floating island, its sheer size rivaling that of a small continent. Suspended above the endless abyss of the shattered realm, it serves as the heart of Baanjax and the foundation of its power.
Iarin is home to the Iari, a species of sentient parasitic energy that relies on hosts to sustain its existence. These beings do not physically inhabit their hosts; rather, they bond symbiotically, intertwining their energy with the host's life essence. The most common hosts of the Iari are the Coranth of Anrahm, humanoid inhabitants who willingly undertake the bond, embracing the power and purpose it provides.
This entwinement between host and parasite forms the backbone of Iarin’s society. The Coranth regard their bond with the Iari as a sacred and symbiotic relationship, seeing it as a gift of unity rather than a burden. In return, the Iari grant their hosts a mysterious ability to manipulate the mysterious energies of the Manderwind that flow through the shattered skies of Baanjax.
Bozzetto
Bozzetto is the seat of the Great Boz Archives, Crudilex’s largest and most storied structure. Towering above the surrounding landscape, the archive is a monolithic castle of impossible scale. Its interior is a labyrinth of cavernous halls, endless corridors, and vast chambers, each brimming with the accumulated knowledge of mortalkind, spanning from its earliest days to the present.
The archive is not merely a library; it is a fortress, an indomitable bastion of wisdom and history. Within its walls reside ancient awakened stone golems, beings who are intrinsically bound to the archive itself. These sentient guardians are as eternal as the archive they serve, having watched over its priceless troves of knowledge since time immemorial. Each golem possesses an intricate connection to the archive, able to access its vast contents as though the knowledge were etched into their very being.
Both the archive and its golems predate the shattering of Baanjax into its scattered motes. Like the Mololom people, the golems are indigenous to the region, enduring the devastation that sundered their homeland. Despite the chaos, they have maintained their stewardship, ensuring that the legacy of Crudilex endures, preserved within the fortress's stone walls.
Wiltwind
Suspended in a tunnel of powerful essence, this jagged rift is a confluence of the great Auran leyline known as the Meanderwind. Navigating this magically volatile region is extremely dangerous for those who fail to understand its nature. The Meanderwind disrupts the usual magic used by most airships, and flying into it can lead to catastrophic results. Many of the worst cases are carried along the leyline until they reach Wiltwind, creating a haunting airship graveyard suspended in the sky.
Countless lifeless ghost ships from all across the world of Crudilex are carried by the flow of Auran essence and deposited into Wiltwind, like corpses washed up on a beach. These abandoned vessels drift aimlessly suspended in the air, remnants of their crews long gone or lost to time.
Nil'Hallowrahk, The Umbrian Dragon
The oldest of the primordial dragons, Nil'Hallowrahk—also known as the Umbrian Dragon—was one of the first creations of Iv, existing long before anything else in the universe. Detached and removed from all things, his elemental domain is oblivion, which he personifies.
Once the protector of the Umbral Portal, Nil'Hallowrahk now stands as the loving marker of the void itself. The portal he once safeguarded is now sundered completely, its remnants erased by the ascension of Monodono—a being Nil'Hallowrahk took as a protégé during their ascent to godhood. This cataclysmic destruction marked the beginning of the desolation of Baanjax, an event that would later be recognized as the first omen of the Day of Dawn.
Today the void dragon watches over the forgotten and the wound of crudilex that is Baanjax and the pit beneath that drops to hell. He empowers those he finds serve this quest and particularly is fond of the Shadow Eicio and Duragar who tend to live within his dark domain.
Nhilwim, Of the Shadow Eicio
Nhilwim, the midnight continental mote, is known as the darkest corner of Crudilex. This region is home to the Shadow Eicio, whose souls are anchored by bodies born during a Roian Font of the Umbral Layline. This rare magic is found only in Nhilwim and the Sunless Sea, making the Shadow Eicio both unique and mysterious in the broader world of Crudilex.
Their home most is shrouded in deep darkness that flows like ink in water and harbors whispers of creatures who can usually only survive in the heart of the void. This extraordinary ecosystem is taken advantage of by the Shadow Eicio who can easily navigate it to collect materials and goods found nowhere else.
Obar'kal
Obar'kal, the Obsidian Mountain, is home to the Duragar and serves as a sister city to Undrum’kal. This ancient mountain is steeped in Umbral Essence, sacred to the shadow dwarves, and grants those who call it home unique dark powers.
The Duragar who reside here the longest gain the ability to project their shadow anywhere there is deep enough darkness and sufficient paranoia. Through these shadows, they can spy on and observe events all across Crudilex with little
To no risk. Among them is a master of this craft, known only as “The Hat Man”. Operating a secretive information-brokering syndicate, The Hat Man uses his superior projections to gather and manipulate knowledge, making him considered by most to be one of, if not thee, greatest spymasters in the world.
Old Oaknimbus
At the heart of the Baanjax Shatter stands the withered husk of an Edoroin World Tree: Old Oaknimbus. Like all other world trees in Crudilex, it is dormant and barren of vitality—yet Old Oaknimbus is unique in one way: it still bears fruit. Its towering canopy stretches into the gusty skies of Baanjax, where its sprawling branches weave with puffy clouds, which stream in a steady, mesmerizing flow.
For generations, Old Oaknimbus has been tended by a circle of divinationist druids, individuals skilled in the ancient art of cloudshaping. This practice, which involves interpreting the winds and clouds to discern omens of change and fate, is said to have been first learned from the tree itself. The tradition of reading the winds dates back to the days of the Mololom and the rise of the Boz, in the ancient history of Baanjax. Today, cloudshaping is employed predominantly by Castle Anrahm and the Moth Queen Udora to foresee and forestall dangers threatening Baanjax.
It is widely believed that Udora herself is a master cloudshaper. She is said to have wielded this power to forge an unprecedented peace between Iarin, Void of Hell Below, and the Shadows of Nhilwhim, brokering an alliance that has helped preserve the delicate balance of the shattered lands.
Saltuman
Saltuman is a floating island located in the southern region of Baanjax, home to a small, quiet village inhabited by devout clerics. Largely isolated from the world, the village’s worship is considered by many to be a cult, though its followers remain steadfast in their beliefs. The inhabitants of Saltuman are almost all Iv-Warped, willingly allowing themselves to be corrupted and changed by the Fragment of Iv that they hold sacred. They believe that these changes are divine and holy, a manifestation of the power of Iv itself.
The magic they wield grants them an idyllic life—health, prosperity, and peace—but at a great cost. As they continue to use the magic, the effects become increasingly apparent. Over time, the magic transforms the users, mutating them
into mindless, grotesque creatures. These once-reverent clerics begin to crave more and more essence—more magic to consume and use. Their forms twist further, growing pseudopods, their skin turning a pale, paper-white color, and their grip on reality fading.
across the whole of the island everyone is expected to use some of the power of the fragment for their daily needs- but they spread this job between all the members of the community. No one member completely transforms too quickly and making the task of using the fragment a honored position in their culture.
Cloudroads
South of Iarin, the region known as the Cloudroads consists of a network of small islands connected by a labyrinth of hanging bridges and platforms. Vertigo-inducing houses dangle precariously over the abyss below, yet the people of this region live without fear of heights or falling. They navigate the swaying planks and dizzying platforms with remarkable ease, their balance and confidence seemingly ingrained from birth.
The inhabitants of the Cloudroads are those who have forsaken the structured, controlled life offered by the Moth Queen, choosing instead the fringes and freedom of this untamed region. Despite the precarious environment, the Cloudroads are home to a community united by choice rather than coercion. Here, individual freedom and mutual trust form the foundation of their way of life.
Zakhnaz
Zakhnaz is a frigid hideout carved into the unforgiving ice, home to a clan of nomadic Imps who have escaped Monodono's Void. Here, in the frost, the Imps are attempting to forge a refuge for themselves, gathering strength and numbers as they prepare to venture further into the world. Their ultimate goal is to establish a new home for all Abyssal Imps—one beyond the reach of the oppressive void that once bound them.
However, life in Zakhnaz is bleak, and the desperation of its inhabitants has led to a descent into banditry and violence. Wielding the very violence they sought to escape, the Imps raid travelers and settlements along the Cloudroads, not out of cruelty but from a lack of better options. This vicious cycle of survival has begun to tarnish their vision of a better future, leaving the Zakhnaz Imps teetering between redemption and further corruption.
Turmoil
The Meteor Elementals; in the broken shattered regions of Baanjax where cracking broken floating bits of crudilex grind against the Soulgate. Meteor Elementals float among the field of broken stones testing the divine magical barrier for weaknesses like mindless machines, looking for an opening that will never be found on orders given by unknown masters.
Trivia
Circles; Rings, coins, and geometric patterns in jewelry and clothing are the primary fashion.
Mololom Hares; statues, often depicting hares in groups of three, gazing upwards toward the sky. Known as “sky gazers” in Central Totemic, these statues have been revered as wards of safety since the Day of Dawn, when horrors first descended unexpectedly onto Crudilex.
Though multicultural in their spread and artistic interpretation, Mololom Hares originated in the far northern region of Baanjax. They are one of the few cultural elements to cross into the Plains of Avarice and beyond, carried and adapted by the Totemic Caravans. The statues appear in countless styles and variations across the world, serving as a unifying symbol of protection.