The lost island of
Moldo
“You want me to go to an Island that moves throughout time. that can only be reached by those who wreck, and can only be escaped by those who know how. I didn't get YOU anything!” - Ida Holly
Moldo is a mysterious pocket-reality island that traverses the history of Crudilex, appearing on the horizon of ships that are desperate or lost. To land on the island, a ship must sink or wreck, and all its treasure and crew become the property of the possessive three elemental gods who call the island home. To escape, each explorer must prove their worthiness of freedom by journeying to the Temples of Devotion: Fury, Destiny, and Power. Only after visiting each temple will the curse be broken, allowing them to sail home. However, reaching the temples requires navigating the perilous jungles of Moldo, filled with dangerous monsters, the Gathering Brood, the occluded yuan-ti, and other lost explorers trapped on the island throughout Crudilex's history.
Battlemaps set in this location
The Brood
The Brood is a coalition of monstrous creatures—Forgon, Lizardfolk, and Bullywogs—all forced under the iron rule of Bazal'ii, a giant humanoid whale druid who governs through terror and ruthlessness. Each of these fractured cultures has been trapped on Moldo for generations, their only unity forged by fear and subjugation.
While the leaders of the Forgon, Lizardfolk, and Bullywogs long to break free from Bazal'ii’s grip, none dare rise against him alone, knowing that the combined might of the Brood would crush any rebellion. Their forced alliance has allowed Bazal’ii to tighten his grip on Moldo, steadily expanding his dominion across the island.
Now, with his power consolidating, Bazal’ii seeks new prey. His gaze has turned toward the Nusima, the serpentine humanoids of the Lost City, and tensions between the two factions have begun to boil into war. Should the Brood succeed in conquering the Nusima, it will mark another step in Bazal’ii’s relentless quest to claim all of Moldo with his unstoppable horde.
Shipwreck Treehouse
Located in the northern jungle near the waterfalls and hanging precariously above the river rapids that lead downstream to the lair of The Brood, an explorer is likely to come across others much like themselves. The Shipwreck Treehouse is a tangled web of crushed ships and rope bridges, formed from the drifting rubble deposited by the great oceanic storms and tsunamis that occasionally hit Moldo.
The storm shattered the HMS Lillian against the rocks of the island. For weeks, the crew collected timber and rope, waiting for the fleet to notice the signal fires. But as time dragged on, it became more and more unlikely that they would escape the island. So the crew began to build a life here—houses first, then bridges, soon leadership, protection, and even a market. Months turned into years,
and somehow, the life they had left behind faded away. Of all the places and all the people they could have been stranded with, these didn’t seem so bad.
“Just look at it like a vacation! an extended, forced, no escape, starvation induced… horror filled VACATION!” - Ida Holly
The Temple of Lagi
Devoted to Lagi, the Storm Mother, and elemental goddess of the sky, this majestic temple perches atop the spiraling peaks of Moldo’s northern coast, concealed among cascading waterfalls and sheer, mist-cloaked cliffs. At its heart is Kato, the temple’s guardian, who tests all who dare to make the climb. Those seeking the Storm Mother’s blessing must prove their worth—braving dizzying heights, facing monstrous creatures of the air, and enduring howling winds that threaten to send them plummeting into the hungry sky. Fury, strength, and courage are measured in her trials.
The temple itself is carved from a towering crag that juts skyward from a spring-fed lake. Its countless chambers and corridors spiral upward, threading through precarious ledges. The final ascent requires challengers to walk along the temple’s outer walls, where the full fury of the storm wind rage around them. Only those who endure to the summit may stand before Kato and prove themselves in battle to Lagi.
The Colony
Nestled along the far eastern shore of Moldo is the Colony. a small walled settlement that was founded by lost explorers who, resigning themselves to the island’s curse, chose to build a life rather than continue seeking escape. Over time, the Colony has grown into a haven for the stranded—a gathering place for shipwrecked survivors, runaways from the Brood, and other outcasts who fear the island’s dangers.
Unlike the warriors and monsters who stalk Moldo’s jungles and ruins, the people of the Colony are largely non-combatants, relying on their community and isolation to keep them safe. Their location—far from the warring Brood and Nusima—offers them a fragile peace, sheltering them from the worst of the elemental curses that plague the island. But on Moldo, true safety is an illusion.
The Colony is tormented by the pirates of Gold Fang’s Grotto, who treat it as their personal plunder ground. Gold Fang, the infamous lion-like pirate captain, leads his ruthless raiders in frequent attacks, looting supplies, smashing homes, and reminding the settlers of their helplessness. Under his eye the Colony is trapped in their fear and desperation.
The Fall of Akamora
Once a majestic temple, fallen to ruin, the remnants of Akamora lie scattered along the coastline, half-submerged in the surf. Its stones, once perched atop cliffs, have been swallowed by the sea, tumbled into the bay below by a cataclysmic rockslide. Remnants of the temple still cling to the cliffs, but much of its halls now rest beneath the churning waves.
Coiled around the ruins, entombing them in its colossal remains, lie the bones and scales of a titan serpent with vast red wing, its head nowhere to be found. This is all that remains of Liki’akamora, a fallen divine once revered as a god. Betrayed by the Elemental Gods and slain by mortals, Liki’akamora’s story has faded into myth which claim that if the serpent’s missing head is ever found and rejoined to its body, the dead god will awaken, rising to seek vengeance upon those who killed it. Today, the ruin remains undisturbed, its slick, crumbling stone and treacherous waters keeping even the most curious explorers at bay.
The Temple of Afi
The elemental gods of Triton each have a champion. Though these champions have not been summoned in the modern age, the myths say their altars still stand. If one is defeated in battle, the champion offers a gift from their respective patron god. This Temple is devoted to Afi, the Earth Father and elemental god of the land and its guardian, Arewanna, will challenge any explorer's resilience, drive, and strength. Set in the heart of a volcano, the temple pits the challenges against the very land itself.
The Orcish people who once paid homage to their patron deity here have long since abandoned their pilgrimage to worship and offer gifts. The shrine has become overgrown, and the few elders who remember the guardian's visits have dwindled. But Arewanna remembers and waits in silence, and its challengers will return... one day.
Verdihyde Library
A fragment of the celestial library that once was housed on Crudilex’s moon, Noctra. The Verdihyde Library is now a lost relic on the forsaken island of Moldo. It crashed to the ground ages ago, leaving behind only whispers of its existence and a collection of unfathomable knowledge from the enlightened times long gone. Over the years, the library has become one with the land, its ancient walls now overgrown in tangles of vines and tall, silent trees. The once-pristine towering spires have cracked under the weight of time and decay.
At the heart of this library, nestled in a grove of vines and overgrowth, sits a marble effigy of the Dawnfather, the god of light and knowledge. This silent guardian has absorbed every text, every manuscript, every record that once filled the library’s shelves—the golem now a fountain of the ruined library’s boundless wisdom. This avatar sits in meditation as the eternal keeper of all knowledge that the library contains, waiting to share its secrets with those brave enough to journey here and find them.
Riverlords Lurk
Hidden deep within Moldo’s tangled waterways lies the Lurk, the domain of the Riverlords—a formidable clan of Forgon, gator-like humanoids who dominate the island’s rivers. Though they are subjects of the Brood, they despise their servitude, longing for a time when they might break free from Bazal’ii’s rule.
Unlike most of their kin, the Riverlords are obsessed with explorers and the artifacts they bring. Anything that washes up on Moldo’s shores or is lost in its depths becomes a coveted prize. Their armor is a chaotic patchwork of stolen and scavenged gear—helmets too large, boots ill-fitting, weapons rusted or gleaming with forgotten enchantments. Status among the Riverlord Forgon is determined by possession of the rarest, strangest, or most exotic items, and those with the most peculiar gear command the greatest respect. They prowl the rivers, hunting for explorers to capture and interrogate, prying them for knowledge of where more strange treasures may be found. Those unlucky enough to be taken to the Lurk are stripped of their most unique possessions, which are then paraded before the clan as trophies of their rise in status.
The Scuttle
Recently wrecked upon the sandy shores of the inner bay, a ship lies shattered beneath the titanic nautilus shell. Its broken hull and scattered cargo litter the coastline, debris washing up with each new tide. Some of the ship’s contents—barrels of supplies, splintered crates, and mysterious trinkets—bob aimlessly in the surf, waiting to be claimed.
Yet, the most unsettling truth about the wreck is this: it did not crash by accident. Every sign suggests that the ship deliberately sailed itself into ruin. And most disturbingly, none of the crew survived. no sign of lifeboats or struggle? Its secrets drowned within the ruined vessel, waiting to be uncovered.
The Thinnydeep
The descent is slow—so slow that time itself begins to lose meaning. For what feels like hours, they sink, the world above shrinking as the sun’s reach fades into feeble beams of gold, flickering like dying embers in the abyssal dark. Then, the murmuring begins. At first, it is nothing more than a whisper—a suggestion at the edges of thought—but soon, the sound seeps into the mind like a sickness. Inhuman voices weave through the silence, speaking in words them cannot fully understand, yet somehow feel in your bones.
The water around them thick with shadow, pressing inward, as though the darkness itself is reaching for them. They keep descending. The muffled drone of the sea fades into unnatural stillness, and the whispers become a chorus—droning, layered, knowing.
Then, it awakens. A shape stirs in the void below, so vast that the darkness seems to shudder around it. They do not see it, not at first—they feel it. A pressure. A presence. A weight upon the soul. And then, the eye opens. Immense. Terrible. Watching. Knowing. The Thinny has seen them. It knows their sins. And they have dived too far to escape.
The Francisco
Upon the slippery tide-blasted rock at the center of the bay—one might dare to call it an "island"—rests the long-lost treasure ship, The Francisco. The entire vessel lies nearly on its side, half-submerged in a tide pool, its once-grand frame now encrusted with barnacles and seaweed. A massive cannon-blasted hole gapes open along the ship's underside, serving as an entrance, while the flickering glow of firelight spills over the pool and onto the damp, rock-covered shore.
Inside, a collection of arcane eyeballs dangles from the rotted, salt-worn beams, some still twitching, their unblinking gaze tracking any who dare to enter. The air is thick with the scent of brine, the silence broken only by the distant crash of waves and the unsettling whispers that seep from within.
Once, The Francisco was a mighty vessel, tasked with ferrying stolen gold and enchanted relics from the islands of Triton to New Collora. Its plunder, seized by the Conquistador Armada from the subjugated isles, was meant to fill the coffers of an empire. But fate had other plans. Lost at sea and wrecked upon this forsaken rock, the treasure ship has since become the lair of a coven of sea hags—twisted, ancient creatures who guard its sunken riches and weave dark spells beneath the moonlit tide
The Wandering Coast
Among the many cruel tricks of the Three Gods of Moldo, none is more insidious than the Wandering Coast. Each nightfall, when the beaches lie empty, they vanish—not merely receding into the tide, but disappearing entirely, replaced by the coastline of some other distant shore in Crudilex.
To the unsuspecting traveler, the change is seamless—a familiar beach, the scent of home, the lull of the waves just as they have always been. But by dawn, they are somewhere else entirely. The sky above is foreign. The air carries a strange weight. The waves whisper in tongues they have never heard. By the time realization sets in, it is too late. Those caught upon the Wandering Coast are taken along with that shoreline to Moldo. There is no return. And night after night somewhere, across the seas of Crudilex, another coastline prepares to take its place.
Marakahua Lagoon
A deepwater lagoon, shrouded by towering sea cliffs, lies hidden from all but the most determined explorers. Its jagged rock walls rise sharp and sheer, battered endlessly by the relentless surf. Here dwell the mermaids of Moldo.
They glide through the lagoon’s crystalline depths, their songs harmonizing with the roar of the tide. At the heart of their domain reigns Queen Marakahua, whose beauty is said to be beyond mortal comprehension. But those who trespass in this court of the mermaid queen unwelcomed are likely to become little more than whispers in the waves.
Shatterbow Bay
Shatterbow Bay is an area of treacherously sharp, rocky shallows known for its dangerous submerged stones. The region is unique due to the many shipwrecks that remain lodged on these rocks, hauntingly above the surface like ghost ships in a harbor made of jagged fangs.
The bay is the territory of Captain Gold Fang's pirate fleet, which sails deftly through the treacherous waters as easily as they breathe. It seems as though the pirates have either memorized the dangers of this place or have a flagrant disregard for the wellbeing of their ships, with new vessels regularly arriving on Moldo.
Perhaps both.
Captain Gold Fang's Gratto
This treacherous region is home to the dreaded Pross Cat pirate, Captain Goldfang. With one eye, a peg leg, and a plump belly, he cuts an unmistakable silhouette which flies on all the flags of his fleet. more beast than man, more legend than pirate. His lair, a vast cavern of stolen ships, holds vessels repaired just enough to set sail but bound forever to Moldo by the whims of the Elemental Gods, who covet their treasure as fiercely as Goldfang himself.
Unwilling to part with his immense hoard, the captain lurks within his grotto, watching the shores for new wrecks and fresh victims. When another pirate ship meets its doom upon Moldo’s cursed coastline, Goldfang descends like a storm, hunting down its captain and press-ganging the crew into his ever-growing armada of outlaws.
The Last Will and Testament of Captain Goldfang Cronen
"Here be the last will and testament of the dread pirate king, Captain Goldfang Cronen—terror of the seas, plunderer of countless holds, and amasser of a horde of treasure that’d make a dragon blush. I’ve lived fat on liquor and gold, never wanting for a single thing, but now my time in this mortal world comes to its end—I set sail for unknown waters.
"Me father always said, ‘A Goldfang boy only dies at the end of a sword or the end of a rope.’ And so, to whoever lays eyes on these words, I leave you one final dagger in the back of fate.
"My treasure is out there—at the end of the river rapids, where the rocks gnash like teeth, through the bones of me old crewmen, and into the rotting guts of me ship, black-hearted and broken as its swabbies once were. If ye whistle in the darkness, the walls will fall—and there, should ye be bold enough, ye may claim the terrible treasure of Captain Goldfang—just as I did."
The Temple of Galu
Devoted to Galu, the Sea Beast and elemental god of the ocean, this temple is nestled beneath the waves, hidden in the rocky, choppy surf of the barrier reef at the edge of the bay where the river meets the sea. Its protector, Mara, will challenge the explorers, testing their wisdom, wit, and guile as much as their physical abilities. Entering the temple itself is a trial, as it lies far from the sandy beaches of Moldo. If the explorers approach too recklessly, Mara will conjure a storm to force them into action. They must study and understand the ancient mechanisms that dam the river, revealing the temple’s entrance—the first of Mara’s trials.
“Across the nations of the world it denoted that many, even, most civilizations build along the sea, for trade and food. As a cartographer, I can say without doubt over the ages the seas have crept closer and closer. Leads one to wonder, What history of the ancient world sleeps under the tide, What volumes could we fill if only we had gills.”
-Ida Holly
Moldo's Erasure
Hidden deep within the heart of Moldo, there is a region so thick with mist and shadow that even the most seasoned explorers fear its depths. Known as Moldo's Erasure, this area is a dense, fog-laden rainforest that stretches beneath towering cliffs, sinking deep into the ground, even below sea level. The air is thick and perpetually humid, with the scent of earth mixing with the heavy condensation that drips from the jungle's towering trees.
In a twisted sense the forest is alive. Every step deeper into the rainforest steals a part of the mind. At first, the loss is subtle—fleeting thoughts, forgotten details. But as the days stretch on, the memory begins to slip away more rapidly. Names, faces, and events become increasingly difficult to grasp, like sand slipping through the fingers. Before long, even the reasons for being there, the very purpose of the exploration, become indistinguishable from the mist itself. Those who wander too far into Moldo's Erasure risk becoming nothing more than Bones, skeletal creatures who’ve had their identities stripped away along with the memories they once held.
Well of the Goldenserpent
Every adventurer has heard the legend—a well the size of a castle whose waters house a giant statue made of pure gold, shaped like a titanic snake: the Golden Serpent. Standing at the edge of the well and asking for eternal wealth is all the price that needs to be paid for more gold than one could carry.
Countless pirates, conquistadors, and adventuring parties have bushwhacked through the jungle in search of the well. So far, those who return are fewer in number or forever changed. But one thing defines every person who has seen the well: they will speak of it to no one, no matter how persuasive the questions may be.
Sleeping Palms
This sandy grove of palm trees is eerily devoid of wildlife, as it magically induces a restful sleep in all beings who linger there. Upon entering the palm grove, an irresistible sense of peace washes over outsiders, and after only an hour, sleep begins to claw at their minds. After four hours, this sensation becomes far more subtle, transforming into a full, magically induced sleep spell.
If an explorer is foolish enough to set up camp in the Sleeping Palms, they will not awaken unless someone rouses them—dangerous on an island prowled by so many monsters. If a full party of explorers falls asleep, they are most likely to wake up in the Lost City as guests of the Nusima… if they wake up at all.
The Lost City
Populated by the Nusima, beings mutated with snake-like properties, the Lost City serves as the bastion of Nisi-Mamo, a divine entity who uses its powers to grant anyone who stays there their deepest desires. However, the longer one remains in the city, the more they begin to transform into a Nusima themselves. The transformation starts with their eyes, followed by the growth of fangs, scales, loss of hair, and eventually even the development of a large tail.
The city is home to disiromancers, mages capable of conjuring corporeal illusions to fulfill every wish and whim. Every need is met, and every guilty pleasure is indulged. But the longer you remain and the more you partake, the greater the transformation into one of the city's kin. Starting with snake-like eyes, then progressing to teeth, scales, and finally, a fully realized Nusima—a humanoid snake person.
Starcrystal Lighthouse
Scattered across the island are the ruins of mysterious structures, such as lighthouses adorned with celestial symbols and large spherical chambers at their tops. These structures are located in places that would seem useless to sea voyagers, with no apparent connection to the surf or rocks. Their purpose remains a mystery known only to the masters of the island, Moldo’s Elemental Gods. Whatever function they once served is long forgotten, and the architects are gone.
During the night, the inside of the towers glows, painting an illusionary map of the night sky that highlights specific constellations, like a giant glowing arrow. The most complete towers seem to point toward other towers, forming a treasure hunt hidden in celestial lore that leads to unknown destinations. But the path is fraught with peril, as there is no telling if the next tower waypoint will be reduced to rubble by nature, time, or one of Moldo's many dangerous creatures.