Southern Deitziel
Dunes of the East
Battlemaps set in this location
Kingmaker's Keep
In the arid mountains of Southern Dietziel, Kingmaker’s Keep is the birthplace of the infamous mercenary and bounty hunter collective known as the Kingmakers. This ruthless horde of swords-for-hire thrives on competition, each member with their own distinct flair. While the Kingmakers lack the rigid structure and discipline of formal armies, they make up for it with sheer brutality and a fierce commitment to the work of bounty hunting. The group’s structure is as unorthodox as its members. There is no singular leader, no chain of command, only the universally recognized Bounty Tier Board, an ever-changing list of lucrative targets and contracts. The higher the reward for a task, the greater the number of Kingmakers drawn to it. Entire civilizations have risen or crumbled based on a name written on that board.
Among the many Kingmaker keeps scattered across Crudilex, the Southern Dietziel keep is the most iconic and revered. It is the first and oldest, with a history that goes back centuries. Dietziel Keep handles the most high-profile clients and the most dangerous contracts, often serving as a meeting ground for Kingmakers of legendary renown. The keep itself is a fortress of pragmatic design, built into the cliffs to withstand siege. Its halls are filled with trophies from completed contracts, from dragon heads to the gilded helms of defeated kings. A bustling tavern dominates the lower levels, where mercenaries trade tales, forge alliances, and size up potential rivals. Above their large feast hall hangs that infamous Bounty Tier Board, a massive wall of contracts 40 feet high scrawled and updated constantly as names rise and fall in value.
Tho
The temple of Tho is devoted to the demi-goddess of energy and momentum. Tho, once a leader of a thriving cult, promised her followers sustenance and prosperity in exchange for their labor to build her towering temple. For decades, her promises sustained them in the harsh eastern desert, but once the monumental structure was completed, her interest in mortal affairs waned. As her indifference grew, the cult dwindled, and bitterness took root among the remnants of her once-devout followers.
In an act of vengeance, Tho was sealed within her temple by her betrayed cult. Enraged, her latent divine energy seeped into the surrounding desert sands, transforming them forever. These sands, infused with a millennium of the demi-goddess's energy, acquired a unique property: when the grains contacted each
other, they generated static electricity. This phenomenon gave rise to Tho Sand, a resource so valuable it became the foundation of an entire area of scientific study and industry.
In the nearby city of Silkwind, the field of Gyronautics emerged, an advanced discipline of electrical innovation centered around the properties of Tho Sand. Powering devices and developing experimental weapons, the applications of this charged material became vital to the region’s progress. Centuries later, during the War of Redsands in Dietziel, the temple once again became a focal point of turmoil. A heated battle spilled into its sacred grounds, accidentally unleashing Tho from her ancient prison. Unbridled energy erupted with catastrophic force, destroying the temple and reducing it to ruins. Hundreds perished as the temple collapsed, and Tho herself vanished in the chaos, her fate still unknown.
Fadma Valley
For most of the year, the eastern deserts outside of Dietziel are an unremarkable, barren expanse, forgotten by most. However, twice annually, during the seasons of Spring and Blight, the desolation transforms into a hub of life and activity as the Totemic people converge for the Fadma. This grand gathering of caravans serves as a celebration of community, a market for trade, and an opportunity for alliances and unions through marriage.
At the heart of the celebration is the Great Fadma, a race spanning from one end of the the plains of avarice to the other. Each caravan proudly flies its uniquely colored flag while their vehicles, ranging from wagons and chariots to more fantastical contraptions, carry them across the various terrains of a large portion of the world. Though celebratory in nature, rivalries between caravans often erupt into fierce competition, with some resorting to sabotage or trickery to gain an edge. The stakes of the race are high, for the first Toten to reach the finish line earns an extraordinary reward: an audience with the god of journeys.
The Lake of Silver
High in the dry mountains at the easternmost edge of the world lies a mysterious body of water known as The Lake of Silver. Nestled at the foot of the Soulgate, this strange lake is unlike any other. Its viscous, silvery surface shimmers like liquid mercury, forming perfect beads that ripple unnaturally. Its depths remain uncharted, impenetrable to light or mundane means of exploration. Within the quicksilver waters are otherworldly beings that have never been seen elsewhere. Each creature is one of a kind, as if shaped by an entirely foreign set of natural laws. They climb up from the depths, though no one has ever seen the exact moment one surfaced.
Expeditions to study the lake have been fraught with difficulty. The journey to the Lake of Silver is perilous, climbing steep terrain for weeks and enduring punishing elements that wear down even the most seasoned explorers. Those who reach the lake rarely find anything new, or undiscovered ;leaving scholars and adventurers alike are left with more questions than answers.
Midway
Within the central savannah between North and South Dietziel lies the unique city of Midway. The city’s ruler is a Lich King, unlike any other in Crudilex, whose life energy is intricately bound to the well-being and prosperity of the city itself. As long as the Lich King endures, Midway thrives. Midway is also distinguished as a place of innovation in the realm of mental health. It is home to one of Crudilex’s only asylums, a facility renowned for its pioneering use of magic to heal both the body and the mind. Much of the more conventional magical healing in the world focus entirely on restoration. Closing wounds and curing diseases. With the world in a time of strife and war however this has left many coming home with invisible scars they cannot treat. Midway’s healers focus their studies on exploring magic’s usefulness in the worlds of rehabilitation and therapy, employing new arcane techniques to address the ailments of the mind.
Harlemnaught Reservoir
The Harlemnaught Reservoir is an expansive man-made lake, created as a symbol of reconciliation and collaboration between the Staian and Roa in the aftermath of their War of Red Sands. Named in honor of Golgari Harlemnaught, a visionary diplomat who dedicated his life to uniting the fractured territories of North and South Dietziel. Constructed to ease the fraught tensions between Staian and Roa, the reservoir serves dual purposes: as a testament to peace and as a strategic geographic barrier. Its waters pose a significant challenge to the predominantly ground-based Stai Military, quietly curbing potential future assaults without the political troubles of something like a wall. Despite its political implications, the reservoir's role in revitalizing the arid lands of both North and South Dietziel has garnered widespread appreciation. The water it provides to the region has turned once-barren areas into thriving grasslands while supporting trade routes across the savannah.
Ebbhyde
The Ebbhyde Library is a towering obsidian edifice that rests within the heart of a crater. This alien obsidian structure has become an object of fascination since its descent, reshaping the surrounding landscape and sparking the growth of a bustling city in its shadow.
The library's most prized treasures are the red noctrite tablets, ancient vessels of knowledge created by the Lumin, a now-extinct lunar civilization. These glowing relics contain archives of wisdom from millennia past, encoded in intricate patterns of light and sound that even the most learned scholars struggle to comprehend. Their contents span topics from esoteric lunar rituals to the lost histories of ancient Crudilex.
Obreian
Obreian is one of four legendary flying motes, floating islands that drift above the lands of Crudilex. Composed of rugged sandstone cliffs and lush hanging gardens, Obreian is a sacred and secret sanctuary, serving as the seat of leadership for the Vermontis and their unified coalition of colonies. The island is home to a hanging Vermontian village, where the most skilled and revered warriors of the culture reside. These champions, chosen from across the colonies, spend a season of their lives on Obreian to train under the guidance of the Vermontis leader. As part of their rite, each warrior carries a boulder to the center of the High Court, contributing to an ever-growing cairn to mark their unity and strength.
The people of Obreian, and the Vermontis as a whole, are renowned for their patience, resilience, and profound sense of purpose. Paradoxically, the greatest gift the floating island offers is a sense of grounding, a deep focus on clarity, stability, and foundational principles. This ethos shapes their warriors and their leaders, who govern with deliberate thought and unwavering resolve. Obreian is a place of balance, floating in the skies but deeply rooted in tradition and values. Its warriors are trained in combat and taught the importance of reflection and connection, carrying these lessons back to their homelands after their time on the mote.
Skalla Craggs
The Skalla Craggs are a fractured, volatile landscape where the sun-baked soil is at war with itself. Massive cracks split the ground, and earthquakes rattle the region, regularly reshaping its treacherous, monster infested terrain. Predatory beasts stalk the jagged crevices, while burrowing Termitidae scurry below the unstable ground between their 400-foot-tall mounds, immense spires formed by the hives of the large termite-like monsters.
Mahat
Mahat stands as the final refuge of the Lumin people. This city was built by the descendants of those who survived the Doubting, a catastrophic event that obliterated their people almost completely. Fleeing into the void of purgatory, these Lumin sought to escape the gods' wrath by undertaking a harrowing act of will: they erased their memories of the divine entirely. Generations later, they returned to Crudilex, hardened and transformed, to reclaim their place in the mortal realm.
The city has a singular clear purpose: serve as the Lumin’s a home and haven, a place where they strive to preserve their culture, rediscover lost knowledge, and forge a future untethered to the gods they abandoned. Its architecture is a blend of ancient Lumin styles and the strange, alien influences of their time in purgatory.
Seko
Seko, heart of the melodious hive, is a sprawling labyrinth of tunnels and chambers, each more chaotic and unpredictable than the last. This vast network is home to a bizarre and often maddening breed of goblins, their society governed by wild and erratic rules that appear nonsensical to outsiders. Seko Hive goblins use overwhelming numbers to raid nearby settlements with storms of poorly trained goblin marauders. These raids regularly occur when the population has grown too dense to sustain, culling their numbers and expanding their territory.
The Redwell
The Redwell, located in the center of the Saltdunes, is a place that seems harmless at first glance, save for its curious location and the frequent visits from witches who arrive by air. The true nature of this well lies beneath, hidden from view in the sunless sea of the subsurface world below. Long ago, a noctrite meteor, the largest of its kind at the time, crashed into the Saltdunes, plunging deep into the earth. This meteor, rich in Sengeomantic essence, leached its powerful magic into the desert over hundreds of years, slowly forming a fragile, fleeting Sangromantic Ley Line, the energy used to empower the rare art of Blood Magic.
Today, this essence is carefully cultivated and offered to those who wield the dark art. However, there is a price for drawing from the wellspring of this blood ley line, one must always return more than they take. This is the sacred law of the Redwell, a law that ensures the well never runs dry. The blood of those who come here feeds the well, keeping it full and growing forever. The temple beneath the well, where the essence is carefully tended and guarded, remains a secret. Only those who practice the art of sangromancy are allowed entry, and they are sworn to protect the well’s true nature from the outside world.
Saltdunes
The Saltdunes, a vast expanse of coarse, white sand with grains as large as a fist, are one of the most unforgiving and inhospitable places in all of Crudilex. The desert leeches away any moisture it encounters, drying out the flesh of the unwary who venture too far without water. Those who perish in the Saltdunes never truly find rest; they become haunts- the weakest of all ghosts, trapped in a state of relentless thirst and longing. Lost spirits who do not realize their own death, eternally wandering the dunes in search of water they will never find.