Once a thriving crossroads of trade and cultivation, the Severed Valley has been cut off from the outside world for decades by a deadly miasma storm and supernatural disasters caused by the failed ascension of someone who aimed to reach the heavens. Within its borders, survivors fight for hope, power, and escape. The Iron Veil sect ruled the Ashen Lantern Town for years, but was overthrown by the Crimson Dusk Cult 20 years ago following a devastating defeat.
| Played | 9 times |
| Cloned | 4 times |
| Created | 18 days ago |
| Last Updated | 8 days ago |
| Visibility | Public |
Red Lotus Apothecary
A cramped, fragrant apothecary wedged between crowded homes. The elderly healer dispenses teas, salves, and approved talismans, her shelves lined with dried roots and spirit-suppressing herbs. All remedies must bear the cult’s crimson seal, and any who ask for forbidden cures risk interrogation. Yet some townsfolk whisper the old woman remembers ancient Iron Veil formulas, her true knowledge concealed behind humble obedience.
Amber Hearth Inn
A crowded, smoky inn where weary laborers and families gather for cheap rice wine, watery stew, and a rare break from cramped homes. The cult allows the inn to operate so long as it serves as their unofficial listening post; informants mix with patrons, and every private booth hides a hidden sigil or peep-hole. Once a lively stop for Iron Veil disciples and merchants, now it is a place of muted laughter, careful whispers, and eyes that linger too long.
Ancestral Spirit Altar
The central jade altar dedicated to Iron Veil ancestors. Elders kneel here, lighting incense sticks and murmuring respectful greetings to spirits. The altar is carefully maintained, offerings of rare fruits and spirit talismans replaced daily. On rare occasions, faint spirit apparitions appear here, offering cryptic guidance or omens of fortune and calamity.
Blessed Hearth Kitchen
The district’s smoky communal kitchen, once overseen by a kindly Iron Veil elder, now runs under the stern gaze of a cult-appointed cook. Families gather for thin porridge and rationed root stew, speaking quietly as a crimson cult poster warns against “disloyal tongues.” The kitchen is a vital refuge for daily survival, a place where suspicion and community simmer side by side. News and gossip circulate in whispers, always mindful of who might be listening.
Chamber of Quiet Sutras
A secluded chamber used by elders and senior disciples for meditation, quiet study of sect sutras, and private rites of mourning. Shelves filled with ancient texts line the walls, containing sutras of compassion, martial forms, and qi cultivation. The air feels heavy, imbued with deep silence and patient determination.
Cloud-Shadow Pavilion
Once the sanctum of wise leadership, this silent pavilion now shelters tradition more than power. Rituals are still performed, scrolls still replaced at the altar, yet few dare enter without reason. Decisions are rare but absolute, issued from behind lacquered doors as whispers of what the sect was—and might be again.
Communal Well
The only source of clean water for dozens of families, the well is a constant meeting point—and a subtle tool for cult control. Ration tokens are issued by cult stewards and checked by rote. The well’s old Iron Veil blessing has been scraped away, replaced by a crimson sigil of submission. Neighbors exchange cautious greetings, wary of watching eyes.
Dorms of the Last Vow
Rows of stone and wood sleeping chambers, once bustling with laughter, now echo with routine and quiet sorrow. The disciples here are few but fiercely loyal, living under the gaze of their ancestors’ names carved into every bedpost. Early mornings bring cultivation drills, whispered stories, and stubborn, flickering hope for a future not yet lost.
Furnace-Heart Hall
Split between counsel and craft, this dual-winged hall once bred breakthroughs in alchemy and insight. One elder tracks cosmic cycles for omen-reading, the other maintains a flickering pillfire, refining elixirs from fading herbs. Together, they preserve what little power remains—one breath at a time.
Indoctrination Chamber
Formerly the Iron Veil Sect’s revered library—where students debated philosophy and cultivation—now gutted into the Crimson Dusk Cult’s ruthless indoctrination chamber. Bookshelves stripped, manuscripts burned; intellectual freedom replaced by enforced obedience. Cultists chant relentlessly, forcing captives and initiates into ritual submission. Minds break amidst incense smoke, dark qi manipulations, and whispered doctrines, remaking the unwilling into fanatic adherents.
Ironwood Task Circle
Beneath an ancient pine, the sect’s mission board stands—a last link to shared purpose. Here, scrolls bearing tasks and training assignments flutter from ironwood slats. The few remaining elders post new missions by moonlight, and disciples gather in silence to read and accept them, their resolve quietly renewed by every posted duty.
Jade Reflection Wall
A smooth jade wall polished into a mirror-like finish. Disciples gaze into it seeking ancestral guidance or subtle warnings. The wall is said to reflect not just those who look upon it, but also shadowy glimpses of past masters and the sect’s former glories. Elders use the reflections to teach patience, humility, and to sense subtle shifts in spiritual qi.
Lotus Sparring Circle
A hidden circle of polished stone tiles engraved with fading lotus motifs, where remaining disciples train discreetly. Sparring forms emphasize grace, precision, and qi control—remnants of the sect’s proud martial tradition. Secret techniques, passed down hastily before the disastrous defeat, are practiced here with quiet urgency, each move tinged by the bitter knowledge of how few remain to learn them.
Moonlit Bamboo Grove
A secluded grove where tall bamboo rustles gently beneath moonlight. Disciples retreat here to quietly cultivate qi and meditate on past defeats, seeking inner strength. The disastrous battle with the Crimson Dusk Cult shattered many disciples’ spirits; the grove’s tranquility now serves as a gentle balm and silent witness to nightly cultivation, quiet sorrow, and whispered vows of eventual revenge.
Overseer’s Chamber
Luxurious yet menacing, this is the private domain of the Crimson Dusk Cult Overseer—appointed directly by the Crimson Oracle, the cult’s supreme leader. Here, the Overseer enforces the Oracle’s will in Ashen Lantern Town, handling schemes, tributes, and threats.
Pavilion of Broken Blades
A solemn pavilion housing the shattered weapons of fallen disciples, arranged respectfully as memorials to courage and sacrifice. Each blade or spear fragment tells a story of valor and tragic loss during the Crimson Dusk Cult’s purge. Here disciples quietly honor their lost comrades and remember the harsh reality: isolated from Ashen Lantern Town, their ranks grow thin, each fallen blade marking a step closer to extinction.
Pillar of Shame
Once a plaza for the Iron Veil Sect’s lantern festivals, now twisted into a place of public humiliation. Here, the Crimson Dusk Cult binds dissenters and suspected sect sympathizers to stone pillars, forcing confessions and mockery before the crowd.Attendance is mandatory; the spectacle is both punishment and indoctrination. No one forgets who holds power—or who once did.
Pleasure Den
Once the Iron Veil Sect’s serene meditation garden, the Pleasure Den now embodies the Crimson Dusk Cult’s decadent corruption. Serenity and discipline were replaced by hedonistic rituals and luxurious excess, designed to reward loyalists and ensnare the unwary. Pleasure mixes seamlessly with subtle indoctrination; beneath silks and whispered promises, loyalty is tested, secrets are extracted, and broken souls remade into devoted cultists.
Prison Cells
Once luxurious guest quarters reserved for visiting Iron Veil dignitaries, these chambers now serve as the Crimson Dusk Cult’s brutal prison. Comfortable beds replaced by filthy straw, hospitality twisted into torment. Here, traitors, rebels, and captives await punishment or indoctrination. Wards etched by the sect to protect honored guests now prevent desperate escape attempts, creating bitter irony as prisoners suffer beneath charms meant to ensure safety.
Red Lantern Watchpost
The district’s main guard station, where Crimson Dusk Cult enforcers—some masked, some marked by ritual scars—keep constant watch over the common folk. Patrols set out at dawn and dusk, enforcing curfews, resolving disputes, and dispensing discipline. Residents are summoned here for questioning or public scoldings, and neighbors quietly deliver accusations to avoid suspicion themselves. Even minor infractions draw swift, public reprimand. In this shadowed outpost, order is kept through fear and ritual.
Veil Academy Ruins
The ruins of the old sect academy, once alive with philosophy and martial drills, now stand as a warning. Rubble-strewn courtyards are used for cult “history lessons,” where children are taught to scorn the Iron Veil’s legacy and memorize new doctrine.
Yao Family House
A cramped two-room home shared by three generations of the Yao family, survivors of cult rule. Faded talismans and careful obedience keep them under the cult’s radar. The house’s matriarch remembers the Iron Veil days with longing, while the younger children parrot cult rhymes. Suitable as a player character’s origin—family ties, neighbor drama, and everyday survival define life here.