Over time, the scattered polyfocal settlements built by the various cults began to expand. What had once been isolated communities devoted to individual deities slowly developed into larger villages and eventually small towns. As populations grew and new followers continued to arrive, these towns spread outward across the valley floor and along the lower slopes of the surrounding mountains. Paths between settlements gradually turned into permanent roads, trade began to form between communities, and the borders that once separated the cult towns began to blur as their outskirts expanded toward one another.
Despite this growth, the relationship between the cults was rarely peaceful. Each settlement served a different deity or entity, and their beliefs, rituals, and goals often conflicted. Rivalries formed between cults that worshipped opposing powers, while others simply competed for resources, followers, or influence within the growing region. Strange incidents and violent disputes occasionally erupted between towns. Some conflicts were minor disputes over land or trade, while others escalated into ritual duels, sabotage or brief skirmishes between followers of rival gods. The presence of supernatural beings only added to the volatility, as certain deities subtly encouraged their followers to challenge others or assert dominance. At the same time, the growing cult communities began to attract attention from the outside world. Rumors spread about strange religious groups hidden within the mountains, stories filled with accusations of heresy, dark rituals, and unnatural beings. During periods when fear and superstition were high, outsiders occasionally organized raids against the settlements, believing them to be nests of witches or devil worshippers. These attacks were usually poorly organized and rarely successful. The isolated geography of the region, combined with the cultists’ familiarity with the land and occasional supernatural assistance from their patron entities, made the towns difficult targets. Still, the raids reinforced the cultists’ belief that the outside world would never truly accept them.
Faced with both internal conflict and external threats, the leaders of the cults eventually realized that continued division would weaken them all. Gradually, negotiations began between the major settlements. Though many rivalries remained, the cult leaders reached a pragmatic agreement: survival and growth would be easier if they united under a shared structure. Over time, the separate towns began coordinating their expansion, linking roads, combining infrastructure and building shared districts. What had once been separate cult communities slowly merged into a single, self-sustaining city. While each cult maintained its own temples, territories, and traditions, they now operated within a larger urban framework designed to protect them all.
As the city grew more organized, the cultists developed systems to support their new society. One of the most distinctive creations was a unique form of currency known simply as the “§.” These coins were forged from pure gold and served as the primary currency of the city. Each coin bore the likeness or symbol of a deity, along with an embedded gemstone representing the cult that had minted it. The gemstones varied depending on the cult, some used deep crimson stones associated with darker entities, while others favored vibrant or radiant gems symbolizing their patron’s nature. Though minted by different cults, the coins were widely accepted throughout the city, reinforcing a shared economic system that helped maintain the city’s self-sufficiency.
During this era, scholarship and knowledge also began to flourish among certain cults. A group of devoted scholars and archivists established what would become one of the city’s most important institutions: a vast and ever-expanding library. Built partially above ground but extending deep beneath the city, the structure grew into a labyrinth of halls, chambers, and hidden archives that stretched far underground. While publicly presented as a center of study and record keeping, the deeper sections of the library served a more secretive purpose. Hidden within its lowest levels was a concealed temple dedicated to Śikṣehel, the Archdemon of Knowledge, where cultist scholars conducted forbidden research, collected ancient texts, and recorded the strange phenomena tied to the nexus and its trapped entities. As the unified city stabilized, its cults began cautiously expanding their reach beyond the valley. Contact was established with a few other cult groups scattered throughout the wider world, forming loose networks of information, trade and occasional cooperation. These connections helped the city acquire rare materials, obscure texts, and new followers interested in the strange sanctuary hidden within the mountains.
Not all recruitment was voluntary. While some cults welcomed travelers and converts who sought meaning or power, others took far darker approaches. Certain groups began sending agents beyond the city’s borders to secretly recruit—or abduct—individuals they believed would serve their purposes. Some victims were indoctrinated into the cults, while others were used for rituals, experiments, or sacrifices demanded by their patron entities. These practices were not universal among the cults, but they became part of the darker reputation surrounding the city during its early growth.
By the end of this era, the once scattered settlements had transformed into a unified and steadily expanding city. Beneath its streets and temples, alliances and rivalries between cults continued to shape its development, while the supernatural presence of the nexus and its trapped entities remained a constant and powerful influence over the city’s future.