The @Abandoned Mountain Lodge “Höllental” (ヘレンタール山荘) , once a stylish Alpine-Japanese hot-spring ryokan perched on a lonely ridge above Yomiyama no Sato, stands as the village's darkest landmark. Its name—“Hell Valley” in German—was chosen by its eccentric founder who honeymooned in Austria, dreaming of bringing Tyrolean romance to the Hida mountains. Opened in 1978 at the height of Japan's economic boom, it was marketed as a luxurious escape: dark timber beams, white stucco walls, steep gabled roof, and three private rotenburo fed by a scalding sulphur spring that smelled faintly of gunpowder. Advertised in glossy brochures as “the little piece of Tirol in the Japan Alps,” it drew skiers, honeymooners, salarymen on expense accounts, and foreign tourists chasing authentic onsen culture. Peak seasons (winter ski trips, autumn foliage) saw the 20-room lodge booked solid, guests soaking in outdoor baths under snow or stars, dining on kaiseki with Hida beef and imported cheeses.
Daily life at Höllental was idyllic on the surface. Guests arrived by chartered bus from Takayama Station (45-minute drive on winding Route 158), checked in at the carved-wood reception, and were greeted with hot towels and matcha. Staff—mostly local women in yukata and a few young men for heavy lifting—served meals in private rooms, tended the baths (changing water thrice daily), and performed evening karaoke or shamisen shows in the main hall. The owner, a flamboyant local entrepreneur named Hollier Takeshi (ホリアー 武, who adopted the German surname for branding), lived on-site and mingled with guests, boasting about his “European dream.” The basement housed laundry, storage, and a small experimental dairy room where staff aged imported cheeses to pair with sake—a quirky touch that became the lodge's signature.
The idol and cheese factory's true purpose began earlier. In August 1945, the B-29 crash scattered wreckage across the ridge, including the obsidian goat idol. Local villagers recovered it secretly, hiding it in a cave near the future lodge site. By 1946, as postwar hardship bit deep, a small group (ancestors of the current 13 cultists) began rituals, drawing black ichor from the idol's "teat." They processed it into a nutrient-rich "black cheese" for survival, discovering its aphrodisiac and prosperity effects. Production was hidden in mountain caves until 1978, when Hollier Takeshi—unwittingly influenced by early cult whispers—built the lodge directly over the original cave entrance. The basement was expanded into a secret dairy: stone vats for aging, gutters channeling ichor from the idol (now in a sealed vault room), and racks for the famous “squid ink cheese” that masked the true ingredient. Staff were gradually recruited into the cult; production ramped up, exporting the delicacy nationwide by 1980, fueling Yomiyama's economic boom.
Key Timeline:
August 1945: B-29 crash; idol recovered by villagers, hidden in cave.
1946–1977: Small-scale rituals and ichor cheese production in caves; 25 sacrifices over decades to sustain flow.
1978: Lodge opens; basement converted to secret dairy. Idol moved to vault.
1980: Black cheese exports begin under “Kuroda Dairy” brand (cover name).
December 5, 1982: German food critic Karl Muller arrives to uncover cheese secret. Cultists murder him and two staff; frame as Krampus madness using his book. Lodge closes permanently.
1983–1986: Site abandoned above ground; cult continues basement operations quietly.
1986: Monument repairs in town hall reveal hidden warhead (unrelated but noted in files).
1987 (pre-loop): Trucks seen entering old mine (storage); lodge ruins used for rituals.
December 24, 1987 (loop start): Anomalies escalate near ruins; cult activity intensifies.
The Karl Muller Incident (December 5, 1982)
German food critic Karl Muller arrived to uncover the cheese's "secret recipe." He grew suspicious of the basement access and late-night staff movements. On December 5, cultists murdered him in the dining room with a meat cleaver, along with two staff who witnessed it. The scene was staged as Muller's Krampus-inspired madness (his folk book left open). Police (under early cult influence) ruled murder-suicide. The incident sparked village Krampus hysteria, deflecting from the cult.
Closure and Aftermath
The lodge closed immediately after the incident, officially by order of the Yomiyama Town Hall (Mayor at the time, influenced by cult) citing "safety concerns and tragic accident." Hollier Takeshi and family left town quietly in 1983, rumored paid off or threatened. The property was never sold; it decayed under "preservation" orders. Cult continued basement operations via hidden tunnel. Since 1987 loop, the ruins are active cult site again.
Post-1982, the lodge decayed rapidly: roof partially collapsed, baths frozen and burst, walls overgrown with black moss. Snow never fully covers the path; footprints lead in but vanish. At night, faint sulphur steam rises from vents, and red lanterns (unlit for years) glow faintly. The basement shrine remains active: idol on altar, ichor gutters flowing, cheese aging on racks. Cultists access via hidden tunnel from the woods.
The lodge is the cult's heart—source of ichor cheese, site of sacrifices, and gateway to the mountain's hunger. Players approaching risk encounters with watchers, residual anomalies, or worse. The contrast between its romantic past and current horror makes it a perfect exploration site: beautiful ruin hiding unspeakable truth.