The mountain range encircling Redhaven is known as the Cinder Crown—a vast, broken spine of stone, forest, and geothermal fault lines that predates the city by millions of years. Unlike the dry, jagged ranges farther south, the Cinder Crown is alive with heat and water, its depths threaded with volcanic scars, mineral springs, and steaming fractures in the earth.
The range forms a near-complete natural barrier around Redhaven:
Sheer western cliffs
Dense northern forests
Narrow southern passes
High, wind-scoured ridgelines to the east
Before the fall, this geography made Redhaven defensible and prosperous.
After the fall, it made escape nearly impossible.
The Cinder Crown is geologically unstable by nature.
Beneath its granite and basalt layers lie:
Dormant volcanic chambers
Pressurized aquifers
Mineral-rich fault systems
This creates:
Hundreds of natural hot springs
Steam vents that remain active even in winter
Warm soil pockets where snow never settles
Long before the Blood Plague, indigenous legends claimed the mountains “bled warmth.” After the outbreak, those legends took on a far darker meaning.
The hot springs of the Cinder Crown were once a defining feature of the region.
Popular tourist destinations
Remote lodges and bathhouses
Research sites studying geothermal energy
Cultural landmarks tied to rest, healing, and ritual
The springs remain active—but changed.
Plague residue leaches into water in rare cases
Steam carries microscopic blood-rot particles
Infected are drawn to the warmth, especially in winter
Some springs act as natural congregation points for hordes
Despite the danger, survivors still seek them out:
For warmth
For clean water (after treatment)
For concealment in heavy steam
For morale and ritual
Hot springs are places of life and death, often both at once.
The Blood Plague does not infect animals—but it has changed them indirectly.
Bears dominate the Cinder Crown.
Primarily:
Massive brown bears
Smaller but aggressive black bears
After the fall:
Bear populations increased
Territorial behavior intensified
Bears are drawn to plague sites due to scent, not infection
Some bears lair near Plague Hearts, feeding on carrion
Encounters with bears are among the most dangerous non-infected threats in the region. Survivors consider them omens—neither good nor bad, simply inevitable.
“If you see a bear, it means something died nearby.
If you don’t see one, it means it hasn’t finished yet.”
The forests of the Cinder Crown are dense and uneven.
Tall evergreens block sightlines
Underbrush grows thick near warm soil
Fallen trees create natural barricades
Fog rolls downslope at dawn and dusk
Travel through the mountains is slow and exhausting. Sound carries unpredictably, and visibility can drop to nothing within minutes.
Trails once marked and maintained are now:
Overgrown
Blocked by landslides
Claimed by wildlife
Used by migrating infected
Before the outbreak, the Cinder Crown supported:
Small mountain towns
Seasonal research outposts
Hunting cabins
Firewatch towers
Remote geothermal facilities
These settlements were never large—but they were numerous.
After the fall, many became:
Isolated survivor enclaves
Silent ruins
Plague Heart zones
Natural traps disguised as shelter
While rare, the Blood Plague can affect nature within the Cinder Crown.
When it does, the results are catastrophic.
Infected root systems
Plague Hearts forming beneath forest floors
Living plant masses feeding on heat and blood
Entire valleys rendered uninhabitable
These zones are avoided at all costs.
Survivors believe the Cinder Crown is resisting the plague—but losing ground slowly.
Control of the Cinder Crown means:
Access to clean water
Renewable warmth
Concealed travel routes
High-ground surveillance
Natural defenses against hordes
It also means:
Exposure
Isolation
Wildlife threats
Limited retreat options
Those who live in the mountains do not flee easily.
They endure—or disappear.
Among those who live near the mountains, a common phrase circulates:
“The city is sick.
The Crown is angry.”
Redhaven exists because of the Cinder Crown.
And now, it survives because of it.
The mountains:
Trap the plague
Feed the city
Hide its survivors
Watch everything that moves below
The Cinder Crown does not care who wins.
It simply remains.