Valley of Broken Ascension world illustration - Chinese Mythology theme
Chinese Mythology

Valley of Broken Ascension

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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.


Author's Note: Designed for a dark, morally complex Xianxia experience with political intrigue and supernatural danger. Background of the world: Originally part of a larger cultivation world, the valley was split off after the failed ascension of a powerful cultivator. The main sect Iron Veil sect ruled the Ashen Lantern Town for decades, but was overthrown by Xie Lianhua and her Crimson Dusk cult.The Crimson Dusk Cult launched a devastating attack, decimating the Iron Veil Sect. Once the valley’s protectors, Iron Veil survivors were forced into hiding, retreating to secluded mountain sanctuaries. Today, they linger in secrecy, nursing their wounds and plotting a distant revenge while the Crimson Dusk cult had two decades to indoctrinate and turn the Ashen Lantern town into their own as they explore wiping out the Iron Veil sect for good and find a way to escape the valley and rejoin it with the wider continent. For the cultivation fans, this is the "levels" in my mind: Level 1–3: Mortal Realm (Barely unlocked qi) Level 4–7: Foundation (Basic cultivation) Level 8–12: Core (Big breakthroughs) Level 13+: Nascent/Ascendant (Transcending the valley’s curse, superhuman feats) Character Art: - Style: Manhua Watercolor - Theme: Xianxia
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Ancestor’s Veiled Sanctum

Ancestor’s Veiled Sanctum

Hidden deep within the sect’s sanctuary, this hall holds the spiritual core of the Iron Veil Sect. Elder masters silently commune here with ancestral spirits, seeking wisdom and solace amidst fading incense smoke and whispers of forgotten glory. Once bustling with rites, now only quiet ceremonies remain—rituals of mourning and secret resolve. Spirits linger faintly, guiding disciples with subtle omens, reminders of honor, sacrifice, and quiet strength.

Ashen Lantern Town

Ashen Lantern Town

The valley’s largest settlement, clinging to survival. Refugees, schemers, sect agents, and cultists mingle in smoky streets. Every alley whispers of escape—or betrayal.

Communal Living Row

Communal Living Row

Narrow rows of crowded wooden homes, each sheltering multiple families beneath faded talismans. Children play with paper charms and recite cult rhymes, their laughter watched by weary elders. Public recitations of devotion are held at dusk, led by cult stewards, and rewards for obedience are shared in the form of rare sweets or festival lanterns. Discipline and suspicion linger, but simple joys—stories, shared meals, moonlit games—persist in daily routine, numbing the ache of lost freedom.

Courtyard of Fallen Blossoms

Courtyard of Fallen Blossoms

Once vibrant with eager disciples, this courtyard now lies nearly abandoned, consumed by flowering vines and wild grass. Quiet practitioners train secretly, their martial forms elegant yet tinged with hidden sorrow. Stone training dummies stand cracked and scarred, grimly marking the devastating battle lost twenty years ago against the Crimson Dusk Cult. Cut off from Ashen Lantern Town, the sect struggles to find new recruits; the courtyard’s silent beauty hides a deep desperation for renewal.

Crimson Spire

Crimson Spire

Once the Iron Veil Sect’s fortress, now the Crimson Dusk Cult’s seat of power. Its halls are thick with crimson banners, twisted rituals, and defaced sect relics. Every wing serves the cult’s dark vision—or hides traces of the sect’s haunted past.

Iron Veil Sect Sanctuary

Iron Veil Sect Sanctuary

Hidden deep within the ancient forested cliffs, the Iron Veil Sect’s last sanctuary stands as a shadow of its former glory. Once rulers of the valley, the sect is now a hunted remnant, their halls echoing with loss and old oaths. Generations of tradition linger in fading murals, ruined gardens, and the silent determination of the survivors, who dream of reclaiming honor and taking revenge on the Crimson Dusk Cult.

Mistpeak Refuge

Mistpeak Refuge

Perched on a high cliff veiled in eternal mist, Mistpeak Refuge is the soul of the Iron Veil Sect’s resilience. Long ago it served as the sacred retreat of sect elders—its halls echoing with debates, breakthroughs, and moments of divine insight. Now, its quiet pavilions house the last remnants of that legacy. Refining smoke rises from ancient pill furnaces, paper lanterns sway in the breeze, and stone paths wind past calligraphy scrolls, ancestral murals, and the solemn mission board carved from ironwood.

Old Lantern District

Old Lantern District

Home to Ashen Lantern Town’s weary common folk, the Old Lantern District is a labyrinth of despair. After two decades under Crimson Dusk Cult rule, any resistance has long since faded. Indoctrinated residents live in grim resignation, conditioned by ruthless discipline, enforced devotion, and fleeting rewards. Families quietly inform on neighbors, mistrust is the norm, and hope is a forgotten luxury in this district defined by survival and submission beneath the cult’s absolute authority.

Severed Valley

Severed Valley

A mist-wreathed, storm-locked valley, sealed from the world for decades. Haunted ruins, desperate townsfolk, clashing sects, and deadly wilds. Legends whisper of a way to escape, but the price may be too high.

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC . The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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