Sacred Valley. Isolated region in Iteration 110 (Cradle). Population approximately one million.
Overview
Sacred Valley is an isolated region home to roughly one million people, surrounded on all sides by mountains. Its inhabitants believe Gold is the highest stage of advancement and consider themselves practitioners of the complete sacred arts. The valley is divided among several clans and schools, each following their own Path. [US Ch.1]
[CONFIRMED] The valley is designated Iteration 110 (Cradle) in the Abidan system. [US Epilogue]
Geography
The valley contains several notable landmarks:
- Mount Samara — Home of Heaven’s Glory School; Samara’s Ring, a massive halo of white light, is visible from anywhere in the valley [US Ch.6]
- Greatfather Mountain — Controlled by the Holy Wind School; the regenerative pool known as Greatfather’s Tears lies at its peak [US Ch.6]
- Mount Venture — Territory of the
Kazan Clan - Yoma Mountain — Location of the Nethergate, a 30-meter door that opens every ten years, leading to the Labyrinth [US Ch.6]
- Dragon River — Flows from Greatfather Mountain through the valley [US Ch.6]
Beneath the valley lies the Labyrinth, an ancient structure predating all current inhabitants. Even the Sword Sage, who came from outside the valley, could not walk its depths easily. The Ancestor’s Tomb serves as one entrance, with the Nethergate as another. [US Ch.19]
Factions
Sacred Valley is divided among seven major factions:
Wei Clan - Heaven’s Glory School — Mount Samara; Path of Heaven’s Glory (light/fire madra); guards Samara’s Ring; secretly abducts talented children from other clans [US Ch.6, Ch.13]
- Fallen Leaf School — Controls most ancestral trees; life techniques [US Ch.1]
- Holy Wind School — Greatfather Mountain; controls Greatfather’s Tears [US Ch.6]
- Golden Sword School — Craftsmen; manufacture parasite rings [US Ch.6]
- Kazan Clan — Armor-wearing warriors; craghound mounts; Path of the Mountain’s Heart (earth/force madra) [US Ch.7]
- Li Clan — Jewelry-obsessed; snake and tree symbols; secretly researched spatial techniques to enable Li Markuth’s return [US Ch.6, Ch.8]
Advancement Limitations
The inhabitants of Sacred Valley believe that Gold is the final stage of advancement. Elder Whisper, an ancient sacred beast, hints otherwise: “Paths don’t end at Gold.” [US Ch.4]
[CONFIRMED] From Suriel’s perspective, anyone below Gold is considered “powerless” by outside standards. The Jades who rule Sacred Valley would be unremarkable in the wider world. [US Ch.11]
Sacred Valley is protected — and limited — by a suppression field that reduces all sacred artists within it to roughly Jade-level power. This is why no one in the valley advances past Gold. Even
[CONFIRMED] The suppression field is connected to the Labyrinth and the binding of Subject One beneath the valley. Samara’s Ring is a visible component of this system. [RP Ch.1]
History
Sacred Valley was disrupted when Li Markuth — a Li Grand Patriarch who had ascended centuries ago — returned with power far beyond Gold. He slaughtered the gathered clans at the Seven-Year Festival before Suriel intervened, reversing time to erase the event. [US Ch.8-10]
Following these events, Suriel’s Presence detected two major divergences in fate: the destruction of the Wei clan, and the return of the Dreadgods. Elder Whisper, an ancient five-tailed snowfox, followed
The threat Suriel foresaw eventually materializes: a Dreadgod approaches Sacred Valley, forcing
Outside Perspective
To outsiders in the Blackflame Empire, Sacred Valley is a legend — a hidden valley in the mountains where the inhabitants are weak but “protected by a curse.” People occasionally emerge to trade with the outside world. The mountains lie at the very western edge of the Empire, in territory no one has controlled for fifty years. [BF Ch.6]