A Reverent Descent

Under the shadow of the Crowned Peaks, named for the distinctive crown-shaped ridge towering over the surrounding valleys, lies an ancient site older than Corrhéo, some believe to be the navel of the world. Locals that know of it named it the Reverent Descent, a series of terraced platforms carved into the mountainside, spiraling downwards into the mountain's depths. This place's origin and original purpose are unknown, though its peculiar shrines and austere atmosphere suggest a profoundly sacred site.

Each terrace is bordered by ancient, weathered stone walls adorned with mosaics of beasts, constellations of stars and rings, landmasses, features alien to modern eyes, and surreal geometric designs. A single winding stone path leads downward, marked by shrines cut into the stone, laden with offerings: tarnished tools, folded garments, peculiar idols of bone and stone, and much more.

Deeper: The Reverent Descent is more than just a carved and decorated cave in the mountainside; it is a semi-sentient focal point of raw, ancient power. When the rings fall into the correct configurations, this site radiates primordial energy strong enough to influence the physical world and, on rare occasions, give form to the incorporeal Denizens.

The denizens that wander and reside in Corrhéo today were created here with forgotten offerings, worship, and sacrifice rituals. Most of the shrines lining the path are dormant, but a few hum faintly, alive; the carved stone of the effigies look as though they were just cut, and the color of mosaics is bright and shines with the luster of freshly fired glaze, dust and dirt are absent as are signs of erosion or cobwebs.

Even now, forgotten families, wandering hermits, and desperate mystics leave offerings here—though few understand why—their number grows fewer each year.

For those who continue the descent, the weight of the place grows—not on their minds but against their souls, thick, oppressive, and stifling. Shadows stretch unnaturally, and faint shades drift like seaweed in tidal pools tethered to the shrines. At the bottom of the path lies a cavern whose walls shimmer with veins of black glass, resonating in faint heartbeats. This chamber is believed to be the locus of the site's power, though no one alive claims to have seen its depths and returned.