Ravenheart (Citadel)

Far to the northwest of Bastion, across the chain of Death Zones crowned by Godgrave, lay the vast human enclave ruled by the Great Clan Song. The kingdom of Ki Song was Just as populous and potent even though it was younger and smaller in territory than the Sword Domain.^[3]

The great stone bridge nestled between a snowy peak mountain and a ranging volcano is the road to Ravenheart which is located further to the west of Hollow Mountains.^[4]

The capital, Ravenheart, was situated at the northernmost point of her domain, on the slopes of a towering mountain chain.^[3]

Ravenheart is an ancient palace built between the snowy peaks and smoldering volcanos of an impregnable mountain chain. It was universally considered one of the Great Citadels of humanity.^[5]

It was a beautiful and severe place with a population rivaling Bastion's. Strangely, it was not nearly as popular and well-known as the colossal castle that clan Valor ruled. In fact, the whole great clan Song was a little mysterious. The land of snow and ash where clan Song ruled was rarely depicted, and when it was, it was always to show something distant and exotic.^[5]

Main article: Jade Palace

The Jade Palace is a vast and intricate structure, resembling a sprawling labyrinth of halls, chambers, stairwells, and corridors. Though not as large as Bastion—a stone city in its own right—it is still immense and complex. Its exterior has turned entirely black over time, but the interior walls remain pristine and white, resembling flawless jade. The palace's architecture is inconsistent in scale; some areas are designed for humans, while others are built for beings of towering size. Despite standing empty for thousands of years, the Jade Palace continues to emanate a subtle sense of elegant opulence and grandeur. Within its black walls lie stone gardens, countless statues, intricate reliefs, great pools of icy water, and even bubbling hot springs. The palace extends deep underground, its foundations opening into a vast network of ice caves hidden within a lonesome mountain. These caves once served as the hiding place for the Queen of Worms’ army of dead puppets.^[6]

The palace is divided into three primary zones.^[6]

• The smallest surrounds the Gateway and is accessible to the public.^[6]
• A larger area is carefully maintained and inhabited, exuding the warmth and beauty of a lived-in space.^[6]
• The largest section, by far, remains uninhabited—though regularly patrolled by Awakened soldiers, it is otherwise silent and empty, a grand and echoing reminder of the palace's vastness and mystery.^[6]

The palace contained three throne rooms. Two were located within the palace itself: one clearly designed for humans, majestic and regal, and another, far vaster and more cavernous, clearly intended for beings much larger in size. The third throne room lay hidden deep within the ice caves beneath the palace. This subterranean hall was built by Ki Song. However, there were several of the caves below had been refined and cultivated by the builders of Clan Song because Revel.^[7]

Fewer than a hundred Awakened lived there during the Ki Song's rule. Later, the palace was renamed Ravenheart and became the Citadel of the Great Clan Song, anchoring tens of thousands of Awakened warriors to its Gateway. Masters and Saints also took residence under its roof.^[6]

In the present day, the Jade Palace is home to hundreds of thousands of Awakened. While many of Clan Song's retainers have since dispersed to serve in other Citadels, Kai's subordinates now occupy the palace. Most are Nightsingers who followed him during the Southern Campaign, alongside local Awakened, government agents, emissaries from the Immortal Flame clan (some of whom previously served the Valor clan), and assistants sent by the daughters of Ki Song. There are even a few hidden members of the Shadow Clan among them.^[6]

The Gateway was housed in a great hall close to the main gate. The space was filled with the tranquil murmur of clear water, which cascaded down the white jade walls and flowed through elaborate channels cut into the jade floor. The Gateway itself was a beautiful sculpture with its vague silhouette obscured by the falling water.^[7]

Main article: Ravenheart (Citadel)/Creature Catalogue

In Ravenheart, Nightmare Creatures were used for labor-intensive jobs, thanks to Beastmaster. This was a significant factor in the city's development and the Song Domain as a whole. Despite being enchanted by Beastmaster, the Nightmare Creatures were still dangerous beasts, and each had to be watched over by a trained handler.^[8]

Ravenheart was divided into three districts:^[9]

• The largest district was sprawled on the dark slope of the fuming volcano, protected from the cold by its heat. It's where millions of mundane humans lived. Their homes were mostly built from black stone.^[9]
• The second district was built on a grandiose stone bridge that stretched over a bottomless chasm toward a distant snowy mountain. It was much smaller than the first one, but still rather large. The bridge was home to most Awakened citizens, who could survive the harsh winter and strong winds.^[9]
• The third district was an obsidian glass palace that stood at the opposite end of the great bridge. The palace was where Queen Song and her clan lived and the Gateway to the waking world was located.^[9]
  • The Dream Gate was located directly opposite the palace, on the volcano's slope behind the mundane district. It attracted supply shipments and new settlers, offering a better life.^[9]
  • A sublime palace that seemed to be cut from obsidian glass. Its dark and ethereal beauty never fails to take one's breath away. It was visible from anywhere in Ravenheart.^[9]

The Song Clan lived in the frozen obsidian palace, while the titanic bridge became a town for Awakened warriors. The city built on the volcano's slopes, protected its citizens from the harsh climate of the snowy region. Sudden eruptions are of no concern because Queen Song and her Transcendent daughters protected them from any disaster.^[3]

The market in Ravenheart was a bustling marketplace with numerous stalls offering a wide range of items, from Nightmare Creatures materials to rare items from the waking world. It was a popular destination for Ravenheart citizens to buy weapons, home appliances, fashionable clothes, and crafting tools. However, some elite shops were in remote areas, requiring customers to brave the cold or send Awakened retainers.^[10]

Despite the harsh climate, the lowlands had fertile soil, geothermal heat, hot springs, and precious minerals. The work involved plowing ashen fields, mining mystical ores, and building modern infrastructure using geothermal energy. Due to Nightmare Creatures in the mountains, there was a need to protect all workers.^[3]

The name Ravenheart was derived from an obscure Awakened warrior who was the founder of the Song clan and Ki Song's late mother. Ravenheart had grown from a lesser Legacy clan to one of the Great Citadels of humanity by Ki Song, sheltering hundreds of thousands of Awakened.^[3]

Ravenheart was once home to dangerous Nightmare Creatures. The surrounding lands had long been cleared of the truly dangerous Nightmare Creatures. The snowy mountains were home to many abominations, making the environment deadly for those unprepared.^[3]

• Evacuated people from Antarctica found their lives stark and intense, but also enjoyable. One had to grow accustomed to the solemn and eerie power of Queen Song. Becoming a corpse in Ravenheart was just too creepy.^[3]
• The existence of Skinwalker caused the single most significant change in how humans lived after the Chain of Nightmares. The check before entering Ravenheart is a summoned flower. If it wilts in the presence of someone, it means that they were taken by the Skinwalker.^[11]
• In Chapter 1632, the news of a new road construction crew being assembled by the Song clan seems much greater than previous ones, but the job description implies a higher danger level. The new road is meant to connect to the east of Ravenheart, the Death Zones. There were already crews building roads to all neighboring Citadels.
• Ravenheart (Jade Palace) was actually the Citadel left behind by Ariel.^[12]
• Most of the most powerful warriors of the Song Domain were women. One would feel like they were in a flower garden instead of an army. Though those flowers were roses with bloodied thorns, most rank-and-file soldiers were still men.^[13]
• It is the Beast God's Realm.^[14]
• After the Throne War, Kai is now in control of Ravenheart as the "Steward of the West".^[1] (Refer to After the Throne War)
• The lands west of Ravenheart are frozen hell. It is so cold that even Saints cannot survive there. However, they were not always in this state evidence of fallen civilizations encased in ice suggests they were once habitable, and the ocean beyond them was not frozen either. The cold appears to have spread gradually eastward over time. This encroaching freeze was halted by a mountain chain with mystical volcanoes, which act as a natural barrier. These volcanoes expel ash that not only keeps the slaying cold at bay but also makes the soil around Ravenheart fertile and habitable. Additionally, this barrier prevents the eerie, hostile beings from the frozen wastelands from crossing into the livable regions around Ravenheart.^[15]
• The Jade Queen's bedchamber was used by Kai for strategic meetings with his staff.^[7]
• There were several of the ice caves below had been polished and cultivated by the builders of Clan Song because Revel.^[7]
• In Chapter 2819, In another memory Cassie shared through Seishan's senses, Seishan sat upon her mother's throne in the Jade Palace, having reclaimed her ancestral Citadel as a servant of Asterion.
• In Chapter 3148, Seishan claimed Ravenheart and the Citadel Cities in the River of Tears basin.(Aftermath of Fourth Nightmare (Event))