Terra Cruentus

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."

-Dante's Inferno

Each stem of the symbol represents one of the realms

Terra Cruentus (also known as Terra Cruentas) was a land ruled by the Terra Queen. It was the location of the story of Halloween Horror Nights: Tales of Terror.

A Reading from the book “Terra Cruentus” by Elsa Strict

In this world of Terra Cruentus, separate realms share a common devotion to, and fear of, the Terra Queen and the thunderous Black Guard of Iron Bone Gorge.

Increasingly codependent, these realms exist in an uneasy balance of need and want, where a limited supply is always short of an insatiable demand of fresh human blood. For it is the human's life blood that nurtures the root system of the towering, twisted Gorewood Tree, a hideous hybrid of unnatural growth that resulted from a black oak sapling taking root in the crimson-soaked soil of an ancient battlefield where enzymes and human remains dissolved rare metals in the earth that were absorbed into the roots, veins and brass-colored bark of a tree that grew very slowly and very strong.

Ultimately becoming mineral than vegetable, with thick, iron-like vines that every season produce clusters of the plump, purple Blood Berry. And upon a grotesque altar carved from this deformed growth, a nightly ritual is performed with fresh sacrifice, virgin Blade, and a renewed devotion to the Terra Queen.

Sustained by an addiction through the intoxicating wine extracted from the forbidden Blood Berry fruit, the Bone Chopper Riders of Iron Bone Gorge celebrate their devotion to the blood-shrined worship and maintain an iron-fisted order in lawless lands as they travel to the other realms.

Through the fog-enshrouded groves of South Hollow, where the pure of hearts are cleansed of blood before departure to burial in the macabre Cemetery Mines of Gorewood Forest, a dark and foreboding realm of internment, patience, and metamorphosis. Where bone turns slowly to iron and flesh turns slowly to stone and the Body Collectors wait to ply their gruesome trade.

Then the Bone Choppers descend on the blistering Tangleroot Fire Pits of Dragon Forge where processed remains are shaped from bone to molten iron and from smelting ore to creation of the Blade itself, tempered in vats of fresh human blood.

Carrying the virgin Blade, the Bone Choppers travel through the North Hollow passage of Maldaken and its tests of survival to return full-circle to the base of the thick, twisted Gorewood Throne of the Queen.

And as her power has grown, so has the Terra Cruentus need of fresh blood for the harvest, fresh blood for the making of the Blade, and as always, fresh blood for the Gorewood Throne. The blood circle of death is come complete, never seen in the world of mankind. Never ending, never satisfied.

Important Areas in Terra Cruentus

• Terra Gate- The entrance to Terra Cruentus. Beyond the gates are many evil creatures and the most important servants of the Terra Queen, including Eelmouth. Also beyond the gate is the location where the human sacrifices take place.
• Iron Bone Gorge - A city overrun by bloodthirsty bikers carrying shotguns and machetes. This is where the Queen's motorcycle riding Black Guards party outside the Demon Cantina.
• Demon Cantina- A bar in the Blood Thunder Alley. It was a bar for vampires serving up blood miked with various cocktails and alcohol and succubi entice victims with exotic dances. The Black Guards come to the cantina to party one last time until their duty comes and their season ends a sign of retirement. The Goblets that are filled with Bloodberry Wine are made from recycled Blades after the ritual is complete.
• Gorewood Forest- A forest where the bodies of the victims of the Rituale de Blud are buried. Their flesh slowly turns to iron and stone.
• The Skool- The school for Terra Cruentus' children. There, they were taught how to serve the queen, and what the festivities were. They also play the game Dead Man's Wishes where they lure humans, play games with their minds, then kill them.
• Cemetery Mines- The mines where flesh and blood slowly transforms into stone and iron. These raw materials are taken to the Fire Pits for the creation of the Terra Throne Blade. Unfortunately, the Knuckle Grunt guard beasts there have a habit of rebelling against their masters, tearing them apart as they flee into the shafts. The only thing that keeps the beasts from attacking is the light, which is why the workers always have a lamp at the ready.
• The Collector's Facility- The main factory of the Body Collectors in the Gorewood Forest. The victims of North Hollow and the Throne were sent here for their bones to be rendered. Some bones like the skulls can be profitable if they are unblemished and undamaged. The Gorewood Skull is the most valuable out of all the bones. The Body Collectors are responsible for the creation of the haft of the Terra Throne Blade, made from an unblemished human femur and wrapped and decorated with human hair and teeth.
• Dragon Forge- The forge where the Terra Throne Blade is constructed, created from the iron in the blood of humans.
• Terror Mines- The mines of Terra Cruentus, which was run by cruel slave workers forcing miners to mine all day with no rest or food. However, everyone in the caves pay the price when the creatures in the caves attack the slaves and slave drivers. This is where the Terra Throne Blade is created, made out of flesh turned into stone and blood turned into iron.
• Blood Ruins- A village a few miles away from the Terror Mines. It was quarantined from all the other cities. The ruins are ruled by zealous monks who worship the Queen. The only escape was death, and anyone caught trying to escape, or do something against the laws, died a painful death or were tortured.
• The Hollows- Before the realms were separated and the Chime was one, there was one Hollow full of hope and light. But when the realms broke apart, two Hollows were created, both of them now full of darkness. The South Hollow is home to demented fools and jesters while the North is home to primitive beasts. Through the portal of Maldaken Pass is where the tests of survival take place o see if the “subjects” are fit to be sacrificed to the Queen or not. The “epicenter of primordial terror” features many elements of the primal fears that humans have, such as darkness and monsters. If subjects succeed these tests, they will be sacrificed to the Terra Queen; but if they fail, they will be tortured in the Blood Ruins.
• Maldaken Pass- An area of relics that serves as a portal to two areas; one being the horrors of the Hollow, and the other where a certain clown is hosting his own maze.
• The North Hollow Household- The Storyteller's home and the setting for Where Evil Hides. It holds one of the two tests of Fear used to determine who is worthy of sacrifice to the Terra Queen.

The Cycle of Blood

• First pilgrims wander through the tests beyond Maldaken Pass and become “Pure of Heart”
• Then they are sacrificed to the Gorewood Tree because of their “Pure of Heart” status
• Then their bodies are somehow drained of blood in Aouth Hollow
• Drained of blood, they are processed by the Collectors and buried in the mines.
• Ransformed, their remains are shipped to Tangleroot to create weapons such as one of the tools.
• The Blade is brought to the Gorewood Throne and repeat process with Maldaken Pass and the Throne.

Pledge of Obedience

Pledge obedience to the Queen and Earth from which she's born

From deep within the Gorewood roots from blood to stone from iron torn

In this world of many around there is but one blood crown to crown be worn

Swear obedience to our Queen from blood to earth to iron torn

Map

Map of Terra Cruentus from the 2005 website.

Post 2005

Terra Cruentus would be brought back during Halloween Horror Nights 30 in the Gorewood Forest scarezone.

Trivia

• According to the VIP Lounge during Halloween Horror Nights: Twenty Years of Fear that the original concept for 2005 was originally going to be based on the character of Darkness.
• According to TJ Mannarino each part of the land were different time periods.