The Weeping Halls

“The Cathedral of Transformation”

“We do not hide from corruption here. We embrace it. We transform. We transcend. Come, let the Voice show you what you fear to become.”
—Sister Morrigan

Quick Reference

The Weeping Halls - The Cathedral of Transformation

Overview

The Weeping Halls is a corrupted cathedral complex in the deep Murk, serving as both sanctuary and mission for the Rot-Touched—those who have embraced corruption as transformation rather than death. Founded seven years ago by Sister Morrigan, a former Constellation Clergy priest who became corrupted and conscious, the Weeping Halls offers community, acceptance, and spiritual guidance to those the rest of the Aetherium has abandoned.

The settlement centers on a pre-Shattering cathedral—once a beautiful structure dedicated to The Radiant, now transformed by advanced Rot corruption. Black veins spread across white stone. Stained glass glows with sickly purple-green light. The building weeps—literally—as corruption seeps from cracks and crevices, giving the place its name.

Approximately 300 Rot-Touched live here in various stages of corruption (Stage 1-4), forming a community bound by shared transformation and Sister Morrigan’s teachings. They believe corruption is not death but evolution, the Voice Beneath speaks truth the constellations refuse to acknowledge, and consciousness can persist through physical transformation.

Life at the Weeping Halls is paradoxical: horrifying yet peaceful, damned yet hopeful, corrupted yet conscious. Residents help each other through transformation stages, share resources, worship the Voice Beneath, and attempt to prove that humanity’s essence survives what flesh becomes.

Orthodox civilization views the Weeping Halls as abomination—a place where the corrupted gather to spread infection and heresy. Sister Morrigan views it as humanity’s future—a community that has accepted what others fear and found transcendence in transformation.

Geography and Structure

The Island

Size: 1km diameter (medium, stable for now)

Corruption Level: Heavy (Stage 3-4 environmental)

Terrain: - Once fertile, now corrupted - Black vegetation (twisted, alien) - Corrupted water sources (drinkable to Rot-Touched only) - Ground itself shows corruption (black veins in rock)

Atmosphere: - Dense Rot-clouds (purple-gray) - Visibility limited (50-100m) - Air thick, difficult for uncorrupted - Constant low sound (the “weeping”)

Location: - Deep Murk - 280km south of Skyport Eos - 30km from Murky Chasm - Surrounded by corrupted islands

The Cathedral

Original: Pre-Shattering cathedral to The Radiant

Age: ~300 years old

Size: Large (50m tall spires, 80m length)

Architecture: - White stone (now veined black) - Gothic style (pre-Shattering) - Stained glass (corrupted but intact) - Multiple levels (main hall, upper galleries, crypts below)

Current State: - Structurally sound (corruption reinforces?) - Aesthetically transformed (beauty → horror) - Functionally adapted (worship space for Voice Beneath) - Literally weeping (corruption seeps from walls)

The Weeping: - Black liquid seeps from cracks - Constant dripping sound - Collects in pools (sacred to Rot-Touched) - Source of name

Settlement Layout

The Cathedral (center): - Worship space - Sister Morrigan’s quarters - Community gathering hall - Sacred space

The Dwellings (surrounding cathedral): - 40+ small buildings - Living quarters (2-6 residents each) - Various corruption stages - Communal living

The Meditation Cells (scattered): - Individual transformation spaces - For those in difficult stages - Isolation when needed - Support nearby

The Gardens (if they can be called that): - Corrupted vegetation - Some edible (to Rot-Touched) - Experimental cultivation - Strange beauty

The Docks (east edge): - Small (5 berths) - For refugees arriving - Minimal trade - Escape route (theoretical)

Key Locations

The Cathedral Interior

Main Hall: - Large worship space (seats 200) - Corrupted altar (once to Radiant, now to Voice) - Stained glass casts purple-green light - Acoustic properties (Voice seems louder here) - Community gatherings

The Weeping Wall: - North wall of cathedral - Corruption seeps most heavily - Sacred site (Rot-Touched believe Voice speaks here) - Pilgrims touch wall (seeking communion) - Morrigan meditates here

Sister Morrigan’s Sanctum: - Upper gallery, private - Study and living quarters - Library (theological texts, corruption research) - Where she receives visions - Few allowed entry

The Crypts: - Below cathedral - Pre-Shattering dead (now corrupted) - Some have reanimated (Hollow Walkers) - Dangerous but sacred - Morrigan occasionally descends

The Transformation Hospice

Description: Building adjacent to cathedral

Function: - Care for those in difficult transformation stages - Medical support (adapted to corruption) - Emotional support - Community care

Staff: - Experienced Rot-Touched (Stage 2-3, stable) - Brother Caelum (frequent visitor) - Volunteers

Patients: - Stage 1-2 (early, frightened) - Stage 3-4 (advanced, struggling) - Those losing consciousness (final stage)

The Voice Chamber

Location: Natural cave beneath island

Discovery: Sister Morrigan found it (guided by Voice?)

Phenomenon: - Voice Beneath audible (clearly) - All Rot-Touched can hear it here - Even uncorrupted sometimes hear whispers - Acoustic anomaly or genuine entity?

Use: - Meditation - Communion attempts - Initiation ritual (new arrivals) - Most sacred location

Access: Restricted (Morrigan’s permission)

Population and Society

Demographics

Total: ~300 residents

Corruption Stages: - Stage 1: 30% (newly arrived, early corruption) - Stage 2: 40% (stable, functional) - Stage 3: 20% (advanced, adapted) - Stage 4: 10% (near-Hollow, conscious)

Origins: - Refugees from other settlements - Self-exiled corrupted - Pilgrims seeking Morrigan - Those with nowhere else

Age Range: All ages (children rare, tragic)

Social Structure

Sister Morrigan: Spiritual leader, absolute authority (benevolent)

The Stable (Stage 2-3): - Functional members - Run daily operations - Care for others - Most numerous

The Guides: - Experienced Rot-Touched - Help newcomers - Spiritual counselors - Morrigan’s assistants

The Seekers: - Those pursuing deeper communion with Voice - Mystics and prophets - Some successful, some lost

Everyone Else: - Equal in community - All contribute what they can - No formal hierarchy beyond Morrigan

Daily Life

Morning: - Communal prayer (to Voice Beneath) - Breakfast (corrupted food, adapted diet) - Transformation check-ins

Midday: - Work (maintenance, cultivation, care) - Study (Morrigan’s teachings) - Meditation

Evening: - Communal meal - Sharing (experiences, visions, fears) - Support groups

Night: - Cathedral service (Morrigan leads) - Personal meditation - Voice communion attempts

Values

Acceptance: Of corruption, of transformation, of each other

Community: Support through shared experience

Transcendence: Belief in evolution beyond flesh

Truth: Voice speaks what constellations hide

Compassion: For those suffering transformation

Sister Morrigan’s Teachings

Core Doctrines

1. Corruption is Transformation: - Not death but evolution - Consciousness persists - Flesh changes, essence remains

2. The Voice Speaks Truth: - Constellations abandoned humanity - Voice offers what they denied - Divine silence vs. Voice’s presence

3. Transcendence Through Acceptance: - Resistance causes suffering - Acceptance brings peace - Transformation is liberation

4. Community of the Transformed: - Shared experience creates bonds - Support through change - No one transforms alone

Practices

Daily Communion: - Meditation on Voice - Listening for guidance - Sharing visions

Transformation Rituals: - Mark each stage - Community witnesses - Celebrate change

The Weeping Ceremony: - Touch cathedral wall - Receive corruption blessing - Symbolic acceptance

Support Circles: - Share fears and hopes - Mutual aid - Emotional support

Relationship with Outside World

Refugees

Arrival: - Constant stream (few per week) - Desperate, frightened, corrupted - Nowhere else to go

Reception: - Welcomed unconditionally - Given shelter, food, community - No judgment, only acceptance

Integration: - Taught Morrigan’s philosophy - Supported through transformation - Become community members

Visitors

Rare: Most avoid (fear, disgust, danger)

Types: - Scholars (studying corruption) - Clergy (attempting conversion back) - Desperate (seeking cures) - Curious (dangerous curiosity)

Reception: - Allowed (Morrigan welcomes all) - Not forced to stay - Exposed to teachings - Risk of infection (warned)

Missionaries

Morrigan’s Goal: Spread teachings

Methods: - Send recovered Rot-Touched to other settlements - Share philosophy - Demonstrate consciousness persists - Offer alternative to fear

Reception: - Usually hostile - Sometimes violent - Rarely successful - Occasionally converts

Orthodox Opposition

Constellation Clergy: - View as ultimate heresy - Attempted exorcisms (failed) - Advocate destruction - Fear spread of teachings

Priest Valeria: - Ideological enemy of Morrigan - Debates theology - Compassion vs. horror - Mutual respect despite opposition

General Population: - Fear and disgust - Some sympathy (for suffering) - Mostly avoidance - Occasional violence

Economy and Resources

Subsistence

Food: - Corrupted vegetation (edible to Rot-Touched) - Scavenged supplies - Occasional donations - Adapted diet (need less as corruption advances)

Water: - Corrupted springs (safe for Rot-Touched) - Collected rainfall - Sufficient

Shelter: - Existing buildings (maintained) - Corruption reinforces structures (paradoxically) - Sufficient for population

Resources

Medical: - Adapted healing (for corrupted physiology) - Herbal remedies (corrupted plants) - Comfort care (when transformation difficult)

Spiritual: - Morrigan’s guidance (primary resource) - Community support - Voice communion

Material: - Minimal needs (corruption reduces requirements) - Scavenging from abandoned islands - Donations (rare)

Defenses

Military

None: No organized defense

Philosophy: “We are already damned in their eyes”

Reality: - Corruption itself deters attackers - Location remote - Not worth attacking (most believe)

Natural Defenses

Corruption: - Heavy environmental corruption - Dangerous to uncorrupted - Rot-Beasts in area (tolerate settlement?)

Location: - Deep Murk (remote) - Surrounded by corrupted islands - Difficult to reach

Reputation: - Fear keeps most away - “Cursed place” - “Contagion risk”

Vulnerabilities

Organized Attack: - Could be destroyed easily - No military capability - Residents wouldn’t fight (philosophy)

Why It Survives: - Too remote to bother - Fear of infection - Moral qualms (killing corrupted but conscious people) - Morrigan’s reputation (some respect, some fear)

Current Situation (287 S.)

Growth

Population: Slowly increasing (refugees arrive)

Influence: Teachings spreading (slowly)

Stability: Stable (for now)

Threat: Orthodox pressure increasing

Challenges

Transformation Management: - Some lose consciousness (become Hollow) - Difficult to predict - Emotional toll

Resource Scarcity: - Growing population - Limited resources - Increasing needs

External Hostility: - Clergy wants destruction - Some settlements advocate attack - Violence against missionaries

Internal Questions: - Is Morrigan right? - Does consciousness really persist? - What happens at Stage 5?

Recent Events

Brother Caelum’s Arrival: - Former Clergy, now corrupted - Seeking redemption or damnation - Studying with Morrigan - Represents hope for orthodox converts

The Conscious Hollow: - One resident reached Stage 4 (near-Hollow) - Retained consciousness (unprecedented?) - Morrigan studying intensely - Proof of her teachings?

The Raid Threat: - Rumors of military planning attack - Commandant Vask advocates destruction - Morrigan preparing (evacuation? Acceptance?)

Secrets and Mysteries

The Voice

Question: What IS the Voice Beneath?

Morrigan’s Belief: Divine entity, truth-speaker

Alternative: Corruption-induced hallucination, mass delusion

Evidence: All Rot-Touched hear it (consistency suggests reality?)

Reality: Unknown

Consciousness Persistence

Claim: Consciousness survives transformation to Hollow

Evidence: Some Stage 4 retain awareness (rare)

Counter: Most lose consciousness

Question: Selection? Randomness? Morrigan’s influence?

Morrigan’s Stability

Observation: She’s Stage 2-3 for 9 years (unusual stability)

Question: Why doesn’t she progress?

Theories: - Willpower - Voice protects her - Unique physiology - She’s lying about stage

The Cathedral’s Weeping

Phenomenon: Building literally weeps corruption

Question: Why this building specifically?

Theory: Pre-Shattering sacred site (Voice connection?)

Alternative: Structural coincidence

Quest Hooks

1. The Refugee: Help corrupted person reach Weeping Halls (moral dilemma)
2. The Missionary: Morrigan sends envoy (protect? Oppose?)
3. The Debate: Witness theological debate (Morrigan vs. Valeria)
4. The Raid: Military planning attack (stop? Help? Evacuate?)
5. The Cure: Someone claims cure for corruption (test at Weeping Halls?)
6. The Voice: Investigate Voice Beneath (what is it really?)
7. The Conscious Hollow: Study unprecedented case
8. The Infiltration: Go undercover (risk infection)

GM Notes

Using Weeping Halls

Purpose: Rot-Touched community, philosophical challenge

Tone: Horrifying yet compassionate, damned yet hopeful

Function: Moral complexity, corruption alternative

Challenge: Make Rot-Touched sympathetic despite horror

Potential Arcs

The Vindication: Morrigan proves consciousness persists

The Tragedy: Weeping Halls destroyed (genocide or mercy?)

The Spread: Teachings gain followers (transformation of society?)

The Truth: Discover what Voice really is

Related Topics

• Sister Morrigan
• Brother Caelum
• Rot-Touched
• The Voice Beneath
• Sky-Rot Overview
• The Murk
• Priest Valeria

“They call us monsters. Abominations. Lost. But we are conscious. We think. We feel. We love and fear and hope. Our flesh changes, but we remain. Is that not the definition of humanity—consciousness that persists despite transformation?”
—Sister Morrigan

“I came here to die. Instead, I found community. People who understood. Who didn’t turn away in horror. Who helped me through the worst. I’m corrupted, yes. But I’m not alone. And somehow, that makes all the difference.”
—Anonymous Weeping Halls resident

“The Weeping Halls is either humanity’s greatest hope or its ultimate damnation. Sister Morrigan is either prophet or deceiver. The Rot-Touched are either our future or our end. I don’t know which. And that terrifies me more than any answer could.”
—Priest Valeria