Cradle of Immortality

The Cradle of Immortality, located in the Tian Xia nation of Lingshen far to the north of the Golden River, is where artisans have sculpted terracotta likenesses of soldiers serving King Huang. His wizards have connected the statues to the souls of the warriors with the underworld dragon's blessing. Whenever one of these warriors dies, their soul is transferred to the terra-cotta soldier to continue serving their lord until the simulacrum is destroyed.

The Cradle, which is a series of long structures arranged in a cluster, is surrounded by hundreds of clay quarries. Craftspeople sculpt the constructs from the clay inside of the Cradle, all similar in general shape, form, and equipment, and are arranged into groups for various ancestries.

None has witnessed the harvesting of these souls on battlefields, and the process of collecting them and animating the soldiers is unknown not only to the public but also to all who work in the Cradle except its most senior laborers. The necromancer Laochong, the "Old Worm" as nicknamed by King Huang, is responsible for the soul-binding magic and uses the pricked blood collected when each soldier swears their oath to the crown. Not even King Huang knows Laochong's true nature or identity.

A large cavern beneath the Cradle serves as a repository for souls to be installed into the terra-cotta forms. Record keepers track the souls, including the few that silently but knowingly go unaccounted for.