Location where all sanctums meet. Has a palace on the side of the ☱ Marsh Sanctum believed to be built by and abandoned by the Celestials that created Harmura. The mountain has been used for neutral meetings. Taken over by Zudaeshi.
Mountain Description 1. Octagonal Geography2. Vertical Contrast of Elements3. Atmospheric Phenomena4. Resonant Stone5. Centeredness in the World6. Portal to the Spirit RealmWhy the Celestials Chose ItPalace on Harmony Mountain Placement on the MountainArchitectural PhilosophyThe Central Plaza & Spirit PortalMaterial & AestheticSymbolic Role
Mountain Description
Harmony Mountain is the spiritual and geographic heart of Harmura—a singular convergence of elemental forces where the land itself seems to breathe with balance. It was not chosen by the Celestials for its power; it was born of their vision, or perhaps revealed itself to them in its quiet perfection.
Here’s what defines it:
1. Octagonal Geography
From a bird’s-eye view, the base of Harmony Mountain unfolds in a natural octagonal shape—eight long ridges radiating outward like spokes, dividing the land into eight distinct valleys. Each valley eventually birthed a Sanctum, its elemental phase aligned with the ridge from which it extends.
- These ridges act like natural ley lines, channels of energy that seem to hum beneath one’s feet.
- The Celestials saw this and named the mountain’s center the Point of Balance, where all things converge and dissolve.
2. Vertical Contrast of Elements
The mountain expresses all five elemental phases of Harmuran philosophy in physical form:
- Earth: Its immense base is solid and rich with rare minerals, housing deep caves and fertile plateaus.
- Water: Glacial streams spiral down its sides, collecting in sacred pools and narrow chasms.
- Fire: Beneath its roots, slow magma pulses—not destructive, but primordial, a source of subtle warmth and transformation.
- Wood (Wind): Forests climb its flanks in twisted terraces, whispering even when there’s no breeze.
- Metal (Heaven): Near the peak, the stone becomes pale, laced with veins of reflective silver and gold. The air is thin, the stars sharp.
This union of vertical elements means that simply ascending the mountain is a spiritual journey—through each phase, from grounding to transcendence.
3. Atmospheric Phenomena
- The weather atop Harmony Mountain defies prediction. Sometimes, clouds part only above the summit, revealing a disc of sky while the land is storm-wrapped.
- Rainbows often form without rain.
- Wind patterns circle it unnaturally, as if protecting it.
- Lightning may strike the same rock repeatedly, with no harm.
The Celestials took these as signs: this place is touched by forces outside time.
4. Resonant Stone
The stone of Harmony Mountain is unique. When struck, it chimes. When carved into temples or staircases, it seems to vibrate faintly in resonance with sacred tones. The Celestials found they could shape it not just physically, but energetically, giving rise to the palace and plaza.
5. Centeredness in the World
- Harmony Mountain sits at the precise center of the continent—north, south, east, west balanced.
- It is visible from nearly every Sanctum on a clear day.
- Old maps depict concentric rings of energy radiating from its base.
6. Portal to the Spirit Realm
In no other place in Harmura does the veil between realms feel so translucent. At Harmony Mountain’s summit is a natural convergence point—what became the spirit portal plaza. The Celestials believed this was the one place in the world where the Spirit Realm touches the land willingly.
Why the Celestials Chose It
The Celestials sought a place that embodied the Bagua—not as a symbol, but as a living, breathing structure of the world. Harmony Mountain was not only balanced, it revealed the balance inherent in all things.
- To them, it wasn’t just a mountain.
- It was the axis mundi—the pillar between heaven and earth.
- It was the mirror of the cosmos, where matter and spirit are equals.
They didn’t make Harmony Mountain sacred.
They listened, and found it already was.
Palace on Harmony Mountain
AKA: Mountain Palace
The Palace on Harmony Mountain is unlike any other structure in Harmura—not a seat of mortal rule, but a sacred artifact etched into the living stone of the world. It is ancient, predating records, carved and grown by Celestials who understood both form and energy. Every line of its structure resonates with the eight trigrams, balancing opposites and anchoring the world’s spiritual geometry.
Placement on the Mountain
- The palace is etched into the western cliff face of Harmony Mountain, where the sun sets in a blaze of gold and violet. It clings to the vertical stone like a divine bloom, held aloft by terraces, skybridges, and impossibly narrow platforms.
- It cannot be approached from the ground. No path leads up. Access is only granted via flight, spirit realm travel, or Veilwalking, reinforcing its separation from the mundane world.
- From afar, it appears as a shimmering silhouette against the sky—serrated roofs and open arches suspended in cloud and golden haze.
Architectural Philosophy
The design reflects all eight trigrams, balanced without hierarchy. Each wing or tier of the structure embodies a different principle:
- Heaven – Towers and spires reaching into the sky, with high balconies open to the stars.
- Earth – Stone courtyards and foundation rings dug deep into the mountainside.
- Lake – Crescent-shaped domes filled with still water reflecting the heavens.
- Fire – Cantilevered walkways of translucent goldstone, glowing with light.
- Thunder – Carved horn-like arches with sharp edges and echoing chimes.
- Wind – Open latticework structures shaped like swept banners, whispering in constant wind.
- Water – Runnels that bring mist and water across every surface, cascading into small pools.
- Mountain – Thick-walled sanctums carved directly into the cliff, silent and solid.
These structures are arranged in a mandala pattern, expanding outward from a central plaza.
The Central Plaza & Spirit Portal
- The plaza is circular, ringed by slender white obelisks representing each trigram.
- At the center is the Spirit Portal, a still pool that mirrors the sky perfectly, even when clouds blot it out. When active, it glows with shifting light and pulls air toward its surface.
- No one touches the water. The stories say that even the Celestials bowed before stepping in.
Material & Aesthetic
- Materials shift subtly between wings: marble, basalt, cloudstone, skyglass, and glowing pearl-like inlays.
- The color palette blends sky tones and mountain hues: pale blues, soft grays, golden whites, deep midnight tones, moss green, ember orange, and ocean black.
- Lanterns burn with spirit-light, hovering near entrances. Murals and reliefs along the walls depict mythic moments: the birth of the eight sanctums, the shaping of mortals, the sealing of the spirit veil.
Symbolic Role
- This palace is not ruled—it rules nothing, but all Masters acknowledge its sacredness.
- When Zudaeshi seizes it, the act is not just political—it is spiritual desecration. Her presence warps the flow of energy and begins to poison the spirit realm.
- Its inaccessibility reinforces its mystery. Most mortals will never see it. Many doubt it exists.