Terra Cruentus

A map of Terra Cruentus marked with the Terra Cruentus logo

**Terra Cruentus** is a location from *Halloween Horror Nights*. It was central to the story of the 15th Halloween Horror Nights, *Halloween Horror Nights: Tales of Terror*.

## Description

Terra Cruentus is a Nightmarish fantasy realm which uses 20th century technology such as motorcycles. The realm is ruled over by the *Terra Queen* who patrolled the realm on her motorcycle along with her Bone Choppers, and interpreter Eelmouth. The sigil of Terra Cruentus is made up of the shapes of the five symbols representing the realm's sacred *Terra Tools*.

Every fifteen years is the "Season of the Queen" in which human blood sacrifice is needed to be given to the *Gorewood Tree*. Humans deemed "Pure of Heart" are sacrificed to the Terra Throne using a dagger known as *The Terra Blade* for this ritual. This season may be made possible by Terra Cruentus connecting to our world.

#### Terra Tools

In Terra Cruentus there are five artifacts of significance known as the Terra Tools. These are:

* **The Blood Vessel**:
* **The Chime of the Hollows**:
* **The Gorewood Skull**:
* **The Iron Bone Gorge Goblet**:
* **The Terra Blade**:

### Features

* **The Burning Oak**:
* **The Fatted Calf**:
* **Maldaken Pass**:
* **Tangleroot Fire Pits**: The Tangleroot Fire Pits is used by the sadistic "Ore Mongers" to craft the *Terra Throne Blade* and other weapons in vats of fresh human blood.
* **Terra Gate**:
	+ **Terra Throne**: This is the throne of the Terra Queen and sacrificial altar of the realm, carved from Terra Cruentus' primary Gorewood Tree. Every fifteen years is the "Season of the Queen" in which human blood sacrifice is needed to be given to the *Gorewood Tree*. The Gorewood Tree produces Blood Berries, which are highly addictive and formed from the blood fed to the tree.

#### North Hollow

* **Blood Ruins**:
* **Dragon Forge**:
* **Mountain**:
* **North Hollow Household**:
* **Terror Mines**:

#### South Hollow

* **Blood Thunder Alley**:
	+ **Demon Cantina**:
* **Gorewood Forests**:
	+ **Cemetery Mines**: These are mines passing underneath of the Gorewood Forest, where miners dig up petrified human remains. The mines are also home to the *Knucklegrunts*, monstrous creatures which attack miners, being known to kill and dismember their victims.
	+ **The Collector's Facility**: This is the industrial factor and warehouse of the Body Collectors, an ancient and mysterious group who harvest corpse body-parts (both in Terra Cruentus and our world). In Terra Cruentus, there role is to bury human remains from sacrifices to feed the roots of the Gorewood Trees, and plant a skull to be fossilized then mined out as the Gorewood Skull.
* **Iron Bone Gorge**:
* **The Skool**:
* **South Hollow Amphitheatre**: Also known as the "Ye Olde Amphitheatre".

## History

### Background

#### Origins

Terra Cruentus' Gorewood Tree was once a typical tree Indigenous to the realm, before soaking up blood from fallen human warriors. The tree became larger and expanded into a monstrosity which requires human blood sacrifice every 15 years.

Ancient and mysterious beings known to inhabit Terra Cruentus are the Body Collectors, who have also been active in the human world for millennia. In the human world, these Body Collectors have used multiple historic plagues, mass disappearances, serial-killings and wars as distractions for their corpse collections.

#### Tales of Terror

At some point (possibly the year 2005), the Terra Queen sought after new sacrifices while the Storyteller told the events like a story while in the normal world.

During this incident, low-intelligence musicians Bill Preston and Ted Logan were invited (commanded) by the Black Guard to perform in the "*Ye Olde" South Hollow Amphitheatre* within the South Hollow.

#### Later Incidents

In 2006, the Storyteller was summoned by the Lord of Darkness from a large book with the Terra Cruentus crest to celebrate the sweet sixteenth cycle of Halloween Horror Nights. Various other creatures from Terra Cruentus were seemingly also summoned including the Terra Ladies, Eelmouth and the Body Collectors.

In 2010, the God of Fear was summoned in Universal Studios Florida with the Storyteller as his *Herald of Lore*. While attempting to accumulate power and become free, his lantern summoned various beings from Terra Cruentus into Universal Studios including the Ore Mongers and the Body Collectors with their assistants. Ultimately Fear was trapped back in his lantern along with the Storyteller.

#### Gorewood Forest

Sixteen years after the *Tales of Terror* incident, the Terra Queen invaded the human world again to find more blood. During this incident, the Terra Queen prowled the Gorewood Forest and even sacrificed Eelmouth.

## Appearances

### Halloween Horror Nights

#### Halloween Horror Nights: Tales of Terror (HHN 15)

This Halloween Horror Nights event revolved around Terra Cruentus and depicted some of the realm.

#### Halloween Horror Nights: Sweet 16

##### The Arrival

The Storyteller emerged from a large Terra Cruentus book.

#### Halloween Horror Nights 32

##### Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate

One shield in the Merlinwood bore the symbol of *Terra Cruentus* while another had the *Dragon Forge*.

#### Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store

The 2021 Tribute Store had various props related to Terra Cruentus, a book with the symbol of Terra Cruentus on it, and a map of Terra Cruentus. Also there was a portrait and bust of the Storyteller, as well as a black & white photograph of the Terra Queen.

## Trivia

* The name "Terra Cruentus" is latin for "Bloody/Gory Earth".
* The name of Gorewood Forest is a play on Sherwood Forest from the Robin Hood stories.
* Assuming that Tales of Terror's Season of the Queen occurred in 2004, that would mean the past seasons of the Queen (relevant to the main story of Halloween Horror Nights) occurred in: 1989, 1974, 1959, 1944, 1929, 1914, 1899, 1884, 1869, 1854, 1839, 1824, 1809 and 1794.
* The Jack the Clown/Hellgate Prison themed haunted maze "Rat Run" was one of the few HHN 15 attractions to not be tied to nor set in Terra Cruentus.

## External links

* *Terra Cruentus on the Halloween Horror Nights Wiki.*