The story draws inspiration from the physical remains of the Yaoshan altar, part of China's ancient Liangzhu culture. The Yaoshan site contains twelve tombs, and from this foundation a narrative has been constructed with twelve ritual rooms named according to the Twelve Branches — the traditional Chinese system of timekeeping that also maps onto the internal organs of the body. Both dimensions of the Twelve Branches — time and body — shape how the story develops as the game progresses.