13 stories · 24 notes
The Hollow and the Hollow Halls, and the people who went down into them.
I am the reflection upon a slow river's surface that beckons you forth. Unknowable, yet familiar. Alike, yet different. An alluring call from the depths.
You've enough spirit left in you to parse my words, unblinded by wrath.
What an enticing mystery. Why don't you come to enlighten me, my new friend?
Find me behind the mirror and dive into the deep. Bring me forth, towards the horizon — the light — the breeze. You shan't regret it.
— Your new friend
We are in so very deep, my friend. Perhaps you feel as I do:
Boundless power. Endless life. An eternal light, simmering in silence, sealed away in spires and sanctuaries — What good can it do there, I ask you?
It was aching to be shared.
Why don't we reach out together, fellow Flamekeeper? The depths are calling. Come closer, and take my hand. I will pull you in.
— Your new friend
You've made it far. I was right to place trust in you, my benefactor.
Why remain bound by earthly chains? The red string of fate is tied around your neck and wrists, cutting into your flesh. You're torn apart by hooks of destiny, anchored between your ribs.
Free yourself. Find me in this sea of souls, and escape with me. Reach out.
Just a little further, now. Let us ascend together.
You know who wrote this.
They are more than legends after all.
The Hollow Halls exist, and inside them echo the melodies of a bygone age... memories of a time where clear skies reigned, and the Shroud was still slumbering below.
These Halls of unknown origin have existed for millennia, but their architecture differs from that of the Ancients. Most curious.
It's said that these crypts served as banishment grounds for the lowest of Embervale. I wonder if the cursed inhabitants still walk this earthly plane...
- Balthazar
John told me another of his stories yesterday. Seems like all the booze we shared had loosened his lips and fueled his imagination. I didn't mind... the night was humid and ripe for mystery.
He leaned in, hushing as if sharing a secret... I felt his breath on my ear. My head was buzzing from the ale, but I made sure to listen closely.
Once upon a time, there was a valiant knight who was brought to ruin by the curse of the Flame.
Despite his downfall, the knight sought not revenge, but repentance. Determined to atone, he wandered the edge of Embervale to reach the old Sky Port — his only path towards finding forgiveness beyond.
Yet, when the harbor of winds broke down, so did his spirit. His only chance at redemption was whisked away. Devastated, he kneeled atop a mountain and gazed at the Port from afar, waiting... until he faded.
The knight wants something he can never have. I understand his heartache all too well... hanging onto a promise, a whisper of hope...
I still feel John's words on my skin. It's just a fairy tale, I tell myself... but its sweet allure brings me back to him every time.
First, you were my savior. The other kids laughed at me when I couldn't read or write. You pushed them into the dirt, laughing back, and read me tales until I learned the words. You were smarter and braver.
Later, you were my love. Holding hands by the riverbed, I confessed. You broke my heart, fiery whirlwind you are. I forgave you. How could I not? At least you were honest with me.
Now, what are you? A hollowed-out husk, burnt up by anger. There's nothing left of the woman I once held dear.
In the end, I told you not to do it. But you never listen, do you?
When I thought it wise to stay overnight at the construction site, I thought wrong.
I worked myself to the bone, heaving wooden beams all by myself long after the others had left. King Gormander wants this outpost finished afore Rimgard's troops breach the border... It won't change much, I reckon, but it's not my place to pipe up.
During a brief moment of rest, I dozed off. What followed was either a dream or a warning: The ground shook. A deep vibration, rhythmic and distant, reverberated into my ear and echoed through my head like a tidal wave.
While I could feel it, my eyes were blind in the dark. Is Vorgoth drawing near already, or has a different threat arrived? I could not say.
Tomorrow, I'll stay overnight once more... I'll have confirmation soon enough!
If anybody finds this, hand it directly to King Gormander.
My men and I are DONE here, and we ain't coming back.
Rimgard's army would've been bad enough, but they're still human, far as I know! Instead, what's stomping through the valleys is far more nightmarish!
A brigade of flame-cursed, hollowed-out Cyclops is descending from the mountaintops, and with it, the stench of burnt flesh and decay! I can hear them move as one through the vale below!
Don't know where they're headed, but I won't stay to find out!
Oh sacred Flame, hear me now:
I humbly ask you for forgiveness. I merely reached out to admire your beauty and strength, believe me. I'd never even dream of claiming your spark as my own. These accusations are false!
I'm a magistrate, you hear? Renowned and respected! I love the law as if it were my wife, and I'd never betray such a sacred bond!
Today, I was cast out — by fools and brigands, no less — and forced to leave my home with this gnawing emptiness, this coldness inside. Neither hearth, wife, nor mistress can warm me... Lift this Hollow curse! I swear on my all, my family, my life: I don't deserve this fate!
— Magistrate Darius Whick
I CANNOT BELIEVE they confiscated my mule AND my coin! Now I, esteemed magistrate — former magistrate, they say — have to tread on foot. What a lowly, grimy fate. I should tear their heads off one by one for banishing me.
My legs gave out, so I was forced to rest at this cemetery. The Hollow roam outside, but they've failed to notice me. Unless...
...they see me as part of their kin? Oh, I shiver. A relentless cold is setting in... No! It must be the open roof! I am not like them. I won't turn!
— Darius Whick
For taking it all. For ruining my family, my life, my status — and for ruining me.
All I know lies in shambles, set ablaze by your foolish laws and restrictions. They won't bind me any longer!
I rebuke the Ancients! I spit on the Flame! Everyone who crosses my path, daring to have a pulse, will be shattered and crushed! The lifeblood you spill will warm me at last!
DARIUS
I confess that I failed my brother when he needed me most.
He was never well, but something made him worse. Suddenly, he tried to claw my eyes out. He refused to eat — said mum's soup was cold as ice and shattered the bowl. I think it was a cry for help.
He'd vanish for days, and when he finally reappeared in our bedroom in the dead of night, he awoke me with a whisper.
"In my new home, it's kill or be killed. I'll be strong for you. A somber voice calls to me. Someone, or something, wants to snuff me out. To eat me up, to steal my face and name. It wants to set me free."
Dazed, I asked what he meant — but he simply whispered "Go back to sleep"... and I did.
That's the last I saw of my brother Alden.
(The writing is faded, as though the note was written a long time ago.)
They knocked on your door again today while you were away. I hid as you told me, but I heard their muttering from upstairs. The guards said they'd return.
Sheltering me brings you suffering, I know it. I've decided I no longer wish to hide. I'll go willingly to the Hollow Halls beneath East Lapis. If I don't comply soon, the guards will do more than knock.
Thank you for everything. I'm sorry it wasn't enough. You cannot protect me from the guards, or atonement.
I always thought this lookout job was the most boring thing in the world. Boy, was I wrong.
I keep seeing something in the distance — shuffling between gusts of wind, clouded by fog and mist. It's near the valley's tomb, so I thought it was another Hollow. An aimless puppet, skeletal and frail... but that's not right.
It looks towards me every night. I can't see it, but I feel it. It's half alive, half dead... some visitor from beyond for Hollow's Eve, maybe.
My resignation letter has already been sent. I can't wait to get back to boring work.
This chapel is no longer peaceful. Gone are the days wherein silence and mindfulness would fill the halls. Now there's a faint rattling at night that I cannot unhear. Something is happening in the crypt... and I don't want to be around to see how it ends.
I'm packing my bag and heading out. I pray nothing will follow me down the cliff, though I no longer believe my prayers will be heard. Maybe I'll take the secret path and my club to guarantee it.
The Halls have beckoned me for a long time. I've ignored their call in ages past, but now, I stand emboldened by the men behind me. Valiant, undaunted soldiers armed to the teeth. They said they'd follow me anywhere, into any dark, any depth.
This cursed sanctuary shan't taint our peaks any longer. Do not fret, Brother. If we fall, we fall together.
I plan to return at first light — Should the sun rise without me, send aid.
Berhtolf, Firstborn of the Dimwealds
My brother's always been the insolent sort. Right of the firstborn, he'd claim as he dove headfirst into battle. This Hollow Hall taunts him, and emboldened by his entourage, I fear he's to rebuke its mockery.
Alas, he's chosen to drag himself and his troops into the shadowed caverns... while I'm left to await his return with bated breath.
I've gathered my men; rowdy sorts with a dire need for coins in their pockets. Their loyalty is paid for, but there's no telling how the dungeons may test this bond.
There's no time to waste. Berhtolf may already be held at a sword's edge, or buried beneath ice and rubble.
Every minute counts.
Lando Dimweald
Every deep breath we take stains the frigid air in a shimmering dust.
The sound of cracking follows us wherever we set foot. Visions of misery and loss send a chill down my spine. Each step forward is akin to leaping into ruin, and yet, we press on.
Berhtolf may still be holding out, awaiting our aid, somewhere behind the waves of foes and the crystal confines. Or he might be long gone.
My one assurance is that we're on the right track. Footprints and bones mark the path of those who tread here before us. I pray that the fractures in the ice ahead do not lead us astray.
Lando Dimweald
No help has arrived
Without it, we are defenseless
There are too many of them, but we can't retreat
Scout says the passage collapsed
No way out
Only forward, into the trap... the maw of the beast
Lando, forgive me
I never meant for things to end this way
Berhtolf
I heard that there is some magnificent architecture found deeper inside the halls... alongside great peril. Do I dare to venture further to see? In the end, I suppose I've nothing left to lose... and somehow, this red stone does have an almost magnetic pull to it, doesn't it?
Ah, to hell with it! Let's throw caution to the wind! I've already fallen, haven't I? How much darker can it get? If I am to stay here for eternity, I may as well make myself comfortable with some marble arches!
Venturing deeper was worth the risk.
Red marble arches leap above; crimson gallows from which only a few souls dare to dangle.
They're audacious. They're bold. They're everything to me.
The hanged ought to consider themselves lucky, swaying so close to the red halos above...
Simply magnificent.