The Chanting Hollow

Deep beneath Graveridge lies a cavern so steeped in mystery and fear that few dare to speak its name aloud. Known as the Chanting Hollow, it is said to be the site of a ritual gone horribly wrong. The legends surrounding it are as chilling as the damp air that fills its dark, yawning tunnels.

The Congregation That Vanished

In the late 1800s, a small religious sect, known only as the Gatherers, began holding secretive ceremonies in the Chanting Hollow. Locals whispered of strange, melodic chanting that drifted up from the ground on certain moonless nights. Some claimed the hymns were not in any known language, their harmonies dissonant and unsettling.

The Gatherers were said to believe in contacting "the Beyond," an ancient realm that could grant wisdom or power. They spoke of a "Veil" separating the mortal world from this other plane, and their rituals aimed to tear through it. On the night of their final ceremony, witnesses claimed the chanting grew louder, more frenzied, before it abruptly ceased. Then, silence. When townsfolk investigated the following morning, they found no sign of the Gatherers. The cavern was empty, save for melted candle stubs, ash-drawn symbols on the stone floor, and an eerie silence that seemed to echo forever. No bodies were found, and no one could explain what had happened.

Whispers of the Hollow

Legends quickly grew around the disappearance. Some say the Gatherers succeeded in opening the Veil but were pulled into the Beyond as payment. Others believe they angered something ancient and unknowable, which claimed them as punishment. Explorers who have since ventured into the Hollow report hearing faint, rhythmic chanting that seems to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

One chilling account comes from a miner named Elias Frayne, who entered the Hollow in the early 1900s seeking treasure. Elias claimed to have seen figures moving just at the edge of his lantern’s light, silent, indistinct, and watching. He described an overwhelming urge to join them, as if drawn by an unseen force. Elias fled the Hollow, abandoning his tools, and refused to speak of it again.

Modern Encounters

Despite its fearsome reputation, the Chanting Hollow has drawn curious adventurers for decades. Most return with little more than a story of an unsettling atmosphere, but some never return at all. Those who do often speak of:

• The Symbols: Strange, glowing runes etched into the walls that seem to pulsate faintly, as if alive. Some claim the symbols rearrange themselves when unobserved.

• The Candles: Melted remnants that appear fresh, as if the ritual had only just been completed.

• The Whispers: Voices that seem to call their names, beckoning them deeper into the cavern.

In one account, a group of thrill-seekers recorded their exploration of the Hollow on a handheld camera. The footage showed their lanterns dimming the further they ventured in, the chanting growing louder until it drowned out their voices. The tape ended abruptly, the last frame showing a glimpse of something, a figure, perhaps, reaching toward the lens. The group was never found.

The Warning

The entrance to the Chanting Hollow has been sealed and unsealed many times over the years. Some say it is the town’s way of containing whatever lingers inside. Others believe it’s a futile gesture, as the Hollow’s influence is far-reaching, stretching into the dreams and fears of those who live above it.

Dreams of the Hollow are a common occurrence in Graveridge. Residents speak of waking in a cold sweat after hearing chants or feeling unseen hands pulling them toward an unknown destination. These dreams are said to grow stronger the closer one lives to the cemetery, as if the Hollow’s pull intensifies with proximity.

Would you dare to explore the Chanting Hollow? Or is its history best left buried, like the secrets it holds?