The Hollowed Ones
| Type | Entity / infection — a psychic presence that controls people through direct communication with the brain |
| Status | Active — the Hatchett gang were only "stage one" |
| First Encountered | Session 7 (the "EVERYWHERE" contact); named by the Order in Session 8 |
| Mystery | Overarching — surfaced beneath Mystery 3 and continues |
| Weakness | Unknown |
Description
The name the Order gave for the entity controlling people through direct communication with their brain: "The Hollowed Ones. Infection. Sounds like stage one." It is described as an infection with stages, not a single creature — the Hatchett gang were only the first.
It first revealed itself through the Hatchett gang, who were psychically linked — any harm done to one of them hurt them all, and they died in perfect unison across separate locations during "Hole Noon," seemingly without direct cause of death. When Cuthbert made contact with the presence behind them and asked where it was, a single word dropped into his mind: "EVERYWHERE."
Eleven months ago, the same affliction appears to have taken the miners at the mine north of Hole — and, before them, Ms March's brother August March, who changed after entering the mine and then vanished.
Known Signs & Symptoms
| Sign | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brain control | Direct communication with, and control of, the infected person's brain |
| Psychic link | Infected individuals share harm (hurt one, hurt all) and can die in unison |
| The voice | Contact with the presence yields the single word "EVERYWHERE" |
| Disease progression (miners) | Tiredness, headaches, fever, fatigue → growing obsession → loss of personality → disappearance |
| August March | Acted strangely after entering the mine, then vanished — the same pattern |
| The hum | A pulsating hum sounds deep in the mine; Doctor Webb dreams of a dark cave tunnel and the same hum |
| Defensive reaction | Doctor Webb feels a sharp pain at the base of his skull and a piercing ringing whenever he nears an infected brain |
Notes
- The Order has ordered Cuthbert to stand down — "Not your mission. Stand down. Sending warden to collect." — and that message, unlike its others, did not fade. An Order warden is incoming
- The Hatchetts showed no strange behaviour before "Hole Noon" and there are no living Hatchetts left in Hole — making them an abrupt, late-stage outbreak rather than a slow local one
- Open speculation: Doctor Webb's red algae mutates corn, seems extraterrestrial, and likely originates underground; the small cacti reminded Ms March of "some corn she once saw." Whether the algae, the cacti, and the Hollowed Ones share an origin is unknown
- The mine's main shaft was closed after the miners vanished; owner Righteous Arminhanmer's company covered it up and is now opening a new shaft
Session Appearances
| Session | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Session 7 | The Hatchett gang died in unison; Cuthbert made contact with the presence behind their brains — "EVERYWHERE" |
| Session 8 | The Order named the entity "The Hollowed Ones" (an infection; the gang were "stage one") and ordered Cuthbert to stand down, sending a warden to collect. Downtime intel revealed the miners' matching symptoms and disappearance eleven months ago; Doctor Webb's autopsies found no cause of death and triggered skull pain near the brains; his recurring nightmare matched the mine's hum |