Early Days and Founding (1783 – 1820)
It began, as all things in Olm do, with a tremor. Not of earth, precisely, but of the spirit - a restlessness amongst the families who had sought refuge here after the Great Burning.
The founders, primarily weavers and woodcarvers, were drawn to this valley by its peculiar stillness and the presence of the ancient stones that riddled the landscape. They named it Olm – a word whispered from the lips of old man Hemlock, a traveler who claimed it meant “Silent Watch.” The initial congregation was small - barely twenty souls - meeting in a barn until the first church, constructed primarily with stone quarried directly from the valley floor, was completed in 1798. The architect, Elias Thorne, was rumored to have been influenced by visions; his designs incorporated spiraling patterns and asymmetrical elements that seemed to mimic the growth of the surrounding ferns.
Records are fragmented, filled with accounts of “unnatural light” seen at dusk and strange symbols carved into newly hewn timbers. The early sermons focused heavily on themes of resilience, community, and a cautious respect for the valley’s secrets.
The Stone Well & Whispers (1820 – 1850)
Beneath the oldest part of the church, lies the Stone Well. It’s not a well in any conventional sense; it's a fissure in the bedrock, perpetually damp and radiating an unsettling coolness.
Legend claims that whispers emanate from within – fragments of conversations long past, warnings against disturbing certain rituals, and tales of those who vanished without trace. Reverend Silas Blackwood, appointed in 1823, dedicated himself to studying the well, believing it to be a conduit to something…other. His journals are filled with frantic sketches of geometric patterns he claimed to discern within the water’s surface, accompanied by increasingly unsettling pronouncements about “the echoes of forgotten gods.” He introduced nightly vigils at the well, claiming they allowed him to "hear the heartbeat of Olm."
The local children were forbidden from approaching it, a rule enforced with an almost palpable fear. Several reported seeing fleeting figures reflected in the water - faces not their own.
Reverend Silas Blackwood (1823 – 1840)
Silas Blackwood remains a figure of both reverence and suspicion within the congregationalist history. Some regard him as a visionary, others as a dangerously unbalanced man.
His tenure was marked by an obsession with deciphering the “language” of the Stone Well. He began to incorporate elements of ancient Celtic lore into his sermons – tales of druids and standing stones, interwoven with increasingly complex interpretations of the valley’s geography. He established a small order of "Listeners," individuals who claimed to be able to interpret the whispers from the well. These listeners often disappeared, swallowed by the surrounding forest.
Forgotten Rites and the Lumina (1850 – 1900)
It was during Blackwood’s time that whispers began to circulate of forgotten rites, performed beneath the full moon in a clearing known only as “The Hollow.” These rites involved offerings to what locals called the ‘Lumina,’ a being said to reside within the valley's heart – described variously as a shimmering light, a feeling of profound sadness, and an irresistible pull towards madness.
Evidence suggests that Blackwood himself participated in these rituals, though his accounts are contradictory and often veiled in cryptic symbolism. The congregation splintered into factions - those who condemned the rites as heresy, and those who believed they were a necessary path to understanding Olm’s true nature.
The Winter of Shadows (1905 – Present)
The Winter of 1905 remains a dark chapter in Olm’s history. A prolonged, unnatural snowfall blanketed the valley for months, accompanied by an eerie silence and a pervasive sense of dread. Livestock perished, crops failed, and several congregants succumbed to what was described as “the cold of the heart.”
Many attributed the event to the influence of the Lumina, believing it was a manifestation of its displeasure. The Stone Well’s whispers intensified during this period, filled with warnings of impending doom and pleas for repentance. The congregation shrunk dramatically, and the church fell into disrepair.