78 AD – The First Whisper
The stories begin, inevitably, with the stones. Not the grand, imposing monuments of Roman legionaries, but the smaller, almost deliberately placed rocks that comprised the Silent Circle. Archaeological evidence, or rather, the *lack* of it, suggests this wasn't a military installation. The forts were further south, near the river. The Circle, nestled in the shadowed valley of Blackwood, was…different. It wasn't built; it *appeared*. The first recorded sighting by a Roman centurion, Lucius Valerius, describes a shimmering haze, a brief disorientation, and then, the stones were there – perfectly arranged, radiating a subtle, unsettling warmth. Lucius, a man of meticulous record, noted the stones were smooth, obsidian-like in color, and possessed an almost unsettling stillness. He dismissed it as a fever dream, a trick of the light, and promptly recorded his observations with a meticulous, almost paranoid, detail that would later become the foundation of the Shirrel Archive.
“The stones themselves seem to *watch*. Not with eyes, of course, but with a sense of…awareness. It’s unnerving. The air feels…older.” – Lucius Valerius, Centurion, Legio II Augusta
123 AD – The Weaver’s Lament
Centuries passed. The Roman presence waned, replaced by a more subtle influence – the Weavers. These were not warriors, nor traders. They were artisans, skilled in the manipulation of wool, linen, and, most curiously, the very stone of the Circle. Legend tells that the Weavers discovered a method of ‘listening’ to the stones, of extracting patterns and narratives from their silent surfaces. They claimed the stones held the memories of the land, the echoes of forgotten rituals, and the sorrows of the soil. Their workshops, built around the Circle, became centers of quiet industry, producing exquisitely intricate fabrics imbued with a strange, melancholic beauty. Some whispered that the Weavers weren’t merely *interpreting* the stones; they were *feeding* them, maintaining the Circle's strange power.
“The wool remembers. It holds the weight of ages. We are merely conduits, translating the whispers of the earth.” – Elara, High Weaver of the Silent Circle (circa 118 AD)
485 AD – The Shadowfall
The Dark Ages descended. The Weavers vanished, swallowed by the chaos. The Silent Circle fell into disrepair, overgrown with moss and ivy. For nearly a thousand years, it remained a forgotten ruin, a local legend whispered amongst the villagers of Blackwood – a place of bad luck, a haven for restless spirits. Then, in 1922, a young archaeologist named Dr. Alistair Finch stumbled upon it. He meticulously documented the Circle, discovering hidden chambers filled with strange artifacts – intricately woven tapestries, stone tablets covered in an unknown script, and a single, perfectly preserved loom. Finch believed the Circle wasn’t a place of worship, but a repository of knowledge, a key to understanding a lost civilization. His research was abruptly cut short when he vanished, leaving behind only his notes and a lingering sense of unease. It is rumored his obsession with the stones led him to a place beyond our comprehension, a place where the echoes of Shirrel continue to resonate.
“The stones don’t offer answers. They offer questions. And sometimes, the questions are far more terrifying than any answer.” – Dr. Alistair Finch (final entry in his journal)