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― independent, private, selective ORIGINAL HORROR CHARACTER from original lore as written by Yelena.

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.    FULL NAME.    .    Mallory Evers
.    D.O.B. + AGE.    .    09 / 13 | 28 y.o.
.    ZODIAC.    .    Virgo
.    GENDER.    .    cis-female
.    PRONOUNS.    .    she/her
.    ORIENTATION.    .    demi romantic
.    OCCUPATION.    .    podcast host
.    ALIGNMENT.    .    Neutral Good
.    TEMPERMENT.    .    melancholic
.    VIRTUE.    .    Selflessness
.    VICE.    .    Envy

.    BIRTHPLACE.    .    Barren Falls, Michigan
.    CURRENT HOME.    .    Travels for work but resettled back home.
.    LANGUAGE(S).    .    English, French Italian
.    PARENTS.    .    Michael & Caitlin Evers both deceased
.    OTHERS.    .    Brayden Evers, Older Brother, Deceased.scroll for backstory

PERSONALITY.
Strengths: knowledge, intellect, adaptability, decisive for the most part, bravery, loyalty, humility, dependability, resilience, self confidence, realistic, reliable, systematic, methodical, resourceful, persuasive, self-disciplined, empathetic, sympathetic, warm, kind, soft, bubbly, sweetWeaknesses: Impatient, anxious, over emotional, perfectionist, fearful, stressed, struggles with ptsd & repression at times, shy, quiet, workaholic, self critical, overly detail oriented, cowardice, naivety, she can be paranoid at times, jumps to the worst case scenario, the iconic “I’m going to die!” catchphrase.Mental State: PTSD diagnosed at 9 following a home invasion and the death of her family. Her experiences in the House Of Mazes when the podcast team became whole with the addition of Jude. This extends more in her secondary main verse after herself and Vinnie escape from the cult during the Festival and she has been a kidnap victim to be the Parade Leader.
Phobias: Autophobia: Fear of being alone, Athazagoraphobia: fear of being forgotten or ignored, Thanatophobia the fear of death, Pediophobia: Fear and Worry about Dolls, Pupaphobia: Fear of Puppets, Bogyphobia: Fear of the Bogeyman,

I feel him, DEATH, against the back of my neck

Her life, a series of tragic events. She is born to happy parents and a happy brother. Peaceful and warm in a town with more mysteries than a scooby doo and nancy drew series put together. It is easy for life to be good as a child, cares are not seen, parents take all of the horrors away from you. But, even youth can be cut short. Despite early happiness her parents abide by town rules, the fear of god struck into a small child her brother less so but Mallory was born with fear in her body. Doors locked and windows shuttered so often it feels horrifying when they are not. For the most part, Mallory was a bright and vibrant child left in the trusting care of her mother most days. But life in Barren Falls is nothing but horror for people like her, and tragedy struck for the first time when she was 7.Brayden was protective of her, and when it came down to it whenever his sister was in question nothing was off the table. Fear and bullying are powerful motivators and when she was locked in her classroom, backpack taken she had no idea until it was too late. The forest had been off limits for years but her backpack sat on the edge and others lying that she had been lured in. That was the last day Mallory saw her brother alive.
Her parents are not mad at her but instead, the place they live. But, they do not leave and Mal never understood why, she still doesn't. Protests and fights, trying to sway the police and even the Tennyson family to have the forest recovery earlier to try and find Brayden. But, nothing worked. It was a year before his body was found, brought to their door and she opened it. He looked like he was asleep. The rot of his flesh, the bugs under his skin, it lives in her nightmares now. That was the first of her family that she lost.A few years passed, things were normal, she didn’t talk as much as she used to and oftentimes she brushed off any questions. Eventually they moved on, a funeral, a yearly routine and now she never was left alone at school. Her best friend always there, until high school when Billie moved away. Things acted and went back to normal.When she is 11 more tragedy comes into her life. It's a quiet night, the Whistler can be heard softly on another street and it is early hours of the morning, long after the Night Watch has passed. She is awake from a nightmare, one she can’t really recall so she sits with a nightlight in a room full of dolls and toys. She is too afraid to disappoint her parents, but lately, something has been terrifying her about the dolls, she sees them move, she hears things. The desire to make her parents proud and not be as helpless as she was the day her brother died lingered for the rest of her life.However a soft crash causes her to crawl under her bed fears running through her brain, she kept a night light underneath it every night, no monsters would get her according to Brayden if she did that. But the monsters got her, and she doesn’t remember much of it, or rather let herself remember much of it. She remembers her mother showing them her daughter wasn’t home, a good cover saying she was with Billie, and she remembers something warm and sticky and the color red on the face of a shattered doll. Most nights she only remembers that other nights she remembers her father's cold dead hands, running in a warm oversized police jacket to see him. From there she is mostly quiet, she keeps herself shut inside and bounces around in the foster care system for awhile.Eventually a family sticks but she is not close to them, they aren't really her family and she isn't really their daughter, they are nice enough that she doesn't feel completely alone in the world but, she still doesn't feel like she has people to love or care for. Life is simply put existence for her, and often times she feels a cool breeze on her neck almost like someone is there but not.In high school her intellect and constant want to learn was quenched with chess club and speech and debate. Aside from this when she could fit in ballet and piano or violin she would, her "parents" just content she was getting out of the house. From there most of her time was spent studying and on weekends trying to make it home without being seen by the night watch if tournaments ran late.It was not until she was a sophomore in high school did everything slightly shift. She was a last resort, she knew that she was made very aware of that. Her family was on the lower end of the spectrum in a lot of senses, an adopted daughter, a family with meaningless easy jobs and saving their money 90% of the time, it was stressed by those who hired her she was nothing. But nonetheless no one else would do it was her that they picked, the Tennyson family offered her a pretty intense amount of money to tutor their son, Vincent. It wasn’t that he was dumb but he wasn’t having the best moment in school and apparently that effect status. She declined the money but offered to help anyway. She knew of Vinnie, they knew each other not as super close friends but enough. She wanted to help, not really sure why but she did and she wanted to seem nice enough besides, material things weren’t as important to her not yet. If her family could be taken so could material things so what would money buy her?From there a connection between the pair would completely change her life and push her into a completely different direction. A duo of sorts was born between them and it was something she never expected but she was grateful for. It was around this time she started her own podcast, small, nothing to talk about but a passion that she took because of the time spent in his home and talking with him about history.One night studying ran late, and when they realized the time, walking herself home the Night Watch managed to catch her running her to the edge of Barren Falls next to the forest. Stuck and panicking, she turned only to slip, her foot got caught in a trap only to have herself pushed and hurt by some Night Watch members.She broke her leg that night and spent a decent amount of the year in a cast, she was still able to do most things but Ballet was off the table for a long while and that hurt her. She got more afraid of general things after that night, bumps in the night caused her to jump out of her skin. She cried a lot more at things that were stupid and silly. Nothing ever seemed to work out for her and on top of that, everything always pointed her back to the worst parts of this town, her old home, the forest, the parade, the night watch, the whistler, it was never ending.Eventually she gets a little place in the city, time away from the darkness, time away from what plagues her dreams at night to feel better, to try and be better.She is 22 when the podcast really takes off. It is just her at first but, she extends the invitation to Vinnie, she doesn’t know why just a feeling. They kept in touch, not frequently but enough after graduation it didn't feel weird. They start by covering the urban legends of their hometown, telling stories of the bunnyman, going to the locations but to put breaks in the episode.It isn't until she meets Jude at a bar one night he becomes someone close to her, he is brought into the inner circle and suddenly Urban Exploration joins the fold of what the podcast takes on. Forgotten Amusement Parks, towns that have been abandoned. From there their audio recordings with colourful cut ins from the trio began. And the people, the world loved it, soon enough fan pages showed up, art was being drawn, questions were being asked.Jude and Mallory become like siblings and for the first time since she lost her brother and her parents she feels like she has a family in him. They move in together, a small town house a little place with an upstairs house and a lower house for rent, she buys both. She and Jude share the top house living together as siblings and the bottom is converted into the Strange and Unusual office.They were being given blue checks invited to do an interview, and appear on television shows. Eventually they launch their first merch line, cute art of Mallory running from a ghost screaming I’m gonna die, A mug with Vinnie’s profile saying if you’re real throw me bitch, and a backpack with a map of where they had traveled.Soon after they launched their Patreon, and got videos to share with their supporters, they got online q & a’s only their supporters could see. They grew and they grew and they grew. The were quickly headliners at conventions of all types, doing live tapings, traveling tours to talk about their experiences. Everything was going amazing with work, but inside, it could be shambled by the required visits to Barren Falls. It is there, her life takes a sharp turn.

I am TERRIFIED of this DARKNESS that seems to follow me

VERSES.Main Verse: Mallory Evers is the host of an award winning podcast and makes her living scaring the shit out of herself. It is something that fans look forward to and while sometimes it ends in her own tears, it is something that she loves and will always love. Most days people would think she is torturing herself but there was an unknown sense of obligation to what she does. Is it because of Barren Falls and the unusual childhood she had? Perhaps it is because of the stories she grew up around? Or maybe, and the more likely of the options it is because of the things she can’t remember regarding her family and their deaths. Maybe looking to see if there's more after death and to make people less afraid of what kept her from doing something, anything is why she does what she does.Main Verse II: As her work on the podcast progresses so does looking into things within her own hometown some of which are not bright. Stumbling head first into the cult of Barren Falls she does not stop looking into it even with threats coming from Vinnie. Following this while their romantic relationship has started there is a fine line between the cult and how much they know she knows and how much she thinks they know she knows. Did you follow that? Because there is a lot happening in this town, with cameras keeping a careful watch on her it is not long until what happened to Hailey happens to her. After being chosen for the Parade it isn’t until the last second Vinnie decides to save her and they flee. Mallory decides to leave the podcast behind for a few years before picking it back up after enough time has passed and it has become less dangerous for her to exist.Main Verse III: A continuation of the previous verse, but despite the incident Mallory sticks with Vinnie and eventually they become engaged and moving to roughly Washington State after catching up to Jude. They change their names and in this verse she goes by Klara Evers, engaged to Vinnie who eventually takes her name and is now going by James Evers.more will be added if i explore deeper lore into other horror media but for now we just have verse i and verse ii

I ALWAYS thought we were just SOME NORMAL small town guess not

Barren Falls Lore.BARREN FALLS TIMELINE.
The information in the lore of this town include heavily triggering content this includes but is not limited to, cannibalism, murder, abduction, and child death. Please proceed with caution and at your own risk[ June 18, 1860 ] The Barren family forms the Barren Falls Cult, ten months after the town was originally created.
[ September 15, 1860 ] The first parade takes place as the cult is established as are their rituals and belief system.
[ October 12, 1860 ]The first Library Celebration takes place.
[ January 3, 1865 ] The incident at the Lake takes place. Drowning start happening every year on the 3rd of January from this point on.
[ June 6, 1866 ] After 6 years Barren Falls has over 300 residents and is recognized at 3:33 PM as an official town.
[ December 28, 1866 ] The Bunnyman legend begins to start its circulation as well as the first murders being discovered.
[ July 17, 1881 ] The first notice of the Whistler is taken.
[ November 21, 1881 ] The rules of the Whistler are made and handed out to the growing population of Barren Falls.
[ June 26, 1882 ] The parade’s moved to the last week of June given it tends to be the hottest in Barren Falls. This is the first year of the festival in order to try and silence their victims with loud parties and songs as well as dances.
[ April 18 1897 ] The first appearance of the fair and the magician take place. From here on the week of April 18th is when the fair and the magician show up in Barren Falls.
[ February 18 1900 ] The incident of the Bridge takes place.
[ March 10 1902 ] The first appearance of the House of Mazes.
[ May 1 1950 ] The first discovery of the dangers of the Forest and traps to stop people from entering are set up.
[ September 23, 1978 ] The Night Watch is set up by the students of Barren Falls North High School.
[ February 2, 1999] The television show takes place and the investigation is closed as the children are returned to their families.
[ December 18, 2004 ] The cameras are installed for the cult.BARREN FALLS CULT.Explanation for Existence: These people are smart they still believe the big bang theory, the cult is their primary religion but that does not impact their belief of how the world came to be and why it exists. However, it does change their belief of the social ladder and the way that traits function as well as aging, power and how they are able to gain social status.Powerful Beings: The cult encourages agnosticism, but they function based on the idea that the social structure provided by capitalist society is what creates powerful beings, they idolize and worship those who are extremely wealthy and successful be it in a good light or a bad light and think that the superior and power comes from wealth. From this, they think it grants them youth, an extended life, eternal strength, and continuing reign over the poor.Ethical Standards: The cult has a head family, they determine when the parade and festival happen typically said family is the family voted in power by the mayoral campaign. They have to kneel at the entrance of the family during meetings and during the parade, they bring said family gifts to either aid the murder or to help with clean up or as a trophy to commemorate that year’s parade. Each member of the family is voted into a key role during the festival by the rest of the cult, these roles are as follows, the watcher or watchers depending on the number of members in the head family, and the cleaner. These roles are typically assigned by those that are in favor the most valued member is typically the executioner and the watchers are those who are best with keeping the cult a secret. Essentially the generalized ethics and morals within the Barren Falls cult is at the discretion of the Head Family and at the current moment lies within the Tennyson Family.Rituals: When it comes to rituals the cult has many. The Library Celebration helps them introduce and find initiates of already wealthy families within the cult. It is important to note that even if they are born into the cult the determination of if a child is welcomed in hinges on their abilities and their personality. If it is someone that is easily manipulated and truly craves power and wealth it is quick to put in daycare and brainwash them. Additionally, the Parade is how they commit a murder that leads to their cannibalism. They believe the consumption of a human can grant them more desirable traits per the book of laws initially made at the construction of the Town. This is what is used to determine who leads the "parade" each year. This is also used as leverage for anyone who is a potential a threat to the and eat them as way of resetting the secrecy of the cult. The festival was made in the 1950s to help cover the actual act of cannibalism. Similar to this the whole week the parade leader leads a large feast at the start of the week the second to last day of the parade is when they are killed, it is in a similar ritualistic fashion to the celebration in Midsommar but far more modernized and less far from traditional society.Why The Cult: The belief system of the cult was made originally by the Barren Family, it was to keep those with money and power in control of what could affect the town and manage the strange and unusual things that are going on. While it is convoluted the idea is some sort of being cut a deal with the Barren Family, in exchange for a yearly sacrifice of blood in ritual they maintain power, wealth and status. This story is passed down every generation and the Barren family story is told intensely to every generation.Social System: Their social system functions a lot like a general hierarchy; the power is distributed among the wealthy and trickles down; this also explains the justification of the functioning of the Barren Falls Social System as well. This develops and adds and removes members based on the level of wealth and power they have among the town and has stayed pretty typical but as popularity in the town increases, they tend to increase in the number of members.Recruitment strategies: Cults historically have used several different recruitment strategies to gain a following or indoctrinate people. The Barren Falls cult is no different. However, theirs is ingrained in severe fear mongering. They do this by essentially saying leaving the cult or stopping the rituals ends in death and cites the Barren Family death as a real example. They also isolate the members of the cult by having them strictly only spend time with other people inside of the cult for about 80% of their time. Since this is built around wealthy families it is often easy to essentially barricade them inside within the confines of the gated community of Barren Falls. Rather than love bombing particularly the Tennyson family does a complete reverse and is highly abusive in a way that makes people within the cult want to gain their approval. This way they are seen as powerful leaders while also being people you need to earn the favor of. While the wealthy are never sacrificed, they are often put on the table as a threat. Additionally, blackmail is another simple form to hold people hostage in the cult due to the cannibalistic actions of the cult. They have historically only lost four members of the cult. The Adams family who escaped in the middle of the festival and Tennyson's eldest son Thomas, whom they disowned and sacrificed to the forest.BARREN FALLS LORE
THE BARREN FAMILY MURDERS & THE THIRTEEN STEPS TO HELL
the town founders were originally known as carlyle family, but very quickly became the barren family. with them they brought the tennysons, both families running from some bad dealings in incredibly dark stuff; ranging from the black market to things far, far worse. they soon opened their towns gates, literally, their town has terrifying little gated entrance. these two families spread the word very quietly to others they trusted, and from here this town became a safe place for those running from dark things, dark paths and dark people. the barrens were making more profit than they could imagine, but one day an older woman from a town some ways away came seeking shelter and after the barrens tried to turn her away the obvious happened: she told the barrens that their land would be cursed and that the family themselves would meet tragic and horrific ends. they laughed and forced her out of town, their lives progressing as usual. as the oldest family member began to grow in age the family began to construct a family crypt with only 13 steps. this would soon be their hell, but for now, the town grew and prospered and was soon large enough to draw attention - too much attention. beyond them lay a thick forest that was supposed to shelter them but, alas, their growth caused their troubles to follow them. soon enough threats and notes began to arise in the town, stating that one night things would tumble and fall apart for everyone there. people were scared, but because of the towns growth not all knew why this was happening and those who did kept their lips sealed tight. on the 13th day of the 10th month of the year at exactly midnight when the crypt was finished the barren family was slaughtered inside, only leaving two survivors: the two youngest barren children, who were both infants at the time. their families bodies were put on display in the town and from there the barren land became known as hell, their crypt soon getting the name the 13 steps to hell.THE FESTIVAL
the festival is a town - wide week that is taken off by everyone, together. the rich provide everyone in town with a large variety of activities and fill their week with things to give back. while it is a cover for the parade it is also to rally everyone during the height of the political season and mayoral runnings. typically there is no competition and it comes down to just solely the tennyson family but it is always to keep people behind them and support them. the festival comes with several traditions that fill the whole week including dancing and bringing gifts to the 13 steps of hell, singing of traditional songs from 1866 as well as a variety of strange foods drinks and baked goods that are considered a tradition. planting roses for the barrens and everyone is encouraged to dress in clothing from times in which impactful events happened be it 1866, during the bunny man in the early 1900s, the discovery of the issues in the forest during the 1950s those who do are given special and free drinks that hold special properties and can often cause hallucinations. each night has a different event that impacts not only the festival but the parade and is impactful of what happens at the parade. the first night is a ceremony that honors and values the barren family, gifts are brought to the 13 steps of hell while groups read the story of what happened at the night and select people typically from the night watch are sent into the crypt. the second day of the festival is the library celebration and celebration of the town history stories are told, books are given away for free and there are even plays and reenactments in the larger area of the library. the third day is filled with festivities and dancing, a whole fair takes up everything within the town, rides, food vendors, fireworks. the fourth is spent celebrating old traditions including baking, dancing, flower picking, decorating the town and refreshing the town bulletin board. the fifth is a day of stillness and absolute silence where nothing is done most people spend this day outside in the park. the sixth is spent helping clean the forest and holds a large feast for everyone within the town. finally the seventh day is spent celebrating and closed out with the parade.THE PARADE
once a year someone in town is chosen as the parade leader. per tradition from the first parade, happening in 1866 - the year the town was founded, the parade leader is not seen after the first feast on the first night of the festival. each year there is a contest held to see who would be chosen to lead the parade. it is essentially a game of hide and seek, those competing are given a specific package to help them prepare before they are invited to the cult leaders home, in most cases it is whomever is mayor. following this the game is rigged to cause those who are supposed to be found to lag and not be thinking properly, typically with a small dose of drugs. they are found and the winner is crowned and announced at midnight the same night. from there they are showered in gifts and adoration until the week of the festival. following the first nights feast they are locked up, held in exile and, eventually, killed and consumed by the members of the cult. the cult leaves dangerous parts of the body such as the brain out and store them in a cool temperature - controlled room in their lair. they are labeled by year, and the reason for their sacrifice to the cult it ranges from wanting a trait or skill the person had to wanting to get rid of a threat and keep the cult a secret. the parade runs on the second to last day of the festival, it runs loud cheery music like any other parade but people in the town are forbidden to be outside or look outside during the parade. as it goes through town in important historical places the parade leader, who is held on a chair, is slashed or harmed. their mouth is typically taped or sewn shut to help keep them quiet. those who are found breaking the rule of not looking are additionally murdered and taken in by the watchers and are consumed as well. protect the cult, keep it hidden, protect the town.THE LIBRARY
AND LIBRARY CELEBRATIONhuge but feeling clustered, the library is very clearly built for learning and knowledge. inside lives eve, adam and steve. the library holds wall to wall old books and has mounted candle lanterns that turn on with a simple switch. dual wooden spiral staircases decorate each side of the library and long ladders that can slide along shelves migrate around to help get books on the highest shelf. in the center of the entrance a decent way away is the librarian's desk which houses resident head librarian eve. her name tag is decorated in gold fonts. chairs are scattered around the room old and worn but comfortable, red coverings of cotton are held over the seats as well. the proper candles being pulled can resort in secret passageways to bring you to the tennyson mansion or to the center where the cult rituals are done. the hallways of these passageways are lit with candles that have unending wax and flames, near seeming to burn out. made of nothing but brick that looks like brown clay the hidden passageways remind everyone of something from a campy movie. inside a glass case in the middle of the library holds the original founding documents but they are locked with a key card that is hidden away with the cult items as well. it is musty and old but at the same time clearly well looked after and maintained. every year the library holds a party to show off new books and new additions to its historical section. the town is invited but only special people are invited to the basement level for the ritual. the rest of the people are showered with readings from historical books, readings from famous authors who have come from barren falls. the people who are selected for what is considered one of the town's largest honors add themself to a time capsule that is to be opened only when the forest finally ends and no longer takes lives. they can add whatever they wish but following this, they are a part of a cult offering, 13 candles are lit and put in a circle and they are given books to read before signing their names into a book swearing themselves to secrecy or to be met with death. those who pass the initiation after the library celebration are included in the cult and often help with smaller tasks and are even the eyes and ears for the lower ranking classes. while they don’t get special treatment like the more wealthy families they are treated with respect because they are vital to keeping the cult running by providing information on the lower class families in barren falls that potentially could ruin or need to be taken care of by the cult.

THE HOUSE OF MAZES
it shows up three times a year, but it is never in the same place except for being in barren falls. the darkness of the town and the tourism during the festival some how draw this dark entity back every few years. it lives, it breathes, because the people claim to be fearless in barren falls, and in a place as strange as that the house can live forever. it is never described as the same experience, the house always gets different stories surrounding peoples experiences and those who make it to the end come out different, missing memories and thoughts, feeling empty inside and seek something, anything to make them feel better. but that is only the people who make it to room 11. exit doors are provided and the house does not make those come at a price, what it does to people is enough. the first room shows you an example of who you are before the house starts to eat away at you. as you enter it begins to adjust to you and what you fear, how you react to things, and gets inside your head. one person is allowed in each room but on occasion in emergency situations the house has made exceptions. remember you enter at your own risk, you know what you are signing up for, and you are warned before you enter the second room what is to come. the house will feed on your fear try to trick you to stay inside longer and oftentimes it can keep people for hours at a time in a single room. no one knows how it exists, why it is there, how it gets there or when it shows up, but no one questions it and the local kids enter it like a dare. like it won’t actually hurt them.THE FOREST
large and dense the forest has beautiful trees that decorate the land. it is cared for by the coven and has several beautiful deer that live within it. strange butterflies with beautiful colors inhabit the trees as well. while the outside edges look like the forest in barren falls is thin once inside the forest is almost terrifyingly dense and crowded with trees. it is silent inside as well not even being able to hear birds. in the very center of the forest there is a set of houses built of sticks and branches belonging to the barren falls coven. around the woods, sticks bound together hang from barren branches and symbols are painted along tree trunks. while animals seem to be lacking and flora does as well at the center with the coven life flourishes. colorful flowers native to the land blossom and bloom, animals spend their days with the men and women of the coven as if they are one in the same. but, that is what it looks like to those on the inside. on the outside the community of barren falls sees a thick dense greenery blocking any views into the center of the woods. there is a dense fog that is always looming even in the summertime when there shouldn’t be. there is a dangerous air that creates and manifests danger and anyone who enters returns either terrified or harmed. it was not until the 1950s that people realized that something was so wrong with the woods surrounding the hidden town. hikers would go missing but people just forgot about them. it was not until one of the hikers returned, years later battered bruised and blind in one eye did they know something was wrong, something was very wrong. they blamed a witch at first but it slowly changed, people would enter the woods and hear whispers, see children with black eyes, see a creature that was like a fallen angel that had met a giant deer. a woman in white who would sing haunting songs and lure people to see her before the next day brutally ripped apart bodies would be pulled from the forest in groups who wore headphones and sunglasses. the forest was not meant for children, and a string of murders took place twice where children's bodies were found hidden in the forest. from then on, they lined the forest with wire and traps to try and prevent people from entering and oftentimes it would end with children in hospitals, but it was far better than the number of bodies they would pull. it still happens, people still venture into the forest and are pulled out but there is nothing they can do, staying away from the scratches and marks on trees and blocking out their ears to avoid the woman in white. barren falls forest has taken more than it has ever given, and it continues to take.THE LAKE
in the early years of barren falls being established a young girl fell in love with a man from the city who came to help trade with the small town after she spotted him across the lake. they were star crossed lovers as her family was setting up an arranged marriage and the couple would send letters and meet in secret. months before her wedding she sends him a letter across the lake, and she keeps doing so, but she never got anything in return. fearing the worst and that he moved on she took a boat and rowed herself to the middle of the lake, stabbing herself in the heart and falling into the river. from there she became known as lady of the lake. once a year a boy that looked similar to the man she loved suddenly drowns and soon enough the lake is never swam in. but that doesn’t stop the drownings.THE BRIDGE
in the 1900s a group of school children and their teacher were studying on a bridge. it was a hot summer day and most everyone was tired of being locked inside a classroom. lying together they strung flowers into crowns and sang songs of the town while learning spelling and mathematics. it was strange, the teacher had never come home and the children never had either. the next day the bodies were found mutilated and burned. no evidence was left behind but the bodies were set on a bed of flowers before being lit on fire, the ashes scattered into the wind. since then cars that cross the bridge suffer from the radios going static or shutting down. it is rumored if you put powder or flour on your car and let it turn off the teacher and the students will push your car so it avoids the bridge and danger. they aid people to try and ensure no one else meets the fate that they did.THE BUNNYMAN
there he sits waiting for you, on the streets and under the bridge, in the forest and in the alley’s. the bunnyman, white ears and axe in hand. it started long before the whistler, just after the town was made official in 1866. no one knows the exact date in which it started but they remember seeing people gutted and strung up like rabbits, and the only person who saw what had happened to the first three victims said they saw a bright light before seeing a man who was in an all white bunny outfit, before suddenly being covered in red. accidents began to happen all over the town, people reporting these things until the magician came to town. it became minimal and then it became a tale, every once in awhile around june a few more victims will appear but it is unclear if this is truly the bunnyman himself or if it is just those trying to show he existed and he still could. things are never the same after the town becomes official, thanks to the bunnyman. he is not and never will be forgotten.THE WHISTLER
it can be heard every once in a while at strange hours in the morning, typically only from 3am to 3:05am. it comes with the town, there is a letter every family gets when they first move to barren falls that reminds them not to talk, ask questions, look or find what makes the sound of the whistling. the whistler brings the street good luck and for as long as it is needed the people on that street in that area that could hear the whistler have strange luck, little things, nothing too incredible but enough. but those who looked were tortured. they were not always killed in tragic accidents, but those who lived often met worse fates. they lost their minds going on and on about the knocking, about the mimicking. no one else heard it when they claimed it happened, and eventually those who would not be listened to went silent. they never spoke. the whistler still goes around barren falls today and oftentimes leaves visitors who think it is just another urban legend or curse plagued with a curse of their own.THE CAMERAS
when cameras for stop lights became available, so did cameras around strange places in barren falls. they are hidden from view but if you listen closely you can hear them. they move and follow the children and teenagers, sometimes select adults. they were set up by the cult, an easier way to keep their eyes on what they would want or need for the parade that year. they exist in silence on a big monitor that has been hidden away in a big house on a hill, hiding the screens where everything was documented. everything was hidden, seen only by a handful and only by those who would make a vote to who would be the leader of the parade. constant surveillance is real and even catches the strange and unusual on camera, but is ignored in favor of the cult and their ideas and what is needed to make the town function. those who find the cameras, who are seen sneaking around tinkering with them or trying to spread the word, are sacrificed by the cult to the forest. protect the cult, keep it hidden, protect the town.THE NIGHT WATCH
in the late 70s and early 80s things became wild in barren falls. the children of the rich were set free to run as they wished and past 11 pm a new curfew had been put in place. fights broke out based on little items and it was as if there was a purge taking over after 11 at night. people barricaded doors until a law was made in ‘83 about only entering homes that were unlocked. people would end up in hospitals and in graves but the police would do nothing. the night watch, which had been started by a group of boys in the local more pristine high school had been originally made to combat night lurkers and night stalkers but took a turn when they got in a fight with one another and decided not to play by the rules. given their status in barren falls, the police wouldn’t interfere knowing that they could buy their way out. so instead the night watch runs rampant hurting whoever they want and those who don’t abide by the curfew. while traditionally it was a high school “club” it grew considerably when eve carter entered high school. taking it by the reigns and her simple temper and blood lust the rules of the night watch began to change. protective at times the night watch has become far more unruly than before under the management of eve, even years after her graduation she has been the head of the night watch while also maintaining her duties as head librarian, the night watch now functions more as the muscle and intimidation point of the cult rather than allowing the cult to send a singular person to commit a crime or a murder eve simply does it herself or with her most trusted of the night watch. now shifting from just kids wanting to get out their anger and their bloodlust it has become that with a mix of cult influences because of the primary group that is a part of it. additionally they use different tactics to get the people they are not close to or dislike out of the town by the use of the night watch and often run people into the forest to be killed.