Dossier: Pale Veil Inquiry on Bread Production in Hollow Pines
Submitted by: The Archivist
Date: September 23, 2025
Transcript of the Archivist's Research [Recorded September 23, 2025]
Location: Hollow Pines - Breadmaker's Cottage, East Wing
[Background noise of a creaking wooden mill and distant murmurs]
Archivist: [whispering] The breadmaking process in Hollow Pines has always been shrouded in an air of secrecy, unlike any culinary tradition I've encountered. Today, I delve into the depths of this age-old craft, guided by the esoteric practices whispered about in the margins of The Ashen Gospel.
[Soft chanting in the distance – indistinguishable words]
Archivist: My guide through this process is an elder of the town, known only as The Baker. Clad in robes the color of flour, his age is as obscure as the recipes he keeps.
Interview with The Baker
Archivist: Can you describe the breadmaking process here in Hollow Pines?
The Baker: [voice as coarse as the grains he mills] It begins with the wheat—no ordinary strain. This one whispers when the north wind blows, harvested only when the moon wanes to its darkest. We mill it here, in the room where shadows lean away from the light.
Archivist: And the water?
The Baker: Ah, the water. It's drawn from the Well of Sighs, beneath the moon's silver gaze. The water... it's never just water. It carries the essence of Hollow Pines, the whispers of those who came before.
Archivist: What about the yeast?
The Baker: We cultivate our own. An ancient strain, it lives in the dark, fed by secrets and a melody from The Choir. They sing to it as one might croon to a child.
Archivist: Can you share more about The Choir's role?
The Baker: [pause, the sound of a rustling robe] Their songs are not for the living to keep. They nourish the soul of the yeast, make it dance, make it give life to bread that feeds more than just the body.
Archivist: And the baking process itself?
The Baker: The ovens are old, lined with stones that have absorbed the heat of a thousand fires. The bread must enter the oven as the night reaches its deepest point, to bake in the embrace of solitude and silence.
[The sound of a door creaking and a sudden gust of cold air. The recording crackles with static]
Archivist: [voice now tense] Is there anything... unnatural in the ingredients or the method?
The Baker: [a laugh that seems to crinkle like drying leaves] What’s natural depends on where you stand, Archivist. Here, we blend the line between earth and ether, flesh and spirit.
Archivist: Thank you, I—
[Abrupt interruption as the recording cuts out to a pure tone for several seconds before resuming]
Research Notes - [Marginalia, The Ashen Gospel]
Discovered: A forgotten verse numbered "XIII" buried deep in the margins, nearly obscured by what looks like deliberate staining.
"Under the crescent shadow of the ◬, the old bread rises with the new. What is consumed shall consume, and thus the cycle continues... We wait."
Analysis: The verse correlates with The Baker's reference to cycles and shadows in breadmaking. This practice might be more ritual than culinary.
Exhibit A - Photographs
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The Well of Sighs: A black stone well, capped with an ancient iron grille. Mists seem to perpetually emanate from its depths.
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The Choir’s Quarters: External view only. High windows, stained glass depicting abstract forms and what might be the ◬ symbol. Sounds of haunting melodies captured even without visual presence of The Choir.
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Ancient Oven Stones: Dark, almost blackened stones showing unusual wear patterns that resemble symbols or faint glyphs.
Exhibit B - The Baker's Tools
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The Serrated Blade: Used for scoring the bread, its handle appears fashioned from a dark wood with inset stones that catch the light unnaturally.
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The Ashen Cloths: Used to cover the rising dough. They are embroidered with silver threads that glint oddly, possibly encoded with runes.
Conclusion
There's an unsettling layer beneath the seemingly quaint tradition of breadmaking in Hollow Pines. The adherence to esoteric rituals, potentially linked with the teachings of The Pale Veil, suggests a connection that merits further exploration. The role of The Choir and the symbols observed invoke a sense of unease about the true essence absorbed by those who consume this bread.
Recommendation: Continue observation, particularly during the next waning moon. It may be crucial to understand the full scope of influence exerted by these rituals.
[End of Report]
[Final Note scribbled hastily]: I heard a melody outside my lodging tonight, like a lullaby for the damned. The bread I consumed this evening—it stirs in my belly, not with the pangs of hunger, but as if it has a life of its own. We do not sleep. We wait.
