“Fear the Dullahan, the harbinger of doom. He is the messenger of Death and the wrath of the old gods. To fail in proper sacrifice is to provoke his release upon all who you hold dear.”
-The Crow Hollow Book of High Druids, Author Unknown
At the edge of the cornfields, just beyond the old ruined chapel there lies a tomb shunned by all. What’s buried within lived and died as a man, but is a man no longer. The thing entombed in this unholy place is now a vessel of death and destruction. It has become the sword arm of gods ancient and forgotten, the punisher of those who violate ancient covenants. Many know this being as the Headless Horseman of local legend. Others call it dullahan, a headless spirit from old world myth that brings terror and annihilation to all with the misfortune to lay eyes upon it. Both beliefs are true, at least to the residents of Crow Hollow.
The origin of this particular dullahan goes back to the American Revolution, when a particularly bloodthirsty Hessian mercenary was decapitated with a cannonball fired by a colonist. The spirit of the Hessian refused to stay at rest, rising from the grave around harvest time each year to seek vengeance on those responsible for his death. Some claimed the horseman had made a bargain with supernatural forces and would only rest each year after claiming an ever increasing number of souls.
Word of this supernatural peril reached a group of druid’s in Europe who saw it as a sign to come and settle nearby. Their ancient and esoteric beliefs convinced them it was their sacred duty to placate and contain the Headless Horseman through devout sacrifice to their ancient gods. Those druids crossed the ocean to found the town of Crow Hollow. It is said that during Samhain, proper sacrifice to the old gods fulfills an ancient pact. The blood of the few protects the many, and those that survive this season of offerings are blessed by prosperity so long as they are willing to die when chosen. To fail this sacred duty, to break this ancient pact, would release the dullahan as punishment and no one would be spared.
If you stumble upon the Horseman’s crypt, beware. Don’t dare disturb his peace, and be ever watchful for those that serve him, for they will do you harm.
