Whispering Hills
Whispering Hills is a fictional town located in Eastern Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Background
Likely founded in the early 1800's, Whispering Hills is a small town notable for its extensive mining operations, especially coal, and serves as a minor tourist destination. The coal would be used for things such as powering steamboats of the Union Navy during the American Civil War, iron would be used to construct dreadnought battleships for the Allied Powers during World War I, and copper would be used for telephone lines and power wires across Europe after the fall of the Axis Powers.
Paranormal activity in Whispering Hills dates back to at least the early 1830's, starting with the uncovering of a strange golden artifact underground with unknown carvings that likely had some kind of significance to the religion of the Order. People would also go missing, such as the miner Benjamin Avery, who went missing within the mine in 1957, and Officer Olivia Fischer, who went missing in 1994 after rescuing several miners and then venturing into the caves after hearing the voice of a child.
Sometime prior to the Sole Survivor entering the town, the Order performed a Ritual in order to "bind the ungodliness," but due to not having all of the required sacrifices it failed and wrecked havoc upon the town.[1] The flow of time was altered, causing discrepancies such as people seeming to repeat the same day endlessly with all changes being reverted;[2] great chasms were also suddenly ruptured around the edge of town, preventing anyone from leaving; similarly, in places where the chasms did not appear, traversing through the fog would result in the person appearing on the opposite side of town.[3] The Ritual also caused the appearance of monsters throughout the town, the fog, and the appearance of the Otherworld. People started disappearing without a trace, some floating into the air or being sucked into the ground, in order to "feed" some greater entity behind the Ritual. Once it ran out of people in Whispering Hills, it started opening Doors into the Commonwealth in order to lure in more people to feed upon.[4]
Layout
The entire town is surrounded by deep chasms that are not traversable, preventing exiting the town. The streets of town have also been barricaded by members of the Order,[5] making it impossible to pass at certain points; however, these barricades can be bypassed through certain gates using the respective Red Barricade Key, Blue Barricade Key, or Science Keyring. The separation these barricades create make it easiest to understand the layout of the town as being in distinct 'regions,' split up by these barricades and chasms.
Midwitch Region
This region is the first one you enter, coming through the Door in the Liminal Gate. It consists of the Door in the garage, the Midwitch Elementary School, K. Gordon's House, and a fenced-in residential area connecting to the Alchemilla Sewers.
Alchemilla Region
This region is first entered coming out of the Alchemilla Sewers. It consists of the Alchemilla Hospital, Burning House, Alchemilla Settlement, and the entrance to the Sewers.
Apartments Region
This region is first entered coming through the Sewers and out of the Wolf Manor. It consists of the Blue Creek Apartments, the Wolf Manor, the Whispering Hills High School, and the Whispering Hills Museum.
Upper Town
Upper Town is the entire Northern part of Whispering Hills. Unlike the other regions, there are no gates that can bypass the barricades blocking it. However, a passageway was created by the Order through some apartments in the Alchemilla Region that can be used to bypass the barricade and enter Upper Town. The region consists of the Church of St. Seraphina, the Supermarket, the Bus Stop, the Whispering Hills Police Station, the Miners' Shacks, the Whispering Lake, and the Whispering Hills Radio Station.
Cemetery Region
This region is blocked by a gate locked with the Science Keyring near the garages outside the Blue Creek Apartments. Within the Whispering Hills Otherworld, it can be unlocked after obtaining the keyring from the Science Otherworld, allowing the Sole Survivor to head to the Other Mausoleum where they will emerge back in regular Whispering Hills inside of the Cemetery. From there they can backtrack to where the gate is and unlock it. The region consists of the Whispering Hills Cemetery and a small house that contains an entrance to The Backrooms. Child's diary page 1-7 can be found scattered around this region.
Notes
- Whispering Hills is based on the real life near-ghost town of Centralia, PA. In fact, the layout of Whispering Hills is directly based off of the town. Whispering Hills also takes inspiration from the underground coal fires that are still burning in the ghost town. It is notable that the Silent Hill movie also took inspiration from Centralia.
- Although being directly based on Centralia, it is implied that Centralia is still an existing and in fact nearby town due to the mention of Whispering Hills being within the Centralia Metro Area by the newscaster on the radio during a part of the P.T. Section.[6]
- The town gained its name from the fabled whispers that can supposedly be heard on the wind.[7]
- Whispering Hills is said to have many hiking trails.[7]
References
- ↑ Strange Note: The Ritual failed ! The ungodliness was not bound!
- ↑ Note to K. Gordon: No... I feel something else. Like every day is the same. I have the same dream every night as well. I'm looking down on the school. All I can see are my feet before I fall. When I hit the ground or the building, I wake up. Every morning is the same. I look at myself in the mirror and I feel older. But I don't look it. Not even a little. I feel like I can remember every day that has passed, but it's all the same day! I must be losing my mind. I cut my finger yesterday. I remember it perfectly, and yet today it's gone as if it never happened.
- ↑ Dr. Autumn Note: It's like this. I tried walking out of the west side of the county on the first Thanksgiving. I didn't care if any of these things would try to rip me apart. It was just me, my grandfather's old shotgun, and what I thought would be a long walk through the woods. I walked all throughout the night right after the sirens dissipated, and you know what happened? It was like I had walked all the way around the world because I found myself coming out on the east side of town. N-N-N-No, no no... The first Christmas, I scrounged together gasoline and drove as fast as I could after the sirens; same thing. I came right out the east side of town. As far as we're concerned, this town may as well be the whole world. - Dr. Julius Autumn
- ↑ Leonard Wolf: I watched from a distance as people faded away into only shadows of themselves. Some were sucked into the ground; some started to float. In the end, they all vanished into nothing, feeding who knows what. And when the people ran out, a passageway opened to the outside, luring people in here just to be forever trapped and consumed...
- ↑ Johnny: Never mind! Listen, I know the cult barricaded the streets, but they need to use them too. I bet they have some kind of secret passageway, maybe even through the houses... I don't know!
- ↑ PT Radio 1: -but don't worry, we have capped atmosphere, which should keep Mr. Thunder away while this storm front pushes through. It will, however, bring a lot of wind along the leading edge of the line. Now this will clash with the wildfire in Whispering Hills, leading to an excessive fire risk to the whole Centralia Metro Area. And I'd just like to say we at Channel 21 would like to extend a hearty salute to the brave men battling the wildfire in Whispering Hills.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Tourist Brochure: Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts will revel in the many trails that crisscross the hills, offering breathtaking views of the town, its lush valleys, and the distant, rolling hills. As you hike, listen closely to the breeze as it rustles through the trees, and you might just catch a hint of the town's fabled whispers, which are said to be carried by the wind itself.