Chiming Tradition / Ritual in Ostyria | World Anvil

Chiming

"Trust me man, you need these clackers! If you want to win this race and not end up eaten by a depth crawler, you're gonna need to make sure it rings out the whole way. Every racer is doing it."
— RIM Merchant

Chiming is a tradition performed by some denizens of The Depths but is more common among RIM Racers. In order to prevent depth crawlers from attacking while traversing or racing in The Depths, people will tie chimes or noise makers to their clothing or RIMs. They believe that the resonating sound at a particular pitch echoing along the cavernous walls renders depths crawlers paralyzed, preventing them from emerging.

History

Ever since the first stories of depth crawlers began circulating, people have been trying to find ways to prevent their attacks. One day a RIM racer got lost during a race and was not found for five days.

In The Depths, five minutes let alone five days without an escort is certain death but somehow this racer lived. They said all they had was a bell that they got from a lover and they played it to pass the time. They claim to have seen a depth crawler stalking in the shadows and in their fright they began to ran. During their run they tripped and the bell fell and the sound belted out, to their surprise the depth crawler came to a halt and they were able to get away.

Ever since this, most people in The Depths bring along some form of chime tuned to the right pitch. Some RIM racers have figured out how to attach a chime to their cycle-class RIMs such that the sound rings out constantly.

Execution

The chime or noise makers must ring at a certain pitch that vibrates off the caverns of The Depths. What that exact pitch is differs from person to person, based on what they have heard or believe they know. The pitch changes anytime someone who was known to perform chiming ends up dead despite observing the tradition.

Observance

This tradition is most observed during RIM races, the racers, crews, and even the audience all bring their chimes. This is one of the causes of RIM races being noisy and loud.

Primary Related Location


Cover image: by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

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