IT: Welcome To Derry Halloween Special Episode Recap And Ending Explained

Contains spoilers for "A Story of Derry"

A new "IT: Welcome to Derry" Halloween special has shown us the exact details of how The Kollu arrived on Earth and shaped the Derry we now know. The 30-minute episode, titled "A Story of Derry," expands on the flashback from "Welcome to Derry" Episode 4, in which Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk) uses his psychic powers to probe the mind of a local Native American man. The special begins with title cards explaining how the tale that follows contains things that have been left out of the official story of the Kollu that's been passed down by the Shokopiwah people.

All seems peaceful with the Shokopiwah tribe before a council meeting is called to discuss the encroaching danger of English settlers. Young tribe member Necani (Kiawentiio) suggests hunting in the Western Woods — the area where the Kollu dwells — to cope with meat shortages, but she is quickly shot down by the elders, including her mother Sesqui (Morningstar Angeline), out of fear of causing the Kollu to grow. The stubborn Necani ignores her elders and goes to hunt in the forbidden area with two friends, Kino (Isabel Deroy-Olson) and Maneese (Michael Podemski).

They encounter Mitig (Zahn McClarnon), a Native American with a special dagger that drives away the Kollu. Mitig tells them the story of Maturin the great turtle, who engaged in a cosmic war with the Kollu and banished it to Earth inside a falling star. Maturin showed Mitig the crash site and instructed him to use the material left from the cage Maturin made for the Kollu to fight it. It turns out Mitig has been sacrificing tribe members to the Kollu and plans to sacrifice the kids as well, but they manage to overpower him and take the dagger. The Kollu kills Mitig as the kids watch on.

Back at the main tribe, a search party discovers a group of dead English settlers and heads into the Western Wood to investigate. The Kollu taunts and tries to scare Sesqui but she is rescued at the last second by Necani, who appears with the dagger. Unfortunately, Necani is too late and Sesqui ultimately dies from a stab wound inflicted by the Kollu.

The tribe council meets again to decide what to do as the Kollu's area of influence is expanding. Kino uses a root she stole from Mitig to meet with Maturin the great turtle and learn the location of the cave where the Kollu was once trapped. The tribe goes to the cave and extracts 13 stones to forge a new cage for the Kollu, and this is how the children of Maturin came to be responsible for keeping the Kollu in its cage for generations to come.

"IT: Welcome to Derry" fans will recognize that the 13 stones depicted here are the pillars from Season 1 and keep Pennywise (who is the modern manifestation of the Kollu) trapped inside Derry. Maturin the great turtle is also a nod to Stephen King's "Dark Tower" universe, which has been referenced across many of his works and live-action adaptations. Perhaps we'll see even more about Maturin and other cosmic deities in "Welcome to Derry" Season 2, which has been officially confirmed by HBO.