The Moon Goddess Séléne

In the Aséken kingdoms, a legend is told of a forbidden love between a goddes and a lowly shepherd. In those early days during the first dawn, Alcrést was a wilder place, and far less populated. Alchemy and magicka were not as widespread and barely understood. Still, the people lived lives full of meaning and purpose. Here is one of the tales that they have passed down through the ages.

A shepherd on his way from the town of Tayalínéa, searching for greener meadows, decided to stop off his normal trail to water his flock. He sets up his camp in a clearing in the woods, with his sheep hound keeping a watchful eye for wolves. As he lays to rest by the fire, he can hear a woman’s voice singing on the wind. He is invariably drawn to the sound of it, ethereal and mesmerizing. He follows the voice to a small pond and hides in the nearby bushes.

There, bathing in the pond is an otherworldly beauty, a woman with long silver hair, pale skin and red irises, singing in a language the shepherd could not understand. Enamored at the sight of her, he cannot help but to call out to her. Alarmed and frightened, she runs off, and he loses track of her. 

The shepherd visits the pond every night for the next six days, hoping to see her again. On the sixth day, she is waiting for him, acknowledging his determination. 
Under the pale moonlight, he expresses his love for her, that no Teleran woman could ever compare to her beauty. 
She is flattered by his confession, as he has already endeared himself to her by his dedication. She too, has fallen for him and they share a moment of passionate love. But she can never marry him, and can never bear his children, and so she tells him to never seek her out again.

Many years pass. The shepherd still seeks her out at their pond, unable to get over their singular experience, when their anima became one. His love and obsession leave him destitute. He loses everything of value in his life, and lives on as a beggar, clothed in dirt and rags. 

At the end of his life, he visits their pond one last time, falling asleep by a tree. In his dream, a shimmering staircase appears at the edge of the pond, leading straight up to the moon. The woman, now appearing in heavenly robes, ever beautiful and shining, holds out her hand to the sleeping man. The shepherd takes her hand in his, now appearing as young as he was when they first met. The two walk hand in hand, up the staircase as the man breathes his last breath.

The woman, the moon goddess Séléné, ever the lover, makes the shepherd into a star in the aether, forever to be known as the companion star. The shepherd can still be seen in the night sky amongst the stars, always as a companion to Séléné, the hazy silver moon.

The Witch of Silence

Based on a true story, this tells the tragic tale of Queen Hakura, the Fifth Witch of the Ringed Eclipse, and her ill-fated marriage to the King of Manarina, in the present-day Dominion of Ílorísía. Over time, the facts have changed, and the tale has fallen into legend as a warning to not trust the words of a Witch. Specifically, the Fifth’s accomplishments are vastly understated, and it was likely they married for love. Witches remain both respected and feared in modern times.

A long time ago, in a Kingdom not long since forgotten, a noble King was troubled. He was facing border disputes from the west and had droughts in the southern farmlands. Many across the kingdom had been affected by the droughts and famine for years, with no end in sight.

Deciding to recruit some help, he had his court advisor seek the help of mages to provide some relief to the farmlands in the south. A particularly skilled mage volunteered and revealed herself to be the Fifth Witch. All were ecstatic, assuming the great Witch would save them.

She performed great deeds indeed and eased some of the suffering felt in the south. The king, feeling indebted, offered her the position of court mage, which she graciously accepted. 

For a time, the people were happy. The waters she provided certainly helped, but she was increasingly being used to fend off the western invaders, ignoring the needs of the people. She was also frequently seen whispering to the King, with them both sharing laughs and secret glances. The King began spending more time with her, walking the gardens, the two sharing secrets.

All knew of the power and beauty of Witches, and it became clear to all that she was poisoning the mind of the King. Whispers spread, turning into rumors throughout the kingdom. Rumors that intensified when the King announced his intention to take the Fifth Witch as his bride. Soon after, they were wed, and she was crowned Queen.

Having successfully made the King her thrall, she continued poisoning the mind of the King with her words in the presence of the gods. Now Queen, she no longer fought on the fronts, and the famine intensified. Due to her meddling, the King did not act, and when he did, he was told to make poor decisions. Gone was the noble King of old, replaced by a Witch’s puppet to do her bidding. 

The people had enough. Rioting broke out, and many marched on the palace to free their King. The Queen was caught asleep without jewelry, and all were warned to not let her speak her vile words lest she poison their minds too. And so, her tongue was cut. 

The “Witch of Silence” they named her as they took her and hung her by her neck from the parapets. The false King was deposed, and the Witch’s puppet was hung beside her.