The following stories are among the oldest legends known throughout Mythea. Whether they are history, myth, or something between remains a matter of fierce debate. Scholars argue over them. Priests preach about them. Adventurers seek the truths hidden within them.
The oldest surviving myth claims that before the Celestial Courts existed, a divine throne stood at the center of creation.
When the throne was broken, fragments scattered across the world.
Each fragment supposedly contains a portion of divine authority.
Many rulers have sought these fragments throughout history.
None have ever assembled more than one.
Some believe the Crown of Aureth was forged from a fragment.
Others claim the Midnight Exchange secretly possesses another.
No one knows how many pieces remain hidden.
Ancient texts speak of a star hidden beyond the edge of the heavens.
Unlike all other stars, it emits no light.
It consumes it.
According to legend, the Veiled Depth journeyed there and returned forever changed.
Some claim the Black Star contains forbidden knowledge.
Others believe it is a prison.
Several cults insist the star is slowly growing closer to Mythea.
Every generation produces scholars determined to find it.
Most disappear.
Far beneath the southern deserts lies a city built entirely from crystal.
Its towers supposedly sing when touched by moonlight.
Legends claim the city belonged to a civilization that existed before the modern races.
The city vanished during a single night.
Travelers still report hearing distant music beneath the sands.
Many treasure hunters have searched for it.
None have returned with proof.
Stories tell of seven hidden gateways leading into the realm of Vorathys and Vespera.
Each door appears only to those who desperately desire something.
Love.
Power.
Knowledge.
Freedom.
Revenge.
Wealth.
Purpose.
No two stories agree on where the doors appear.
Every tale agrees that those who pass through are forever changed.
Deep within the Worldspine Mountains lies a forge said to have been built by Khaldur himself.
Its fires have burned since before recorded history.
Legend claims the forge can create any object imaginable.
The cost is never gold.
The forge always demands something more valuable.
No surviving account agrees on what that price might be.
Throughout Mythea's history, tales appear of a wandering king with no kingdom.
He wears simple clothes.
Carries no weapon.
Commands no army.
Yet rulers listen when he speaks.
Some believe he is Aureth walking among mortals.
Others claim he is merely a recurring legend.
Records place him centuries apart.
His descriptions never change.
The Order of the Gilded Rose preserves stories of a golden rose created by Vespera herself.
The flower never dies.
Never loses a petal.
Never fades.
Anyone who possesses it supposedly understands the deepest desire of every person they meet.
The First Rose allegedly knew its location.
The secret died with her.
Or so the Order claims.
Sailors speak of an ancient library resting beneath the sea.
Its shelves remain intact despite centuries underwater.
Its books cannot be damaged.
Its halls are illuminated by strange blue lights.
Many believe it contains knowledge lost during the earliest ages of Mythea.
Finding it is difficult.
Escaping with its secrets is said to be impossible.
Most dragons disappeared long ago.
One legend insists a single dragon remains.
A creature born during the first days of creation.
Its scales resemble the night sky.
Its breath is pure Starfire.
The dragon is said to sleep somewhere beneath Mythea.
Every few centuries, signs appear suggesting it may be awakening.
No one knows whether this would be a blessing or a catastrophe.
Several cultures preserve a myth concerning a hidden book.
Within it is written the true name of every living person.
The book updates itself constantly.
Anyone who reads it can supposedly learn anything about anyone.
The Midnight Exchange, the Gilded Rose, and the Veiled Depth have all been linked to stories about the Ledger.
No verified copy has ever been found.
Ancient astronomers recorded strange observations regarding Mythea's moon.
Some texts claim it is not a celestial body at all.
Instead, they describe it as an enormous structure.
A vessel.
A prison.
A tomb.
Modern scholars dismiss these claims.
Yet every few decades unusual lights are reported upon its surface.
No satisfactory explanation exists.
Hidden somewhere within Mythea is a river that flows against time.
Travelers who drink from it allegedly experience visions of possible futures.
Others see forgotten memories.
Some never return at all.
Maps claiming to show its location appear with surprising regularity.
None have ever been verified.
A ruined kingdom appears throughout dozens of unrelated myths.
Its ruler, known only as the Ash King, supposedly discovered a way to escape death.
His empire vanished overnight.
Its location has never been identified.
Yet ancient coins bearing his image continue to surface across the continent.
No two are ever found in the same place.
Nearly every culture preserves some version of the same prediction.
One day the Eternal Lovers will cease their Dance.
Vorathys will stop seeking.
Vespera will stop longing.
When that happens, desire itself will vanish from the world.
No one will dream.
No one will strive.
No one will love.
No one will hate.
Everything will simply stop.
Most scholars consider the prophecy symbolic.
Most priests consider it impossible.
Yet the prophecy continues to appear in texts separated by thousands of years.
Always in the exact same words.
And no one knows who wrote it first.