The Hymn of the Wayward Tunnel

The Hymn of the Wayward Tunnel is a myth connected to the Wayward Tunnel, a former mine cave located near Initio.

Summary

Years ago, there is a miner who has a habit of humming whenever he was working. He was loved by his colleagues and the villagers nearby not only because of the dedication of his job and his kindness and generosity, but he also made some music rumored to heal their hearts at the toughest of times.
One day, the mine he was working in was attacked by an Earth Dragon who made it his home there. As it was the only resource of their economy with the other kingdoms, the miners and villagers desperately tried to get rid of the dragon inside the tunnel. However, any attempts of eliminating it caused the loss of the miners' and villagers' lives, and even the Adventurer's Guild was no help due to its leadership at that time only sent unexperienced and a few higher-ranked Adventurers who also lost their lives there. Because of this, the village and the miners lost their hope and awaited their uncertain future.
However, not all of them despaired. The humming miner took up his pickaxe and sword and faced the monster by himself. But like all the others who faced the menace, it was a one-sided battle. However, as he was about to share the same fate, the dragon asked for his last words before he added him to his body count. But rather than complied with his request, the miner began to hum a calm melody.
At first, the Earth Dragon was surprised at his unexpected act. But as it continued to listen, its rage slowly started to dissipate until it lost its will to kill him. Eventually, the dragon began to hum along with the miner and after an hour of music, it started to talk and explained that he occupied the mines because his old home was destroyed by soldiers years ago in the Summoned War. Feeling guilty of the dragon's plight, the miner gathers all of the villagers and the townsfolk of Initio and made a compromise.
The dragon will spread its mana around the mine to create rare mana stones with the Guardian's permission and the villager let it stay in the mine as well as offering it several produces they harvested and hunted in return.
Ever since then, the symbiotic relationship remained even to this day and the miner became a hero not because he raised his sword, but because he raised his voice with a melody. In fact, you can hear the dragon hummed to the same calm melody that he played to it if you go deeper into the Wayward Tunnel.

Historical Basis

Not much has known about the true origins of the myth. However, there were rumors of a dragon beneath the Wayward Tunnels. Some Adventurers and mages tried to venture through them several times, but most of them ended up as failures with a few injuries and casualties.
There were also rumors that Bai Hu, the Guardian of the Tested Woods has some connections to the cave as well.

Spread

While not has known through the kingdom of Lucidus and the country of Medius, it was well-known in the town of Initio and there were some Adventurers who knew the myth from word of mouth or a relative or friend who lived there.

Variations & Mutation

There are some variations spread throughout Medius and Lucidus throughout the years. Some stories have a dark ending involving the miner who died after his attempt to eliminate the dragon and it hummed to the melody instead while some have an alternate story that told the story about a village girl rather than a miner.

Cultural Reception

Despite the mysterious origins of the myth, it became a well-known bedtime story to the children of Medius and Lucidus. Some parents even used this story to teach them the symbiotic relationship between the friendly creatures and monsters and the civilizations who helped them in return.

Date of First Recording

519

Date of Setting

408

Related Locations

• Wayward Tunnel