Legend of R̀ufar

The Legend of R̀ufar is a Helɉan myth of origin. It is considered part of their religion as well. Because the Helɉan do not have a written form of their language, they rely on paintings and carved sculptures in combination with oral traditions. The legend is told in several chapters.

Fall After R̀idrum In the suns and moons after R̀idrum, there were calm seas and happy song. Food was plenty and grew from a warm land. The Helɉan thrived and had many families, heavy with happiness. Many sons and daughters passed this way, but the Helɉan were not the only peoples in this warm land. There were tribes who practiced dark arts, and summoned beings who did not belong on our lands or under our sun and moon. But those beings were strong, and were happy to have been summoned. They plagued our beautiful lands, they consumed all they could and made war on the peaceful. Each day they seemed to grow in number, and our peoples began to perish because there was not enough food. Many were made bitter by these other-worlders, but could not match their strength and so would turn on each other for crumbs. The final straw was when the other-worlders began to kill the tribes and peoples of the warm lands and consume their flesh. Dark arts, lead to dark days.

The Trickster Understanding a mistake had been made but not learning the lesson, the practicers of the dark arts turned to their summoning once again. They found a bigger fish, a creature so terrifying that even the other-worlders would be struck with fear. Beasts that could fill a cavern, covered with scales like a fish but hard as metal, they could reach into your mind and burn you with their breath. They were colorful, beautiful and they would lure you with wealth only to devour your flesh the moment you touched the smallest jewel. They destroyed the other-worlders, sent them back to their own lands. But it came at a cost, and the beasts ruled the lands they freed. After a generation when they thought past had been forgotten, they brought the demons from the other worlds back as their soldiers to keep the peoples in line. The peoples grew in anger and bitterness at the betrayal and trickery, but were even more unable to do anything to unseat the immortal beasts. Fervent prayer was all that was left. Owing a debt is slavery until paid.

The Redemption The peoples cried out for help, for now they were truly oppressed and the dark days were returning quickly. Some even took their own lives so they would be rotten for the devourers of flesh. But R̀idrum had mercy, and sent a chosen one. The chosen one confronted the beasts, and demanded they bow and leave the warm lands of the peoples. The beasts were enraged and as they drew breath to burn the chosen one he spoke a single word. The fire in front of him turned to ice, and the ice spread more quickly than the beast could react to, and so was frozen. The demons who did the beasts behest ran, escaped our lands or were frozen. But the ice didn't stop there, and as a reminder of the danger of the dark arts and a reminder that the chosen one's work is unfinished, the entire land became ice. The ice remembers all, do not forget its bite.

The Melt The chosen one's work remains unfinished. One day, his work will come to a close, and the land will begin to thaw. When the melt begins the peoples will know that the time of cold penance is soon to end. The great melt will release the demons and the beasts to be defeated finally and sent back to the realm of their origin, and the dark arts will become impossible. The land will be restored to its warmth and bounty and the peoples will once again find heavy happiness, peace, calm seas and happy song. As the sun returns each spring, so again will the warmth to the land.