The Legend of the Lunar Lake

In the town of Indigo Creek, there is a myth known to all in town as The Legend of Lunar Lake, deep in the local forest lies a huge, beautiful yet unassuming lake, its deep blue water glimmering against the sunlight but the water is pleasantly warm for a lake located so far north of the equator and deep beneath its waters is said to contain fish that wouldn't look out of place in the tropical oceans of Nuzula with bright colours and strange patterns. Some even go as far as to say that the bottom of the lake is covered in coral. The lake gets it's name however from the story that on clear nights when the full moon lies directly overhead its light shines deep into the bottom of the lake and opens a portal, some say it is a portal to Nuzula, others say it opens into Lunilas, the Goddess of the Moon's personal domain, regardless of what lies on the other side, it is undisputed what emerges - beautiful mermaids and whatever curious fish that follow. The mermaids typically go strait to the surface where they swim about or perch atop the large smooth rocks that dot the border of the lake, up there they play, laugh and sing in a beautiful unknown or perhaps forgotten language, if you wish to see them you must be very careful to conceal yourself within the surrounding forest and to not say a word, as they seem terrified of humans, at the sight of one all singing and laughter will suddenly halt and they will swiftly retreat back to their portal as fast as they can. On most nights however they spend the rest of the night in their joyful revelry but when the sun begins to rise they dive back beneath the water returning through the portal to their homes leaving only the ripples on the water as evidence they were ever there.
There is also a story that once the residents of Indigo Creek used the lake as fishing grounds as the fish were plentiful and tasted delicious but over time less and less fish appeared, the water turned a murky brownish grey and was cold to the touch, the fishers tried to ignore this and continued fishing in spite of the dwindling yield, one night the moon was full and the sky was clear, they hid in the forest and waited... and waited, they waited until the they could barely keep their eyes open and the sun had fully risen but not one mermaid came, maybe the moonlight couldn't pierce the murky water or maybe the mermaids were so saddened by what the fishers had done that they felt no joy in visiting The Lunar Lake anymore. The news of the missing mermaids was brought to the council of Indigo Creek, there was much debating but in the end no one could deny what they had done to The Lunar Lake, a ban on all fishing was placed on the lake and a large project to restore the lake to its former beauty, the fishers used their nests to obtain any junk that had been left in the lake and clerics of Lunilas conducted a ritual around the lake to give their blessing and to beg forgiveness from the Moon Goddess and her mermaid friends but after this was done all the people of Indigo Creek could do was wait for nature to restore itself, for many years the lake was talked of only in regretful speeches and solemn poems, it seemed the legend had died alongside the lake. Until one day the town was awoken early by the shouts of a young child running through the streets "Mermaids! Mermaids in the lake!" Nearly the whole town gathered, guided by the child as many had forgotten their way to the lake, a series of gasps arose as each townsperson one by one came to the end of the old overgrown path, there lay the lake, deep blue, glimmering water, some people dipped their hand in the water, it was warm! As the townspeople celebrated, a silhouette flew out of the middle of the lake only for a second before diving back in, some that were there say it was a fish but others say that day was the first time they ever saw a mermaid.

Historical Basis

Many of the more pragmatic peoples of Mythria believe that the whole story originated from the unusual temperature of the lake and strange fish of the lake and that people of Indigo Creek kept changing one detail or another over the generations until the Legend assumed it's current form today and to many of the residents of Indigo Creek it is nothing more than a fairy tale, but to many others (though mostly children) the Legend is real, but its simply too hard for many to predict when the full moon will shine directly over the lake and to get through the dark forest in time to see the mermaids before the sun rises.

Spread

The Legend of the Lunar Lake was for a very long time told almost exclusively in Indigo Creek and the areas around it but in recent years the popularity of the book "The Halfling and the Mermaid" has sparked an interest in many worldwide. Occasionally there are even visitors to Indigo Creek who visit not for trade or a rest along the road but hear the story from the local storytellers and to maybe even hire a guide to take them to see the lake for themselves.

Variations & Mutation

A version spread that appears to have originated from traders who visited states that the mermaids are in fact sirens who lure the weak willed with their song to their doom, a variation of this says that they drag these people into the portal from whence they came, never to return. The people of Indigo Creek despise this version of the story and can become very upset when they hear it, other than the occasional telling of it as a scary story around campfires it has mostly been erased out of respect for the people of Indigo Creek.

Cultural Reception

It seems everyone in Indigo Creek has a connection to this story, they express this in many of their poems and songs, there are many compliments related to the legend and there are many depictions of tropical fish and mermaids throughout the town, especially in constructions related to water, their river trade and fishing boats almost all have a wooden mermaid carved at the front of the boat, there are multiple fountains throughout town which all feature fish and mermaid sculptures, the Merry Mermaid is named after the lake's visitors and has a mural on one of its walls depicting the bottom of the lake, full of life, the biggest concentration of aquatic imagery however is the church of Lunilas, with murals. statues and carvings throughout the holy site as the priests of this particular church emphasises the Moon Goddess' domain of Oceans, seas, lakes and rivers.

In Literature

By far the most popular piece of literature about The Legend of the Lunar Lake is the children's book "The Halfling and the Mermaid" Written by an unknown author from Indigo Creek. The book is quite old by now but has become a classic all over the world. The story follows a halfling boy who follows a mysterious path out of his hometown of Indigo Creek until he finds Lunar Lake, there he meets a mermaid girl, she says she came through the portal to the lake out of curiosity but now can't get back home. The the halfling offers to keep her company, visiting every day for as long as he can and bringing her food and other gifts, after a while the two fall in love but just as it seemed they were getting to know each other, the portal opened again, the mermaid reunited with her family, and had to say goodbye to the halfling but she promised that she would visit the lake as often as possible just so they could be together for a few more hours and though their time together was limited they still felt true love for each other and they lived happily ever after.

Credit goes to Jackson Hendry for the cover image. https://unsplash.com/photos/eodA_8CTOFo