The Ashen Ones
Long ago after the closure of gates to Fey, there was a child who would not do what he was told. Again and again he travelled to the outer lands, where the ash mingled with the frost of the northern hills. He played in the forests and played in the hills, and spoke to the shadows in the ashmouth glade. They told him of fantastic things, of things the others couldn't see, invited him to play with them, to look into their world. Time and time again he visited the shadows, staying longer every time, until th eday he found himself trapped within their realm. He pleaded for his freedom, until finallyy the shadow relented. It told him that to earn his freedom, he had to become one of them. A monster in the dark. And so, day after day, he acted as they did, luring the naive until this shadowy place and forcing them to make the same deal he was forced to make. Day after day, he began to forget who he was. Now, he haunts the shadowy places himself, having forgotten the boy he once was, luring disobedient children to a world from which they will never escape, where they will lose themselves as monsters.
Historical Basis
Most of the supposed sightings of the Ashen One happen shortly after the Ash Sweeps, during which creatures of ash and light have been seen taking people away. The ashen one, according to the rumors, is actually a group of children, eyeless and with wide, jagged grins. They are also rumored to sing as they take you away.
Spread
This myth is mostly centralized around Harvest, though there is a version of it in most of the civilized world.
Variations & Mutation
At first, the children of ash only took. They convinced those who wandered in the night to join them, to play, then made them one of their own. Over time, they became more malevolent, and in the stories became less trickster and more bloodthirsty monster.
In Art
Because of the Ash Ban, it is illegal to paint anything associated with the ashlands.
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