The Death Harp

They said I must have been a god in hiding to know. Until I shot that arrow, I was a mortal Denironian through and through. The moment it left my weapon, I changed.

— Avasvaren to a Celestial

The Death Harp is the origin story of Avasvaren, the Denironian god of assassins as well as the Celestial of archery. Most Denironian legends feature strong warriors taking quests to become even stronger, but Avasvaren's tale follows a weak man as he becomes a god. This version is the one found in the Tales of the Celestials.

Story

There was once a boy who was too weak to ever be considered a true Denironian.
The boy’s family took care of him, but they often scorned and mistreated him, angry that such a useless son had been born to them. A cousin took pity on the boy and showed him how to fight, but it made no difference; two of his arms were paralyzed and could neither move nor hold a weapon.
As the boy grew older, he continued to learn from his cousin. He took the cruelty and abuse from his family, took the criticism and complaining from his cousin, and refused to lash out at other children as they threw rocks, sticks, and even weapons at him. He climbed walls to escape. He hid alone in empty halls. He watched soldiers fighting and other Denironians issuing challenges.
The boy would never be allowed to issue a challenge because of his weakness. He could not be challenged either, but to him, it did not matter that he was safe. No one would ever see him as a true Denironian unless he could prove his strength. It was by watching others fight that he realized the greatest weakness of every other Denironian could be his greatest strength.

by Lilliana Casper

He began to study. He collected materials in secret, built prototypes, and researched old weapons. Denironians did not use long-range weapons. With four arms and intense training, they did not need to. Their culture was built on honor and power. There was no such thing as the weapon the boy was creating. He also knew there was a possibility he would be called honorless for something that killed from a distance.

by Lilliana Casper

But he did not care. If he could not use two of his arms, he was already at a disadvantage. This weapon would make up for that weakness and keep him out of reach of the others.
It took years. It took many tries. Each model he made was a failure. One could not be aimed. One snapped as soon as he fired it. One was too heavy. One did not have enough power. With each failure, the boy only became more determined. He would do the impossible. He would create something no one had ever seen before.

When he was eighteen, his family hosted a party. The prince, cousin to the twin heirs, was in attendance. The boy had been ordered to stay out of sight, which he gladly did. His final prototype was almost done and he wanted to finish it.
As he sat in a hallway far from the gathering room, putting the last touches on his weapon, he heard footsteps and voices. In a second he was silent. He listened as the visiting prince spoke to his servants about his plans to kill the newborn twin heirs and leave himself as the only person who could rule.
The prince returned to the party but the boy remained in the hallway, his mind churning. He knew immediately that he could not allow this man to kill the heirs. He ducked his head back to his weapon and realized he had a solution.

The rafters were easy to climb for a boy who spent his life escaping those who wanted to hurt him. He only had two arms, but those arms were stronger than anyone knew. He scaled the walls, strode the beams, and unhooked his weapon from his back.
He had not tested this iteration. He had only one arrow, one weapon, one chance. Once he took his shot, all would know where he was.
He set the arrow to the string. The Death Harp, he had chosen to call his weapon. His cousin's wife had a harp that she often played for him. This was strung similarly, but instead of music, it brought death.
The boy raised the Death Harp, drew back his arrow, aimed for the prince, and fired.
The arrow pierced the man's heart. He was dead immediately.

by Lilliana Casper

Avasvaren dropped to the floor seconds later. His landing was silent, yet all eyes turned to him. He stared back at them calmly, power sizzling through his veins. At that moment, he knew, he could kill everyone in this room without effort.
Instead, he turned and ran. Through a window, across the grounds, past the walls, and into the plains. He left no trace behind and disappeared into the wilderness.
When he returned twenty years later, he became known as the god of assassins, the man who slipped silently into windows and shot dead those who plotted treason or betrayal. The Death Harp is allowed to be used by those with a paralyzed limb, but no others.

Historical Basis

Are you telling me Avasvaren is real? That he isn't just a god, but a Celestial too? I could meet him, in person? Truly?

— A starstruck Denironian

The Death Harp is a historically based legend from Denironia. It began circulating sometime around 2850 AT. This is likely around the time that the major events of the story took place (Avasvaren killing the prince and then disappearing for two decades). It spread into the galaxy during the Time of Kings, but another version of the story had already appeared in the Tales of the Celestials.

Variations & Mutation

There are two main versions of this myth. The original comes from Denironia. The second version is found in the Tales of the Celestials. The version from the Tales is the true story, as it describes that Avasvaren became a Celestial the moment he shot his weapon. In the Denironian version, Avasvaren is a god in hiding who takes the form of a weakling to bring power to those who are underestimated. The rest of the galaxy enjoys underdog stories, but Denironians would never believe a mere mortal, much less a disabled one, could be as powerful as Avasvaren became. Those who understand Celestials, however, know exactly what happened.