Dragon-Blessed Lake Water
Back when the world was still whole and the sky was still reachable, many people partook in a ritual called the "Dragon's Dance" to honor "Cherelee" the godess of light. The ritual include a hike up Starpeak mountain, which was the highest mountain in the region. At its peak there was a lake that was supposedly blessed by dragons, which were also known as Cherelee's messengers. Traditionally the ones that reached the lake would fill up bottles to bring back to their community, since the water's supposedly magical properties.
The first people that ever went up to the lake, are only ever referred to as the heroes of the light. It is said that after one hard winter many settlements surrounding the mountain were hurt, sick and starving. Every settlemet then send one person out into the wild as a sacrifice every month. Yet the gods that were meant to help them never appeared. After three months the people that were sent out as a sacrifice banded together and climbed the mountain.
Rumour says that they all had the same dream. How exactly they made it up to the lake differs drastically in each myth. Some say that they made it through sheer determination and will power, some that one of the heroes lovers brought them enough supplies to last them the trip and some say that they were brought up to the peak by wild wolves.
Up at the lake though, the heroes of the light drank of the water and their ailments were cured. The godess Cherelee appeared to them in her dragon form and gave them gifts to bring back home to their families.
It varies what these gifts were exactly, but the most popular believe was that they got the sword of light, a bag of dirt blessed by the godess herself, which supposedly could grow anything and multiple viles of dragon-blessed lake water that could heal any ailment.
The myth of the dragon-blessed lake water varies somewhat, but the magical effects of the water are widely agreed on.
Back when the ritual of the "Dragon's Dance" could still be performed many people went up the mountain to drink from the lake themselves.
Since Starpeak mountain is now covered in the eternal darkness though no one in recent history has been up the mountain.
Yet it is rumored that there are still three vials left from the olden times, stored somewhere in the Library of Krüks.
Show SpoilerHistorical Basis
The ritual of the dragon's dance is a well recorded cultural event that occured around the settlements of Starpeak mountain. Its earliest mention known today were articles about the event in 2359.
The myth was first mentioned though in a book named "Local Myths, Legends and other common Tales" (unknown author) in the year 1998.
If the ritual really happened around 361 years earlier than the myth's creation is unknown though, since most myths of the region were usually shared by word and not through text.
Since other evidence of that time is sparse, no futher statements can be made about what actually came first. It is also unknown if the so called heroes of the light ever truly exsisted.
Variations & Mutation
Many variations have been shared over time and while most stories agree on both the start and the end of the myth, there are some popular variations on the way they actually got up the mountain and the amount of gifts that the heroes of the light had received.
In Literature
Considering the dire situation the world is in currently the myth gained popularity again especially in literature.
"The Star's have not abandoned us" by L. B. Nia is a poetry collection with many references to the myth and one of the most popular itterations together with "Beasts in the Light" by A.F. Nor which is a modern retelling of the myth.
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