Urban Legends & Common Gossip
There are always many stories told and shared in any bustling society and the Kingdom of Suimera is no different. Guards whisper of shadows in the dark, young boys and old men revel in the legends of ancient heroes, and housewife bicker about the current state of affairs, while young girls gush over court rumors and, pine for royal attention.
Here are a few such stories that everyone in Suimera knows at least something about in one form or another.
The Founding of Suimera
The details of this story were lost in time and the result is that there are many different version. What all the stories have in common however, is that there was a brave Dragonite who traveled far and wide with a group of close companions. Heroes, one story called them, refugees, claimed another. Whichever it was, the friends discovered this paradise high up in the mountains and received Suicune’s blessing to settle there. Some say that the group had to fight and defeat Suicune, others say they had to prove themselves by completing the legend’s numerous tasks and trials, and again others claimed that it had been Suicune who gathered the travelers together for some purpose now forgotten.
The Passing of Suicune
One fact, which all the historic tales about the founding of Suimera agree upon, is that it involved an encounter with Suicune, the Legendary guardian of the vale, who had blessed a Dragonite warrior and marked him as the first of the Delago royal line, and king of Suimera. Since that time, Suicune would make an appearance and bestow its blessing up a new ruler, but only after the previous owner of the mark had passed away.
The Passing of Suicune, this event would come to be known and it was always a grand spectacle that usually only happened once every three generations or so, depending on the longevity of the marked ones. The last such passing happened a solid two decades ago, not long after the birth of prince Salem. It had been swift and unexpected, for the young prince’s grandfather, who bore the mark before him, had died well over a decade prior, and many citizens had come to believe
the Passing of Suicune to be nothing more than a fairytale. Some people claimed they had seen the legendary guardian that day, while many others claimed that the whole rite was nothing more than a fable concocted by the officials in order to appease the masses. A claim that garnished more and more followers as the years went by and still no one outside the palace had ever seen the prince.
The Story of Queen Celeste
This story is very popular one, particularly with young women and little girls. It tells the classic tale of an ugly and poor, low class citizen, who scrubbed the palace floors for a living. Eventually she evolved into the most beautiful woman in all the lands and captured the heart of Prince Zachary. Being compatible with the prince on a genetic level meant that she was an eligible candidate for holy matrimony, and before long the kingdom had itself a new princess. The old king died and Suicune had not yet marked a successor the royal couple elevated to King and Queen Interim, and continued to rule even after the new King was born and marked until he would be of ruling age. Of course, the storybook princess’ story took a turn for the dramatic when her husband was murdered, turning her story from a fairytale into a tragic epic.
The Royal Assassination
A few short years after the birth of Prince Salem, disaster befell the kingdom of Suimera. There had been an assassination attempt on the life of the infant king, which resulted in the death of acting king Zachery Quintes Delago. The specifics of the assassination have never been brought to light, although testimonies claimed of the involvement of Poison types, Ghost types, and Dark types, which collectively became known as ‘
Mistypes’. This event sparked a major uproar which nearly tore the kingdom apart from within. Discrimination and prejudice flared to an all-time high and led to a great social divide. Blessed be Queen Celeste who, despite her grave loss, stepped up to quell the riots and urged her citizens to not give in to fear and hatred. Since then she has made numerous appearances to advocate union and acceptance but it was clear to all who saw her that the queen’s one time brilliance had been subdued. Some blame this on the loss of her lover and the burden of raising a marked child, while others find fault with the
Mistypes and claim that the queen is merely putting up a façade for the sake of the people.
The Sheltered Prince
There are plenty of stories going around about the mysterious marked prince of Suimera. From doubts about the existence of a mark in the first place, to theories about the assassination attempt, and the sheltered prince’s appearance, for none outside of the palace really know what young royal looks like. There are prints and paintings of course, but most of those are based on hearsay descriptions, and free running imaginations.
None of these stories seem as popular as the ones about the prince’s mysterious power to control the weather. These tale started not long after the Royal Assassination when the climate of Suimera changed ever so slightly and the weather became strangely unpredictable. As with every story there are alternative theories of course, ranging from the weather being affected by some magical residue of the Assassination, to it reflecting Suicune’s displeasure with the current state of affairs, but the most popular by far is the mystical prince possessing unique abilities. The story theory gained enough traction that particular phrases and sayings become commonplace in daily conversations.
Examples include such saying as; “May the prince smile on us,” when wishing for good weather before setting sail, or “We could use some sympathy from the Prince,” when praying for rain, and “The prince must be throwing a tantrum,” when a storm rages.
The Phantom
An urban legend that has only recently surfaced but quickly gained a lot of traction is that of The Phantom. The rumors of this mysterious being originated in the lower districts some years ago when various reports came in of children finding toys they did not previously own. At first the people were worried about the obvious invasion of their homes but when only toys were added and nothing else stolen, rumors quickly began to spread about the mysterious benefactor of poor children.
At the same time, ever greater and more elaborate heists and thefts were being pulled off in the homes of the wealthy, nobility, and government officials. No private collection remained private for long, and it did not take long for people to link the two phenomenon.
Public opinions are divided, where some claim The Phantom to be a hero, while others brand him a common criminal. So far there have been no clues as to the identity of The Phantom, if it is just one or more people, or if it even is a real person.
One thing is for sure, everyone is always looking forward to hearing of The Phantom’s latest exploits, whether this is because they idolize him, or because they are hoping for new opportunities to apprehend, and unmask the culprit depends on the individual.
The Phantom is keeping the kingdom’s guards on high alert each night, especially during festivals or high valued exhibitions. Meanwhile, many merchants are capitalizing on this legend by selling merchandise dedicated to, or claimed to have been owned by The Phantom.
