"It is an interesting story, is it not? Two souls, destined for one another. Fated to meet, and to burn before the cycle begins anew… caught inside an endless dance until the end of time itself. The Crown, a lonely leader of men. The Heart, who brings light into the darkness of The Crown's isolation. Born in separate places, seemingly at odds... until those odds melt away like ice above a bonfire. Happiness for a moment, before the fall. Perhaps we were they, in another life. You and I. Unlikely though we may be, we find ourselves here."
— Samael Asther to Cain Amortus
 

The Story

The Beginning: Standard Variant

During the height of the Caelestise-Sura War, the Dei of winter had summoned a devastating storm to overcome Incaendium. The storm hit the smaller villages hard, including the nameless village that was the home for a certain Demon that would become The Heart.

With food stores low, the Heart wandered into the forest around their home village to hunt. Instead of game, however, The Heart found The Crown.

The Crown was a Dei of the First Generation - however, they did not initially present themselves as such. Initially, The Crown masqueraded as fellow Demon. The reason for this is unclear - curiosity, perhaps, or perhaps they were seeking to understand the enemy. Regardless of the reason, the Crown found themselves drawn to the Heart... and so they began to spend time together. Soon they became friends, and then they became lovers, meeting in secret even once The Crown had confessed their true nature.

With the raising of the Golden Cage, the war began to slide to a slow close. Recognizing their chance, the Heart and the Crown left Incaendium, intent on starting a new life together in Gaean.

This was not to be. During their flight, they came across a skirmish between Celestials and Demons who had been trapped on the wrong side of the cage walls. Enraged at seeing the Heart and Crown together, both sides descended on the pair like a pack of ravenous beasts.

The Crown used all of their power to open a tear in space in the hopes of escaping the attack... but it was too late. Though they managed to crawl through the torn "door" into the World-Veil, they were grievously wounded and never returned, having met their end in that space-between-spaces.

However, this is not the end of the tale - not by far. It is said that their spirits still seek to find one another and live their great dream, even now. And so the lovers' wheel begins to turn - a ceaseless cycle of births and rebirths as the lovers repeatedly find and love one another... only to be torn apart.

Variations

In versions popular inside Astrum, it is often nature that brings the storm that drives the Heart into the forest. It may also be a group of frustrated demons that slay the Lovers for the first time, rather than an attack by both sides.

Other variations suggest that the Crown was in Incaendium because they, themselves, had brought the storm there to freeze the region to death, or that the Crown had already taken a liking to the Heart from afar and had sent a storm to draw them out into the forest.

Meetings and confrontations may vary from telling to telling as well - they may meet in a village instead of the forest, or atop a mountain where The Heart seeks shelter.

The Characters

The Myth of the Lovers features three constants - three "characters" - that are reborn to reenact the same tragedies in different forms. Of the three, one is not consistently a person or persons at all - it may be an inanimate object, a situation, etc. What is important is that its presence is consistent, and devastating.

The Heart

The first of the two central figures, the Heart begins most variations as an innocent seeking to support their family. For whatever reason, they are intriguing to the Crown, and so begins the tale.

"The Heart is the bearer of light, carried into the isolation and sadness inherent to The Crown. Consistently they draw the Crown away from a fortress constructed around them - literal or figurative of course - and show them the sun."

— Samael Asther

Within the world of the legend, the Heart represents strength and compassion - they are hunter, crusader, provider, defender. They are never portrayed as malevolent; they are instead a bright spot in the world able to fascinate the aloof Crown, ultimately delivering them into love. In most versions, The Heart does this, inevitably, at the cost of their connection to those around them.

They are, in short, a bridge between the cold austerity of Astrum's upper echelons and the warmth of the lower world.

That is not to imply that their society is implicitly superior to that of the Crown. In the end, the most agreed-upon version of the tale suggests that they were destroyed by the hate and intolerance of both Realms.

The Crown

The second central figure in the myth, the Crown manifests in each lifetime as a figure of authority and power - physical or social. They are inevitably of a station "above" that of the Heart, yet unable to resist being drawn in by The Heart's warmth and strength.

"The Crown represents regal isolation. In each cycle, the Crown manifests as a figure of authority, though there is no stipulation as to what sort of authority it is. In each life, the Crown has found themselves alone and contemplative of what they believe to be truth: that they will spend the remainder of whatever time they have in the same state."

— Samael Asther

Often, the Crown will initially appear to be one thing, and then reveal themselves to be another thing. This revelation, driven by love, is inevitably met with acceptance from the Heart, further solidifying their bond.

Whether a dragon, a criminal mastermind, a the ruler of a nation or the Dei from the original tale, the Crown represents the isolation of one who is kept apart from others by nature, social necessity and the rigidity of power.

It is only through their connection to the Heart that the Crown learns to release their control over the world, and themselves. Variations where the Crown is the source of the disaster plaguing the Heart's village further emphasize this, the destructiveness of their hold on the area can only be healed through the unclenching of their metaphorical fist.

The Obstacle

"Despite being represented as a specific physical object, the Obstacle can manifest within the cycle in any form. At times, it is a person, or a movement - a group of people. The unifying idea is simply that it is that which prevents the Crown and the Heart from achieving a true union."

— Samael Asther

Unlike the Heart and the Crown, the Obstacle is not (always) a single person or thing. It is whatever force or forces come to bear in order to lay waste to the happiness the Heart and Crown might otherwise have had. In the original story - the life that started every life - the two are murdered by a mob of angry Celestials and Demons; these fierce enemies, who had previously been locked in combat, set aside their differences to destroy the union that represents a greater threat: that of mutual acceptance.

That crowd - their cruelty and rage - is recreated within the story by the recurring theme of an unsurmountable obstacle that inevitably drives the Heart and Crown apart, whether through peaceful or violent means.

While many have argued that the Obstacle is not a character but rather a part of the narrative structure, the consensus among scholars is that its near-sentient ability to seek out and destroy the relationship between the Heart and Crown represents a kind of shifting and abstract character. One single-mindedly devoted to its destructive task.

The Cycles

The nature of the Legend is such that it inspires a seemingly endless number of romances that are either explicitly claiming to represent one of the Lovers' lives or constructed to imply that they might be.

That said said, the most accepted and codified version of their various lives is associated with the constellations as interpretated by Incaendium:

The Miser's Redemption

A veteran warrior (The Crown) who has lost everyone they love decides to eschew interpersonal connection and focus on the accumulation of power and wealth. This decision is challenged by a portrait-artist (The Heart) trapped in a loveless arranged marriage. The two plan to flee together but the Heart's cruel spouse (The Obstacle) murders The Heart as they lie in bed beside the Crown. The Crown only survives a handful of months before dying, ostensibly of a broken heart.

The Hangman's Rope

The scion of a group of infamous bandits (The Heart) escapes their family to seek refuge in a local village. There, the widowed leader (The Crown) has the Heart imprisoned, however the Crown becomes infatuated with the Heart during the course of interviewing them about the activities of their former troupe. Eventually the citizens of the town (The Obstacle) demand that the Heart be executed. After the execution, the Crown takes their own life.


The Path of the Lance

A great dragon (The Crown) transforms to a humanoid form to observe and learn the ways of a monster hunter (The Heart) so as to better understand their enemies. Trapped by their own plan, the two fall desperately in love. Eventually, the Crown reveals its true form to the Heart. While the Heart accepts their love's true form, the Heart's family (The Obstacle) - also monster hunters - witness the reveal and attempt to kill the Crown. The Heart saves the Crown at the cost of their own life by blocking the attack, but the Crown loses the will to live with the death of the Heart and allows the Heart's family to slay them.

The Shadows are a Blade

The leader of a powerful criminal organization (The Crown) controls a given settlement entirely. A leader among the citizens (The Heart) challenges the Crown until they decide to meet and discuss their differences, and "terms." They are drawn to each other and continue meeting. In time, the Crown's followers (The Obstacle) come to believe that the relationship is causing the Crown to lose their edge. They assassinate the Heart, but fail to cover up their crime properly. The Crown recognizes the culprits and attacks them, only to be killed themselves with the same blade that struck down the Heart.


The Lonely Waves

A Maero prince (The Crown) falls in love with a villager sacrificed to the waves for the prosperity of their hometown (The Heart). The Crown's family plans to make a sport of the Heart's death, forcing them to swim a dangerous gauntlet from which no one had emerged alive. The Crown takes the Heart's place and is killed during the Gauntlet. The greiving Maero Lord has the Heart bled and sent into shark and beast infested waters to be torn to pieces.

Themes

Love Beyond Resistance

The central theme of the story. A taboo romance doomed by the circumstances of their birth - powerful enough to drive two figures from opposing sides of a great war to defy their origins and defy fate.

Sacrifice

In both the original lifetime of the Lovers and several of their reincarnations, one risks - or directly sacrifices - their life in a desperate attempt to save the other. However, this is inevitably unsuccessful and both die.

 

Inescapable Tragedy

Regardless of what they do, regardless of the power of their love, the Heart and the Crown are unable to change their fate. In every lifetime they are torn apart, and torn to pieces. Their tragedy is that of a love that cannot be resisted, and yet cannot win against the cruelty of fate.

The Cycle of Rebirth

The Heart and Crown are constantly reborn, forever seeking one another and forever losing one another. Their love is not just a single romance, but an eternal cycle of love and loss.

 

History & Impact

There is no known historical basis for this legend. That said, it also cannot be definitively said to be untrue. Several of the First Generation Dei were indeed lost during the Caelestise-Sura War, as were countless unknown demons. As per those who have survived the millennia between the war and the present day, there was a devastating winter storm that plagued much of the westernmost parts of Incaendium - though no Celestial has been willing to admit or deny that it was a purposefully created act of war.

Cultural Impact

Many scholars and historians have attempted to assign the roles of the Crown and Heart to one or another historical figure or contemporaneous accounts of events such as deaths or disappearances, but thus far no consensus has been reached.

The continued fascination with the Heart and the Crown has spawned a great deal of speculation about potential incarnations of the fated lovers. If a prominent romance ends in mutual tragedy, there is no doubt that someone will attempt to link the lovers to the myth.