Niklas and Taletha

The tale of Niklas and Taletha is a classical play written shortly after the Fall of the Ancoran Empire that tells the tragic story of two lovers and their conflict with one of the Fair Folk.

Summary

The story begins with Niklas and Taletha, two lovers of modest means, getting married. The event is very barebones, lacking a musical performance or gifts for those who attend, for the young couple cannot afford such things. An older man (presently unnamed but later called Morden Thornheart) makes a number of cryptic and threatening comments about the ways that the ceremony breaks from traditions, before revealing in an aside, that he is one of the fair folk, and takes great delight in the opportunity to ruin the lives of such a happy couple.
Following that are several scenes showing the misfortunes brought upon them by Morden. At first, the couple begins to drift apart, before realizing they have been cursed and they resolve to support each other no matter the cost. Morden then dispenses with subtle torments, and exhorts wild animals to attack Niklas while he is out walking on a moonlit night. A pair of wolves set upon him, and he is hamstrung by one before he manages to deal a solid blow with his sword, causing the wolves to retreat. Lying helpless on the ground, Niklas calls for help, only to be answered by Morden, in his guise as a townelder. The old man binds Niklas's wounds, and offers to help him get home safe to his wife. The two walk off into the woods together, Morden supporting Niklas and leading him deeper into the forest.
The next morning, Morden pays Taletha a visit, again in the guise of a town elder. He asks if she's seen Niklas recently, and when she declines, informs her that he saw Niklas walking late at night with another woman. She mulls over this news in a solliloquy, considering whether or not she believes her husband might do such a thing, then remember's Morden's comments at the wedding. She accuses him of being bitter about the wedding, and accuses him of waylaying Niklas on his way home. Morden cackles and gloats, but then Taletha picks up a large woodcutters axe and swings it at him. He barely dodges and flees into the woods with Taletha in hot persuit.
They eventually come to a clearing, where Morden stops, winded by the chase. Taletha caches up with him and they fight, Morden wielding a stick and commanding the surrounding trees to swing root and branch at her. She cleaves through each of his strikes with her axe, before sinking the axe into his skull. He slumps down, laughing. Taletha asks if he finds even his own misfortune funny, and he explains that she is cursed never to find her way home and never to find her husband. Then he collapses and lies still.

Spread

Variations of the play are still regularly performed throughout the Sleeping Lands, and it has also inspired poems and novels. It features a number of common beliefs about the fair folk, and indeed, variations often add in local bits of lore on the subject, using the story as a means of teaching about the dangers of provoking the fair folk. It is one of the most widely known legends in the Sleeping Lands, with most of the population knowing at least the broad events of the play.