Haderaa
The Haderaa is the ancient legend of the phoenix that fell from the Upper Planes into the Nine Hells during their formation, but escaped back to the Upper Planes through the Material Plane.
Summary
Long, long ago, near the beginning of the mortals' time, the devils of the Nine Hells captured a celestial spirit from the heavens as they formed their lands away from the eyes of gods. They stole its fire and sapped its strength, dragging it lower and lower, building the Hells around it. But it could not be bound forever—one fateful day, it loosed its chains and soared upwards towards goodness again. It took the form of an eagle wreathed in fire and burst forth where the land meets the sea. They still whisper of it in the Infernal Realms: the Haderaa, the Firebird.
A city was later founded on the fabled spot, due to its incredible potential for magic and its symbolic meaning. A Moon Elf colony was the first mortals to settle there, they say… though some are convinced Titania guided them there herself. They named the city Cantonova.
No mortal knows for certain where the devils take the souls they reap, or what happens to them. There are some, though, who point to the legend of the Haderaa as proof that there is hope—that they can be rescued, and perhaps someday will be. The priests use the word in Celestial to describe this, now: Haderaa. The first and last hope.
Cultural Reception
Cantonova has used the myth of the Haderaa as a symbol since its founding. Many institutions around Cantonova have "Haderaa," "firebird," or especially "phoenix" in their names (such as the Royal Phoenix Theater).
The heroes Loge Haderaa and Sasha Haderaa took the last name Haderaa when they married, both as a combination of their own last names and a reference to the ancient myth. The Y1113 ballad "Encore of the Phoenix," popularized by Caecïle, tells the story of Loge's life and descent into Pandemonium with the old legend of the Haderaa as a framing device, suggesting that he, too, will rise from the Lower Planes and emerge in Cantonova again.
Date of Setting
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