The Legend of Eos

A well-known legend in the southern region of Beta about a leader's quest to rescue their friend from the underworld.

Summary

A younger explorer named Eos had just defeated the corrupt leader of a small town in combat, and as they had been the one to give the defeating blow to the old leader, they became the new one. Eos had very little experience as a leader; it was supposed to be another guild member who gave the final blow, so Eos had never been trained. However, they quickly picked up responsibility of the town, working as hard as they could.
Unfortunately, during the battle, the guild had lost a valuable member of the team - Myriad, one of Eoses' close friends. During their first few weeks of leadership, Eos had a dream, which was more like a vision. It told them that Myriad wasn't truly dead; they were stuck in a delicate balance of life and death, their form trapped halfway between the first stage of the afterlife and the living world.
When they awoke, Eos set out on a mission. They commissioned the help of a local necromancer, who sent them into a deep, death-like sleep, where they could walk about afterlife's first stage, known as Limbo, and interact with it, then be pulled back into life.
After for trials in Limbo - the Arena, the Planes of Death, the Circular Sea, and the Tunnels - Eos arrived at where Myriad's body was being kept, in a prison guarded by the lower-level leaders of Limbo, who were caught in a rebellion and had taken Myriad as a hostage while they were on the edge of death. Eos fought past these guards and went to rescue their friend, just to discover that the delicate balance of the world would not allow it. So, Eos sacrificed themself, taking Myriad's place instead.
Myriad later became the leader of the small town Eos had previously led. While Eos was never able to be recovered, the entire surrounding area of this town heard tale of their sacrifice.

Historical Basis

Surprisingly, this legend is based almost entirely in real life. A leader names Eos really did go to the underworld to rescue their friend, they really did sacrifice themself, and Myriad did become the new leader after being rescued. However, no one knows what happened in between Eos being transported to Limbo and their rescue of Myriad, so the four trials were invented as time went on for the sake of the story.

Spread

This legend isn't very well-known outside the region where it originated, which is the southern area of the continent of Beta, in the mountain range. Inside that region, most people have at least heard of the legend within five years of their birth, both people in positions of power and the commonplace population.

Variations & Mutation

Inside the town where it originated, the story was much shorter, without the four trials. However, as it spread, more trials were added until there were the four that have persisted to this day. Some areas and settlements change up the minor details, and there are a few places where entire trials change, but for the most part it has stayed relatively consistent for the past hundred years.

Cultural Reception

The Legend of Eos is a strong story of friendship in the communities it's present in, especially in the town it originated in. While most of the population that knows of it sees it as a heroic tale of sacrifice, some small sects view it as a cautionary tale about what happens when you upset the balance of nature.

In Literature

While it is not a very well-known legend in other areas, a book or two has been written about it, with one of them being distributed to other areas. However, it did not sell well, and the legend became a niche knowledge in communities outside this region.

In Art

Quite a few artists in the origin region have created art based off this legend. However, the biggest example of art based on the legend is a statue of Eos in the legend's settlement of origin, which was commissioned by Myriad as a way to remember Eoses' sacrifice for many years to come.

Date of First Recording

1529

Date of Setting

1528