The Legend of the Silverneedle Tea
Legend has it that after the great flood, the first settlers of Highspire lived in the foothills, but suffered from a plague as the result of a long drought. As their last hope, a few villagers headed up the mountains to seek out a mythical tea plant that could cure them of their plague and bring water to the dry river beds. On the first day of the climb, many fell from the rocky precipices. On the second day, even more heard fell whispers in the mountains which turned them to stone. There remained only one elderly man, a Caprini who, thanks to both his sure footing and the thick hair that grew from his ears, evaded the dangers and on the third day made it to the summit of the Spirean Peaks. He found just one fragile sapling here, whose soft-haired leaves glistened in the moonlight, and he carefully brought it back to the village. The buds of the young plant were used to make a special white tea, which cured the village of plague and released the people of stone. Pleased by his bravery and care for the delicate plant, the goddess Ritah blessed the settlers with gentle rains that filled the river beds, and swept the loose debris from the paths into the mountains. There in the misty highlands, the settlers found fertile soils and founded the city of Ryuklo, building a shrine to the goddess Ritah.
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