The Legend of Argus Brightflame, King of Giefland
It is said that this was when Golaran the wizard first appeared in Anestor, though that is often disputed. According to Legend, Golaran went to Astreia, asking her for assistance with Giefland. He wanted to bring peace for his people. Astreia said a young prince with a great destiny was to be born under the light of a dragon star. The child's father would be a conquered king, and the mother a hedge witch destined to die in labor. The boy's back would be marked with the constellation of the lion, but the child could be tempted and turned to evil. Golaran would have to be careful with him if he wanted him to be a great king.
Golaran waited for the dragon star, and he waited. It was not for fifty years that a star matching that description burned its way across the sky. A fiery red comet, bleeding into the sky, day and night. Golaran hurried to discover which warlords had died recently enough to be the father of child being born that day. Unfortunately, there were a few. Golaran had to also search for possible mothers. It took a lot of searching, but finally, he found the child with the sign of the lion on his back. He found the king, prophesied by Astreia herself. He took the orphaned boy, knowing the child must be raised by honorable men and women in order to be groomed into a fair and noble king.
Who actually raised the king is up for debate. Some say commoners. Some say Golaran, himself. Some say nobles, or in the most extreme cases of sensationalizing Argus, it was claimed that Astreia, the fey goddess raised him as her son.
The stories vary, showing many great trials the king had to face for his countrymen. It is accepted that most of these stories are sensationalized, were feats of another ruler or even just made up as a man became a myth, but there are a few things about the story that are accepted. He wielded a great hammer in battle. He united the kingdom of Giefland, which one day would be Eastern Anestor. He married an elf from the stars named Mallora, beloved demigod of elven kind. Rather than die, he and Mallora travelled to the stars to return when the country needed them.
Historical Basis
The coastal forts that King Argus ordered be built, still stand.
Spread
The stories of Good King Argus were mostly only told in Giefland, but since the founding of Anestor, when Darian Brightflame, descendant of Argus, was crowned king, the stories have spread west as well. Songs of Argus's great acts and the prophecy that one day he will be reborn to lead the land once more are sung all across Anestor.
Cultural Reception
For the people of Anestor, this myth was largely forgotten during the Marcisian Occupation, and it remained forgotten until the night, ten years after the Revolution of Four Princes ended, when the Dragon Star was again seen in the sky over Anestor. Old prophecies were then remembered for the first time in centuries. Argus was born under the red light of a dragon star, and it was said that the dragon star would return on the night that Argus was reborn. He would again rule in the country, uniting the people in a time of great need.
Ten years after the revolution was a tenuous time in Anestor, and for the first time in centuries, the Dragon Star returned, and under its red light, two royal children were born. Prince Darian and Princess Dathyra. Both children, like Argus, were born with constellations marking their backs. The people then began to remember old stories, and those stories became very popular at all walks of life in Anestor. Darian and Dathyra were known as Argus reborn, destined to unite Anestor, and so they did. They were married and united the kingdom under a single banner.
The stories of Argus Brightflame are known to be sensationalized, but most people in Anestor accept that he was a real historical figure, the ancestor of King Darian, and children are taught this story at an early age.
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