A Riweni folktale, adapted by the Tylenic people of Iksand.
A long time ago, when dragons still flew through the sky, there was a man made of stone who lived in the mountains. Every morning, he would climb the mountain to visit the lady of silver, who brought the clouds down from the sky. She would dress him in stunning robes of smooth silver, and he never felt alone. One day, the sun heard of this and became jealous, for the grey man used to admire his brilliant golden rays and praise him. In a fit of anger, he cast down his burning spear at the silver lady, and she fled, unable to bear the flames of his attack. The grey man cried out in a thundering voice, and wept tears that carved a path down the mountain, driving sorrow into the heart of the river. The water woman felt this, and she traveled up the mountain to find the source. When she saw the grey man, and heard his plight, she wept with him. The next morning, the river mother devised a plan. She spent the day creating a bronze wolf, faster than any mortal, who would never tire or falter. As soon as it was fully formed, it sprang into the sky, chasing after the sun and his deer. With the sun occupied and no longer able to keep the silver lady away, she who the stone man loved was able to return. She gifted the man with a pale robe, more beautiful than any human cloth, that matched the color of the clouds and the sky. The stone man cried again, but this time tears of joy, that washed away the sorrow from the river's heart and made the valleys overflow with life. The teardrop waterfall marks where his tears once flowed, and it is said that on cool summer mornings, one can still see the two of them dance together.
A Seafolk legend song learned and sung by Iksandi sailors
"Once there was a mighty queen of the deep sea she had dreamed
She sought to see the devil below where dangers prowled the ocean cold
She'd barely seen darkest depths when something reached out to catch
'twas a silver hand that pulled her down she saw the devil with its iron crown
No one knows what she saw inside for when they asked all she did was sigh
Bound to never wander again because of that cursed devil's hand
Swim too deep and you'll be cursed too
never again to see the beautiful blue"
The song originates from two sources: The legend of the merfolk queen Telirik, and the many stories of Teruna cursing those who seek her lair. Queen Telirik was one of the few merfolk queens to ever be confined to a throne, as nearly all seafolk are nomadic by nature. The story, which has been passed down for generations, goes as follows: Queen Telirik was plagued by visions and wanted to find their source, so she sought out Teruna's lair. No one knows what happened to her, but shortly after she returned, she was stuck ill by a sickness no healer could cure, and never recovered, left paralyzed from the waist down. She died only a few years later, and her throne lies unclaimed. Teruna is the ancient goddess of storms and the sea, and is often personified with a silver hand representing the clouds. Throughout the song, "Devil" refers to them in place of the seafolk word Tukra, meaning Tide Mother.
The song is often sung to young seafolk children, mainly merfolk and siren children who live in the open oceans, as a warning to not stray too far from their parent's side. As cross-cultural contact between landfolk and seafolk becomes more common, this song, with some changes, has become a common song to hear on the coast of Kessix. In Iksand and Civiel, the lyrics often change to refer to the famed pirate Captain Theodosia and her crew.