Star shrines

In the city of the bear Häppchen, the trickster goddess was walking through the streets though she was very troubled at every turn she would run into both shrines and temples to various gods. From the rich streets and their temple to Intia, the god of guiding lights, to the docks on the grand river where many ships docked all with small shrines to Ambelle the goddess known for her beauty and ability charm the grand river itself, turning it from a bear that would smash ships on it shores into a calm mule for the men to travel with. Even the lover gods of Resta and Hydar, these two were best known for being the two stars that would rise in the morning, dance through out the day, and set together at night had managed a small shrine in the centre of town, even if it was mostly farmers who mostly gave them sacrifice.

Once the forgotten goddess was done with her business in town, she set out north along one of the minor roads, which seemed fitting to her in her sardonic way. These people treated her like a minor god, so she belonged on their minor roads. As the city shrank behind her she came to a fork in the road where some farmer had left field stones to bake in the suns. As she stood there deciding what road her future should be on, a thought occurred to her. If the men and women of this land would not erect a shrine to her she would do the work for them.

Whispering to the spirits that lived inside of these field stones. She told them how sad it was that their homes had been taken from where they had lived so long and forced them to bake under the hot suns. Maybe though, just maybe there was a shape they could change their home into that would keep these little spirits cool in the hot summer and dry in the wet winters.

Over joyed at this the spirits wanted to know what shape Häppchen thought they should change their stones into. So she told the spirits and as she did the stones moved and changed becoming for an instant like water before hardening again in a new shape. She watched with glee as the spirits changed their field stone homes into a shrine for her.

Once they were done she clasped her hands together with joy. While it wasn’t the covered in the delicate paints or fine woven gold and silver of other shrines, this was for her a grand monument to her and her being.

Delighted with how this shrine had turned out she placed a small morsel she had picked up in the town’s market down in the little shrine to herself. Without so much as an explanation to the confused stone spirits as to why she was leaving an offering in their home she was off, headed down the road to where her feet would take her next.

A week later Häppchen found herself once again wondering down that path while Resta and Hydar played in the sky above her, showing off the new beads Resta had been given by Hydar.

When finally she came to the crossroad she had a grand gift for these little spirits, a mirror of pure gallium. Perfect for the cool hands of any spirit, though in the warmth of a human or god’s hand it would surely melt to nothing. She found there not the little shrine the stone spirits had shifted their home into, but rather rubble laying by the road as that place had a new shrine placed where her sole shrine had been, destroyed by some farmer who erected yet another set of twined shrines to Resta and Hydar.

Looking up at the sky Häppchen glared at the two even as she already knew what the other gods and goddesses would say, with all their shrines, that shrines come and go, and it doesn’t matter if you loose a single one. It was something those with shrines to spare would never understand.

That night once the sky only contained the Milky Way, Häppchen made her way to the Mindont spring, where knowledge first flowed out from the underworld into the living world. Once there Häppchen spoke with many of the minor gods all of whom she was certain couldn’t count the number of shrines they had dedicated to them on one hand, though for some of them she doubted that it was for lack of fingers.

As the night went on and on Häppchen busied herself going from each of those who had decided to come that night and drink of the mystic waters at this spring. It wasn’t until the sky became a light grey that the two she had come seeking deigned to show their faces to those still gathered.

As Resta spoke with the goddess of numbers Edend, Häppchen spotted Hydar who while enjoying the atmosphere of those gathered at Mondont, she would catch the sad glint of loneliness in his eyes, and watch as a quick glance over to Resta would wipe it away, at least for a time.

“Ah she really is a treasure.” Häppchen said to Hydar just as he was starting to get that sad look in his eyes. For this comment all that Hydar gave back to Häppchen was an unamused scoff. “I suppose that could be said of her.” He eventually agreed as she continued to sit there, her eyes bearing down into his being. “But if only you could show her, oh but that wouldn’t be fair to all the other goddesses who wish for your smile.” She says more musing to herself than talking to Hydar.

This comment got Hydar’s attention to fix on Häppchen. “Show her what?” Hydar asked with a tone and force to his voice that made it clear to all, that were unfortunate enough to be listening in on what the two were speaking about, that this was in no way a question. “Oh, well you see I came across some mermaids who were in trouble.” Häppchen started to say. “I have no time for the ramblings of a fool.” Hydar cut her off just as her story was starting.

“Oh well yes.” Häppchen said, before continuing a truncated version of her story. “Well in short these mermaids gave me one of their excellent mirrors, but to those like you or myself, with fiery hearts the mirror would simply melt away and not be able to show us anything.”

As Häppchen spoke it was clear that Hydar wanted to interrupt her, but what she was saying had captured him enough to hold his tongue so far. “Now you see, one with a calm heart, and cool temperament.” She explained. “You mean like Resta?” Hydar chose to interject at that moment. “Yes, exactly like Resta.” Häppchen confirmed before continuing. “She could take this mirror and finally see just how lovely she is to you.”

With her story told Häppchen took out a small birch wood box and opened up the lid to show Hydar. The god out of a lifetime of habit reached out a hand to take the mirror but Häppchen snapped the box closed. “No!” She scolded him, doing her best to keep her voice low enough to not alarm any of the others here. “You, like I, are simply too hot headed to be blessed with this mirror.” She reminded Hydar. “You must take this box in it’s whole state to Resta. Then before she takes up the mirror you must tell her the story of this mirror as I have told you, only then can she be allowed to pick up the mirror. Do you understand?” She asked him.

With out so much as a nod, much less any word, Hydar snatched the box from Häppchen’s hand and walked over to his loved Resta. For Häppchen she was barely able to make it to the edge of the clearing where the spring lay that she heard a scream from Resta. On the ground where she had been standing was a birch box and a half melted gallium mirror.

Hydar didn’t know if he wanted to follow Resta and assure her that there must have been something wrong about the story, or if he wanted to find the trickster Häppchen and break her neck. He became hot with rage and would when his anger got to high burn the skin of all those he saw working upon the land, in particular he wished to burn the skin of Häppchen should she ever be found under his sight during the day.

While Resta became pale and dull in complexion compared to how she had been before she’d tried to view herself in that mirror. She ran as fast as she could, and was often out of reach for Hydar to catch up with, her beads becoming hard to see, except for the rare times she would meet and dance with Hydar in the sky. Her beads once again shining as they had when she was first given them.

Though even as they danced it would only last for a short time before she found herself running away from Hydar once again.

And so the twinned star gods of Hydar and Resta became the estranged gods, Hydar the Sun god, and Resta the Moon goddess.