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Hello again everybody, Dusty here! Only this time instead of bringing you allegedly all inclusive information guides that I can't even finish because of certain computer issues I think it's time for some stories. I'm looking to compile fairy tales, folktales, myths, and legends from cultures to flesh out the world right here in this thread and I need your help!

The rules are few and simple:

-If you'd like to write a story for a culture that isn't your own run it by the person in charge first. Stories like this often teach some sort of lesson and can have a cultural impact and since these stories will canonically exist in the Outerverse probably best to talk to the person that created those people. You know, be polite. (Ex. Shooting Sion a PM or skype message about a melorian story.)

-Don't be afraid to do doubles. Many stories from around the world have archetypes, tropes, and themes that have been repeated time and time again all over the place.

-Entirely original works and works derived from preexisting tales are both very much welcome.

That's pretty much it. If I think of anything later I'll add it here.

The Snow White Princess and the Seven Jade Dwarves
Place of Origin: Northern Eastern Empire, southern Torkan
Type of Story: Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in the days before the east was united, the wife of a feudal lord was sitting in her garden, admiring the plum blossoms in the snow when a crow landed in the tree and a single feather fell to the ground. Taking it as an omen the lady approached the jet black feather, but when she did pricked her finger on it's unnaturally sharp tip. In pain she dropped the feather and looked to the ground and saw that this was a divination indeed. She would soon be with child, a girl who possessed hair as black as a crow's feathers, skin as pale as the snow, and lips as red as her own blood.

The Lady was overjoyed for she had never given her Lord a child and ran to tell him the omens the ancestors had sent them. Sometime later the Lady gave birth to a beautiful daughter with hair as black as crow's feathers, skin as pale as snow, and lips as red as blood, but the birth was hard and the Lady a delicate woman, She lived long enough to name her daughter Yukiko.

Years later the Lord to a new wife. She was beautiful, but also a proud and arrogant sorceress who could not stand the thought of anyone surpassing her beauty. She had a magic mirror in which she had trapped the spirit of a divining oni and each day she would ask it:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

And each day the demon begrudgingly responded:

You my mistress are fairest of all.

And the witch was satisfied with this response. But Yukiko grew older and more beautiful with each passing season and at the age of 13 she was as beautiful as the night sky. It was then that the Lady's daily ritual changed:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

The oni in the mirror bellowed out laughter and responded:

You my mistress are fair, this is true,
But Yukiko-hime is a thousand times fairer than you.

The Lady was furious and full of hate. Each time she looked upon Yukiko she could feel nothing but jealousy and thought of a thousand curses and hexes she could put on the child, but she had given her Lord no heir and he loved Yukiko more than he loved her. If she was hurt while he was around the Lord would grow suspicious.

So the Lady waited until he went to see a neighboring lord to make her moves. It was at this time a ronin was passing through, a dishonored young man by the name of Daichi. The Lady saw a perfect opportunity to get rid of Yukiko, In the dark of the night she summoned Daichi to her and said, "Tomorrow don the armor of my husband's guard and watch over Yukiko in the woods. When you are far from the castle strike her down and bring me her heart as proof and I will reward you handsomely."

Daichi gladly obeyed the queen and disguised as an honorable samurai he walked with the girl in the woods. When they had walked far from the castle he drew his tanto and prepared to cut out the young girl's heart when much to his surprise Yukiko drew her own blade from her furisode sleeve. The two battled for some time and though Yukiko was swift, she was younger and less trained than a former samurai like Daichi and eventually she collapsed, exhausted.

But the girl had earned Daichi's respect and so he said to her, "Your home is no longer safe. Run in to the woods, Yukiko-hime and find a place to hide until your father returns. I will keep the witch off your trail for now." It was then a young deer came by and the ronin slew it and cut out its heart, presenting it to the Lady as Yukiko's. Delighted, the Lady paid him and feasted on the heart she thought belonged to her stepdaughter.

The young Yukiko was now exhausted and alone in the woods, but knowing she was too tired to fight she resolved to keep going lest some wild beast devour her. She walked for hours through the forest eventually finding herself heading uphill in to Nocturne's Claw. It was there she found a tiny house.

"Ancestor's be praised," she thought and entered the little home in hopes of resting. Inside the house everything was small, but neat and clean. There was a little table with seven little bowls, and each plate had a set of chopsticks, and there were seven little teacups as well. Against the wall there were seven little futons, all laying in a row. Because she was so hungry and thirsty Yukiko ate a few vegetables and noodles from each little bowl, and from each cup she drank a drop of tea. Afterward she was so tired, she lay down on a futon and, asking the ancestors to watch over her, she fell asleep.

After dark the true residents of the house returned home. Seven jade dwarves who spent their days toiling in the Claw for ores and gems. After lighting their lanterns they noticed someone must have been in the house for not everything was as they had left it.

The first one, D'oc asked, "Who has been sitting on my mat?"

The second, Bashllin said, "And some of my vegetables been eaten."

The third, Hap'paur spoke up, "Someone has used my chopsitcks."

"Mine as well," said Do'pabur the fourth.

"And my tea has been sipped!" tiredly spoke Slepvrack, the fifth.

"In fact I too am missing some tea," said Sn'orzad, the sixth.

But the seventh one, Grumkon, a temperamental fellow was focused on the futons instead. "Someone has been sleeping, is sleeping, in our beds."

And all the dwarves ran over to see their intruder, the beautiful young Yukiko. And so mesmerized were they by her beauty that they did not wake her. In the morning young Yukiko did wake up and was frightened by the presence of the dwarves. But D'oc their friendly leader approached the young woman and bowed.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"I am Yukiko," she responed.

"And how did you find your way in to our home?" he questioned.

Yukiko told her captivated audience of her troubles, how her stepmother hired a man to kill her and how he helped her and she escaped in to the Claw to find their home.

The dwarves spoke among themselves for some time before D'oc again approached her. "If you would keep this house tidy and help us cook and clean then you will have a place here as long as you need one Yukiko-chan."

"Oh yes of course!" the girl answered happily.

And so Yukiko took up residence with the dwarves and kept their home for them. Each morning they went off to mine and each evening they returned home to eat the meal she had prepared. And whenever they would leave the dwarves would always remind her never to let anyone inside the home for her stepmother would eventually see through the ronin's ruse.

Back in the palace the Lady, who believed she had feasted on the heart of the young girl, stood before her mirror once more and said:

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who in this land is fairest of all?

The oni answered:

You my mistress are fair, it is true,
But Yukiko-hime in the Claw
Remains a thousand times fairer than you.

The witch was taken aback for she knew the demon could not lie. She had ensured that when she bound the oni to the mirror. She realized that the dishonorable ronin had deceived her. Furious she sent her Lord's men to look for Daichi as she plotted how to destroy Yukiko once and for all before her father returned home.