Atossa the Shepherd¶
Domains: Fate, Protection, Trickery
The great dam built by their ancestors that created Lake Tospah was going to fail, Atossa's doomsight said. The people would not listen, they said she read the signs wrong.
When the rains came and would not stop, and the water in Lake Tospah rose putting more pressure on the dam, Atossa opened the gates to the sheep pen and let the tribe's herd of sheep out.
The people ran after them, effectively evacuating the village. But the rains stopped, and the damn did not burst. The people returned to their homes, put the sheep back in the pen, and blamed the shepherd for worrying too much and leading them on wild goose chases.
The next year, the rains came again. And this time the lake was already near capacity. When the shepherd tried to warn the people, they reminded her that it had rained the year before and there was no danger—and so would not listen.
When the first cracks appeared at the base of the dam, Atossa knew her wyrd was before her. She took a piece of the broken dam back to the village to show the elders. They frowned and wondered what Atossa was up to now, but agreed amongst themselves to go up the valley and inspect the dam in person.
Atossa tried to warn them they were walking to their doom, and became even more agitated when the rest of the village followed. When the elders reached the cracked dam, they sounded no alarm. Instead, they argued and debated, "Chewing their beards"-rish javid-the hakaan say about elders who argue instead of acting.
Desperate, Atossa climbed to the top of the dam, and dove into the water, swimming down to the bottom of the lake where she could see the stone cracking. Her people were on the other side.
When the crack widened and water began to pour through at incredible pressure, the people panicked and ran. But Atossa was not worried. This was her doom. She knew what to do.
She let the flowing water carry her toward the widening crack until her body slammed against the stone, blocking the water. The hakaan are famed for being able to hold their breath, but though her people ran as quickly as they could, there was no way Atossa could block the water long enough.
When the dam eventually burst and washed away the village, the people were not there. Atossa had bought them the time to run to safety. They walked among the ruins and found her crushed body among the rubble. They knew they would see her again.
That night, there was a new constellation in the sky.
Atossa teaches that it is not for the shepherd to judge the flock—only to protect and care for them. Even though they might be foolish, or cowardly. "Let the gods judge," Atossa said. "We have sheep to worry after."