Interlude 1

The Tale of Egor the Envious

From “Hart’s Collected Folktales”

By Hart Ex Meton

This story happened a long, long time ago, back when the faithful of Ellora were seeking their promised land. Their search took them to a vast desert that no one had ever crossed before.

“Trust in the vision, brothers and sisters,” said Kasandra the Wise. “Put your faith in Ellora, and I am sure that beyond the desert lies the verdant land we have been promised.”

“Crossing the desert will be tough, for sure! But if you’re going, then I’ll follow!” Said Leandro the Brash. Then he let out one of his hearty laughs while making fire dance in his hands.

“My faith in Ellora is unshaken,” said Keiyon the Pious. “She will lead us to the promised land, of that I have no doubt.”

But there were those in the group that did have doubts, and chief of them was Egor the Envious. He did not have any of Ellora’s Gifts like the other leaders, and that made him jealous of them and cynical of their intentions. Whenever a leader proposed something, he would always disagree, as sure as the sunset that follows the sunrise.

“But no one has crossed the desert!” He said. “It is too large, and too dangerous for our large group! If we go there, people will die! Can’t we go somewhere else?”

“Ellora’s visions were clear,” replied Kasandra. “To reach the promised land, we must cross the desert.”

The others agreed, and Egor was forced to follow them into the desert.

On the first day, enormous sandstorms blew at them, clouding their sight and burning any exposed skin as if it was fire. When it was too dangerous to continue, they huddled in their tents and prayed for Ellora to stop the sandstorm for their sake.

“See? I told you it was too dangerous!” Said Egor the Envious, joyful at being proven right. “There is still time! We must turn back now and never set foot in this cursed desert again!”

“If we pray to Ellora, she will deliver us,” replied Keiyon the Pious. “Have faith, brother Egon.”

So they prayed, and the next morning there was no storm in sight. All rejoiced, except Egor and his followers, who were sore at this turn of events and had nothing to offer but complaints.

On the second day, their water supplies started to run low. They trudged through endless sands and there was no water in sight, so all they had left was their rapidly vanishing supplies. Kasandra the Wise carefully divided their supplies and gave each according to their needs. But that was not enough for some.

“You take more water for the Gifted, and leave the rest of us with little, to thirst and suffer under the scorching sun!” Accused Egor the Envious. “That is not right! Give the same amount of water to everyone right now! These are our rights!”

“I’m afraid I can do that,” answered Kasandra patiently. “If I give everyone their water, they will drink it all today and have no water tomorrow. And the Gifted of Ellora are fewer in number, and need to be at their full strength to protect the others when there’s danger. That is the wisest course of action.”

But what they didn’t know was that Egor and his followers had stolen from the water supply, and were the reason it was so low. And so they complained and accused Kasandra and the other Gifted of hoarding the water as they privately feasted on their stolen supplies.

Tired and thirsty, the pilgrims rested in their tents on the second night and more were tricked by Egor’s lies and became his followers.

On the third day some of the weakest and oldest of the pilgrims collapsed or slowed down. They were hungry, thirsty and tired. Egor saw this as his chance.

“See where this vision has brought us?” he preached to the other pilgrims. “In the middle of the desert, with no water and no hope! We will not stand the madness of our leaders any longer! I will lead us instead to the promised land!”

“You forget your place, brother!” Shouted Leandro the Brash. “You were not Gifted by Ellora, nor did you receive her visions! What makes you fit to lead the people in our stead?”

“I may not have your Gift of fire!” Said Egor. “Or Kasandra’s Gift of the voice. Or the Gift of reflexes such as Keiyon! But I am a follower of Ellora as much as any man or woman here. And if they choose my leadership, then that makes me fit to lead!”

“And what makes you a better leader than us?” Replied Kasandra. “The vision told us to cross the desert! It is Ellora that led us here. You know nothing we don’t know, have nothing to offer and have no Gifts to protect us! So what makes you think you can lead us to the promised land?”

At first Egor the Envious was silenced by her wise argument, but his base cunning allowed him to spin the truth to his advantage.

“You have been led astray by your pride, Kasandra!” Said Egor. “You think that, because of your Gift, you have the right to lead us? If you take us down the wrong path, are we not entitled to choose another, better leader? Maybe when Ellora asked us to cross the desert, she meant East and not North!”

And the disagreement worsened between the two factions, Kasandra and the Gifted, as well as those loyal to Ellora, on one side. On the other hand, Egor and a handful of malcontents, along with those foolish and gullible enough to be taken by Egor’s words. At last they could walk together no further, and so the group split.

Egor, happy to finally take something from Kasandra and thinking himself superior, set East with his followers, while the rest of the faithful continued North.

And on the fourth day Kassandra and her followers reached the end of the Desert. They saw massive trees, spreading as far as the eye could see. Grass and shrubs coated the ground, and on the rivers and ponds the water was fresh and clear. The pilgrims drank and ate their fill, and Kassandra thanked those who were loyal to her.

“Today we have reached our land promised to us by Ellora,” she told them. “So I dub this land, so full of life and greenery, Viridia! Our new kingdom, free from persecution and privation! Here we shall be happy and free!”

The group that followed Egor, however, were met only with endless desert and thirst. Following his guidance, they followed mirages, wandered without aim and frequently fought with each other. The group splintered and reformed multiple times, and even his followers cursed at Egor and hated him, they still followed in his footsteps like sheep to the slaughterhouse.

Some say they died, somewhere in that desert. From thirst, from infighting, or from the unmerciful sun. And that was the end of them.

But others say even in death they still wander the desert as unquiet spirits. Not realizing they are dead, the spirits still suffer under the scorching sun. They still thirst and fight for the last drops of water they always have. The sandstorms still flay their skin. And they still wander in search of the promised land they can never reach. Some say you can hear their whispers in the wind, if you go into the southern desert. And if you follow these whispers, you too will be led astray as they were.

So the moral, dear reader, is to beware of those envious of Ellora’s Gifts, who think themselves better or wiser than the rest and resent not being chosen by the Goddess. Be careful of those raising themselves above others out of greed and ambition, rather than by virtue of their blood. Because the path of Egor the Envious always leads only to suffering, empty lies and a hopeless desert. A desert without end.