Parable of Cras

The Parable of Cras
Lesellia spends her time walking the mortal world in search of new people to meet. When she does, she will often test them to ensure they are being true to themselves, and good to each other. This story is thought to originate in Redoga, but it is told to young Ashanzu around the world.

The Story
"Long ago, before the Arcva and the Zarods, there walked a man by the name of Cras. Now Cras thought himself to be a pious man and acted in a way which he believed his beloved Lesellia to love. In every way, he tried to be free from authority and enjoy the natural world as best he could, following every urge he could, celebrating the holy days, and questioning all authority he encountered - so that he may be free. ""The trouble of Cras came as he walked between his town and another, on an errand to trade his corn crops for another's; he came across an old man who lay injured on the side of the road. The man said to Cras that he had been robbed and left maimed, and that he needed to be carried back to his town. Cras, as a man who strove for piety, reflected upon the situation and of the teachings of his beloved Lesellia. 'If I were to help you, I would be obeying you, and in obeying you I would not be free - so I will not help you' and with that, Cras continued his journey to the next village.""Before his departure back to his home town, he encountered a sore-covered The child declared that he was sickly and that he needed an ear of corn to trade for a cure from the village Shaman. Once more, as a man who wished to be pious, he reflected upon the teaching of Lesellia. “If I give you an ear of corn, then I sacrifice my freedom. My urges tell me to leave you be”""''As Cras walked back to his village, he encountered a fair woman struggling to carry a heavy load of straw in the direction he walked, she asked him for help, but once more he refused charity. Upon his refusal, the load the woman carried melted into water and pooled at her feet, and she then looked him in the eye.""“It is I, your beloved Lesellia, the God which you wish to worship. Thrice you have been tested and thrice you have failed. Every stranger you encounter in the world is partially me, when one such as yourself denies alms, you deny me”""And with these words, leaves and branches sprouted from the top of Cras’s head and he grew until he was twenty meters tall. Cras stands as a tree between the two villages to this day, giving shade to all those that stop looking for rest.”"