The Kofalin Stories

In ancient Hain lived a boy named Kopalin. He was a tragic case, born to warriors parents but with a club foot that kept him from fighting or hunting. While he spent much of his life within the walls of the local hain garden, he yearned for the life of his parents and worked hard to be a shepherd for the local flocks. His sadness kept him isolated, and he drifted away from the community. It seemed certain that he would one day be devoured by an enemy, despite the goodness in his heart. Knowing this, he doted on the animals and strove to be as good he could in the short life he had.
Ustav, spirit of Spring, saw this and felt pity. Kopalin was no saint, and he had hubristically sought a life above his possible station, but he had accepted his life as the cost and was willing to die piously for his sins. It was not Kopalin's ambition that drew Ustav's intervention, but his love for the community and his flock.
Ustav came down as a wandering hermit and spoke to Kopalin- asking what kept him from the garden walls. Kopalin answered that he may be failing his role as a gardener by refusing to enter, but that he had failed his parents and his community by failing to live up to his birthright and could not enter with honor. Ustav persisted, asking if Kopalin felt gardening was dishonorable- Kopalin answered no, gardening is honorable, but his uneven walk had turned his fellow children against him and he could not live gardening in peace. Ustav grew furious at this, and said that such attitudes are unjust and Kopalin must not let them stand unchallenged. Kopalin said it did not matter, for he had made his choice to live in the open hills and die and he felt more loved with his flock than with his garden.
Ustav, ever a trickster, decided he would correct this injustice. He threw off his disguise and promised Kopalin that such injustice would not go unpunished. As a curse and blessing both to Kopalin and his people, Ustav gave Kopalin the beauty and grace that would make everyone love him like his flocks did- but did not take his club-foot. Kopalin was distraught- what point was beauty if it could not protect his people? And Ustav told him to meditate and be pious if he ever felt conflicted or unhappy. Kopalin accepted that he was being prideful and went to go meditate.
News of Kopalin's beauty circled throughout the land. Suitors across the land visited him, begging him to marry them- but he refused, for he wanted honorable and pious love. Three young women, the most skillful in the land, looked upon him and decided he was theirs: Iteska, the greatest smith of the land; Rena, the greatest huntress of the land; and Kokralin, the richest and most powerful princess of the decadent empire to the North. Kokralin offered Kopalin a parade of silk and gems and spiced food and Kopalin felt deeply tempted. Then Rena arrived, bearing the head of a slain monster and offering Kopalin the honor of her kill. Then Iteska arrived, offering Kopalin her finest hammer- but it was tainted and covered in blood. Itseka apologized, saying she had encountered a Kivish in ambush along the road and she set upon them with the hammer and slew them. Kopalin was overwhelmed by these three offers and fled into the woods to meditate. The three, afraid they had offended him, gave chase- and he fled into a holy cave. They had to perform the entryway ritual to enter, and he was given time to think.
As they entered one by one, he called out from the cave- he would marry the one who could prove their honor through great deeds. He gave each a quest, and each went on an adventure to do so. Three times he gave them quests and three times they did them- except for Kokralin. Kokralin was sly and powerful, and simply tricked the hero Alkrim into performing the tasks for her. But as Kopalin meditated, he drew close to nature and met the existing resident of the cave: a powerful druid named Aindon who had turned themselves into a holy tree. Aindon gave counsel and taught Kopalin the arts of druidism- and so Kopalin looked through the eyes of nature, and happened upon the quests he gave. He fell madly in love with the chivalry of Iteska and Rena, but was outraged at Kokralin's trickery.
(the Nine Tasks of Kopalin are in many ways tales in their own right and will not be detailed here)
Iteska and Rena became great heroes through their impossible quests, and were much beloved when they returned. They did not race, but walked side-by-side as sisters in arms. When Kokralin returned, she ran ahead of them hoping to win Kopalin first, but he revealed her deception and told her that he could never love one who falsifies their honor. Kokralin was enraged and weeping, especially when Aindon told her that he misdeeds had cursed her so that none who ever love her as she loved them. But Aindon told her that he could show her a path to redemption: three quests of atonement that would break the curse. And so she ran off as the other two arrived, to use her resources and training to complete these three new impossible quests.
Iteska and Rena arrived and showed their trophies at the same time, and told Kopalin frankly: that no number of quests would ever choose for him, as they were equal in strength. Kopalin agreed but found the choice even harder. He told them would Ustav had said and invited them to meditate with him in the cave. All three were struck by the same realization: that they all shared love equally for one another. Rena offered her love to Iteska as a knight as well as Kopalin, and Iteska revealed that her heart yearned for love both in war (Rena) and peace (Kopalin). But Iteska feared that it was unorthodox and therefore dishonorable. Ustav then pulled the sun from the deepest night to reveal to them the lands below the mountain: strewn with slain monsters and Kivish, and full of reveling gardeners. It was clear to them in that moment that their love was pure, for it was a beautiful weapon against evil. The three kissed and rode down to meet Aindon to marry them at once.
Kopalin, Iteska, and Rena would go on to quest many times and have five children- each a hero whose lineage would bear a great famous clan. While they died tragically in the end, they are remembered as great heroes in their own right and models of Hainish chivalry.
Kokralin would go on to complete her three quests of redemption, and at the end of the last one found the hero Alkrim chained to a stone by Kivish to be turned into a monster and freed him. Kokralin and Alkrim became questing companions and fell in love to found their own heroic dynasty.

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This saga and the surrounding tales are important to Hainish identity and culture and have existed for centuries in many versions and accounts. Names and connections have changed, but many key story beats and morals remain the same.