The Writings of Mistress Zara

Written by EmperorCharlesII

The smell of mildew paper fills your nose as you push deeper into the library. The books become much more ragged, their covers missing or shredded, their pages barely held together by feeble string and worn leather straps.
After several minutes of walking around you find your way to the centre of library. Here, there are very few books at all; random pages litter the floor and all that remains of some tomes are ripped bindings and a few tied together pages.
You glance over the faded tomes and pages. Your eyes are guided to a bundle of papers tied together with faded string, carefully placed on the shelf between two empty covers. Whoever found them knew their worth and had carefully protected them.
You reach out and the bundle slowly falls into your hand. The first page that greets you says:

Awe is the natural response to something bigger than ourselves. We look up at trees and wonder how old and strong they are; we stand at the feet of mountains and wonder how long it would take to climb them. Nature is our mother, as the Goddesses decreed, and our mothers are always wiser, older and more powerful than we. So approach nature with awe, not with disrespect..

Purpose

Mistress Zara was a great philosopher, and her advice was often sought by the people of the Kingdom of Loria. She was knowledgeable about topics such as the role of religion, nature, the struggle between right and wrong, and most controversially her stance against great wealth. As her legacy, the multiple tomes of her writings carry her wisdom into the future.

Historical Details

Background

The wisdom of Mistress Zara knew no bounds, and hundreds of people came to her for advice. While the Abbess did not mind the visits, her disciples and fellow monks realized that her advice 1) had common threads and responses and 2) would be helpful long after her death. So Fromwë Ziranas, one of Mistress Zara’s most trusted scribes, was tasked with recording her words and wisdom so future generations could enjoy it.

Public Reaction

Many people were very enamoured of her wise words when Fromwë published them a few years after her death. It quickly spread through the Kingdom and into other lands.
A small group of people who were very wealthy were incredibly unhappy with her comments about the rich. This led to many of the earliest copies being bought up by rich collectors only to be burned or otherwise destroyed. One particularly nasty individual attempted to destroy the various notes that Fromwë had based the book on, but was unsuccessful.

Legacy

Mistress Zara’s sayings and musings have had a large effect on the development of Sedestan society. Many of her speeches and discussions are memorized in schools, and a few of her quips and ideas have become proverbs (such as “Never hatch a dragon egg unless you’re prepared to get burned.”)

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The Writings of Mistress Zara

Excerpt from "Wealth"

Money is cold. It clinks and jangles disharmoniously in pockets and pouches. It gathers in hoards and is locked away in safes. It never sees the light of day again.
Its metal can only be warm when it is given away. It only has worth when used to buy and sell. A pile of coins in a vault is worthless if it isn’t used to buy anything.
So why keep your riches when they do you no good? Why hold onto obscene wealth of it does nothing for you or other people?
Why keep your money at all when you can give it away?
~
I once met an old man. His back was crooked, his arms were frail, and his knees were swollen from walking. He was clad in a simple cloth tunic, as a beggar is. He did not walk so much as wobbled into the courtyard.
Despite his physical appearance, he was very joyful. He smiled at every person who met him. He laughed at every joke.
One of my disciples asked him why he was so happy despite his ragged appearance. The old man chuckled and said, and I will never forget it as long as I live, he said, “I used to be rich man but now I have nothing! I was foolish and believed my riches could stave off my death, keep my family safe, allow me to live my life in comfort.
“But instead, I grew older faster from the stress of keeping my hoard safe. I lost my family when they realized that I treasured my money more than them. I lost my comfort when it was all stolen from me by an even richer noble than I.
“Then my worries vanished. Beyond what I need to eat and drink and rest, I do not keep any money I find. I don’t have to worry about guards and numbers and calculations. All I do is walk, and sing, and learn. And never covet anything again.”
The old man died later that night, and I’ve never seen the dead smile so brightly since.

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Type

Text, Philosophical

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

4E 27

Location

Abbey of the Goldless Riches

Authors

• Fromwë Ziranas

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)