St. Alan

St. Alan was a traveling monk who came upon the shores of the lake during a pilgrimage. He was struck by the beauty of the area and felt called to establish a place of worship there.

One day, as St. Alan was walking along the shores of the lake that now bears his name, he came upon a group of fishermen who were struggling to catch any fish. They had been out on the lake for hours, but the fish were not biting.

St. Alan saw their disappointment and knew that he must help them. He said to the fishermen, "My friends, the fish in this lake are a gift from the divine. They are not here for us to exploit, but for us to appreciate and care for."

With these words, St. Alan stepped into the lake and began to pray. He sang a hymn of thanks for the fish and for the abundance of nature, and he asked for their forgiveness for any harm that had been done to them.

As he prayed, the water around him began to glow with a soft light, and the fish swam towards him. They circled around him, as if in a dance, and the fishermen watched in amazement as they began to catch fish after fish.

When St. Alan had finished his prayer, he turned to the fishermen and said, "Remember, my friends, that the gifts of nature are to be cherished and protected, not exploited. If we treat them with respect and love, they will provide for us in abundance."

The fishermen thanked St. Alan for his wisdom and went on their way, with full nets and hearts full of gratitude. From that day on, they saw the lake and its inhabitants in a new light, as gifts to be appreciated and cherished, rather than mere resources to be exploited.

Just as St. Alan taught the fishermen to treat the gifts of nature with respect and care, the lesson of the parable can be applied to the goblin shaman and the lumberjacks in the forest. Snarltooth's desire to call forth Erlking and use him to kill his enemies shows a disregard for the natural order of things. In attempting to control and exploit the magic of the forest for his own purposes, he has upset the balance of nature and brought destruction upon himself and those around him. The awakening of the trees, and the subsequent deaths of Snarltooth and the lumberjacks, can be seen as a natural consequence of their actions.

The parable of St. Alan reminds us that we are not separate from nature, but are a part of it, and that we have a responsibility to care for and protect it. When we try to exploit it for our own gain, we upset the balance and bring about destruction. Only by treating the gifts of nature with respect and care can we hope to live in harmony with the world around us.