Tale of the Greedy Swain

Long ago, in the early days of Refuge, there lived a young cobswain called Gallius. He and his wife Trinia worked hard in their Greendome powering the growing of food that the other Thulayans needed to survive.
They would take their turn in the pew within the dome, plugged into the machines that would draw their strength into the sprouts. For eight bells, Gallius would sit next to Trinia as she powered the growth. He would tend to the plants as they quickly grew from sapling to vine and finally to fruit. In the last bell of Trinia's shift, he would harvest what was grown and place the fruit in boxes for the Larders.
Then the next eight-bell would be his turn to take the pew, and Trinia's to harvest. Finally they would rest, and take replenishment from the meals delivered from the Larders to their cramped living quarters. Their rations were meagre, processed and dry, but they were enough to recover their energies as they slept.
Bell after bell it went: One plugged into the machine, while the other tended to the harvest.
As Gallius would sit next Trinia, she seemed asleep in the pew. But it was far from restful, he knew from his own time there. The greendome was demanding, and there was no growth without decay. He would watch her sleeping face as it grew tired and drawn. She would wake like he did, tired to the bone.
it was in these moments that a voice would whisper in his ear. it would remind him of the time before Refuge, when they had been free. He would remember the vineyards of his homeland before the fires of Destruction. The wide open sky and the wafting of sweet flowers beneath the warm sun. The voice would whisper like the buzzing of the bees that turned the vines to fruit.
It had been a good life.
At the end of his own shift, as he forced down the dried rations, these memories would torment him. The sweet juices of ripe berries. The soothing warmth of young wine.
Bell after bell, his hunger and resentment of his lot in life in Refuge grew. As he packed the fruit his wife had grown into the boxes, the whispers became angry. Why were they not allowed to eat what they themselves had grown? Why send the fresh fruit away if only a portion would return, shrivelled and dry? Thulaya would say it was his duty. But surely the contributions of the Cobswain should be rewarded? Without them, the others would die.
One day Gallius could no longer contain himself.

While Trinia lay unknowing in the pew, Gallius reached out to a plump ripe berry that he had just placed in its box, and with trembling fingers he put it in his mouth. It popped as he bit down, and the sweet juice exploded upon his tongue. The whispers within him exulted and with eyes closed, he could almost believe he was back home.
He ate another, and another.
He would have continued if Trinia had not stirred. Her shift was over.
She saw the juice upon his lips at once and was dismayed.

The Greedy Swain as depicted in popular children's books by Midjourney

"What have you done?" she admonished him, and reminded him of their duty.
Gallius should have felt shame, but the whispers within grew sullen.
"More will grow," he protested, "we deserve it for the sacrifices we make!"
He then offered Trinia a berry, to share, but she would not have it. They argued for nearly a full bell, and she made him promise to keep to their duty, to serve those in Refuge, and to never do it again.
He did promise, and he tried.
But bell after bell the whispers never stopped. The hunger grew within him, worse and worse every time he packed yet another box of berries.
It became unbearable to him, and so Gallius began to eat in secret, hiding it even from Trinia.

It was just a little at first as he was afraid to be discovered, just one or two. Or a few. Perhaps just a few more. As Trinia lay unknowing beneath the dome, he would eat, and the whispers marvelled at his fortune.
Many bells passed, and Gallius grew stronger and larger. He had so much energy within, and each time he plugged in for his shift in the pew, the food he produced was more and more bountiful. Box after box of berries he produced, that Trinia would pack, and those at the Larders commented upon the flavour and juice that would come from them.

The Greedy Swain and his wife by Midjourney

But as the bells wore on, Trinia began to get more and more tired after each shift, becoming sickly and thin. She was not producing enough, and in his guilt Gallius could never admit where it was all going. Questions from those in the Larder began to be raised about her abilities as a cobswain and she became sullen and depressed.
Gallius was worried. He could not understand why his wife had become so sick. She was still eating the same rations she always had. Nothing had changed for her. He wanted her to be strong like him, and so he whispered to himself an idea.
It was a good idea, to produce the perfect fruit. Just the like those he remembered from the vineyards of his childhood. He decided that during Trinia's next shift, Gallius would also plug himself in to help her as she lay there, to add his strenght to hers. With both of them powering the growth, the perfect berry would be possible. He would share it with her, to bring back her vitality. To make her smile once more.
So, he waited until she was connected and her energy was passing to the sprouts, and then he plugged himself in beside her. He could envision it. A berry so full of juice and flavour, even those he remembered would not compare. He lay there focussed on this as he drew all the strength he could to grow it.
An eight-bell later he awoke, and looked up at the plants above them in the Greendome. It was such a wondrous sight. The vines were strong and their leaves wide and the deepest of greens. And upon the vines grew the most plump and vivid berries he had ever seen.
Gallius laughed with joy and turned to Trinia to show her what they had made together.

And what he saw horrified him.
He had seen a Sallowing before, but this was so much more. Trinia lay there, unmoving, not breathing, and her body a mere whisper of what it had been. She was a soul husk. Gone.
Greif overcame him, and as he wailed he cradled Trinia in his arms. He cried and he cried, until his tears overflowed the pew in which he and Trinia lay, and soaked into the soil that vines grew from. And still he cried pouring out his grief and his very life, sallowing himself to a husk like his wife.

by Midjourney

And as he drained the last of himself into the plants around them, they twisted and grew until the very dome about them cracked open.
When the people of the Larder finally arrived to collect the produce, they were shocked. They found the broken dome over-run with the lushest tangle of vines ever seen in Refuge, heavy with berries, and hidden within the two shrivelled bodies of the Greedy Cobswain and his wife.

Historical Basis

The story of the Greedy Swain was created during Refuge, and scholars believe it was probably created during the Rivalry of Masks as propoganda against the Order of Salvitas by the The Church of the Faceless.

Variations & Mutation

Some versions of the tale feature a trickster figure that sparks Gallius’ greed and spurs him on. This figure is usually represented as a cockroach that whispers in his ear.
Earlier versions are also far more gruesome, where Gallius' greed transforms him into a monstrous figure that literally devours not just his wife, but many other unfortunates within Refuge. These older versions of the tale have much closer associations with the Scourge or the riots that ended the Rivalry of Masks and are not commonly known in the modern day Protectorates beyond some literary scholars within The Academy.

by Mid

Cultural Reception

The tale has served as a popular cautionary fable from the time of Refuge. Children of the Protectorates are reminded of the fate of the Greedy Swain whenever they complain about their meals, or eat to much, or do something selfish, or avoid their chores or their duty to Church and Choosing. Children's books have been written, some less gruesome than others, and the story is known far and wide across the Protectorates.

Gallberries

The berries said to have been grown by the Greedy Swain upon his death are still a popular fruit grown within Greendomes across the Protectorates. They are known as 'Gallberries' and they are prized for their complex flavours. Eating a fresh gallberry starts with a sharp and salty sourness on first bite through the skin, that is quickly tempered by a deep sweetness from the flesh and juices within. It is a prized berry in the production of wines, and they are often featured on the grazing tables of the Lord Protectors to the lowliest of Cobswains alike.
A common toast when drinking Gallberry Wine is "To the Greedy Swain", or more simply just "Swain".

The Greedy Swain Parade

In modern Protectorate communities, the Greedy Swain has become a regular feature during the celebrations of the twin moon rise.
A suitable volunteer of the Order of Salvitus will don the costume, wrapping themselves in green vines and carry a basket of gallberries. This Greedy Swain will be paraded through town to the merry jeers of the populous as he flaunts the berries at them. The villagers will then chase the Greedy Swain through town attempting to steal back the berries before he can eat them all.

Greedy Swain Festival by Midjourney

The event culminates in the villagers ripping the vines from the Swain until he has been stripped bare and chased out of the village – often whipped by the vines that have been taken from him and even pelted with the berries.
Much gallberry wine is drunk in the process, and it is meant in good fun, but it is not uncommon for minor injuries to be inflicted during the mayhem.

Date of Setting

During Refuge

Related Ethnicities

• The Returned

Related Organizations

• Protectorates