Avarice

Uthar Pendackel was a learned man who prized knowledge above worldly goods. He spent hours each day reading and searching through ancient tomes for a fabled relic known as the face of wisdom.

He learned of this artifact as an apprentice at the Academy in Lasha. One day after the lecture, he stayed behind to clean the room, and that’s when he found a page from an ancient Greek text.

Inscribed on the page was a description of a stone mask with which Archimedes had embued his wisdom. Its location was unknown; however, it was last reported to be in the hands of Albertus Magnus, a German friar.

Uthar became obsessed with finding the mask and traveled worldwide over the next 40 years to find clues about its location.

As he was about to give up, he came across a hand-scrolled map showing an ancient temple in the jungles of Java, where the mask was supposed to reside.

The scholar’s excitement could not be contained as he packed his trunk and booked passage on the next sailing ship to Java. Uthar memorized the map to cross-reference it with current geographic studies of the island.

He spent little time preparing for his jungle quest on arrival in Java. Against the advice of local guides, the scholar headed directly to the location of the mask without any supplies other than a rope and machete.

Uthar knew that once he placed the mask on, all the knowledge and wisdom of the ancients would be his, and any hardship could be easily overcome.

After walking for two days in the dense vegetation, Uthar found the temple ruins. Rechecking his calculations, the scholar removed the keystone and opened the hidden passage.

Feeling his way through the corridor, he entered a dim room with the stone mask at its center. After ensuring no traps existed, Uthar crossed the room, secured the relic, and made his way to the surface.

Rising the mask skyward, Uthar said, “Show me everything I desire. Show me it all now,” then lowered the mask to his face.

“It’s beautiful,” was Uthar’s last words. Then he fell face down on the stonework, causing the mask to shatter into hundreds of pieces.

Uthar Pendackel’s mind was overwhelmed by the vastness of everything everywhere, all at once, and so it caved, taking his body with it. As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for. You might get it.