John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

At the time of Kalvan's arrival, Styphon's House was attempting to increase its sulfur production, which is the most difficult part of the 'Fire-seed Trinity'-as the gunpowder formula is called within the Temple-to obtain in a pre-mechanical society. The sulfur springs which Styphon's House was interested in obtaining were located in the small Princedom of Hostigos. Styphon's House's crude attempts to negotiate a settlement so they could locate a temple farm in Hostigos were rebuffed by Prince Ptosphes, who refused to negotiate with, as he put it, "Your false priests and highwaymen in bed sheets."

Ptosphes' antipathy to Styphon was shared by many of the smaller Northern Princedoms who are often charged inordinate fees for the gunpowder they need to protect their lands and offices. Ptosphes was also a devout follower of Dralm, the Father God of the Zarthani pantheon, who is Styphon's main competitor as the primary god figure in the Five Kingdoms. Styphon's House responded by recruiting Ptosphes' neighbors, primarily Prince Gormoth of Nostor and Prince Sarrask of Sask, to conquer Hostigos and partition it between themselves. Styphon's House provided both Princes with large bribes, ample supplies of gunpowder, and enough gold to hire several thousand mercenaries in order to conquer Hostigos.

Kalvan arrived in the midst of a Nostori-led bandit raid, which with the help of the local peasantry he was able to successfully repulse. During this action he was wounded by Prince Ptosphes' daughter, Rylla, who after arriving late at the scene, mistook this stranger for one of the bandits. His act of heroism gained him the attention of Prince Ptosphes and the heart of Princess Rylla. Lord Kalvan, as he was called by the Hostigi, was careful not to reveal his true origins nor the method by which he reached Hostigos. He has led the local inhabitants to believe that he was sent from the mythical Cold Lands (Dyart) by a wizard who punished him with a spell that sent him far away from his home.

A former soldier, Lord Kalvan used his knowledge of comparatively advanced military tactics and weaponry to help rebuild the Army of Hostigos, and he successfully orchestrated the takeover of a critical border castle on the Nostor border. He also revealed the gunpowder formula and its manufacture to all interested parties, thereby freely disseminating the 'Fire-seed Mystery'. The revelation of the heretofore well-kept Fireseed Mystery has made Lord Kalvan the primary enemy of Styphon's House. The leadership of Styphon's House retaliated by using their influence and gold to provoke a war between Hostigos and the much larger Princedoms of Nostor and Sask. Through a combination of good military tactics and the judicious use of superior military technology (primarily rifled muskets and mobile small cannons), Kalvan was able to defeat the Styphoni-hired army of Nostor at the Battle of Lystra-Mouth and assert Hostigi sovereignty. A succeeding victory at the Battle of Fyk, against the Army of Sask (also financed by Styphon's House), allowed Lord Kalvan to assert Hostigi dominion over the losing Princedoms of Sask and Nostor, and proclaim a new Great Kingdom, with Kalvan as Great King.

At the time it was assumed that Kalvan's arrival was the triggering event that allowed the successful rebellion of the small Princedom of Hostigos in the Great Kingdom of Hos-Harphax, since it was our opinion that the entire Aryan-Transpacific, Styphon's House Subsector was in a state of cultural transition. Styphon's House's growing religious, political and economic hold on the Five Kingdoms was reaching a flashpoint as the religious/political organization sought total dominance of the northern Kingdoms (Hos-Harphax, Hos-Agrys and Hos-Zygros) where the worship of Allfather Dralm is centered.

The war with Kalvan has precipitated a crisis within Styphon's House, a temple ruled by a cynical upper priesthood that has dominated the hierarchy for centuries. The arrival of Kalvan and his revelation of Styphon's House's most highly prized mystery has allowed the true believers, led by Archpriest Roxthar, to gain ascendancy within the Inner Circle. Archpriest Roxthar is a fanatical follower of Styphon's Way3,an obscure text that has been mostly ignored by the ruling hierarchy.

3. Styphon's Way. See Appendix for translation of the text. Styphon, the central figure of Styphon worship, was either one or more principals active in the founding of this faith. There is evidence that 'Styphon' was a healer who experienced a divine revelation, which his followers then documented: in this case, his aphorisms and declarations on life. In summary, this text is a typical revelatory document by someone who has ingested either psychoactive mushrooms or ergot-tainted rye bread. Of interest is Styphon's insistence on a vow of poverty and charity, neither of which have been given any more than lip service by the Styphon's House priesthood in centuries. Blaming the Daemon Kalvan on the Temple's straying from Styphon's Way has so far been successful; whether it will allow Styphon's House to survive the dissemination of the Fireseed Mystery has yet to be determined.

Roxthar has attracted a large following among the lower priests of the outer circle4, the ones who actually do the day-to-day labor and work of running the temples and are the core of true believers in their god, Styphon. Some of these lower priests are unbelievers, but have attached themselves to Roxthar's Investigation in an attempt to raise themselves in the Temple hierarchy.

4. The outer circle refers to those priests who were not allowed access to the Fireseed Mystery before Lord Kalvan's temporal displacement. These priests wear white robes, which Roxthar has adopted as the uniform for his Investigators.

The Holy Investigation was instigated by Archpriest Roxthar to root out heresy among the Temple hierarchy. According to our agent within Styphon's House, Investigator Roxthar was given this unprecedented power to conduct an inquisition because of the fear of Kalvan and his success in demonstrating how corrupt5 Styphon's House has become. The Inner Circle protected themselves by declaring all Archpriests exempt from Investigation.

5. After Kalvan's victory at the Battle of Fyk and the subsequent invasion of Sask he was able to capture two Archpriests, Zothnes and Krastokles, and-upon threat of death-convince them to confess that they were unbelievers as were the majority of the upper priesthood of Styphon's House. These revelations have been a public relations nightmare for the Inner Circle and have provided Archpriest Roxthar the leverage to prompt their capitulation to his demand for the extraordinary powers of Investigator of Styphon's House. Roxthar's Investigation has been well received by the populace, except in those areas of Hos-Ktemnos where the Investigation has been broadened outside the Temple and into the general population.

In the years that have followed the publication of the Second Edition, Kalvan has not only solidified his position within Hostigos, by conquering the neighboring hostile princedoms of Sask, Nostor and Beshta, but has formed the first new Great Kingdom (see Appendix IV for a concise history of the Five Kingdoms) in over 200 years, which includes the aforementioned princedoms along with Kyblos, Beshta, Sashta and Ulthor. While Great King Kalvan's new Kingdom has only been recognized by Great King Nestros6 of Hos-Rathon, he has firmly established his rule over his subject princedoms.

6. King Nestros of the Princedom of Rathon was recognized by Great King Kalvan as Great King of the entire Trygath area, which includes over a dozen small princedoms and dukedoms, in return for his participation in the fight against the nomad invasion. None of the other Great Kingdoms, Great Kings or Middle Kingdom Kings have recognized this new kingdom or Nestros' title at time of publication.