John Carr - Siege of Tarr-Hostigos

Meanwhile, on the Kalvan Control Time-Lines (see Chapter 28), the economic and political stasis has continued without any military or social upheavals, forcing us to revise our hypothesis that Kalvan was a mere catalyst to an already explosive cultural/political/military matrix. In the past two years, Kalvan and his armies have defeated a major Styphon's House invasion force. The Kalvan-led army decimated the Army of Hos-Harphax at the Battle of Chothros Heights and stopped the Holy Army of Styphon, led by their ablest general, Grand Master Soton, inside Hos-Hostigos at the Battle of Phyrax Farm. This past year saw Kalvan stop a major nomad invasion (orchestrated by Styphon's House) of the Trygath and northern Hos-Hostigos, give legitimacy to the new Great Kingdom of Hos-Rathon and successfully invade Hos-Harphax and conquer one of its Princedoms, Phaxos.

It is now clear that Kalvan has become a major Fourth Level historical figure along the lines of Alexander the Great of Macedonia on Fourth Level Europo-American and Sztryx the Terrible, ruler of the Lynapthl Omnitude, on Second Level. Whether or not King Kalvan's reforms and influences will persist as a part of the historical and cultural fabric of Kalvan's Time-Line after his death remains to be seen. Regardless, Kalvan has already had an immense impact on the politics and industrial development of his time.

Archpriest Anaxthenes watched as the gulls, following the galleass' wake, swooped down and dove for fish. This ship was one of the new three-banked galleasses with twelve guns and a beaked prow. The use of a warship to ferry Styphon's House's emissaries was a message to Great King Lysandros about how seriously the Temple took the threat of the Usurper Kalvan. The war with the False Kingdom of Hos-Hostigos was a fight to the death and only one power would emerge victorious from the Fireseed War. As First Speaker of the Inner Circle, he meant to ensure that the victor would be Styphon's House on Earth.

Even though they were sailing on the Eastern Ocean, the overseers were pounding the drums to keep the rowers' oar-rhythm synchronized. Anaxthenes' head throbbed as though the blows were striking his skull. The captain was more worried about the dark clouds on the horizon than he was about his rowers' well being. Anaxthenes' yellow robe was sprayed with water when a big wave hit the galleass' bow and exploded over the gunwale. He felt his stomach lurch.

The galleass had left Balph three days before and was still two good weather days away from Harphax City. The Archpriest would have prayed to Lytris, the Weather Goddess, had he believed in any god. Some of the sailors were fingering the emblems hanging from their necks and muttering prayers under their breath to the Weather Goddess. For one of the few times in his life, Anaxthenes envied their gullibility. While their idols would never answer their prayers, the ivory-carved amulets of the eagle-headed goddess offered her believers comfort against the turbulent majesty and raw power of the Eastern Ocean.

Anaxthenes inwardly recoiled at the unexpected touch of a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Grand Master Soton of the Zarthani Knights in a blue woolen cape, with Styphon's Holy Wheel emblazoned on the front in silver thread. The rhythmic creak of the oars, the slapping sail overhead and the sound of waves battering the bow made conversation difficult. Soton took a stubby pipe out of his mouth and pointed the stem to the decks below. Anaxthenes nodded and followed Soton down the companionway to the lower decks into a small cabin that was as devoid of decoration as Roxthar's cell in Balph. The only furniture were two stools and a small table bolted to the floor. A deerskin map of Hos-Harphax, including within its boundaries the heretic kingdom of Hos-Hostigos outlined in red, covered one cabin wall.

Maybe, at long last, the Grand Master would explain why he had maneuvered Anaxthenes into taking this journey at a time when even seasoned mariners balked at sea travel. The Grand Master pretended to be indifferent about Temple politics, but Anaxthenes had noticed that for most of Soton's reign over the Order of the Zarthani Knights the Grand Master had gotten everything he'd asked for from the Inner Circle. Anaxthenes had many questions to ask, but knew it was most politic to let Soton open the conversation.

"First Speaker, I wanted to talk to you before we reached the docks at Harphax City, away from the ears of your fellow priests." The Grand Master was referring to the half-dozen highpriests who had accompanied Anaxthenes on the Sea King for the upcoming enthronement of the soon-to-be Great King Lysandros of Hos-Harphax. The Argos River and the Eastern Ocean had been unseasonably calm until today and the land lubber highpriests were busy down in the jakes emptying their bellies of this morning's breakfast.

Anaxthenes nodded.

"I have good reason to suspect that at least one of them is in the Investigator's pay."

"These days Investigator Roxthar has so many informers in Balph that we call them Styphon's Own Ears. Sadly, most of them do it out of fear, since they believe that the Investigator will not turn on his own tools. They do not know him at all-up until last winter I considered him part of my faction. I have since learned a bitter lesson. Once Roxthar sniffs out their corruption, he will dog them to their graves."

"I see you know our man," Soton said. "I only hope you know me as well: that I have always been obedient to Styphon's House, that I have always been loyal to the Inner Circle and that I have done Styphon's work, no matter how odious. Also, that I am a believer of Styphon's divinity as well as that of the other True Gods."

Anaxthenes nodded in agreement. Soton was, if anything, a predictable and faithful servant of Styphon's House. He'd always thought Soton's devotion to Styphon was out of character for the Temple's most powerful warlord. Still, the Grand Master was useful and true to his word; he could be depended on. I only wish the rest of my allies shared these qualities.

Soton paused to pull out a stubby corncob pipe and fill it with tobacco. "In the past, while I have not always agreed with the Temple's policies, I have always faithfully carried them out. What I have seen on this past journey from Tarr-Ceros to Balph has convinced me that it is time to change my strategy. The Investigator threatens the welfare of us all with his insane determination to root out the Temple's unbelievers and put Styphon ahead of all other gods!"

"I share your concerns, as well, Grand Master. Since summer, so many of Styphon's underpriests have died or fled from Roxthar's Investigation in Balph that we're running out of priests to hold services in the temples."

"The problems are not only in Balph, Archpriest. Let me share what I have seen with my own eyes on my recent journey from Tarr-Ceros to the Holy City. Roxthar's Investigators have moved the Investigation into the hinterland of Hos-Ktemnos, where there is no one of consequence to observe them and their mischief. On my return from Tarr-Ceros, I passed through villages lying in ruins, with only a few maimed and limping survivors. In some places even the children have died because there are too few adults to care for them!"

Anaxthenes shook his head. More proof that the Inner Circle was too far out of touch with what was happening outside of Balph.

"I learned this from a few survivors who dared talk. When Investigators arrive at a village, usually because of some complaint about the local temple priest, they consider everyone a heretic and subject to Investigation. This is encouraged by the Investigation's confiscation policies. When a man or woman is Investigated, the informer is provided a portion of their earthly holdings-a share of one quarter of the value of the goods and property claimed by the Temple under the Investigator's authority. Another quarter goes to the Investigator questioning the 'supposed' heretic. The remaining half, if there is any by their own accounting, goes to the Temple Treasury. As you can see, this procedure has led to corruption and outright thievery."