Anima et Forma

Episode 15: Death Toll

There is only one Temple, but there are many monasteries throughout the Northern Continent. Alexander used his religion to maintain a presence in distant lands. Holy Priests were the eyes, ears, and mouths of the Emperor. Not only did these sects spread the good faith of their Supreme Emporer, but they were also excellent at rooting out old religious ideologies. Humility before a higher authority is a major tenet of Alexander's religion. As a military genius, he understood the importance of leadership. Each monastery was placed under the guidance of an Abbot.

The High Exemplar became the highest position in the Holy Order. From Alexandria's capital, the High Exemplar could wield immense political power. The empire itself was divided into denominations: East, West, North, and South. These denominations, and the monasteries therein, were placed under the guidance of Six Imperial Exemplars, stationed throughout the empire. In the far west, in the ancient city of Chios, and Ottoburg, closer to home. Fergonia received an Imperial appointment, as well. Naturally, an extravagant monastery was built in the Fergonian capital of Arillion, where the Emporer was born. In the south, the city of Istannople, and its parent-state, the Pearl of the Southern Continent. Finally, upon the Island of Bihar, within the city of Mandaro.

Alexander's conquest was a brilliant flood, washing everything before him away, and his influence would not recede for centuries to come. However, after throwing off the Alexandrian yolk, many Westerners would fall back into the ancient paganism of our northern ancestors, and many others formed new religions. Meanwhile, the fanatical faithful of Ahnu eradicated the Holy Order from the fledgling Oscani League.

—Imperial Exemplar Louis III, of the Imperial Holy Order, "On Alexander and his Legacy." 1657 A.D.

Ardwin trudged an uphill road. Rocky and slanted as it was, rainwater slid across its surface, rolling downhill, up and over his boots, sloshing over the edge. The sea assaulted the base of the cliff with battering waves. Ardwin feared the cliffside would crumble away beneath his feet.

Gregory led them, turning a bend, disappearing from view behind a towering cliff wall. Ardwin adjusted the straps of his backpack and turned to check on Murph. The scrawny boy pushed himself to catch up. They turned the bend together. Gregory marched up the narrow path ahead, between cliff and chasm. Swift streams washed debris from the road, but fresh rock replaced it, loosened by the storm.

They struggled onward.

At the top of the cliff, the ground leveled out into a grassy rise overlooking the sea. Ardwin looked out over the dark, churning waters. Blue and purple clouds roiled overhead, stretching across the sky. "No time for a break!" Gregory called. "Father Cyrus will want to hear what we learned."

Murph clapped Ardwin's back. "Come on!" He dashed ahead, catching up with Gregory. Ardwin followed them down the muddy path, worn flat by the feet of many monks.

The monastery used to be a seaside fort, built by Alexander the Great during his conquest of the westernmost regions. Towers once soared high above its thick walls, but the towers had tumbled, and the walls crumbled away. Now, only the innermost keep remained, and it was a shell of its former self. Four centuries earlier, the ruins were gifted to a band of six missionaries seeking to spread the good faith of their God and king. Those six monks recruited disciples from the local populace and restored the ruins. A small convent collected there and remained ever after.

The boys sat on a long bench, in a lamp-lit chamber beneath the monastery. "What do you have to report?" Father Cyrus asked. He leaned back in his cushioned chair, looking down a long, slanted nose. He spoke to them from across a cherry red desk. His western tongue slurred and blended the words.