Carolinus awoke bathed in pain. From the very first second of awareness his mind was filled. Too weak yet to open his eyes, he assessed himself. His arm and chest burnt like the sun, he was covered in sweat. He was alive however and thankful for it. The humans must have driven off the remaining centaurs, that was a mercy.
He tried opening his eyes. For a second he squinted, unsure of what he was seeing. Then it dawned on him, his good arm shot upward, finding only soil above. He screamed. He was wrong, the centaurs had won, they had buried him alive. His worst dread made manifest, to wither away languishing in the dark.
Then, impossibly, a sound came from his left. A woman's voice talking. Suddenly light bathed his features and relieved his racing heart. A sheet drew back to a human woman revealed his true location. He was 'buried' within one of the human's dwellings. Beyond his 'grave' his could make barely make out a tiny hut with blurred eyes. A large fire was banked in the center of the hut. It's luminescent hurt his eyes, he looked away. He struggled to focus on the woman. Apparently one side of the hut was backed into a hillock, and it was in that earth mound he had been buried.
She started talking. Once again he could only half understand. He shook his head. 'No, no, stop.' She stopped at once, an expectant look edged into her every feature 'You don't understand. I don't understand, I only understand some of what you are saying.'
Suddenly that expectant look was gone, replaced entirely by confusion. Carolinus wondered if all humans were so expressive 'See? Go slowly, simple words. We will manage. Repeat if needed. Find new words.'
She nodded, suddenly the very picture of determination. Her variance hurt Carolinus' head. 'Why am I here?'
With some confusion and pantomime she awkwardly made him understand. Sweat lodge, you were ill, fever. We bring you here, you are awake, fever has passed.
'Thank you' That one she understood immediately, her answer was equally swiftly understood
'You saved my Ka Great One, you saved my village. No, you are not thanking me, I am thanking you.'
'You are healer?' She nodded. 'Do not call me great one, I am Carolinus. How long have I been like that?'
Her hands came up, her fingers flashing. 'Twenty one days, great Baz'Auran!'
'What is Baz'Auran?'
From the book of Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran
'Who is Baz'Auran?' The first day they met, the prophet asked Carolinus this question.
In response the god lifted his shield, it's radiance bathed the great hall in light. On it he drew her gaze to the symbol of the sun. Around the sun were images of godlings at play. Carolinus was there, hand in hand with Cireo, both radiant with happiness. Khalen was carved in conversation with Jongo, a look of confusion on his face, Haramhold and Rumel engaged in some project. All the godlings were represented there. The White city was embossed above the image of the sun like a crown 'This is the sun, it brings life and light to the Disk. This is the White City, where I am from. These are my brothers and sisters.'
He pointed next to the image on the other side of the shield. 'This is the moon. Everything beneath the sun and the moon is the great disk. Baz'Auran made all of this. Baz'Auran made you and all those like you and countless things that are not. He made the disk and the sun and the moon.'
Then the god stood and the earth rumbled 'And I am Carolinus. He has made me to protect all of this. Sun and moon, disk and white city. He has sent me forth from the city into the world so I might protect your people.' His radiance blazed and his eyes shone, he spoke in a voice heard throughout the disk 'I am Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran, the warden and the watchman, knight of the white city. I will do my duty by my father. I will protect his creation.'
This is why the symbol of the faithful is the shield of Carolinus. Carolinus is the shield of all those imprinted on our symbol. He is the warden of the world, of the sun and moon, also of the white city and above all his father. For if Carolinus is the shield of creation, his father is both the creator of the world and also of the shield.
******************
Carolinus let the shield clatter to the floor, his fingers too weak to hold it anymore. He had not spoken long, yet his mouth was parched beyond all previous experience 'Water' he begged weakly.
When she went away he took notice of her handywork. He ribs had healed well, the sling his arm was in looked both professionally tied and also clean. The wound on his chest still looked terrible however, he didn't have the heart to raise the bandage and see it fully. He had saved her Ka she had said. He wondered what that meant, it was only days later he finally recognized her as the mother of the first child he saved. He had saved her son. That was why they were calling him Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran, something he resolved to put a stop to at once.
The next few weeks were another form of torment was Carolinus. His long convalescent was still in it's infancy. At first he could barely take ten steps. That titanic effort exhausted him for the day. The next day he was resolved to take eleven, he fall to his knees on the ninth. He hardly felt the jolt in his two wounds, so deep was his despair at such a defeat.
The humans tried to be helpful but there was little they could do and Carolinus was still coming to terms with their language. He couldn't even pronounce the name of the woman who had saved his life. They constantly peppered him with sophisticated questions he lacked the means to answer, either that or he was left alone, too tired to raise from his back, staring up at the ceiling and thinking constantly of what was lost.
He couldn't even raise his arm, not after weeks trying. The healer frequently sat with him during these efforts, just as she was always there when he attempted to walk. She was always encouraging him, making a great fuss of every extra step taken. It worn on him at first, but the first time he raised his arm a inch upward he knew in his heart he could not have done it without her badgering.
They were dark days for Carolinus. But in time dawn came.
Two months later Carolinus could complete several circuits of the entire wicker wall surrounding the village. On some days he could do it twice.
His understanding of the human language was almost perfect now. He knew all the villagers by name and stopped to speak with many of them in his moments of rest. They numbered 41, though Shae's baby was due soon. He was surprised by the intelligence of the adults and charmed by the children.
They had started worshipping him as a god of their own accord, although due to the nature of his arrival he had found it necessary to stress repeated he was not a war god. He started to think of them as his tribe rather than his followers.
Each day he sharpened three great stakes which the villagers brought him. He did it primarily to strengthen his arm, which was still weak but recovering well. When he walked the wall he had noted the places most likely for a centaur to attempt a leap. Locations with large flat areas for them to reach full speed (And well did he remember the exact distance of their acceleration) or where mounds or rocks raised up near the wall. It was a lot of work for a trick that was only likely to work once but he smiled to himself each day he directed the villagers to plant the stakes.
Not that the villagers felt it was needed. They insisted they knew the numbers of the centaur tribe, knew their exact number was accounted for. Carolinus was not convinced. Everything they said rang too true with lessons long drilled into him by the spirit of knowledge. Few in number, nomadic, warlike. They were territorial, other tribes had only stayed away because they feared the one that was now gone. Soon they would learn the truth, then they would come.
The healer was with him almost constantly if her duties were not elsewhere. Her now was Louisa and she hung on his every word. He spoke long to her about the white city and the disk, about his hopes and ideals, about his sworn oath and duty. He believed he had no secrets from her, but in this he was mistaken. Louisa could write. Unknown to him every night she stayed up until the early hours transcribing what she saw as revelations onto clay tablets.
From the book of Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran
After he defeated the great centaur horde of the Calarisien plains Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran became troubled.
The weapon used by Ibcharon, demigod of the centaur people, was treated with a poison most foul. Though he smote the horde and killed Ibcharon he was four times wounded by that fell axe. The godkiller poison sunk into his veins. He almost perished, but such as he are not undone by such low tactics.
During his recovery he often stared off into the distance in expectation, or directed the peoples in their fortifications. Once he spoke to the prophet of his troubles 'Before my father sent me forth he said I was coming to be tested here. Yet I do not believe he meant so small a task for me.' Thus was how he spoke of the great horde 'I fear that my sickness has made me miss some chance, I fear I have failed in my duty.'
But then Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran had a dream. He beheld a great steep mountain pass, on each side rockface loomed up far beyond the height of any man. He saw the mountain ranges that spread out each side for hundreds of miles, he saw that this pass represented the only way through.
He saw that narrow pass spread into a great steep slope. He saw that the slope came to a great plateau that was otherwise unreachable. He saw the fertility of the lands. For the first time Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran saw Markien.
The next day Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran called the prophet and spoke thus 'Gather the peoples, our destiny is now made clear to me.'
*************
The expected attack finally came. In the night centaurs leapt the wall. Three died screaming on Carolinus' stakes. The rest milled around, suddenly confused and afraid.
A long mournful sound issued into the night as the watchman Carolinus had set atop the longhouse sounded the alert. Villagers came streaming out with spears and bows. Carolinus led them, keeping them in good battle order as they charged and engaged the enemy. He had drilled them well, the centaurs did not last long.
The next day the hunters reported that the few remaining centaurs of this new tribe had moved westward. Including the dead they numbered over twenty. This troubled Carolinus, for he was expecting a smaller tribe.
A month later another attack came. Once again it was announced to the villagers by the sudden screams of the staked and the long call of the horn. More had split themselves on the stakes that time, but many more remained. The battle was long and bloody, a dozen villagers were wounded or killed before the centaurs were finished.
The next day the hunters reported that this tribe had also retreated west after approaching from the east. He spoke to no-one, not even Louisa, about his misgivings. But when the third tribe came, attacked and left westward his fears were confirmed. The centaur tribes were fleeing something that was coming from the east.
He explained this to Louisa and asked her to rally the settlement. He asked her to contact all further known villages and beg that they join them in his journey westward. He begged her to find any way to convince the other settlements to join, she thought of the clay tablets in her hut and said nothing but nodded her assent to his command.
From the book of Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran
Thus did the call go out and thus did the people answer.
Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran was inspired by his vision of Markien as the peoples were inspired by his visage. All the tribes assembled under Carolinus'Ka'Baz'Auran and gave him homage. His promised land of Markien awaited, he would protect them from the great onrushing tide. He asked nothing in return save that men made peace with their neighbour.
The great trail of humanity stretched out as far as the horizon in both directions, so great was the multitude that came as his command. Daily they were assailed by the great evils that walk the land, daily did the god protect them. Daily he fulfilled his vow. Daily the love for him among the peoples grew.
**********
Four months into the great exodus Carolinus started to become very apprehensive about his chosen path.
Things had started well. The baggage train was tightly ordered, once his scouts learnt their duty they became adapt at finding water. There was enough food and livestock to last half a year. They made good time.
They the other villages started to arrive. At first Carolinus was overjoyed as his tribe grew to a hundred, then to three hundred. Then the worm of doubt entered his heart. After four months the baggage train had become unmanageable and he had barely enough food when rationed to last two months. Their daily travel distance was cut in half. His tribe now numbered slightly over seven hundred. They had no fixed destination and almost weekly they were molested by various monstrous tribes defending their territory.
Not that the tribesmen posed too much of an obstacle. After Carolinus came to understand how the barbarian mindset commonly worked it became a routine exercise. He would challenge the three most powerful warriors of the tribe to mortal combat. After all three were dead the rest respected the passage of the humans through their territory. This wasn't a matter of cowardliness as Carolinus understood it, or even of enlightened self-interest. The tribes respected strength. Generally they seemed to feel Carolinus had earned the right to cross their lands.
Not all were so accommodating. A race of frog-men claimed many with their poison darts shot from within their dense swamp-forest home. They attacked the tribe daily shooting and running and then returning hours later. A race of small blue people attempted a night raid, though all died for that mistake.
No Carolinus' apprehensions were twofold. Firstly their dwindling supplies loomed large in his mind, fresh converts still occasionally joined in groups between two and ten. All the local villages had either obeyed his call or ignored it, but many travelling people still came seeking the great protector.
That was his second apprehension. He was starting to suspect Louisa had taken certain liberties with his command to do whatever it took to rally the other settlements. Many seemed to think he was leading them to some promised land. As the message become third and four times divorced from any who had witnessed the events the more incredible the stories became. First he had slain a dozen centaur, then two dozen, then a hundred. The last major settlement to join the exodus referred to his defeat of a 'numberless horde.' It was all very vexing but he was forced to remain silent as it became increasingly clear his presence was the only thing stopping these very disparate peoples (Many elements having long unpleasant relations with other elements) from falling on each other. If his stature was diminished in their eyes he risked breaking a very fragile peace and all the while his food ran out.
Salvation came unexpected but no less welcome. A trader and his family joined the group one day. As was Carolinus' custom he met with the new arrivals. As always he instructed them on the nature of the disk and of the father Baz'Auran who made all. He swore to protect them with his life. He instructed them in the rules of his tribe. Then he asked their names and listened to their story.
Then finally, as little more than an afterthought before he left, he inspected the goods the merchant brought to the train. He was gratified to discovery a large store of flour. It would feed the tribe for two days at the most, but he was fed up of traders who brought him nothing but heavy metals that weighed down the train and delayed the tribe even more. Then he glimpsed the into the darkness of the wagons rear. There was something covering the walls, pictures of some kind...
Then came the moment that saved his people. Later he would say to Louisa 'Gather the leaders of the people, our destiny is now made clear to me.'
The pictures were maps and he had found his safe haven, according to the trader it lay only days away. Ironically the god was denied the choice of naming his own promised land. Apparently his believers had even come up with a name for the promised land he didn't promise them. Markien. Many of them had chanted that word the whole four day journey to the narrow mountain pass. According to Louisa it was an old word, it's meaning somewhere between unity and safety. Carolinus decided not to argue.