Solsday, 7th of Aprillia, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

  Partogi couldn’t help but widen his eyes at what he saw sprawled on the table in front of him by his father-in-law. Laid out upon the table was nothing less than a map of the continent of Neacordis. Partogi couldn’t help being surprised as he did not expect for something like this to be in the possession of his father-in-law.

  Truth be told, with the Realm of Goria being as influential as it was - especially with it’s accommodation of many foreign missionaries and the increase in trade especially from it’s coastal villages - Partogi was no stranger to maps, even those maps whose quality could be counted as being worth ten times more than the painted scroll of parchment in front of him, but what mattered wasn’t exactly the quality, rather what mattered more was the fact that despite its lower quality it was filled with all sorts of details. The placement of prominent settlements, the states that were located on the continent, and many of the more prominent natural features of the continent were depicted.

  Shockingly, even the Halaklands that were notorious among the foreigners as being a wild, strange, and untamed land was detailed enough upon the map that it was able to delineate between the various petty kingdoms of the Halak and their respective seats of power. But even that wasn’t the most concerning thing to Partogi. It wasn’t just the fact that the Halaklands were mapped out that concerned him because his own father had commissioned for many maps of the realm to be made by foreign cartographers. What was the most concerning thing to Partogi was the very fact that the map was written in two languages. One of the languages he recognised as being Latin, one of the many foreign tongues the missionaries had taught him, but the other language was foreign to him, but the similarities that it bore to the Latin labels could only lead him to conclude that it was in the language of one of the other foreign kingdoms upon the western continent where the missionaries had come from.

  Partogi finally looked back up towards his father-in-law who was still smiling at him, as if proud to have such a luxurious and important item within his possession. Finally, King Lombutua asked again to Partogi.

  “So what do you think, son?” the King asked Partogi as he tapped his fingers upon the table in excitement.

  “...How were you able to acquire this map, amang?” Partogi asked seriously “This mustn’t have come across easily for you, lord king.”

  “Hah! Isn’t that an understatement…” King Lombutua said heartily as he raised the cup filled with wine that the slave had just brought in. “The ancestors and heavens must have smiled upon me as I had acquired this item as a gift.”

  “A gift?”

  “Indeed. A gift. A few days before you arrived here, we had entertained some guests from afar. Two foreign ‘missionaries’ accompanied by a small company of warriors under orders from King Burju of Tanjung Naria.”

  “I believe he calls himself King ‘Benedictus’ now.” Honahata chimed in with a slight chuckle as he sipped his own wine cup.

  “Ah, yes. Well, whatever foreign bastard name he wants to call himself, I couldn’t care less…” King Lombutua said as a snide remark before he saw Partogi’s difficult expression “...I meant forsaking the name that his good parents had given him. That has nothing to do with what traditions my own children name their offspring… ahem.”

  “It’s not a problem, amang.” Partogi shook his head while smiling, brushing aside his father-in-law’s less than poignant comment about names “What did those missionaries seek to accomplish here in Saorma? I remember when my father tried to send our own religious missions here, you had so politely turned them away and barred them from even entering into your realms.”

  “Yes, but the old bastard of the Sinaria didn’t even bother sending in a notice or a message in advance like your father did before they decided to send these foreigners.”

  “Forgive me for my impudence, but that seemed like a great insult to your authority and sovereignty as Raja of this realm.”

  “And you’d be right for saying that! I was half a mind to drive those bastards out by force of arms if I had to, and maybe even eat those foreign devils like we should have done to the ones currently residing in the Hulubalang’s realm… But I know my stance and I couldn’t risk an all out conflict with the Sinaria.”

  “That and the fact that they brought with them two chests filled to the brim with gold and jewelry didn’t hurt either, hahaha…” Honahata snickered as he shook his head

  “Aye! Bahahahah! The damned fools!” Lombutua smacked the table playfully as he was laughing with such glee “If I knew all it took to gain this much wealth was to placate those foreigners and put in a couple of empty promises and nice words, I would’ve done this sooner!”

  Partogi couldn’t help but smile and shake his head though deep down he didn’t know what to make of that comment. Would the ancestors in the heavens not show their wrath and fury at even the thought of their descendants entertaining the idea of abandoning the traditions? Especially for such vain reasons like the promise of wealth or other earthly, more carnal desires? At the very least when his own father and clan decided to convert it had seemed out of genuine conviction and devotion.

  Putting aside these thoughts that had surfaced within his mind, Partogi shook his head as he realised that parts of his mindset and way of thinking might be more christian than he had thought, but his mind was set. As if noticing his unease, Elder Honahata laughed before putting his arm around Partogi, seemingly in an act to calm the younger man down.

  “Though I believe that our son-in-law here is firm in his hold and respect of our ancestral traditions and way of life, I don’t think it would be wise to aggravate him so much with such comments, anggi (younger brother).” Honahata said

  “Ah, of course, abang. Much apologies for that…” Lombutua said as he clasped his hands together and apologised with a minor somba towards Partogi.

  “Oh there’s no need for that, amang. It is beyond me to accept such an apology from an elder, especially when there was no fault to be had.” Partogi bowed back before quickly returning to the topic “But it still just surprises me to see that King Benedict is also pushing so fervently for his own efforts in spreading his religion. And judging from this map that you’ve shown me, the sponsors for his religion may have grander designs for our continent than what I had previously suspected…”

  “That is part of what I wanted to discuss with you here to begin with, son-in-law. While I can tell that this is clearly a map - and a very well-detailed one at that - besides the general layout of the topography that I am familiar with, I am unable to read these foreign scribbles!”

  “Did the missionaries not at least attempt to teach you all the use of their alphabet?”

  “No such attempt at all! They came to us, talked to us with empty placations and then proceeded to show us these gifts.” Lombutua shook his head while he folded his arms.

  “There might have been some attempt, but after they had shown us their gift of treasures, my beloved younger brother didn’t register anything else they said and shooed them away the next day…” Honahata explained as King Lombutua only looked to the side in slight embarrassment at his elder brother’s comments “But regardless of that, while I consider myself to be learned in the arts of our ancestors as well as the language and mantras of the Banuans, this western tongue remains incomprehensible to me. Are you able to read this, hela?”

  Partogi nodded before he began to explain the map by pointing at the labels. “So the thing is with this particular map, I can see that it was written in not only one but two foreign languages. The one at the top is called ‘Latin’, which is to my understanding the main scholarly and religious language that the Westerners would use.” Partogi then shifted his finger from each of the latin names on the map to their corresponding names in the foreign language beneath them “I myself am not familiar with this second language but judging from how similar the morphology of the words are as they correspond to the Latin, the safest guess would be it is one of the languages that descend from the main Latin one. Since you have told me that you acquired this map from the foreign missionaries under the service of King Benedictus Sinaria, I’d say this is the language of what is called the Kingdom of Povoria. And based on how they marked the kingdoms within our realms, this would be a bad omen…”

  As Partogi’s tone turned grave, King Lombutua and Elder Honahata couldn’t help but furrow their brows as well at what he could mean.

  “If you can explain more, hela, what exactly about this situation would be a bad omen?” Elder Honahata asked.

  “You see, I don’t know what demon had possessed the King of Sinaria to hand us such an item, whether it be an unfathomable act of provocation, or the fact that he did not expect anyone here to be able to read and comprehend this, this map shows us at least a single perspective to how the foreigners of Povoria view Banuatonga.” Partogi then began to read through the labels of the map “Next to each of the names of the states in our lands, the foreigners have added words and symbols in parenthesis. Over here in the east of our continent, the foreigners have delineated the lands controlled by the Old Maharajas of the Aryawira Banuans. Next to this name, they have put the symbol of the Hindan religion and the word ‘paganus’.”

  “Paganus?” Elder Honahata asked, his brow furrowing deeper, adding more to the layers of his already creased forehead “What in the seven heavens does that mean?”

  “It is the word that the christians use to refer to anyone who does not conform to their religion. It means ‘devil worshippers’...”

  “Such arrogance, and ignorance!” King Lombutua banged his hand to the table which surprised his young son who had returned from watering the plants with the watering can. King Lombutua quickly calmed himself back down as he brought his son to his lap before motioning for Partogi to continue his explanation.

  “Arrogant indeed, amang. It is only right that you should be so angered. But coming back to what you wanted to know, the other states have also been labelled accordingly. Next, you have the other Banuan Kingdoms of Wisnajaya and Tirtalangit. The Kingdom of Jayakarya has been labelled as a ‘Saracen’ Kingdom and so to have the realms of Hutabanua and Sombanaria. It is what the christians call the followers of the desert prophet of Islam. Funnily enough this map paints those two realms as being vassals subservient to Hutabanua and Sombanaria.”

  “Hmph! At least the foreigners got something right! Hah!” King Lombutua said bemused.

  “Say now, hela.” Honahata asked Partogi “What does the map say of the Hulubalang’s Kingdom? Your father’s state of Goria?”

  Partogi merely nodded before he looked over the map again at his uncle-in-law’s request. It was then that he slightly frowned as he saw how Goria was presented. “The Kingdom of Goria, labelled ‘Haereticus’ along with the Kingdoms of Rumaparau and Hutangali, and with that, the Foreigners that have made their Realm in the north of our continent have also been labeled as such.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “...Hai-.. Here… tikuss?” Honahata tried to mimic the foreign word he had most probably just heard for the first time.

  “It is a word that the christians use to designate other christians who they consider… na lilu (lit.: Lost in the sense of wayward or astray).”

  “Gods and ancestors in the seven heavens! I have learned of more things this past hour than I feel like I have in months. Hahahah!” Elder Honahata shook his head as he took another sip from his cup “Do you mean to tell me there is not just one type of Christians out there? I always assumed the different foreigner Kingdoms of course have rivalries with one another much like the kingdoms of our realms, but I thought they all worshipped the same single God.”

  “Dear Christ-... I mean, ancestors, no. No.” Partogi shook his head “Even I had a difficult time learning all these things, truly Amangtua. And if I were to regale you all with the details of the various schisms and religious quarrels that these christians have with one another, we would be here for perhaps a year or two.”

  “Humour us, hela.” Honahata egged Partogi on “I am in need of new stories. The same old legends and tales our ancestors have told us have grown tiresome to hear.”

  “Come now, abang. You heard what he said. Let’s not focus on that-...” Lombutua was trying to calm his brother’s curiosity down, but Elder Honahata only gave him a glare back.

  “Now, now, hela. We have plenty of time to kill, and you don’t need to relay to us all the details you know. Just give us the main gist of things.”

  “...Very well, bapatua.” Partogi conceded as he nodded and sat back up from the table “As I understood it, long ago, back when the god that the christians worship still walked the Earth as they claimed and was crucified, he had left behind twelve apostles and they had expanded the church that he built. This single church expanded until it took over what was then known to the Westerners as the ‘Imperium’.”

  “Ah yes, I’m familiar with this. It is what the Muslims called ‘Aghusta’.” Elder Honahata chimed in.

  “Indeed. Long story short, the religion was persecuted for many centuries under the Augustan Caesars until one of those Caesars decided for himself and his household to convert. As time went on, the religion became an Imperial institution and it named itself the Catholic church. ‘Catholic’ meaning universal.”

  “As I said, arrogance beyond all measure.” Lombutua shook his head

  “Yes, but regardless, this institution became so powerful that it far eclipsed and outlived the Empire it was instated by. Well, I say that it was one church, but technically within the land of the westerners, there are two churches who claim Hegemony over all christians, the Catholics being one half and the orthodox the other, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.”

  “What stream of these so-called ‘churches’ does your father’s realm follow?” Elder Honahata asked in curiosity.

  “We’re getting to that. And so it was that for centuries the institute of the Catholic church had reigned supreme as the sole highest religious authority over a vast area and population of christians that even warlords and Kings would be bound to his authority. All owing submission to a High Priest the christians - at least the Catholics - know as the ‘Pope’.”

  “Is it like how our people treat the Raja Malim?”

  “It is somewhat similar, yes, but in other aspects it goes beyond that. For one thing, while our peoples owe the Raja Malim at least some outward respect, we need not his express permission to crown our leaders or elders, let alone our Kings.”

  “Are you saying it is different for these ‘Catholics’?”

  “Indeed. From what the foreign missionaries have told me of this office, even the Highest Hulubalang of their Empires have to swear fealty - at least in name - to the Pope and that all authority of the monarchs come from God through the Pope. This Catholic church in submission to the Pope in Sanctum is the Church that has taken hold over the Kingdoms of Tanjung Naria and Hutapadan.”

  “You mean ‘Inamaria’? I believe that’s what King Poltak - Excuse me - King Petrus has gone on to call it. What does that even mean? ‘Happy mother’? (In the Halak language, Ina means ‘mother’ while Maria means ‘joyful’)”

  “Close enough, bapatua. It refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The one christians believe to be the Earthly Mother of their God.”

  “Oh, like Siboru Deakparujar?” the little child Bonar chimed in excitedly as he was closely listening to Partogi’s storytelling which caused Partogi and Honahata to laugh while King Lombutua lightly scolded the young prince.

  “Hush now, my son. Your Lae was in the middle of telling his story.” King Lombutua said, which caused his son to sulk a little.

  “Oh it’s fine, amang. And the young master was correct. It is a little similar but not so much. Anyways, the point is that the Southern kings are subject towards this Catholic church and by an extension of that, vassals to the foreign Catholic Kingdoms that sponsor them. Regardless of whether they realise it or not.”

  “But that still doesn’t answer my earlier question on the matter of the Hulubalang’s religious allegiance.” Elder Honahata scratched his grey beard as he was still trying to piece together the information he was receiving.

  “Right. So coming back to the earlier part of my story about this uncontested power that the Catholic church held, many people had started to claim the church was becoming corrupted and drunk on its own corruption and authority and the discontent grew and grew until about half a century ago when a discontented young priest of the church nailed his protests of the church upon the doors of a church and thus gave birth to what they called the ‘Protestant Reformation’.”

  “Ah, now I’m starting to understand it. So are you saying the version of christianity that your father’s realm follow is this rebellious faction you call protestant?”

  “Exactly, Bapatua. You see the protestants started questioning everything the Catholic church did. What started out merely as a protest of what some would say to be moral excesses within the church and perhaps some minor doctrinal disagreements quickly became a movement that questioned the very foundation and tenets of the Christian faith. Many of the peasants and free peoples took to this new rebellious movement, and more importantly, many of the westerner Kings and warlords also took with it. You see with the rise of a movement of churches protesting the authority of the Pope, the Kings and Princes of the west could very well wrestle back authority and sovereignty that the people of the time perceived to have come from the church.”

  Elder Honahata finally nodded as if he had begun to grasp the gist of it when it came to the situation with these foreigner’s religion. “From the way I see it, and from the way you describe it, Hela, it would sound more like what started as a dispute between shamans and priests became co-opted by warlords into something far larger.”

  “It would indeed be like that.” Partogi agreed with Elder Honahata before continuing “Such a concept would be foreign to us I know, as for most of our peoples, besides the shamans and Datu, the High-Priest and King would be one and the same person. As I understand it, the Malim King merely holds a position of honour among our people as mouth pieces of the Debata Natolu (Three Deities).”

  “It is indeed so. I’m glad to see that despite your christian upbringing, you still know at least that much about your people’s own stories.” Honahata smiled.

  “That is something that differentiates the Protestants and Catholics, I feel. At the very least the Protestant church that now bases itself within my father’s realm. Our Bishop… Well he’s not my bishop anymore, but still… That man - Ludwig - is a cunning fox. Unlike many of the foreign missionaries that came before him and many of the ones that operate in other parts of the Halakland, he does not shun all of our practices. He has found ways in which he would harmonise the teachings of Christianity with some of our ancestral practices and beliefs. He even used our concept of the ‘Three Gods’ to describe the Triune Christian God of the Trinity. Unlike the Catholics in Inamaria and Tanjung Naria, he did not force our people to start worshipping and praying in a foreign tongue, no. He painstakingly translated the entirety of the Christian scriptures into the Halak tongue, incorporated our rituals into those of his liturgy, composed hymns of worship and praise in our own language. It is no wonder that my fathers efforts to expand his church into the Kingdoms of Rumaparau and Hutangali have proven so fruitful. It is no wonder that the foreigners consider those two Kingdoms as little more than direct vassals to my father. In some aspects it doesn’t cease to amaze me…”

  As Partogi was beginning to recount his stories, especially when it came to retelling of how his realm became christian, feelings that ached him started swirling within him once more as his mind became jumbled. Scenes of his baptism, confirmation, and various conversations with Bishop Ludwig began replaying before his mind was reminded of how he was effectively exiled and abandoned by his father. The bitterness was still fresh within him. Elder Honahata seemed to have noticed this turmoil once more.

  “By your stories and recounting, it seems like you still hold somewhat of a high regard for this High-Priest of your fathers. If he is the man that I think he is, I believe most of the current Priest-Kings of our people would remember him.” Elder Honahata said “I still remember that day after that Hombang attack where your older brother was nearly killed. That foreigner did indeed throw himself into peril to save him… But despite all this lingering respect that you appear to still have for the man and his religion, I must ask, hela, why have you abandoned all that? I have never specifically asked you that before.”

  And so came that question. The very question that Partogi had been wrestling with for the past few years. A question that had no clear nor easy answer. If it was that clear, he wouldn’t have to deal with all the turmoil and hurt that he was experiencing. Was it because of the perceived failures of his church in healing his son? Was it because of the apparent lack of respect for the old traditions? A mixture of multiple different reasons? Partogi couldn’t figure out an answer to that question and all he could do was merely bow his head.

  “...That… is not an easy question, Bapatua.” Partogi could only muster up a half-hearted laugh as he grew sunken. As if noticing this change in mood, the little boy Bonar got up from his fathers lap before taking what appeared to be candy from a small jar and handing it to Partogi.

  “Abang, don’t be sad. Here have some sweets! It will give you energy to beat all the bad people that made you feel sad!” The little boy said excitedly.

  When Partogi saw that, he couldn’t help but smile at the innocence the Little Bonar was exhibiting. Honahata and Lombutua merely gave small endearing chuckles at the child’s antics but regardless, the Elder didn’t seem to want to press on with his line of questioning.

  “Thank you very much, little Bonar. I’ll be sure to eat them!” Partogi said as he calmed down somewhat before facing back to Elder Honahata “Forgive me, Bapatua, but it doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to give a good answer to that anytime soon.”

  “It doesn’t matter, hela. Forgive me for prying.” Honahata gave Partogi a reassuring pat on the back before King Lombutua finally clasped his hands together.

  “Well, regardless of your motives, son, that’s neither here nor there. Above all, I would like to thank you for the information you’ve provided. The silver lining that I acquired from all of this is thus. Our land is greatly divided along all sorts of lines, but at the very least I now know that our rivals don’t pose as huge of a threat as I have previously thought. So long as the Hulubalang can’t unite the disparate christian realms within the Halaklands, then he can not easily override the concerns of the majority of the Priest-Kings of the realm. As far as this map shows, there are still more than a dozen kings who owe respect to the ancestors and traditions of our peoples as well as to the Malim Council. This is good news as we are not at a disadvantage. Which leads me to my next request, hela.”

  “And that would be?”

  “I need you to start ramping up for the training of our young warriors. Though me and my abang here are confident in our methods for increasing their strength for the upcoming tournament, a solid base of training is still needed for them to overcome the young warriors of Goria. And who here would be better suited for the task than a warrior of Goria himself, eh? So what about it? Are you up for the task?”

  “...As you have decreed it, so shall it be done…” Partogi answered resolutely after but a moment of thought.

  And with that, King Lombutua raised a toast. “For the Glory of the Halaklands!”