A Religious Conversation

The horses tied to the carriage weren't like I expected. They looked like a taller buffer breed of gipsy vanners. Their long mains stretched halfway down their body and fluttered in the chilly wind. They stood around 21 hands high or just under 7 feet. Despite their great height they were stocky and brutish. Years of pulling carriages had made them strong. Long tufts of fur covered their hooves.

A light hand gripped my elbow. I turned to see Lewis. "Don't you just love the way they smell. Oats and shit, it reminds me of home." I rolled my eyes at the inquisitor.

I reached out and patted one's neck. My hands sunk into their winter coats. "They must take a lot to feed how have they survived so long?" I asked.

"Better than we have. While we huddled in our cities waiting for the storm to pass, they evolved for this environment. Or their ancestors did." Lewis said.

Janice rushed up with a couple of feed bags. "Alright, Trixie, Kate no funny business." Janice said. I could have sworn I saw a look of mischief appear in Trixie's eyes.

Before Janice could attach the bag to Trixie, she licked Janice's face from chin to forehead. Both horses chortled while Janice spat and grumbled. Kate nipped at the boy's ear playfully while Lewis and I watched the show. Finally, the boy managed to attach the bags to both horses and the two mares ate their breakfast.

I pulled my hand away and took a step back. "They seem more intelligent than mere animals. How could surviving out here do that?"

"The dumb ones died, and the intelligent ones survived. Those horses reproduced and more died from vampires, werewolves, ice bears, elementals, and oni. Then those survivors evolved further over the last 10,000 years. You mage types need to read more scripture. The evolution of the world is well documented in the travels of the twelve shards of Sol. The weak died out and the strong survived, the gentle light of Sol could not give them succor." That was something about this world I was unaware of. What was the Solare religion?

"What about Janice, he is weak. Should he die out?" I asked.

Lewis's hands left me, and he approached one of the horses. "None should die but that isn't something I control." A grin stretched his face and he brushed the steed's soft white fur. He continued speaking with a gruff voice. "Winter is a cold harlot who bashes the brains Sol Invictus's children. To seek out the embers of Sol Invictus even while she tries to extinguish them is a virtue. Janice might be weak, but he is virtuous in his weakness." Lewis said.

Janice turned to us. "Winter isn't a harlot without her Sol Invictus would burn us to ash." Lewis reached down and scooped up and smashed Janice in the face with a snowball. The boy fell back a step only for Trixie to nudge him steady with her head.

Lewis sucked in a breath and controlled himself. "I won't hear of that new age shit. We have one god, and his name is Sol Invictus. Winter is an arch demon and her children have destroyed the world." Lewis said.

The Inquisitor took a pipe out of his coat and sprinkled in some white powder. A small flame appeared over Lewis's finger heating up the pipe. I stared at the man. I could hear a distinct crackling sound. Was this man smoking crack?

"Damn, that's better." He took the pipe out of his mouth and pointed it at Janice. "Winter is at best apathetic to humanity while Sol is beneficial. That is why Winter is often depicted as an arch demon. This ice age is her fault, but it is believed that she isn't intentionally evil. Does that make sense?" Lewis said.

Janice slowly returned to his feet and patted Trixie's neck. "I read a record of Sol's age of fire." Lewis sucked in a breath.

"It must have been a hypothesis from some bumbling scholar. I assure you few records stretch back even 11,000 years ago." Lewis said. Well, why did he say that. Were records destroyed 11,000 years ago, did humanity not keep records at that time?

"Are you blathering about the age of Sundering? If I had a copper for inquisitor who blamed our sorry state on the prior age." This man was in Lewis's retinue.

He wore heavy robes, had a mask over his face, and wore a large circular symbol on a necklace with an orange stone in the middle. The man clapped me mid back. "We haven't bee introduced, I'm priest Sid Margo but most call me Sid or Father Margo. Don't worry, I have no relation to the insidious creatures called the Mago. Try to get that image out of your head." Sid said.

What is a Mago? "I've never seen one in person, so the image is thankfully absent. Though, I'm beginning to wonder if we aren't walking into a slaughter. Sid froze and Lewis dumped another lump of crack in his pipe.

"Come again, who would threaten an inquisitor's retinue in human territory?" Sid asked. Lewis sucked on his pipe letting crackling sounds fill the air.

"None of you are powerful. If you think we're marching into a demon infested town it might be better to turn around." I said.

Lewis shook his head. "Go easy on him, he's just a bumbling wet behind the ears mage."

Sid let out a sigh. "What are they teaching you at the academies? An inquisition is an investigatory force. We aren't meant to slay the monsters and save the princesses as it were. The stories of retired inquisitors are often embellished." Sid said.

"We visit a town, discern its levels of corruption and report back. Unless its very minor we don't act. Once the threat level is ascertained the local knightly orders are called. Depending on the threat mages and battle priests will join them to cleanse whatever evil has corrupted the town." Lewis said.

"That is so slow, what if there isn't any time." I said.

Janice piped in. "We were called because there is time. Lord Inquisitor are we going to inform Jacob of our mission."

Lewis sighed. "It was never a secret. A priest of Sol has died, and his body went missing. Reports suggest he was turned illegally by a resident living in Gendry town. We were asked to investigate by the local lord Gendry Buick IV." The Inquisitory sighed and dumped the contents of his pipe on the ground. "An illegal turning of a citizen is one thing but the illegal turning of a priest of Sol, that is a scandal. Bishops and priests are gossiping, and we have been sent to find out the truth." That wasn't quite the situation I expected.

"Why would a town harbor vampires?" I asked.

"They run a hospital in the town. Blood is sometimes easier to come by than coin. Vampires make great doctors or vets depending on your point of view. They never retire, can transfer their knowledge to their fledglings through blood, and have steadier hands than humans. Border towns are a little laxer on the anti-monster laws." Lewis said.

I shook my head. We could be running into the beginning of a territory war for all I knew. Should I just abandon these people and simply fly there. Traveling with them might be fun and they were giving me a better view of the surface.

Doppel and Gwen appeared out of the woods wearing simple robes. "Ah, your bound monsters I presume. They can ride the wagon with the luggage." Sid said. The priest scrunched his nose at them.

"Are you going to negotiate with the vampire's priest Sid? With that face, they'll be eating out of the palm of your hand." I said.

"I'm not foolish enough to offer them any part of myself. Just keep your beasts under control and we won't have any problems." Sid said.