When we first meet Calvin Morrison he is in a world all readers should be familiar with, our own. In fact, Piper was meticoulous enough in his detailing of Calvin Morrison's real world location, and later its Otherwhen counterparts, that it is possible to visit some of these places. This collection includes a Kalvan Tour detailing some of the locations in the novel. However, Calvin Morrison quickly becomes Lord Kalvan after he is accidentally taken to another timeline, one more in line with 16th century Europe than 1960s America. The result of a timeline in which the Aryan migration went across the Pacific instead of heading west, North America became a vast continent of squabbling kingdoms and princedoms with the East Coast, where Kalvan finds himself, being under the thumb of a brutal theocracy which controls the secret to making and the supply of gunpowder. Of course Kalvan's arrival will drastically change the landscape, however, as per the disclaimer on the Writing in Paratime page this page will avoid discussing too many of Kalvan's changes.
While the world Kalvan finds himself in may physically and technologically appear somewhat familiar to both him and the reader, the culture of Otherwhen is relatively different. Granted, Otherwhen has many attitudes that are reminiscent of the 16th century Europe it mirrors, such as its views on women and its tenedency towards superstition, but it also has many important differences that are important to note.
Language and Naming Conventions
The first thing Kalvan and the reader notice as plainly different from our timeline is the language. Both the Zarthani language and the naming conventions are noted as having vague Greek overtones and being relatively Aryan in nature though it is never fully explained or explored. The Zarthani language appears to have dominated the entirety of the continent and is certainly the primary language of Hostigos and the East Coast in general. Examples of the naming conventions are, of course, quite plentiful in the novels but a few examples of typical Zarthani names are Cartiphon, Phiedestros, Xentos, Anaxes, and Rylla. In addition, in the east, the great kingdom's names all begin with the prefix hos and a dash for example Hos-Harphax.
Of course no language would be complete without its own collection of colorful language and the Zarthani are no different. For the most part they closely resemble typical curses in English but with the names of the Zarthani gods, typically Dralm or Styphon,in place of God. In addition the demon Hadron is occasionaly referenced and the Caverns of Regwarn, where the souls of cowards and nonbelievers reside, is a stand in for hell.
Religion
The people of Otherwhen also have a vast tapestry of gods and goddesses that they believe in. While there are about a dozen gods and four demons that the people of Hostigos believe in and reference five of them are the most important. The Hostigi people tend to venerate three of the gods particularly strongly: Dralm the chief god of the pantheon and the god of piece, Galzar Wolfhead, the war god and the preffered god of the vast swaths of mercenaries, and Yirtta Allmother, the fertility goddess and the source of life. In addition Styphon is an ever present force given the power his followers weild in the world. Considered the most important god by Styphon's House and a demon by the followers of Dralm, Styphon's place amongst the gods is secured by his followers control of the secret of creating gunpowder, at least until Kalvan arrives. Finally, the demon Hadron is not often mentioned but is worth mentioning for his role in causing the people of Otherwhen to migrate from Asia, the land of the gods in the minds of the Zarthani, to the Americas in the first place.
A few other noteworthy things regarding the religions of Otherwhen.
- Oaths to the gods and being placed under their bans carry great weight. An Oath to Galzar made by a mercenary is not to be broken and to be placed under his ban or the ban of Styphon could ruin a princedom.
- In addition most message carrying duties between princedoms is handled by preists of Galzar, all of whom are reffered to as Uncle Wolf.
- Both the Sastagathi of the great plains and the Urgothi of the Middle Kingdoms have different gods though the Urgothi are very similiar to the Zarthani.
- Some Strastagathi gods: Arum One Eye, Thanor, Fryga, Myrr, The Raven Hag of War
- There is little mention of people being openl atheist or agnostic, Kalvan even pretends to believe in the gods in order to make himself appear more likeable, however the lack of belief exhibited by Styphon's priests is an open secret at best.
Power Structures
Otherwhen most closely parallels 16th Europe in the way power is distributed. Most of the continent is broken up into large kingdoms, with the areas around Kalvan reffering to themselves as great-kingdoms, most of which are then broken up into smaller princedoms, which are then further made up of their own groups of nobles or barons. While in theory this gives the great-kings ultimate power they are hampered by several factors. The first is that war and political intrigue are common in Otherwhen princedoms are often warring with each other for land and power and fickle nobles will abandon princes or plat agianst them if rulers do not act intheir preffered interest. Of course this is not enough to make a king or prince powerless and they do have some ability to control their underlings if they are an adept enough ruler. The second limitation on their power is perhaps the true killer before Kalvan shows up. Styphon's House rules the East Coast with an iron fist due to their stranglehold on the production of gunpowder. Great kings and princes are forced to bend their ear to the priests of Styphon and follow thier commands lest their supply of gunpowder be diminished or cut off entirely, a death sentence for any ruler in Otherwhen.
Styphon's House has become the dominating force in Kalvan's new world. With control of not only the secret of gunpowder but also the various banks and much of the trade on the East Coast it is almost impossible to survive without their permission. Led by a council of Arch-Priests with the 'Voice of Styphon' at its head the group has underpriests in every princedom on the East Coast that advise almost every ruler from the lowliest princes to great kings. Incredibly and often openly corrupt the priests of Styphon have grown rich off of their gunpowder and are quick to destroy any threats to their rule.
Military
The military of Otherwhen also closely resemble the Europe it was based on. While gunpowder has been invented and all kingdoms have muskets and cannons due to Styphon's House's complete control of its distribution most princedoms are careful about how much of it they use. Thus many kingdoms still rely heavily on crossbows,pikes,billhooks, and lances. The stereotypical knight in shining armor is still popular amongst the armies of Otherwhen as are similiar notions of obtaining glory in battle. However, Kalvan's arrival and dissemination of the formula for gunpowder quickly leads to more and more guns and cannons in armies.
Merecenaries are a vital part of any Otherwhen army. Princedom's wishing to wage war will often hire as many mercenaries as they can afford rather than risk upsetting their nobles and depleting their lands by conscripting to many peasents, though there are still many peasent levies in thier armies.
Unsurpsringly the juggernaut that is Styphon's House has some additional tricks up their sleaves in order to wage war. In addition to gunpowder they also have their own fanatical fighting force, Styphon's Red Hand, the sacred squares of Hos-Ktemnos, and the Zarthani Knights all of whom they can call upon in a pinch, though the Zarthani Kinghts are often partially busy fighting nomads on the borders of the great-kingdoms.
APA Kalvans [miscellaneous]
Approx. 100 leaves
Carr-11-01
Physical Description:
The contents of a folder marked “APA Kalvans.” Its contents include correspondence from the members of the APA, an Amateur Press Association dedicated to H. Beam Piper. This informal fan group, whose members included Lee Brainard, Roland Green, Jim Landau, and John Carr, traded research and original science fiction stories with eachother by mail during the 1980s and 1990s. The contents of this folder include items sent to Carr by the other members of the group, including brochures, original typed stories, and news clippings of interest. The dates on these mailed materials range from 1985 to 1987. The papers bear some smoke damage from John Carr’s office fire. The contents of this folder have been broken into two separate folders labeled Carr-11-01-A and Carr-11-01-B, respectively.
APA papers [miscellaneous]
Approx. 75 leaves
Carr-11-02
Physical Description:
The contents of a folder marked “APA papers.” Its contents include further correspondence between the members of the Amateur Piper Association. The correspondences relate mainly to the Lord Kalvan storyline, and include greeting cards, articles, newsletters programs, newspaper clippings, maps, and photographs in addition to many letters. The materials are dated between 1987 and 1989. The materials bear smake and water damage from Carr’s office fire. The contents of this file have been separated into two separate files, labeled Carr-11-02-A and Carr-11-02-B, respectively.
APA Kalvan [miscellaneous]
Approx. 75 leaves
Carr-11-03
Physical Description:
The contents of a file labeled “APA Kalvan.” These materials were presumably given to Carr by fellow APA member Jim Landau, as can be seen in the various cover letters dividing the material. Included in the material are letter from Carr and the other members of the Amateur Piper Association, dated between 1986 and 1988. The letters pertain mainly to the works of H. Beam Piper as well as the Lord Kalvan storyline. Also included amongst the letters are copies of excerpts of books and maps. The contents of this file bear smoke damage from Carr’s office fire.
Letters from Jim Landau [miscellaneous]
Approx. 75 leaves
Carr-11-12
Physical Description:
A collection of letters written by Jim Landau to John Carr. The letters range in date from 1991 to 1998. The letters discuss the world of Lord Kalvan, send useful excerpts of books, and contain original short material by Landau for Carr’s appraisal. Some of these materials include hand-drawn illustrations and maps.
Hos-Hostigos Background [Typescript]
Carr-14-04
Physical Description:
This document is the Kalvan time-line with an annotation signed by Carr, “Kalvan time Line, Background Notes, from 1994-1997. 10/27/09” This document bears some fire damage.
Jim Landau, Maps and Comments [Typescript]
Carr-14-07
Physical Description:
These documents are composed of letters written by Jim Landau for Carr. The letters contain Landau’s comments on Carr’s writing, as well as sketches of maps of Hos-Hostigos and Hos-Harphax.
Gunpowder God, Continuity Notes [typescript]
Carr-14-08
Physical Description:
This document includes continuity notes of the typescript Gunpowder God.
Otherwhen Background [Typescript]
Carr-14-13
Physical Description:
A typed document bearing the title “Characters on Kalvan’s Timeline.” The document contains descriptions of the characters and locations in Kalvan’s world, as well as a guide to common names in that world.
Jim Landau, APA: Kalvan 34 [Typescript]
Carr-14-18
Physical Description:
An APA newsletter written by Jim Landau, dated 10/20/1987. The newsletter contains general news information as well as Landau’s comments and Kalvan-related discussion.
Kalvan/Paratime Notes [typescript]
Carr-18-09
Physical Description:
A large typed document containing notes pertaining to Lord Kalvan and the Paratime Universe. The document includes notes about characters as well as technology used in the universe.
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