Soldier Of Gods 4.

Tuledare. 

After his morning ablutions, followed by another yawn. Jovan Garney dresses, finishing by putting on his chainmail shirt, followed by the cloak worn by the military arm of his church. 

Jovan who has the ceremonial guard duty this morning, puts his mace in his belt loop. The weapon, which is magical. Was a parting gift from his homeland when he left about a year and a half ago when he turned sixteen. 

He doesn't know who it actually came from. But the rumours he's heard about all of the clerics and magic using priests who leave the Lands Farque, is that the Lord Farque himself sends them a parting gift, usually a weapon that will help them out in the life they will have to endure outside of their homeland. A nation they can never return to. 

The cleric Garney, makes his way from his small room. And heads downstairs, to the refectory to get something to eat. 

After he does, he heads outside to the gates, crossing the courtyard in front of the small cathedral and connecting buildings that make up the church of Kaēvin here in the city of Tuledare. 

"The mornings are definitely getting cooler" Jovan Garney the cleric murmurs to himself as he makes his way to the gates on this cool, autumn morning here in the city of Tuledare. 

At the gatehouse where he takes over from the night guard. The teenage cleric originally from the Lands Farque. Is once again surprised, and frankly dumbfounded to find himself in the situation he's in. 

The cleric Garney who knew at the age of eight that he was going to leave his homeland, the age he discovered his magic. For the simple reason that clerics and magic using priests are forbidden in the Lands Farque. 

And those rare enough to be born there with that natural ability like Jovan. One of only three such individuals in the past decade across the entire nation. As over the centuries such bloodlines have basically been bred out of the populace of the Lands Farque. Only occasionally popping up out of the blue such as in Jovan's case. 

Who must of had an ancestor who was a cleric. As like all magic users, it's hereditary. And runs through families, going down through family lines usually going from generation to generation. 

The young cleric never thought he'd end up here in the central regions of the Southlands, and in particular in the city-state of Tuledare. 

One of the oldest nations in this part of the Southlands. That over the centuries has had it's fair share of turmoil. And right now, in the present, it's such a time. As the city-state is at war with the city-state of Phamal, which lies a little over a hundred miles south of the city-state of Tuledare. 

Jovan who arrived in the city a little less than a month ago, just a couple of weeks before war was declared upon Phamal by the ruling council of Tuledare. 

Finds himself living and working at the cathedral of Kaēvin here in the city of Tuledare itself. Not that he had anywhere else to go as he doesn't have much in the way of funds. 

He was immediately taken in by the church leaders. For the simple reason the church of Kaēvin isn't exactly a large church here in Tuledare. Or for that matter across the entire Southlands. And if truth be told across the entire world of Volunell. 

For though Kaēvin is one of the one hundred and twelve gods of Volunell. It's not one of the popular human worshipped gods. 

As Kaēvin is the human god of scribes and wordsmiths. Not exactly popular when many of the human population of the world are illiterate. 

And though Kaēvin isn't worshipped by many, nor the church in his name that large. Infact it's one of the smallest churches found anywhere. 

There is one quirk of the god Kaēvin. He just happens to be one of the handful of human wargods of the world of Volunell. 

Where even the layman in the church are trained for war. But more importantly, the clerics in the church, not that there's many. Are extremely powerful, in both fighting ability and in magic. 

Young Jovan is no exception to this. Infact at the age of seventeen and a half. He's probably more skilled at combat than the trio of clerics already serving here in the small cathedral in the city of Tuledare. Thanks to his upbringing and training in his homeland of the Lands Farque. 

But more than that, he's definitely more powerful when it comes to magic, than the other three Kaēvin clerics here in the city. 

Also, surprisingly due to his upbringing and training in the nation of his birth. Where he was taught by all different types of spellcasters with the exception of clerics. 

He's had sorcerers, wizards, warlocks, witches and even on occasion non human spellcasters, like Krean navigators, and elven magic users train him from the age of eight to sixteen. And on a few rare occasions even a few mages, who are the rarest and most powerful of human spellcasters, who have taught him. 

As he was growing up, Jovan who like all youngsters in the Lands Farque wanted to serve in the military of his homeland. 

Knew that would be impossible once he figured out what type of spellcaster he was. Wondered why he was taught by so many different practitioners of magic. 

When clerics like himself, and other spellcasting priests. Who occasionally pop up amongst the populace, are made to leave the Lands Farque once they turn sixteen. 

It wasn't until later when he neared the age of sixteen. That Jovan realized why he was trained in magic so thoroughly by so many different types of practitioners of magic. 

It was because his homeland wanted him, and others in his situation. To be best prepared for what they may encounter once they've left the nation of their birth. 

And though he's a cleric, who are banned from the Lands Farque. He's still a Farqian, and has all that's entitled to him in being so, with the exception of never being able to return to his homeland. 

The young cleric is just thinking about this, as he's want to do early in the morning, when two of the church guards make their way across the courtyard to the gates of the church grounds. 

"Morning cleric Garney" says one of the guards, while the other yawns as they take up position at the gates. 

"Morning Sammit" is the reply of Jovan Garney who has learnt the names of all the guards, priests, priestesses, clerics and laymen and women here at the cathedral of Kaēvin. 

Not that there's all that many names to learn, as the amount of people living and working on the church grounds isn't that much. Especially compared to some of the other churches and temples that are nearby in this part of the city. 

The young guard Sammit who is just a little bit older than the powerful spellcaster originally from the Lands Farque. 

Then asks the cleric "Think they'll come around today?" followed by "Word on the streets is that they've asked most of the other churches nearby". 

As the cleric Garney thinks about it, the other guard. Oldham, who is probably twice the age of the two younger men, says "I doubt it". 

The older church guard continues with "We tend to be forgotten here in our little corner of the city" followed by "Even though we're better fighters and battle clerics than just about any other church". 

The young cleric nods in agreement with that. In the near eighteen months since he's left the Lands Farque and traveled north. 

Jovan has seen a number of different church guards and clerics, in the various towns and cities he's stopped at. 

And from what he can tell, those in the church of Kaēvin are definitely more well trained, if not more battle hardened than those of other churches and temples. 

The cleric Garney who also has the benefit of being trained in combat since he was a small child. From the age of four years old, since he began classes at the village learning center close to his family's farm. 

Didn't actually find a church of Kaēvin until he got to the freelands just to the south of the city-state of Phamal. 

There the priest in the small church suggested he go to the city of Phamal where there's a chapterhouse of the church. 

He did, and was only briefly there. As one of the two clerics posted there, thought it best Jovan traveled to the city of Tuledare, where the cathedral of Kaēvin is located. 

The cathedral being the center of worship for their church in the entire central region of the Southlands. 

That cleric thought it best the young cleric come here to Tuledare for the simple reason of how powerful Jovan is in magic. Now he's here on gate duty on what's a cool autumn morning here in the city of Tuledare. 

"Many of other churches and temples join the war effort?" asks the cleric Garney who truth be told hadn't been paying all that much attention to the conflict between the city-states of Tuledare and Phamal, and the recent war that's broken out between the two nations. As he's been busy settling into his life here at the cathedral of Kaēvin. 

"Some have" replies the guard Sammit who starts naming off some of the churches and temples that have joined the ruling council's war against the city-state of Phamal. 

"Of course the church of Galavin joined up" sourly says Oldham when he interrupts Sammit as he names one of the churches who are going to war alongside the ruling council's armies. 

"There's not a war that lot's not involved in" adds the older of the two guards. Who like many in the church of Kaēvin isn't all that impressed with the church of Galavin. One of the more widely worshipped human gods. A church that is well known for it's military arm. 

Sammit the younger of the two church guards on gate duty this morning nods his head in agreement then says "Though a fair few of the churches and temples have joined in the war effort, more haven't". 

The young church guard follows that with "It's the various orders of knights who have joined" he continues with "A lot of the knightly orders based here in the city have joined up". 

The cleric Garney nods at that, while the guard Oldham grunts and says "That was a given" followed by "The orders are always spoiling for a war" he then adds "A lot of them don't care who with, just as long as there's a war they can get involved in". 

"This is true" quietly says the powerful young cleric after the guard Oldham says "The orders are forever after new land and revenue, they're worse than some of the churches and temples hereabouts". 

The three of them fall silent as a figure makes their way along the quiet street, and as that person heads towards the open gates of the grounds that the cathedral of Kaēvin is upon. 

The foreign born cleric says "Good morning Humbert". "Good morning young cleric, and guards" replies one of the local scriveners, who is one of the handful of people who regularly comes into the cathedral, to briefly pray before heading off to his place of work nearby. 

As the scrivener heads across the courtyard to the small cathedral, the trio at the gates resume their conversation. 

"Even if they do show up here" says the guard Sammit referring to representatives of the ruling council of Tuledare. 

"I doubt his holiness will join us up in the war effort" adds the younger of the two church guards, who continues with "Considering we have a chapterhouse down in Phamal". 

"That's not stopping the other churches and temples" says the guard Oldham who follows that with "Considering most if not all of them have corresponding churches and temples down there". 

The older of the two church guards then says "By Kaēvin himself, some of them even have their headquarters down in Phamal" followed by "And don't get me started on the Knightly orders, since they all have order houses and grounds in all the large cities of the Southlands". 

"Wonder if knights from the same orders will be fighting one another?" asks Jovan Garney who follows that with "Also clerics from the same churches who are in both city-states". 

"Maybe" says the guard Oldham, who continues with "I've seen it myself during the war we had with Vexil nearly a decade ago". 

The older of the two church guards pauses for a moment as he recalls that war, a war in which Tuledare lost, then he says "Though for the most part when members from the same church or Knightly order find themselves on opposing sides in a war, they tend to steer clear of each other". 

"Makes sense" says the guard Sammit, the cleric Garney nods in agreement with him. As he can't think of anything worse than facing someone from his own church in deadly combat. 

He pauses for a moment in his thoughts. And thinks of the only thing that could possibly worse than that. 

And that would be facing someone from his homeland, the Lands Farque who was on the opposite side of a battlefield. 

Jovan Garney hopes that never happens. And seems unlikely anytime soon. Especially during this war between the city-states of Tuledare and Phamal. 

As his church has yet to be asked to join the ruling council's war against Phamal, let alone his holiness the church elder agreeing to. 

Not only that, from what little the cleric Garney has actually heard of the war that started so recently. 

There's been no word of any of his Lord's armies being hired out to fight for one side or the other in the conflict between the two warring nations. 

Jovan Garney and everyone else for that matter in Tuledare and Phamal would know about it if an Army of Farque had entered the war. 

He also knows that if that had happened, the side that was against his Lord's army would stand no chance in a war. The young cleric knows that it would be certain defeat for whoever went up against one of the armies of Farque . . . . . .