Chapter 41: The Knights Penitent
A gilded, resplendent hall formed the seat of the Lyon Empire's Ecclesiastical Tribunal. James Watson, editor-in-chief of Legendary Spellcraft, sat poring over a stack of reports taller than he was.
His role as editor-in-chief was merely a side job.
James Watson was, first and foremost, High Inquisitor of the Lyon Empire. He provided rulings and judgment on matters of faith.
The Lyon Empire recognized a single lawful faith: that of the Lord of Dawn. Any worship of other gods within imperial borders was heresy.
Recent territorial expansion had stretched that orthodoxy thin. New freemen from annexed lands could not drop their beliefs overnight; old rites and old gods persisted stubbornly in rural villages and hamlets.
Watson believed that these folk erred not by malicious intent, but because they simply didn't know any better. But they could be taught how to think. Rather than have them burn at the stake, he carefully read each report and crafted proposals for spreading the faith of the Lord of Dawn, carefully tailored to the specifics of each region.
Sometimes, this involved gentle words and persuasive conversion; at other times, perhaps the iron hand of discipline.
It seemed like a tedious affair, but James Watson had advanced all the way up the ranks from his original position as a village pastor. He was used to the work, and he was sure that the newly annexed would become steadfast, devout believers of the Lord of Dawn in a few years' time.
Problems that others would have taken days, even weeks, to resolve, James Watson could handle in perhaps half a day. His efficacy was the main reason he had maintained this position for so long.