Kalvan (Calvin Morrison)
Encyclopedia
Kalvan, formerly known as Calvin Morrison, is a character from the fictional Kalvan series
started by H. Beam Piper
. He was a former state trooper of the Pennsylvania
state police, who was accidentally picked up by a cross-time flying saucer (really a Paratime conveyor) and carried to another timeline.
Morrison finds some friendly peasants who speak an unknown language. In the middle of a meal, they are attacked by a large raiding party, which he is instrumental in routing. Reinforcements arrive and, in the confusion, he is shot by the beautiful young woman leading them.
Fortunately, the bullet hits his badge, saving his life, though he is still seriously wounded. While recuperating, he learns the new language. Calvin learned that the people called themselves the Zarthani and that he was in the Princedom of Hostigos, which was part of the Great Kingdom
of Hos-Harphax. Hostigos is ruled by Prince Ptosphes and it was Ptosphes daughter Rylla who shot Calvin. The Zarthani do not use surnames and pronounce Calvin's name as Kalvan, the name that Calvin is known by after that point. Kalvan learns that Hostigos is being threatened by the Princedom of Nostor and the Princedom of Sask.
Hostigos had very little gunpowder
(or Fireseed as it was called) because the Hostigos had been placed under the Ban of Styphon. Styphon was one of the Zarthani's gods, and the priests of Styphon control the production and distribution of fireseed.
Kalvan, however, knew the ingredients of gunpowder, and created a batch to show the Hostigi. Soon the Hostigi were creating fireseed in secret while Kalvan prepared their army. Kalvan introduced the rapier
and rifling
, and also improved the Hostigi cannons. Kalvan and the Hostigi army launched a surprise attack on Tarr-Dombra, which was controlled by the Nostori. After the castle (or Tarr as they are known in the language of the Zarthani) was captured, Kalvan sent the Nostori the recipe for making fireseed, since the real enemy of the Hostigi is Styphon's House and not Nostor, which is merely their pawn.
Kalvan series
The Kalvan series is a fictional series started by H. Beam Piper about a Pennsylvania police officer who is transported to an alternate world. The series is part of Piper's Paratime series and features many of the characters from that series...
started by H. Beam Piper
H. Beam Piper
Henry Beam Piper was an American science fiction author. He wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of "Paratime" alternate history tales.He wrote under the name H. Beam Piper...
. He was a former state trooper of the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state police, who was accidentally picked up by a cross-time flying saucer (really a Paratime conveyor) and carried to another timeline.
Life Before Hostigos
Calvin was on a police assignment when he was picked up by a cross-time flying saucer and carried to another timeline. According to First Level designations, Calvin was originally from Fourth Level, Europo-American, Hispano-Columbian sub-sector. Calvin was transported to Fourth Level, Aryan-Transpacific, Styphon's House sub-sector.Arrival in Hostigos
Calvin found himself in another world that looked like Pennsylvania. He is also surrounded by old-growth forest, and he knows the area was clear-cut in the past. This initially leads him to believe that he has traveled several centuries forward in time. However, certain features were not the same, such as some nearby mountains not being quarried, a rather permanent alteration of the known landscape.Morrison finds some friendly peasants who speak an unknown language. In the middle of a meal, they are attacked by a large raiding party, which he is instrumental in routing. Reinforcements arrive and, in the confusion, he is shot by the beautiful young woman leading them.
Fortunately, the bullet hits his badge, saving his life, though he is still seriously wounded. While recuperating, he learns the new language. Calvin learned that the people called themselves the Zarthani and that he was in the Princedom of Hostigos, which was part of the Great Kingdom
Great Kingdom
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Great Kingdom, or the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, refers to an empire that varied in size at various points in its history.-History:...
of Hos-Harphax. Hostigos is ruled by Prince Ptosphes and it was Ptosphes daughter Rylla who shot Calvin. The Zarthani do not use surnames and pronounce Calvin's name as Kalvan, the name that Calvin is known by after that point. Kalvan learns that Hostigos is being threatened by the Princedom of Nostor and the Princedom of Sask.
Hostigos had very little gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
(or Fireseed as it was called) because the Hostigos had been placed under the Ban of Styphon. Styphon was one of the Zarthani's gods, and the priests of Styphon control the production and distribution of fireseed.
Kalvan, however, knew the ingredients of gunpowder, and created a batch to show the Hostigi. Soon the Hostigi were creating fireseed in secret while Kalvan prepared their army. Kalvan introduced the rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
and rifling
Rifling
Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...
, and also improved the Hostigi cannons. Kalvan and the Hostigi army launched a surprise attack on Tarr-Dombra, which was controlled by the Nostori. After the castle (or Tarr as they are known in the language of the Zarthani) was captured, Kalvan sent the Nostori the recipe for making fireseed, since the real enemy of the Hostigi is Styphon's House and not Nostor, which is merely their pawn.
Appearances
- Lord Kalvan of OtherwhenLord Kalvan of OtherwhenLord Kalvan of Otherwhen is a 1965 science fiction novel by H. Beam Piper and is part of his Kalvan series of stories, which is part of his larger Paratime series. It recounts the adventures of a Pennsylvania state trooper who is accidentally transported to a more backward parallel universe...
-- First appearance - Great Kings' WarGreat Kings' WarGreat Kings' War is John F. Carr and Roland J. Green's sequel to H. Beam Piper's Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen and continues the story of Corporal Calvin Morrison after he is transported to another timeline by a Paratime conveyor...
- Kalvan KingmakerKalvan KingmakerKalvan Kingmaker is the third book in the Kalvan series and the sequel to Great Kings' War. It is written by John F. Carr .-Returning Characters:...
- Siege at Tarr-Hostigos
Discrepancies
- Pennsylvania State Troopers do not wear badges.