Reformation (20 page)

Tomal approached the
church doors with hammer in hand and a need for revolution in his heart.  In the beginning, convincing people they could purchase god’s favor served a greater purpose.  It had the good intention of financing a project that brought about an end to the plague claiming millions of lives across the continent.  Now it seemed the road to hell was paved by those good intentions.

The church now gave its de facto blessing to amoral behavior, partic
ularly in the case of Tonwen selling forgiveness of actions prior to them being carried out.  It was evil and had all the markings of a tool the Alpha would use to manipulate parishioners.

Pausing at
the base of the cathedral steps, Tomal gave his actions one last thought.  Once he openly betrayed Tonwen and his sale of indulgences, there was no turning back.  He would once again be working against the interest of his crewmate.

A moment later Tomal
steeled his nerve and ascended the steps.  He knew in his heart he was right, this evil had Goron’s paw prints all over it.  He lifted two hand written sheets of paper to eye level against the door and then drove an iron nail through the top of them both.  He stepped back and admired the two sheets hanging from the church door for all to read.

The first sheet was entitled
The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,
and what followed were ninety-five numbered arguments supporting the assertion that since forgiveness was God’s alone to grant, those who claimed that indulgences absolved buyers from all punishment and granted them salvation were in error.  At the bottom of page two he boldly signed the document with the name of his current identity so all would know this was not the work of a commoner, but an academic study by a Catholic monk named Martin Luther.

The ninety-five points were admittedly overkill to pose the simple inflammatory
question:  Why does the Pope, whose wealth today is almost without end, build the basilica of Saint Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?  It was necessary, however.

Eventually the position would be heavily scrutinized by biblical scholars.  These learned men, some with pure intentions while others carrying loaded
political agendas, would cross reference every word and syllable against the Bible.  In order to hold up against these examinations the position needed to be air tight and covered from all angles; thus the ninety-five points.

Not at all satisfied with his little act of rebellion which would only garner attention from the local parish
, Tomal headed to a local book publisher with a second copy of his theses with a much wider audience in mind.

**********

Tonwen sat atop a horse-drawn carriage as it passed through the gates of the local monastery in Weinsburg, Germany.  A month earlier he received permission from the local bishop to sell indulgences to his parishioners, and it was now time to settle accounts.

His arrival was greeted by the finely robed bishop himself along with six monks dressed in t
heir typical brown hooded coverture.  The moment his cart stopped, the monks silently went to work unloading the two wooden chests resting in the cargo hold.

As Tonwen climbed off the cart he was greeted by the bi
shop.  “Good day to you, Friar Tetzel.  I hope my fine flock of dedicated believers greeted you with the same warm hospitality they show me.”

“Most did your grace
; however, some seem to have their thoughts corrupted by the writings of that Martin Luther fellow,” Tonwen reported.  “A few reacted most violently to my arrival while others simply refused to listen to my words or contribute to their salvation.”

The bishop took Tonwen under his arm and guided him into his office.  “I take it those chests are not nearly as full as usual when you finish your work in a particular area.”

A dejected expression followed by a subtle nod from Tonwen let the bishop know his assumption was correct.

The bishop sat Tonwen down in front of his desk and then walked over to a bookshelf along the near wall.  “When I received my first book produced by that marvelous new invention, the printing press, I praised God.  At last the written word could be mass produced and purchased for a modest price.”

The bishop raised his hand and slowly circled it around the room to point out the endless array of shelves packed full of leather bound books in his office.  He then retrieved a particularly thin book and tossed it onto the desk and took his seat on the other side.  “Now I curse its existence for it allows the vile teachings of Martin Luther to spread quicker than the plague.  Two weeks is all it took for the whole of Germany to hear his filth thanks to the endless reproduction of his words.  Three months later all of Europe speaks of nothing but that man’s ninety-five theses.”

Tonwen picked up the book and started thumbing through it with an angry stare that threatened to set the pages ablaze.  “My sales grow less and less with every passing week as the teachings of that heretic persist.”

“How much was the final tally?” the bishop apprehensively asked.

Tonwen took out a piece of parchment from under his robe and la
id it across the table facing the bishop.  “One hundred and twenty gold pieces, your grace.  Half was put into the first wooden chest for your order to keep.  The rest I placed in the second chest for you to transport back to Rome so that the Papacy may have its share to further the construction of St. Peters Basilica.”

“And the cost for transporting that chest of gold ba
ck to Rome will come out of...”

“Your portion,” Tonwen jumped in to finish the bishop’s sentence.

The bishop shrunk back into his chair and gazed out the window with a troubled stare.  “Naturally.”  He drew a frustrated breath and shook his head.  “Much as it pains me to admit it, Martin Luther does raise one good question.  What on earth could the Pope possibly need with all that money?”

“Those
sixty pieces of gold, less the cost of sending a man to Rome and back of course, will not even fund our outreach to the community,” the bishop went on.  “Food to the poor, traveling priests, and schools...”

“Books for your library,” Tonwen added
, which brought the tirade to a quick end.  “Much good is done with the proceeds, but let us not pretend it is all noble.”

The bishop absorbed Tonwen’s rebuke with a simple nod.  “Perhaps, but this library still benefits ev
eryone in this monastery.  The Pope does build a great basilica from which all Catholics may draw inspiration.  Tell me, what greater calling does Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach of Salzburg serve by adding defensive walls to his castle?”

“Who is he?” Tonwen asked. 
“I find it odd that I am unfamiliar with a man so elevated in the church.”

“He’s new,” the bishop snapped, obviously annoyed with having to report to the man.  “Rumor has it he is still struggling to pay off the debts he incurred while buying his elevated position from his holiness.”

The bishop suddenly leaned forward in his chair to fold his arms across the desk.  “Not to worry, you will likely get to know him very well.  Of all the church voices to lash out against the statements made by Martin Luther, the Archbishop’s has been the loudest.  He, more than anyone else, needs the proceeds from selling indulgences to continue in order to retire his debts and fund his useless construction project.”

Then the bishop’s interwoven hands allowed the index fingers to escape and point directly at Tonwen.  “You, my good sir, are the most prolific seller of indulgences in the whole of Europe.  When the archbishop finally mounts his biblical challenge against this Martin Luther under charges of heresy
, you can be certain he will be relying on your insight and testimony.”

“And he shall have it,” Tonw
en exclaimed.  “I believe wholeheartedly in my work.  I am saving souls and benefitting the church and society at large while tending to the faithful.  If this archbishop truly is intent on fighting Martin Luther and the evil he spreads, then I shall make his parish my next destination.”

“You do that,” the bishop said on the
way to his feet.  “In the meantime, you can rest assured that the Vatican will receive its share of your services to my parishioners.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” Tonwen replied on his way to the door.  Just before leaving the bishop’s
office he looked back and added, “After all, I have already sent the accounting results on to the Vatican. They will be expecting it within a fortnight.”

That last statement caused the bright smile to run away from the bishop’s face carrying with it any notion of short changing the Pope.

Tonwen hated to leave the bishop in such a depressed state. Before turning to exit the chamber, he reached under his brown robes and produced a thick roll of pages and handed them to the bishop.  “One man did not have any coin to contribute to absolve his sins, so he turned over these pages.  I gave them a quick look; they appear to contain a design for an unusual weapon.  I hear the Duke of Helfenstein here in the city is always looking for new and improved weapons for his men.  You may be able to sell the designs to him and raise some extra funds for your community outreach.  That was not included in my account to the Vatican.”

The bishop unfurled the cluster of pages and Tonwen saw a broad smile once again grace the man’s lips.  He clearly liked the potential.

Tonwen led
A team of two horses pulling his wagon under the city gates of Salzburg and instantly understood the significance of the place.  This city was the point where Italian and German cultures met, and that fusion of clashing cultures visually played out across the city skyline.

Against the backdrop of snow-
capped mountains, sharp gothic spires rose toward the heavens from churches built right next to distinctly Italian domes capping other churches and government buildings throughout the city.  Resting tall and proud on an overlooking cliff face sat the fortress of Hohensalzburg, home to Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach.

The bright mid
day sun hit the white stones of the castle’s walls and inner keep with dazzling effect.  The monstrous fortress seemed to almost glow pure white while casting a darkened shadow over the city below.

While traveling a narrow road that
zigzagged its way up the cliffs to reach Archbishop Leonhard’s fortress Tonwen took notice of three things.  First and foremost was that the castle would never be taken by force from an attacking army.  The steep ascent, five layers of walls, and endless array of archer slits rendered the fortress nearly impregnable.

His second observation was the castle’s use of a rail system down the steepest portion of the cliff face to bring
up supplies.  It used a system of pulleys and counterweights rather than some version of a modern locomotive of course, but to his knowledge this was the first such rail line in existence and was a concept way ahead of its time.  It allowed the fortress to remain in constant supply without even having to open its gates.

The third, and most comical feature of the fortress Tonwen noticed
, was a small outcropping along the tall outer wall of the castle keep.  At first he did not know what it was.  It just looked like a solid stone wall that had a box measuring two feet wide and deep by five feet tall added to it. 

As he drew closer to the odd structure
, Tonwen noticed a circular hole on the bottom of it that gave him a clue as to its use.  How fitting, Tonwen thought, that the Archbishop could turn his back on the city of commoners below and defecate on them without needing to even leave the comfort of his fortress.

Tonwen passed through a gatehouse that was still under construction and was shocked to see the Archbishop himself just inside the gates.  The man pulled his attention away from inspecting the building progress the moment
he heard the guard announce the arrival of Johann Tetzel.

“Friar Te
tzel, it is an absolute pleasure to welcome your now legendary services into my flock,” the Archbishop said with open arms as Tonwen climbed off the cart.  He apprehensively moved forward to accept the unexpected embrace when the Archbishop let one arm fall away leaving a hand holding the ring of his office extended.  Tonwen resisted the urge to laugh at the transparent power play and instead meekly knelt before the Archbishop and kissed his ring.  “The pleasure is all mine your grace.”

Archbishop Leonhard basked in his position of power for a moment and then prompted his lesser to rise once again.  “Your valuable services could not have come at a better time.”

“It seems to me that I come at a time of great peril for the church,” Tonwen said with confusion.  “Everywhere I go more and more of our faithful seem to turn towards the demonic teachings of Martin Luther.  In some towns I, a loyal man of the cloth who faithfully ministers only for the eternal salvation of others, have come under attack.”

Tonwen pointed to a stain on his dark brown robe.  “In
Munich they went so far as to assault me with rotten food; tomatoes to be exact.”

Archb
ishop Leonhard shook his head in disbelief.  “The unrest grows more brazen with every passing day.  First, the illiterates shout out challenges to the teachings of learned men such as you and I.  Next, they pelt the clergy with rotten food.  I feel they will soon grow bold enough to rise up in rebellion against those who care for them the most in favor of that man’s heresy.  That is why I build more walls, so that the faithful may have a place of shelter if the mounting unrest persists.”

“Do you really think it could come to that?” Tonwen asked.

The archbishop gestured toward the stain on Tonwen’s chest.  “They assaulted you didn’t they?  We must go after the source of the unrest, this Martin Luther.”

Tonwen stood aghast at the ins
inuation.  “You do not mean...I mean even if the almighty saw fit for Martin Luther to die of natural causes tomorrow, his teachings are published and in the hands and ears of the public.  To right the situation we must prove publically that his teachings are not in keeping with the Bible and therefore in error.”

“And thus explains my delight in your arrival,” the Archbishop interrupted.  “His holiness has ordered these
ninety-five theses to be examined for heresy by a panel of experts, and you my good friar are the quintessential expert on the subject of indulgences.”

“I am of course privileged and honored to participate, but when and where will this examination take place?” Tonwen asked.

“In Rome, as soon as that slithery serpent can be apprehended,” the archbishop declared.

“Rome?” Tonwen repeated with a shake of his head.  “Martin Luther will never submit to that
, and with the abundance of supporters he now has, the only way you will get that man in front of a heresy examination panel will be voluntarily.”

Archb
ishop Leonhard let out a soft growl realizing there was truth in Tonwen’s words.  “What do you suggest we do then?  We cannot simply allow the man to freely poison the thoughts and actions of the faithful.  It will lead to anarchy.”

“We all know the results of a heresy examination in Rome are a foregone conclusion, and his words of protest would fall on deaf ears,” Tonwen offered.  “If the examination were to take place here, up north among his followers at an impartial location
, then I believe he would come out of hiding voluntarily to make his case.”

The archbishop’s face lit up with excitement at the suggestion.  “Yes, I like it.  And when he is found guilty he will perish in front of his followers as an example.”

“No!” Tonwen challenged.  “He must be given the chance to recant.  It is not enough that he dies, that will only make him a martyr and strengthen his cause.  He and his followers must be made to understand that they were wrong.”

“But how do we do that?
” Archbishop Leonhard interrupted.

“By making our case,” Tonwen declared.  “There is
no need to rig the outcome.  We all know that The Bible supports our case and not his.  If the examination is conducted thoroughly and properly, then the outcome of a true doctrinal examination is not in doubt.  Martin Luther will then be made to see the error of his ways and recant.”

“And if he doesn’t?” the archbishop asked with a skeptical look.

“Then we will have him in custody and can do it your way, your grace,” Tonwen concluded.

“Excellent.  I offer you my private library and study to prepare the arguments while I make arrangements for the examination to be conducted at an impartial location in the north.”

Tonwen was ecstatic to have the archbishop join his cause against Tomal and his blatant efforts to bring down the church he labored so hard to set up as a guiding light for society to follow in these dark times.