David Sooby wrote:

> You're suggesting that Styphon was a religion invented and promoted by
> Paratimers, and Verkan Vall and the Paratime Police didn't figure that
> out?
>
> No, not possible.  As part of their observation of Kalvan's influence
> on his one timeline, the Paratime research team(s) monitor several
> adjacent timelines as "controls".  If Styphon was created by
> Paratimers, then the religion would have existed only on the timeline
> where they created it.  The House of Styphon pretty clearly exists on
> numerous adjacent timelines.

Why would Paratimers have limited Styphon to only one timeline?

> There is more evidence, if needed.  The stories tell of Kalvan's new
> friends coming to understand why the House of Styphon is so keen to
> gather the resources of sulfur and saltpeter; activities they
> previously found inexplicable.  If the House of Styphon was just a
> cover for out-time trading, and the gunpowder they sell was actually
> produced on other timelines, then there would be no need for the House
> of Styphon to go to such great lengths to harvest those resources in
> such large quantities.

Local timeline production of gunpowder.

Styphon interest in sulfur has other Paratime interest possibilities.

https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/list-sulphide-minerals/