The topaz, is of course, just a rare gemstone, yellow-brown in hue. However this particular topaz is significant. Broken into two pieces, the stone, when put together, bears the markings of a river galley. Symbolizing a pledge between the pirates of the Vosk at one time, one part of the stone was originally held by Ragnar Voskjard, chief of pirates in the west, and the other by Policrates, chief of pirates in the east. Each, when in need of counsel or support, would send his part of the stone to the other. They would then join forces. At Victoria, in 10,127 C.A, a bloody battle was fought, along with the forces of Port Cos and Ar’s Stations, and victory was had over the pirates. At this victory, the parts of the stone came into the keeping of Calliodorus, at that time acting first captain in Port Cos, and Aemilianus, who was at that time commander of the naval forces of Ar's Station. The pledge was renewed privately between them, as comrades in arms, as Ar's Station was not permitted by Ar to join the Vosk League.
“I have heard the topaz is being brought east,” said a merchant, speaking to another merchant. “It bodes not well for security on the river,” said his fellow. .... The merchants, paying me no more attention, continued their conversation. “Victoria has refused the tribute,” one of them was saying.
Rogue of Gor, page 99.
“Have you heard of the topaz?” I asked. “Yes,” she said. “I heard people in the market speaking of it." “It is a pledge symbol,” I said, “apparently used among pirates on the river, when combining for massive assaults."
Rogue of Gor, page 183.
"If the topaz should reach the stronghold of Policrates," she said, "the way would be clear for the uniting of the raider forces of both the east and west."
Rogue of Gor, page 184.
"Besides," I said, "obviously you were willing to reveal the location of the topaz with alacrity, as I had feared. It is important that it not reach Policrates. If it does, the major forces of the pirates of the eastern Vosk would achieve unification, at least for a time, with those of the western Vosk. This is to be prevented, if at all possible. If you did not know the location of the topaz it seemed obvious to me that you could not reveal its location, unless by some chance inadvertence. Doubtless the fewer that know of its location, the better."
Rogue of Gor, page 212.
Policrates, sitting beside me, behind the broad, low table, musingly fitted together the two pieces of yellowish, brown stone, the two halves of the once-shattered topaz. Again I found it startling, and impressive, how the figure of a river galley emerged from the brownish discolorations in the two pieces of stone, once they were fitted together. There was no mistaking that they were the two halves of what was once an unusual, divided stone.
Rogue of Gor, page 281.
"But a topaz is a stone," I said, "a kind of semiprecious stone."
"And such a stone is the symbol of the pledge," said the fellow. "It was originally a quite unusual stone, one which bore in its markings and coloration a remarkable configuration, that of a river galley. The stone was broken, however, into two pieces. One does not see the ship in the separate parts of the stone for the isolated marks and colorings seem meaningless. When the parts are joined, however, the ship appears. One part of the stone was originally held by Ragnar Voskjard, chief of pirates in the west, and the other by Policrates, chief of pirates in the east. Each, when in need of counsel or support, would send his part of the stone to the other. They would then join forces.”
"What has the topaz to do with the Vosk League?" I asked.
"It has nothing to do with the Vosk League itself," said the fellow. "It is now a private pledge between Port Cos and Ar's Station."
Renegade of Gor, pages 524-525.
The Vosk League, formed due to the battle with the pirate factions, is a neutral union comprised of nineteen (19) of the river towns along the Vosk River. Headquartered in Victoria, the Vosk League serves to keep the waters of the Vosk patrolled and safe from pirate activity. The Vosk League ships fly no flags and do not take part in the registration of ships; this is handled locally by each town. The Ubar of Marlenus is not fond of the Vosk League for various reasons and bans Ar’s Station to be part of the Vosk League, Upon victory against the pirates, the parts of the stone known commonly as The Topaz came into the keeping of Calliodorus, who, at that time, was acting first captain in Port Cos, and Aemilianus, who was at that time commander of the naval forces of Ar's Station. The pledge was renewed privately between them, as comrades in arms, as Ar's Station was not permitted by Ar to join the Vosk League.
"I am not fully sure," I said, "but there could be various reasons, and some of them would seem obvious. As you know much of the friction between Cos and Ar has to do with their economic competitions in the Vosk Basin. Taking Ar's Station would, in a stroke, diminish the major citadel of Ar's power in the area, and, in effect, drive a wedge between the Salerian Confederation and the Vosk League." To be sure, in virtue of their mutual distrust of Ar, Cos and the Salerian Confederation normally maintained close relations, and the Vosk League, a confederation of towns along the Vosk, originally formed, like the Salerian Confederation on the Olni, Zo control river piracy, was, at least in theory, independent of both Ar and Cos. I say 'in theory' because one of the charter cities in the Vosk League is Port Cos, which, although it is a sovereign polis, was originally founded by, and settled by, Cosians. If Ar were out of the way in the area of the Vosk, of course, I did not doubt but what friction would develop quickly enough between Cos and the Salerian Confederation, and perhaps between Cos and the Vosk League, and for much the same reasons as formerly between Cos and Ar. Some well-known towns in the Vosk League are Victoria, Tafa and Fina. The farthest west town in the league is Turmus, at the delta. The farthest east is White Water. Some of the towns of the league are actually east of Ar's Station, such as Forest Port, Iskander, Tancred's Landing, and, of course, White Water. Ar's Station, although it was apparently active in the altercations with pirates on the Vosk, never joined the league. This is probably because of the influence of Ar herself, which might regard her extensive territorial claims in the area as being implicitly undermined or compromised by membership in any such alliance. The headquarters of the Vosk League is located in the city of Victoria. I suppose there are special historical reasons for this, for Victoria is not centrally located on the river, say, between the delta to the west and the entry of the Olni into the Vosk on the east, which point, incidentally, is controlled by the city of Lara, a member of the Salerian Confederation. Victoria lies rather toward the west, in the reaches traditionally more subject to Cosian influence. Geographical position, accordingly, at least with respect to approximating the midpoint between the delta and the Olni, was apparently not the paramount consideration in locating the headquarters of the Vosk League. Had it been one might have expected to find its headquarters in, say, Jasmine or Siba, towns much more centrally located.
Renegade of Gor, pages 43-44.
"I do not understand what is going on," I said. "What is all this about a topaz?"
"You are then indeed a stranger to Ar's Station, and to the river," said a fellow. "The pledge of the topaz was originally an agreement between river pirates, a pledge of mutual assistance and, in crisis, alliance, between them, those of the eastern and western Vosk, between Policrates in the east and Ragnar Voskjard in the west. When the ports of the river, and their men, rose up against the predations, the tolls and tributes, of these pirates, the topaz fell into the hands of the victorious rebels. From such fighting came the formation of the Vosk League."
I knew something of the Vosk League. Its headquarters was in the town of Victoria, on the northern bank of the Vosk, between Fina and Tafa. Due to its patrols and presence piracy, and certainly large-scale, institutionalized piracy, had been largely removed from the Vosk, from east of White Water, near Lara, a town of the Salerian Confederation at the confluence of the Vosk and Olni, to the delta.
Renegade of Gor, page 524.
"It must be clearly understood, by all," said Calliodorus, standing up, smiling, putting his half of the topaz into his pouch, "that the Vosk League, a neutral force on the river, one devoted merely to the task of maintaining law and order on the river, is certainly in no way involved in this operation."
Renegade of Gor, page 530.
"How is my old friend Callimachus, commander of the forces of the Vosk League?" asked Aemilianus of Calliodorus. The body sovereign in the Vosk League, incidentally, at least as I understand it, is its High Council, which is composed of representatives from the member towns. This Callimachus, I gathered, then, whoever he was, would be the appointee of that council.
Renegade of Gor, page 544.
White Water is called such because of rapids in its vicinity. It is a town on the northern bank of the Vosk. It is a member of the Vosk League. It is the first major town west of Lara, which is located at the confluence of the Vosk and Olni. Lara is the westernmost city in the Salerian Confederation. White Water is east of Ar's Station. There are three major towns between Ar's Station and White Water. They are Forest Port, Iskander and Tancred's Landing, which three towns, like White Water, are members of the Vosk League. Most of the major towns on the Vosk are on the northern bank. This is undoubtedly because of a one-time policy of Ar to maintain a margin of desolation to the north, one stretching to the river, across which it would be difficult for an invader to bring an army. The major route south was then, as it is now, the Viktel Aria, which by means of its camps and posts, Ar then controlled. Thus, supposedly, Ar could move north with ease, but it would be difficult for other forces to move south, unless challenging Ar for the Viktel Aria. The margin of desolation, however, has not been maintained for years. Its military significance declined with the development of large-scale tarn transport, capable of supplying troops in the field. Too, as Ar's population increased she began to move northward. Indeed, her interests in the Vosk Basin are well known. In the past few years, particularly under the governance of Marlenus of Ar, the policies of Ar have tended to be expansionistic. Accordingly, it seems clear that in time the strategists of Ar came to view the margin of desolation less as a rampart than a barrier.
Renegade of Gor, pages 711-712.
"Both Port Cos and Ar's Station fought on the river, in terrible and bloody battles, hull to hull. After the final victory over the pirates, which took place at Victoria in 10,127 C.A., the parts of the stone came into the keeping of Calliodorus, at that time acting first captain in Port Cos, and Aemilianus, who was at that time commander of the naval forces of Ar's Station. The pledge was renewed privately between them, I think, as comrades in arms, as Ar's Station was not permitted by Ar to join the Vosk League."
"Why was that?" I asked.
"I do not know," he said. "It is speculated that Ar feared such an alliance would compromise her claims in the Vosk Basin."
Renegade of Gor, pages 525-526.
