Stephen, King of England supporting the rebels in their campaign against the royal army, which included a number of Matilda's supporters such as Robert of Gloucester. Many of these barons had taken an oath to stay in Normandy until the late king was properly buried, which prevented them from returning to England. Stephen's elder brother Theobald was further south still, in Blois. Stephen, however, was in Boulogne, and when news reached him of Henry's death he left for England, accompanied by his military household. Robert of Gloucester had garrisoned the ports of Dover and Canterbury and some accounts suggest that they refused Stephen access
Multiverse (Stephen King) Earth, which is a reflection of the "real world" and also includes a fictional version of Stephen King himself. It is the universe of the Rose too. Some people have the ability to travel between universes by "going Todash"; other ways are through rare artifacts like the Wizard's Rainbow, the Talisman, and the Lil Pink. Gan uses Stephen King as a facilitator to tell the tale of the Gunslinger, so Roland Deschain could successfully go about his task of reaching the Tower. If the author died before completing his task, Roland would not have "known" how to further proceed on