Overview

The Messengers' Concord was formed shortly after the Sundering - the time when the realms were split apart. Because the gods could no longer speak to the living, and the dead could no longer travel so simply to the realm of the gods, a communication channel was needed, other than through Charun, who censored and controlled the flow of information.

Some god, or goddess, perhaps desperate for the communication that they needed to keep themselves flourishing, sent The Book out into the Land of the Dead. Inside The Book was a description of Regis, and a statement of The Code. The wraith who found The Book, a member of The Order at the time, became known as the First Prophet, and turned her attentions to spreading the message as far as its merit would take it.

The Order tried to suppress this information, as they viewed it as a usurpation of the power of Charun and The Order. However, the Ferrymen, subtle as they are, observed this, and whispered warnings about what might happen if this knowledge was suppressed. So The Order relented, and hoped the new group - which they called a cult - would die out of its' own accord.

However, it didn't. Slowly but surely, the message was spread - first by the First Prophet, and later by her Messengers. And thus, the Concord was formed.

Many of the original Prophets - those who heard the message from the First Prophet - were chased, harassed, and brutally assaulted by various other Concords who disagreed with their Message. According to the Messengers, the First Prophet Ascended after being attacked by a group of Pardoners who felt her words were the words of the Damned.

{The Pardoners, of course, vehemently deny this.}

The Ferrymen

Every Messenger who knows the true history of their Concord agrees that every Messenger owes the Ferrymen a profound debt. Indeed, their organization owes the Ferrymen for its very existence. And yet, each Messenger tends to be rather cool to the Ferrymen: their authority isn't even recognized by the Messengers.

This is because the Messengers hold the god or goddess who sent them The Book in much higher esteem than Charun. In fact, they hold each other in higher esteem than the emissaries of Charun, wise though they may be. This is not hubris so much as a recognition that they have allied themselves with a different power, and work to spread this power's aim above all others.

The Ferrymen still have very little to say on the matter, though they still advise against the destruction of Messengers simply based on their affiliation. Perhaps they know something about the future of the Messengers that they have yet to reveal? Or perhaps they just admired the verve and passion of the First Prophet...?

In this, as in all things, the Ferrymen offer no explanation.

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