In Ages past, the Order of the Traveler was a beacon to all who were in need of help, no matter their race nor allegiance on Erith. All who were in need simply put up a contract on their town’s board and wait for a Journeyman to find it and answer. But those times have passed and the Order has fallen into distrust and is no longe hailed as a haven full of heroes. No, now it is full of those who seek to steal from others without completing a contract, giving them false hope in form of snake oil and false charms. Even those who uphold the beliefs of the founder, Marcus Fullbright, are seen as liars and deceitful, another rat looking to prey on the weak.
But how did the Order get to this point, well that is a story told to many children when they are young. It is a story of a war that almost was, a story of a man and his seven followers. This story begins with a man, Marcus Fullbright, who hailed from the Gaelia and had been orphaned from a young age, taken in by a small group of Elves on the fringes of the still young nation. The Everwood was a massive forest, home to thousands of Elves even to this day, but the story tells of a specific people inside who worshipped a God long forgotten by the others, the Traveler.
The Traveler was a simple God, one who took the form of a man wearing naught but rags and wandering across the trails of the Elvish forests. He would ask only for a single coin or even some food, those who offered would have their kindness repaid in the form of an issue in their life being mysteriously solved. One’s crops aren’t growing too well this season? Offer a coin to the Traveler and they would mystically grow overnight to fruition. Soon many people would worship him, leaving offerings with notes attached to them outside their doors. Young Marcus was enthralled by the tale of the Traveler and grew up to idolize the God who, to most people, was long dead and gone from this world.
As he grew up, tensions along the borders of Haedrion and Gaelia grew worse and worse, reaching a culmination when the then King of Haedrion, Michalus, blamed his brother Gael’s son- and then King of Gaelia- of kidnapping the princess of Haedrion. Despite all of King Neraus’ pleas, Michalus was adamant that it was Neraus that had stolen his daughter from him. As with all stories, this would later prove untrue but it mattered not as Marcus watched from afar as the peasants on both side were trampled over and attacked by overzealous troops from both sides.
Marcus saw the despair in his fellow Gaelian’s eyes and hearts and sought a way to help them, to give them hope when their lives were falling apart. And so, he decided to become the Traveler, to fix people’s problems for whatever they could spare. Though he went hungry some nights or slept on the cold, hard ground, Marcus stuck true to his beliefs. He soon met those he wanted to do the same as him and thus the Journeymen had formed along side him, performing duties which he could not. Some of them fought for the villagers, some built housing, but all of them did what they could for the people.
That is, until a mysterious woman approached Marcus with a contract, one with a payment far greater than he could ever have obtained otherwise. The woman who needed his help? Princess Allia of Haedrion who, during the middle of the night many months ago, had fled from her home in the capital of Haedrion to live with a man she had fallen in love with in Gaelia. The man happened to be a noble of the country and could not get audience with King Neraus to explain the situation. But the Traveler surely could for he was a legend, a God, asking to see the King of Gaelia.
So, in the guise of the Traveler, Marcus set out to prevent the brewing war and set right what was wrong. His audience with the King was granted and he explained the situation, though it led to many tense months as Neraus and Michalus spoke of a truce between their nations. Marcus was granted land and a title, should he accept it. Marcus turned down his title and established the Order so that his name may be carried on and the beliefs he held may continue. One could say that, even to this day, Marcus looks down with pride on what he has created.
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