The Coming of The Great Lie:

For ages, there was peace and calm. Things proceeded as Desire bade, and Desire was followed. Things were as they should be.

But in the lands of the great sea, upon the Isle of Sorrows, came a threat to our order. An upstart whelp calling himself Charon - a lap-dog for a nameless, soothsaying witch from the distant past - founded a militant order of frauds, all based on the idea that it was possible to will yourself away from this ghostly state. They called this lie "Transcendence," and many foolish Wraiths were caught up in their spell - paying exorbitant fees to be shown "the way," or taken off to some false paradise, far away from the lands of the living.

The Book speaks of a deadly falsehood: one that promises all and gives nothing. This Great Lie enslaves the mind and soul, and turns one from the true path of Desire to the meandering labyrinth of foolish superstition, meaningless contemplation and a negation of one's true feelings. It makes a mockery of the things we hold most dear.

And truly, the doctrine of "Transcendence" could be no other than that same Great Lie that Desire, in Hir wisdom, spoke of.

At last we had met the enemy that Desire had prophesied. And so we devoted a great deal of our time to meeting this enemy head-on, and destroying the work he had set out to do. Desire willed it thus, and so it must be...

Why the Animosity?

The Solicitors distaste for the notion of Transcendence is total - sometimes all-consuming. They hate the Heretics and, by extension, the Ferrymen with a passion... if you'll excuse the phrase. It almost borders on mania.

But you'd wonder why they wouldn't try and turn the situation around to their advantage? Surely, given the religious nature of their beliefs, they could understand - and pervert - the Heretics' workings to their own ends? Why have they let their hate blind them so?

The real point of contention, as a Solicitor who could compose herself enough to say as much could tell you, is in those ends. THE end, to be precise.

The Solicitors believe that there is no end save that which you make of it. Paying fealty to the notion of leaving the Underworld by sheer will alone is counterproductive, and does nothing to improve the Wraith's immediate situation. Why spend ages pining away for a miracle? It's far better to work in the here and now, and think of what could be, than to hang your dreams on something as alien as hope.

Seen in that light, the Solicitors consider the Heretics to be sorry charlatans: cheats promising things that they know they cannot deliver. Meanwhile, through Desire, Hir namesake can be made real.

And when you've got your finger on the truth, those who make claims to also have it - but obviously don't, since they don't share your beliefs - are rather annoying...


Ancient Mythology


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