One small detail I should mention is that of the Crusades. As you know, when the European forces entered the so-called Holy Lands, they were repelled, but the dead of Stygia stayed on. However, to this night you will not find any Solicitors - at least, not as you might understand them - within that area.

No. The Order of Two, which includes what is called the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and a few other places surrounding and in-between, is not open to us of the Order of Three... or indeed any of the Orders which operate in Stygian territory. The Center has denied us access to these lands, and we have obeyed.

Why is that way, there, and different elsewhere? I am not certain, my dear, but I have the feeling that Desire has something special planned for that area, and we should leave the matter to Hir best judgment. S:he does work in mysterious ways, after all. Yes?

The Crusades did have another, even less-pleasing effect, though. The dead knights came across the Shroud and were reaped into The Fishers. And these became a force for the Great Lie - one that threatened much of our work...

You have not heard much of The Fishers? Good. That means that what was done was done well. Still, they were a direct threat to us... whoever would have thought a dead carpenter could start so much trouble?

The Fishers were a problem back when the names started to change, once more. The Empire became the Hierarchy, the Legionnaires became Knights, slaves became thralls, the Societies Guilds... and us a "Guild" with it, I might add. But, again, what is a name?

Yes, true - "Heretic" has a nice ring to it. I see you are anticipating my points! Well done.

The Fishers were troublesome - both to us and to their fellow seekers of the Great Lie. Their numbers were immense, and they were of the belief that numbers, alone, made them worthy of much more than they deserved. A more self-serving and greedy lot you could not have found outside of a Monitors' Family.

What did they do? Well... they tried to make Charon see things their way, based on their zeal and strength of numbers. And all for what? For gold. Their Temple was fattened with treasure and their coffers were filled with ill-gotten coin, all gained from playing to the false aspirations of the deluded Quick and the venal Dead.

Yes... as I said: a rather self-serving, greedy lot, even for servants of the Great Lie.

Of course, as you've read the Official History, you know what came to pass as a result of their greed. Their Archbishop came to Charon and demanded - not asked - for a lessening of the tithe. His greed got him a doubling of the fee, as well as an order to disband their Crusader-Knights. They attacked the Onyx tower in retaliation, Charon thundered up to their temple and saw that had been withheld from him, within, and things proceeded apace from there... right up to the glorious Proclamation of Reason.

What you might not know, or at least have suspected but had no true confirmation before now, was the hand we played in it. I do say I think it was one of our finer moments.

What was our action? Well, consider that the Arch-Bishop was a greedy man, but not stupid, in spite of his adherence - perhaps not very strong, in truth - to the Great Lie. It was a simple thing, really, to make a greedy man just that much more greedy...

Exactly. Why would he be so foolish as to go to Charon, just after a major emergency - the Second Great Maelstrom - and demand a lessening of their tithes? Some would call it the worst timing imaginable, and it was... for them. For us it was perfect.

Yes... we could have engineered their fall at any time we'd wanted. really. But we waited until Charon was in a mood that was quite unforgiving of backtalk or counterdemands. And here was this upstart, making demands of him at a time when every coin was needed to rebuild...

Perfect timing, indeed.

And so was the Isle of Sorrows cleansed of the Fishers, the Shining Ones and all spoken word of the Great Lie. It was, indeed, one of our finer moments. I only wish that Charon had chosen to behead instead of banish: the natives of the New World could have been spared the Flaying.

Now, I have a hard time remembering if it happened before or after the Great Rout... perhaps I am starting to grow somewhat feeble in my dotage. Perhaps I should keep a journal?

Ah, quite true. Written journals are a foolish thing, here. Consider what lines the walls and beds of this fine garden of ours. I think some of them may have kept journals as well...