Divine Order of Couriers

Among the oldest surviving religious orders in the Reborn Realms, The Divine Order of Couriers is dedicated to delivering mail and information across the known world in service of Athor.

### Beliefs

As followers of Athor, members of the Divine Order of Couriers believe that delivering mail is an act of service to their god in the similarly to praying or cataloguing knowledge in a library. While outsiders might find this idea to be strange, it is supported by Athor's own doctrine and actions. Any follower of Athor can relate the story of how Therapon, the founder of the Order, was elevated to Sainthood after his death, reaffirming his support of the organization.

### History

The Divine Order of Couriers can trace its founding back to the middle Dark Ages when Therapon (who was a low-ranking acolyte at the time) passed out in a monastery dedicated to Athor and awoke claiming he had received a vision from the god, tasking him to find a way to safely deliver information across long distances, despite the chaos and bloodshed that dominated the land. Most people doubted his claims, given the circumstances that lead to him becoming unconscious, but Therapon persisted nonetheless. This persistence would quickly pay off, given the astonishing success he would quickly find in his holy task. The young man quickly gathered a surprising number of followers among his fellow acolytes, many of whom were tired of being threatened by bandits and other ne'er-do-wells that made a living off of attacking travelers for their supplies and money. Soon, it became more obvious that regardless of whether or not Therapon had received a vision from Athor, he had definitely earned his support. The young man received the gift of holy magic from Athor, and many of his followers did too. They used this new power to great effect in defending themselves while on the road, earning a reputation for their ability to deliver messages over great distance with a much greater speed and reliability than mundane messengers. Many warlords, bandit leaders, and other powerful individuals tried to sway the growing organization to their cause, but Therapon rejected every offer and threat made to him. This neutrality gave the order a small measure of protection as well, given that many people realized that getting blacklisted by the Couriers meant that they had a much harder time communicating across long distance. This, in combination with Athor's divine intervention, meant that the Divine Order of Couriers managed to survive to the modern day mostly unscathed.

### In Modern Day

Today, the Divine Order is thriving across the known world, with abbeys and monasteries in or near every major city. They have become so prominent that they are almost essential to day-to-day operations in most countries. Though they remain politically neutral, that doesn't mean they are passive bystanders in the world. In fact, they are quite the opposite, with many members of the order dedicated to dealing with threats to their holy duty. This includes tasks as mundane as helping law enforcement deal with small-time bandits that might threaten travellers to something as grand as helping take down a country-spanning cult that tried to suppress information about their dealings.