Kendari Courier System

For merchants that operate across the Great Ring, accurate and timely information is a vital resource. Many systems have been set up over the years to transfer messages from city to city, but none has been as widespread or successful as the Kendari Courier System. 

Originally founded in the city of Kendari, this courier system began as a function of the Pearl Guild and served to courier messages for the merchants who controlled the pearl trade. They used a combination of written messages, messenger birds, ships, and people who could either memorize messages or carry written material. Over time, it became the fastest and most reliable system in the region, and other Kendari-based guilds found it cheaper to hire couriers from the Pearl Divers than to set up and maintain their own systems. 

As the other guilds in Kendari began to utilize the Pearl couriers more heavily, they expanded their operations and methods. They eventually disassociated from the Pearl Divers Guild entirely and became the Kendari Couriers. They own several fast ships, and also pay for cargo space on other ships (especially prized are the near-legendary Aethry Thalassopoúli vessels). They have offices in all the major cities of the Great Ring, including Wamato, Eien, Mynilad, Tauranga, Tarshish, Lifworðig, and Höfnvík. They have a reputation for being able to deliver a message anywhere in the known world, faster than any other option, and with impeccable security. They have scribes available in every office to read and write messages in several languages, and also maintain a division dedicated to general information, as couriers gather local news wherever they go and report it back to their employers. While governments typically prefer to handle their own messages, and few of the more wealthy merchants still maintain their own systems, the Kendari Couriers are the method by which most merchants communicate with their distant trading partners.

One lesser known department of the Kendari Couriers is the so-called 'Empty Office'. This is an intelligence organization for hire, that is represented by an empty room in each courier post. For those who know of it, they can leave a question (along with a hefty payment) in this office, and the agents of the Empty Office will do what is required to find the answer. They have connections with other intelligence organizations around the Great Ring, and are extremely good at finding out things that others wish to keep secret.