704 EE

In the early 700s of the Expansion Era, without warning or preamble, the Vassellian settlement of Crestfall was struck by a crystalline object that had been traveling through the Span. In short order the town, one of the main mining cities for Spancrystals, was overwhelmed with a strange, unidentified form of corruptive magic - which spread plague and illness through the town.

A group of Bearers were hastily sent from Tidehold to aid the town, seeking to assist with quarantine efforts and perhaps lend healing to the people there. By the time they arrived, however, they found the town ruined - and overwhelmed by the twisted and mutated remains of the townsfolk. The Bearers saved who they could and ultimately dealt with the Corruption-infused spancrystals, alerting the world to a new threat.

Wary of the origin of this object, Queen Florence DiMorandi dispatched this group of Bearers - now renowned as the First Wayfarers - on the Endeavour, the flagship of the Accord Expedition Fleet, to track down the source of this corruption, and put an end to it. With the public mandate of exploration, the Endeavour and the First Wayfarers set off into the Span as the vanguard of the Accord.

In the course of their journey, the Wayfarers established first contact with the Kezvee, the Saenoch and even a number of species of the Other, and uncovered plots and subterfuge being planted by a villainous masked figure known only as The Herald.

Their journey took them to the Ruins of Berus themselves, revisiting old wounds in the pursuit of the Herald, who was revealed to be attempting to retake the mantle of the Fallen Infinite, Szekaris, and attain Godhood. By way of a magical gateway in the depths of Berus, the Wayfarers traveled to the final resting place of Szekaris - the Foulheart.

Upon this icy shard, the Wayfarers did battle with the Herald, and set forth a chain reaction that ultimately saw the Foulheart destroyed - its broken remnants left adrift in the depths of the span. With its destruction and the death of the Herald, a potential world-changing plot was countered and events were set in motion that lead to the modern Accord’s influence and prosperity.

The First Wayfarers are lauded as heroes, and their members have gone on to influence the Accord in a number of ways - from the efforts founding New Berus, to the construction of the expansive Gateway network that unites the disparate people of the Shards.