The Ferrymen

The Ferrymen are a group of bandits, primarily operating in Cymru. The Ferrymen were formed on 18th of April, building a tower in the former town of Istanboulder.

They are most notable for being valiant warriors and followers of BB00N.

As of 21st April 2021, they are active participants in the ongoing Ferrymen war. They have so far won a major battle against the Anti-bandit Coalition and managed to kill StoryStudio, the first Emperor of Yimmu-Audal, and Unic0rnb0i, chancellor of Bardonia.



"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men, true nobility lies in being superior to your former self." -  D. Doug

Propaganda
“To the downtrodden, labourers and toilers of the world,

''

We present a chance to at last put an end to those who would only provide for themselves and to finally rebalance the scales of society. Those who turn their noses up at the common man, and spit as they work tirelessly from the comfort of their own filled coffers. Our roster focuses upon community and the protection of the honest working man or woman. We as a group strive to ensure that the widening divide between the wealthy and the poor is abolished; giving all a chance to provide for a greater society. Until this great societal imbalance is put to an end, all on the opposite side of the scale, providing nothing will be targeted. Those being merchants, bankers or of sufficient rank, will either have to pay their way fairly, balancing the scales rightfully so. If not, they will be put to work forcefully to finally toil away alongside the good working man; for they are fundamental pillars of society.''

''

If you are one of the many that work tirelessly on a day to day basis, yet receive nothing in return except for snotty, unjustified comments by the lounging nobleman. We invite you to join our band recognized as the Ferrymen, where you will no longer have to endure the hardships of this unsparing society.”''

- Propaganda Pamphlet produced by the Ferrymen

Initiation
To become fully integrated into the band, one must first:

Become credible, members of our roster shall not point to others for the problems of the world. They shall strive towards the solving of problems, acting upon their own accord. To humble oneself and to become integrated, they must remove one finger from their offhand so they can no longer point said blame and direct it onto others; also a sign of loyalty. This act is also to ensure the loyalty of the fledgling member.

Become fair, no man who is truly fair will hold entirely onto their precious mina, nor their bourgeois artefacts, or items or value. They should instead share a percentage of their own monetary value with those at the other side of the scale, creating balance and ultimately fairness. To exhibit their fairness, during their integration all members should either share some of their wealth with another on the other side of the scale. That or take mina or items of value from a particularly intemperate merchant, or nobleman to provide for somebody less fortunate.

Become judicious, it is expected that those fully integrated into the community show good judgement and greater understanding. Nobody is truly shown to be capable of fine judgment until put into a demanding situation, in which they must choose between one thing or another; ending in the correct verdict. During their times on the roads, it is inevitable that they come across a particularly caustic and unwilling noble, or merchant. The member must judge the wastrel of whether to remove the eyeball of the individual for looking down upon those below them. It is a plain as day problem, with a demanding, yet faithful verdict.

Traditions
''Despite the majority of noblemen, merchants and whatnot staging their kind to be excessively rapacious, spite-ridden and a disgrace to society. Not all are unforgivable. We, the Ferryman offer redemption to those who show compassion and self-reproach upon death. Each and every person in the band carries a Ferryman’s coin, the passage to the seven skies: Upon demise, the unfortunate one will rise on the opposite side of a lake to their rightful layer of the seven skies, where a boatsman will only allow you aboard his boat if you can pay his toll. The toll being a singular ferryman’s coin, most will remain on the ill-fated side for eternity, gazing on for everlasting reflection on how they should have lived their lives differently.''

''The Ferrymen are enlightened, merciful folk, all being in possession of at least one of these coins. So when a scandalous, wicked noble or merchant wallows in the jaws of death, said Ferryman may grant them passage through to the seven skies. It is the purest form of mercy, where the Ferryman will place their coin into the mouth of the man or woman at death’s door. They may choose to keep the coin in their mouth, granting them passage to the skies. But most will not plead, but instead endure their last moments of their life still ill-natured, spitting the coin out and nullifying this final act of mercy.''

Battle of Bardonian Fort Lee
On April 18th 5 the Ferrymen raided New Dorasterrock killing a few and managing to escape with some gear stolen and camped outside the walls, later a group of 6 Bardonian soldiers gathered on the walls and prepared for a counter attack. The troops jumped down to give chase to the Ferrymen. The fighting began at the construction zone for Bardonian Fort Lee where fighting was intense with cobwebs being placed all over by the Ferrymen to slow down the Bardonian charge, although the Bardonians lost 4 of their 6 troops they managed to force the Ferrymen into retreat and killed 3 of the 5 and managing to retrieve a large portion of their gear. But sadly this was only going to be a skirmish compared to what was about to happen next.

First Battle of Istanboulder/Charge of Stone
In retaliation the member states of the Anti Bandit League rallied their forces as they prepared for battle against the Ferrymen. In the first attack/raid on the Ferrymen base at the ruins of Istandboulder. In this battle multiple Sewer Mafia members and several Niedene Spirits lead a raid on the Ferrymen tower at Istanboulder using only stone axes and wielding no armor except the skin of Greentomato in honour of him. Although all of the attackers were quickly defeated and killed many Ferrymen reported to have died or have weakened armor. Soon after the first engagement, words of an upcoming war declaration from The Ferrymen on Bardonia spread quickly. As a response to the hearsay, choochie15, a citizen of Vraelea, was requested to claim a Dalatra's Ring around The Ferrymen's tower by Mobius, the leader of The Anti-Bandit League and Grand Lieutenant of Bardonia, and Chancellor Uni. The funds were sent from the Bardonian treasury and not long after, a claimed ring encircled The Ferrymen and their tower. Thanks to the distraction caused by the Sewer Mafia and attention to building on their own land, the Ferrymen did not notice this. Before Bardonia could accept or create a war request of their own, a lands war was declared out of nowhere by ViewedMarquis, Theios-Essukdal's Grand Bashar, with the land of Jirn. This influenced a meeting that was being hosted by Uni at the time to switch from a talk of tactics to a rallying call of war. Nations agreed to unite under a single banner for this next upcoming battle which would decide Rathnir's future. In response to this, the Ferrymen began to prepare for the upcoming battle. An advertisement was placed calling for enlistment into their ranks, offering looted gear to those who joined. Their ranks more than doubled on the eve of the battle. A wall and other defensive structures were added around their original tower.

Second battle of Istanboulder/Battle of Ferrymen
On 4/20, at 7:53 EST, the battle of Istanboulder commenced. The Coalition of Bardonia, TE, Uldarash, Viodoxa, Aurlûnor, and many more, gathered in a small stonebrick fort to the southeast of the Ferrymen fort, a large structure of netherrack and wood. Unic0rnb0i organized the fighters into 4 groups of 5-10 people each, as it was noticed from the Ferrymen's youtube that they'd often lure people into groups of 4-5. The Ferrymen brought more players from wherever they come from to assist in the defense. When the war started, the coalition waited for about 30 minutes before attacking. Many Ferrymen sat between their fort and the coalition outpost, one with a large herd of angry dogs. The coalition eventually attacked out, they encircled the fort, and many minor skirmishes occurred. The first large exchange happened in front of the front gate of the fort, which was left open by the Ferrymen, but the attackers never forced their way inside, and the Ferrymen placed blocks in front of the gates to block their way. They broke off more. The longest chase of the battle happened with The60th, who was chased by many soldiers until he was cornered in a river and killed. The coalition sustained many more deaths at the hands of the smaller force of Ferrymen. There was significant fighting in the forest to the north, northeast, and to the south. The battle was won by the Ferrymen who drove back the Coalition. Unic0rnb0i who was the leader of Bardonia lost his canon life in the battle, this led to chaos erupting in Bardonia later on.