“Why let our past – of which we know so little – dictate our future? Why let our fear of what we’ve forgotten hold us to ransom? Letting go of our former selves and our old customs is the only way to achieve progress. This will be a leap of faith, but once you make it, I promise you this: a new Dunia awaits.”
- Freeman Serrano, overheard proselytising at a survivors’ camp
The Heralds of New Dunia (informally known as the Heralds) is a group of survivors who view the collective loss of their memories as an opportunity to rebuild civilization altogether. They consider it their duty to ensure that this new era is one of peace and prosperity, free from the dangers that have just brought the Dunian race to its knees. In order to achieve this end, members of the Heralds have one guiding principle: memories of the past are a prison. Trying to rebuild their former lives, they say, will only lead them to make the same mistakes that brought the world to ruin before. The Heralds therefore elect to abandon their past so that they are able to reinvent themselves and live with renewed purpose. If all Dunians adopt this philosophy, they can adapt to the strange new world they have found themselves in.
Members are encouraged to strive towards the ideal of a remade individual – that is, one who adopts a new purpose to guide their lives. This could be a definite end goal that a member strives towards, or just a set of principles to live by. Some Heralds go further than this, reinventing more aspects of themselves. For example, certain members have chosen to change their names, how they dress or their manner of speaking as it suits them. However, many have been welcomed into the group for other reasons, without them making such drastic changes. Perhaps these members don’t like what they have remembered about themselves and are looking to start their lives anew. Or perhaps they have forgotten everything that once kept them going – their friends and family, their former jobs, and so on – and are left with nowhere else to turn for sanctuary.
The Heralds also want to use their philosophy to improve life for Monument's inhabitants. Their most pressing concern is society as a whole. They speculate about the possibility of starting a form of governance that puts personal freedom above all. The group is sceptical of authority figures deciding how the surviving population should live their lives, and instead want authority to only have as little influence as is necessary for their survival. Outside said influence, an individual would be able to live as they choose and pursue their own ambitions freely. Broadly, the Heralds oppose the idea of re-establishing government as it previously existed - such an institution would just be another relic of the past, after all.
Although excessive fascination with historical information for its own sake is discouraged, the Heralds want to ascertain the cause of the recent calamity so that any hypothetical future crises can be averted. They also value technological developments, with some members dedicating themselves to engineering and invention.
The Heralds lack a formal hierarchy, but in practice certain members have higher authority. As the group’s founding member and the prime mover of its ideals, Freeman Serrano is recognised as the de facto leader. Below him, there are several members who are particularly influential. Such influence could be gathered by establishing a clear new purpose for oneself, as so to act as an example for other members to follow, or simply by being outspoken in meetings.
The group frequently holds discussions of its aims and future plans among all of its members. Meetings are held outside in public, since no pre-existing building could be considered fit to hold meetings in as a matter of principle. As a result, their discussions are often aired for all to hear.