"Tabula" is a Harlequin term for the Brethren . It comes from the Latin phrase tabula rasa (i.e. blank slate). Those opposed to the Tabula believe that this secret group sees the human mind as a blank slate before impressions are recorded upon it by experiences in the world. They believe that the Tabulas want to fill up the mind with messages of fear and obedience, thereby controlling the world's population. If true, the tabula rasa theory does suggest why Tabula has usually tried to exterminate Travelers . The existence of Travelers suggests the existence of an inherent knowledge not tied to expediential reality. A different "truth" – as valid our own particular reality – may exist in another realm.