I didn't say you know the local messengers everywhere/on all planes. I'm pretty sure I've already said this too, but you (meaning your PC) know the local messengers in the places where you (the player) use the feature. That's it, and it isn't nonsensical.
yes it is nonsensical. There is no difference between knowing them everywhere and knowing them everywhere the character uses the feature.
For the latter to be true, the former needs to be true, or you are incredibly lucky, neither of which makes sense
Seriously? It makes perfect sense.
yes, seriously, it makes no sense whatsoever
It's telling you what you know. You know (1) "how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances;" and this knowledge (i.e. (1) above) breaks down "specifically" into (1a) "the local messengers" who can deliver messages for you , (1b) the "corrupt caravan masters" who can deliver messages for you, and (1c) the "seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you." It's saying you know these people as the means (the "how") by which you communicate with your contact. How does that not make sense to you?
you know them locally, not everywhere throughout the multiverse. That would make sense, but since you insist on ‘everywhere you use the feature’ it is simply utter nonsense
I'm honestly not sure what distinction you're trying to make here. Of course your character already knows them! It's knowledge your character gained in their past, thus related to their background as a criminal.
cool, so we agree it is a person you already know beforehand, because last time you did not sound like it was.
So you are telling me from your past as a criminal you know people in every settlement of every world in the multiverse, and they are all part of a multiverse-spanning network that knows your contact and can get messages to them, really? And you are wondering why I say this does not make sense?
You know the local thieves guild in your hometown and maybe a dozen people that can get messages to your contact. That makes sense and is in line with knowing the local messengers, not your ‘wherever you are, that is where you know them’ interpretation
One can obviously know people collectively as a group, which is what the text actually says
that is not what the text says, it is very much talking about individual people that fall into one of several categories… and how do you recognize a member of that group (and now we are back to ‘recognize’ a person, not ‘know’… that did not last long…)?
And that still means there is someone in every town in every world, still complete nonsense, even with that twist of what is written