A brief word of introduction for those of you who might not know me - I am Caarad Surestrider, an obsidiman troubadour in the employ of the Great Library of Throal. My Name is pronounced car-odd, so please be sure to get the enunciation correct if, for whatever reason, an occasion rises where you would speak it. As for my affix, that is a tale I shall speak of later.

Since before the Scourge and after, it has been my great honor to serve Kings Varulus I, II and III. Of course, I did not serve His Majesty Varulus the Second very well as I fell asleep soon after the Gates of Throal were sealed. As someone who knew of the world before the Scourge, King Varulus the Third (Passions bless him and guide us) sought me out to help map out the tremendous changes wrought by the Horrors. I was given the honor of being a crew member on the first flight of the Earthdawn. It is one of those tales that, while upsetting at the time, ended up being a strange stroke of luck. Captain Longfang grew steadily upset with me because I insisted that we circle certain areas for an extended period of time. Granted, Horrors would usually be flying about but sometimes progress requires risk. I could never convince her how important precision is in the art of topography. That necessary attention to detail combined with my natural obsidiman desire to do a job properly are what make me an excellent mapmaker. Alas, my talents went unappreciated and I declined a position on the second voyage. I suppose the Passions felt they still had some use for me.

For the next sixty years, I led numerous expeditions to the four corners of Barsaive. In 1486, I was a part of the Ristular Incident of Urupa. Afterwards, I spent ten years in my Liferock recovering from the events that I witnessed and participated in. I swore never to discuss the details to anyone outside my Liferock, so do not bother to look for any notes by me on the matter. Not even Merrox himself could sway me otherwise. I returned to the Great Library on the condition that my missions were less strenuous. It may surprise you, but even the hard exterior of an obsidiman grows soft over the long passage of time. We do not live past six-hundred years by crawling through citadels and kaers our entire lives.

My position for the past eleven years has been to assist the scholars of Throal in completing their various treatises and journals. Whether finding a passage from a book in Travar or getting a document of authenticity signed by a merchant in Jerris, I gather the more difficult details necessary to make a work worthy of the Great Library. My most recent endeavor, for which you are reading this introduction, was to conduct interviews with the group, Bearers of Akasha and to provide accurate descriptions of them and those with whom the group are heavily associated.

Oh, how foolish of me, I almost forget to mention the origin of Surestrider. I confess it has a rather dubious origin. It was given to me by Master Merrox himself for a very simple reason - after the Earthdawn tragedy, I refused to ever go anywhere my own two feet would not take me. This makes deadlines rather difficult to meet, but as the saying goes, "When the immovable object meets the irresistible force, the obsidiman always wins." So, I walk the land in search of legends. My friend, to walk with me, you need only turn the pages. May the Passions guide you and all of us in these uncertain days...

Caarad Surestrider
17 Rua, 1509

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Last Updated 05/19/98 by John/Paul

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