First Night Eve, 1075
I sit here at what I hope will be the beginning of a wondrous journey in chronicle form, and I cannot help but feel inadequate to the task. To tell a tale a thousand years in the making; what mere man would not be daunted by this task? But as Semjaza would say… let the journey entertain; the destination will arrive under your feet when it is ready.
My jovial friend has a saying for nearly every situation.
I have lived for more than 50 seasons among the Sahenda, learning their lore. I have written hundreds of pages in my journals about their way of life. Many of my entries are in a documentary form. Others are presented as anecdotes and tales. Still others are a retelling as they were originally told to me, to preserve the flavor of the experience. As I enter the autumn of my life, it is my hope to leave behind a surviving record so that future generations may appreciate the Sahenda even as I do.
One may hope – if I tell my tales properly – that others may come to love my adopted kin as I have, and perhaps take up the task of chronicling them when I am gone. For this remarkable culture is dying, and I do not wish to see their knowledge lost.
To properly tell their tale, I must start by telling you my own. I am Eoghain, and in these pages I invite you to join my journey.