(( This journal walks the line between story and backstory. The events of the journal take place in the days leading up to the defeat of Zhaitan, whenever your personal canon places that. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of a group of PCs being buddy-buddy with Caithe and Trahearne and Steward Gixx and helping bring down Zhaitan, then please pass off this entire journal as one of Eihann's many fabricated tales about her life.))
I've trained many an Initiate in my time, but there's one who will always hold a special place in my hollow little heart. I met him in the fall of '25: a shy night-blooming boy-sapling named Caedhan.
Would you believe that it was me who hired him into the Order? Hardly more than a sapling myself at the time, working for the Order in their personnel department. It was a good several months before I would be publicly censured and fired; as it turns out I'm not so great at keeping secrets. Which should make this story pretty interesting, don't you think?
To start with, Caedhan was nothing more than an errand boy, tasked with following around that peculiar quartet of Dawn blooms that Caithe had taken such an interest in. The Order didn't consider them important enough to investigate, so they didn't authorize me to look into it. They did however authorize me to scout for talent, recruit new members, and train them as I saw fit. It just so happens that I saw fit to send this particular recruit out sniffing after these Dawn blooms.
Mhairidh, the sapling sorceress. Corduin, the Warden, who quit his job the day he met her. Vaheris, the Mender who quit his job the day he overheard the two of them talking. And Madoc, the quiet one I'd seen with them and gotten one of those "gut feelings" about. I wanted to know more: what they'd Dreamed, what Wyld Hunt had called them, and why they were coming together.
Ah, I still remember how stammering-eager Caedhan was, like a little fernhound pup. Adorable. I saw something more in him than that, though. I don't waste my time with naive sycophants. He had an artist's eye and reflexes like a jungle stalker. He was new and green and malleable and I thought I could shape him into an elegant weapon for the Order.
