Four hundred years after the founding of the glorious Seleucarian Empire, it encountered one of its greatest crises: the Wars of Succession. Although a time of great peril for Seleucar, and possibly the entire continent of Sapience, the Wars of Succession also gave rise to one of the most enduring stories of history—the legendary romance of Catarin deSangre and Lucaine Pyramides, its bitter result, and Catarin's meteoric rise to power from the deepest level of despair.
As before, I tell this story as a librarian, not as a historian: I call on the voices of literature to speak for me, for I myself have little skill for writing. If you have read my compilation detailing the founding of the Seleucarian Empire, you will notice that the following texts call less upon the abilities of historians (with the exception of the famed Meleus Travner, and my own scholarly nephew Orson), and more upon the personal writings of the principal figures themselves. How better to detail the love of Lucaine Pyramides than through his own poetry? How better to detail Catarin's uncertainty and hope than through her own letters? How better to show the breadth of Castomira's evil than through her own gloating journals?
After decades of research, this tome is complete. I welcome your commentary. Address your missives to Tancred Lasalle, 15 Stagira Blvd., Ashtan. The Great Library of Nicator was destroyed by divine wrath after one of my legendary delays in publication, or I would simply direct you to my offices there. With a bitter smile, I hope that in time I may be redeemed, through quality if not through diligence.
Tancred Lasalle, Exiled Librarian
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