Introductions and Explanations

Greetings, seekers of knowledge, to the personal archives of Professor Bard Scrivner, a name with which those already well versed in the the scholarship of all things dark, mysterious, and usually unseen should be familiar. Perhaps you have read my weekly column on defensive hexwork in The Keep, or perhaps seen my work on vampire disambiguation in Harker's Quarterly. If so, then there is no need for introduction, as you are likely as prepared as possible for the wonders and horrors that await.

I, Prof. Bard Scrivner, am what we learned men call a Scribe. As a Sworn Scribbler of the Order of Ironquill, it has been my duty, and often my delight, to capture on paper all things mysterious, wondrous, and altogether defiant of practical explanation. This glorious vocation, to which I have dedicated the efforts of my many years on this mortal coil, has made my life one of careful, studious observation.

In my years of study, I have accumulated a great wealth of information on a great many topics, and consider myself something of an authority on all things mystical and supernatural. My library is home to such treasures as a first edition of Nathaniel Volken's A History of Hauntings: Ghouls and Ghosts in The New World, an unedited copy of Demetrius Cerebruns's opus, Darkness in the Hearts of Men: Of Human Transformation and Transfiguration, and of course, my prized posession, Vivian Waldorf's own personal handwritten copy of The Sorcerer's Art, a volume I myself have pored over for hours on end. Within my personal collection is perhaps the most complete and comprehensive congregation of occult history in the western world.

After extensive deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that, for the sake of posterity, it is my responsibility to digitally archive as much of this valuable information as possible. First, for ease of access, as  it is my firm belief that knowledge of the world around us is the keenest weapon against  evil one can have in hand, and an informed population is a responsible one. Second, in hopes of preserving the works of many great masters, as a frightful incident with a fire imp in my study very nearly rid the world of the last remaining volumes of noted demonologist Jinni Servidi's Noctumundi, as complete a collection of night walkers as I have ever seen. Third, because my always astute nephew, Toby, insists that print media is a dying beast.

As such, I will soon begin the daunting task of archiving the entirety of my knowledge of the spectacular, a herculean effort which I hope, when completed, will be the crowning achievement of my extensive career.

Special thanks are in order, first of course to you, dear reader, for your time and interest, and second to my nephew Toby, who has taken it upon himself to  manage the more technical aspects of the process which, despite my wealth of occult experience and mystical expertise, have proven to be a bit beyond me.

Professor Bard Scrivner teaches Advanced Hexwork, Serpentine Anatomy, Literology and Creative Writing at the Genevieve Gingerminge School of Practical Magicks. When not teaching, he and his nephew Toby maintain the East Coast's largest collection of occult and supernatural non-fiction literature.