Olivia asked me the other night why I spend so much time keeping this diary.

I told her I wasn't really sure, I just knew that is was important, to me anyway. So I've spent some time thinking about it.

When I started it was really just a tool, I guess. Something that made it a little easier to wrap my brain around what was going on. It all seemed so unreal until I wrote it down.

Then we got so busy in the day-to-day activities of trying to set up a household of a few thousand people and I slacked off.

Then came that trip to Utah, to try to find what we had hoped would be a treasure trove stocked for us by the NDR. It was indeed a treasure trove and we are still using so many of the items we took that day.

But it was after that trip that I realized that the tales I write here aren't important only to me. I must let anyone who may read these (and I didn't ever intend anything I write here to be a secret from anyone) know of the things we have done and seen and created.

So, I will continue to spend nights by a fire on the road or by a candle at home giving myself writers cramp so that people will know of the deeds of King Malcolm the First. Of Olivia, the Vizier of his Kingdom. Of her companion Alfred, a boy so very wise beyond his years. Of Michael, leader of Malcolm's scouts and his wife Vesta. Of my dear friend, whom I hope to see again one day, Stephanie. And myself, Priestess of Corellon, and comrade in arms to the bravest and most valiant of the post-Changed.

After I wrote this, we succeeded in talking Olivia into recording some of her memories of the early days. Her entries will be indexed along with mine, but denoted by a different graphic - as if you couldn't tell our writing styles apart!

My entries will continue to use the "quill and paper" graphic, while Olivia's will use a set of books.