Libram of Three Waters

''Written by Exarch Archaeduun shortly after the fall of Arthas Menethil, the Libram of Three Waters represents an ongoing project by the Exarch to describe and define the place of the draenei, their society, their faith, and their traditions in human society. While not a "holy text" per se, it is decidedly the product of meditations on the Holy Light and its place in draenei life in the modern world. Given the Exarch's (often controversial) close connection with human society, it is little surprise that the libram contains several references to Stormwind and other human kingdoms.''

=((I am Argus and So Can You))= Obviously, that is an OOC title. Just to complete this with an OOC preface in addition to the IC preface, this actually serves something of a purpose other than just me wanking about my (rather infamous) love-affair with the hoofbeasts. In all actuality, the draenei have a lot of lore supporting them and and whole lot that is very, shall we say, "suggested". Obviously, none of this is canon, and I'll probably have parenthetical notes (because I love them so) or even just outright references when something is actual, canon lore. Draenei and the Light need a lot of love, and I may not be the best roleplayer in the world, but I do put a lot of time in, and especially so with draenei- and Light-stuff, so I might as well do some better for the whole. Also, this will probably be the only OOC section, but if there's another, it'll be obvious which it is. Also, this is going to be under development and will likely end being quite huge, so expect a lot of formatting for easy navigation if anyone actually reads this crap. (It will get more interesting as it goes on.)

=Who I Am= ''((Seriously, you don't need to read this. It's practically a stylistic block of text that's here to add meat while still adding content. Note the ironic "I'll try to keep it short and simple" bit, keep in mind that, by the description of the tradition, this is short and simple.))''

On Tradition
There is an old tradition among eredar in these kinds of texts, obviously dating back to a time when we did not have the graces of the Holy Light to inspire our tomes. All the stodgiest of tomes were prefaced with long, generally boring chapters of who the writer was. In a way, it makes logical sense. Most of my old metallurgy texts included dozens of pages of dissertation proofs in the preface for the sake of proving the authour actually knew what he was writing about. I understand that for all but the oldest draenei, this is an annoying practice, so I'll try to keep it short and simple. I also understand the urge to skip past this, and believe me, I wouldn't mind. Light knows I generally did (and still do).

Origin
I am of an age that I belong to a tradition that I do not bother "tracking" my age, I remember Velen being old when I was young, but that really doesn't mean much. In terms that a human would understand, I am, as of this writing, between fifty- and eighty-thousand years of age, barring an accident or act of war, I still have a good deal of time left ahead of me. There is a reason "old age" was never a common cause of death for our kind, even during the most peaceful days on Argus.

I was born and spent nearly my entire life on Argus in southern Mac'aree, near the meeting point of three of the great city's larger canals and not too far from the foothills of Kaarinos. My father was a tradesman and happy in his and his father's caste, as a researcher in the field of metallurgy; he was a particularly stern, cold man, however, and though I can look back on him with more reason now, hindsight and my own age still do not paint a particularly kind picture of the man. My mother, slightly less stern, was an arcanist and astronomer, dedicated in her field and a true genius compared to my father's more mundane (if well-applied) wits.

Admittedly, I carried little of my parents' interest in scholarly pursuits. I studied metallurgy and only barely became recognised in the field before more or less abandoning my family and past to live on the shores of one of the city's canals to pilot a ferry in the mornings and evening for the tradesmen. For several millennia, I fished in the day, piloted my ferry and slept comfortably in a small rent house.

Development
I stagnated until I met my wife, a local seamstress and employee of the restaurant where I sold my fish. She was a lovely, warm-natured woman with a sharp mind, well-fed appearance and standards that ruled out a scraggly, long-haired ferryman. After a few years of trying (and failing miserably) at getting her romantic attentions, we slowly developed a friendship that made me a better, more thoughtful man, she awakened parts of my mind I had left fallow since my time in school.

After we married, she convinced me to join the military as a Peacekeeper in my new caste as a Defender. This was a much calmer time, of course, when our caste held power over the Vindicators, though obviously, the Exarchs held sway over the whole of the military. At the time of the exodus from the homeworld, we had known peace for generations, the last true war was so far in the past that it was spoken of in mythological terms. The Peacekeepers existed almost as more of a reminder of our calm, stable, authoritarian that had served us so well for so long, we were not then a bulwark against the Legion for the innocent.

The Hand of Argus
With the formation of the Hand of Argus, I left the Peacekeepers and became a Defender in both caste and title within the Hand. My training as a paladin went well, and I can't say really anything other than average. I served at my position, rising within the caste more or less on par with expectations until our arrival on Azeroth. Generally because of my experience and age, I managed to find myself on the periphery of every major assault on Draenor and Azeroth (with the exception of our affairs with the Shattered Sun). While I never led any charges, I served as logistical support and usually in some form of leadership.

The need for Exarchs in the East caused my name to come up as a potential liaison in the Alliance for the Hand of Argus. Although we are obviously part of the overall hierarchy of draenei society and, hence, part of the Alliance, our leadership is very independent and we operate in conjunction with the Alliance, giving us the need to have close contact and communication with Stormwind. I am not exactly willing to say that I am any more naturally adept at politics than any other man, but the fact stands that I was chosen for the position and rose to my current and ultimate position as an Exarch for my political wisdom and experience in the Hand of Argus from its earliest days.

Assertions
At the end of the day, I am a paladin. I am healer, a shieldbearer and an Exarch. I hold citizenship (and pay taxes as "Archaeduun Smith") in Stormwind and have a great love for Azeroth and its peoples. I am a metallurgist, a smith and a faithful adherent to the Light's teachings. As a widower, I know the love of a wife and the pain of loss. As a father, I knew what it was to create something so blessed and wonderful as life, and the random, brutal injustice that is losing that life. I have experience in many fields and expertise in a few, while I am no great scholar, I offer my wisdom in hopes that they will provide something to meditate over.