Blackwolf's Dossier:

An Introduction

ow that you've found your way here to my Dark Chambers, which, by the way, continues on as a key component of Richard Washington's Blackbeard's Castle, methinks a proper, albeit slightly revised, resume of me humble person is in order. For several aeons, I had wanted to share my background with many of you Mortals, mainly because so many of you were nice enough to ask a good deal of questions concerning my life and adventures. In the beginning, I was a little fearful of taking on such a challenge. Then again, it hit me: I didn't grow me beard, much less wind up wearing these wizardly garments, based solely upon me good looks!

Until recently, as my Dossier will show you, during my many travels through the Multiverse, I used to bring along me official, painstakingly hand-crafted business cards. (Richard tells me that Mortals find business cards to be very, very essential. I, for one, can't imagine why.) Now, you may have noticed that those cards (I've since had to use signs, into the bargain) identified yours truly as "New York City's Unofficial Wizard." (The aforenoted signs which I now use serve basically the same purpose.) For those of you were wondering why that is, let me explain that, as Unofficial Mage and Sorcerer-in-Residence of the City, County and State of New York, my duties are basically to instill the power and force of imagination and creativity within the young and the young-at-heart of the greatest city in the Mortals' realm --- what they themselves call "the Big Apple." Like most of the many duties I have taken on over my four millennia of existence, these are tasks I take extremely seriously. What's more --- like young Master Washington himself! --- I don't like leaving ANYTHING unfinished!

And yet, for all of this, there are still some of you --- a good many of whom happen to be amongst my fellow Magic-users --- who are probably seeing these, my Dark Chambers, here in cyberspace for the very first time. And I sense that you're asking yourselves the Really Big Questions:

"Exactly why is that foolish old fuddy-duddy Blackwolf mounting his very own homepage, by thunder? Knows he not the horror that often comes with writing up all that text and so forth? Does he not fear the many dangers one often tends to associate with merely being Webmaster of one's own Domain? And, more to the point, will he let us in on that which he knows?"

Well, my Brother Mages, let me just say this about that:

You're right. Those are indeed noble questions; and I have no quarrel with you as far as answering them is concerned. As you'll see, in order to answer those questions for you properly, it will be necessary to take you back four thousand years in time --- long, long ago before there was ever a civilization among you Mortals. At that time, I lived in a land that the Irish now call County Laoighis, in the village of Abbeyleix.

My name then was Padraig, and I was the Squire and Caretaker in the service of the ruling Ard Rhi, or High King, of Abbeyleix. In fact, I served in that capacity longer than anyone else in the entire realm --- 20 years, to be precise. And indeed, I would have chosen to remain in that humble station had I not inadvertently stumbled upon a bizarre plot that, if carried out, would threaten the peace in Abbeyleix. Still, even though I did save the day in the end, I did not do so without paying a price, alas. The resulting consequences would be just the beginning of a chain of events which ultimately resulted in my discovery, for the very first time, of the fine art of Magecraft --- and, with that discovery, my allegiance (also for the very first time) to the Grand High Istari!

The ultimate purpose, then, of the Dossier which follows is to share with you (once and for all, I hope!) the tale of how I came to be called Dragonmaster! It's a tale that, hopefully, will span the cosmos over my four thousand years of existence and far, far beyond..... to reveal the who, what and why behind this fearless old fuddy-duddy, whose Dark Chambers aren't really as scary as the name implies!

Anyway, that ought to do it as far as prefacing my Dossier is concerned. Now then, if you'll kindly click here, we shall get on with it.