Acknowledgements

While I consider The Aeonomicon to be a work of a single person, no man is an island, and I am no different. There are many people without whom I would not be the person I am today, or be able to produce what I’ve done here. They deserve my profound gratitude, and I will do my best to live up to that.

To Clover: I am eternally grateful for your love and support, and for teaching me – over and over, and with patience I don’t always deserve – what those words actually mean. Thank you for being my person, for seeing me clearly enough to remind me of who I am, and for making that person someone I'm proud to be.

To the leaders who gave me the privilege of just being a player: Chains, Mudflaps, Stur, Kast, Aradell, Jordan, Panda, Funkey, and Dot. You carried the burden of leadership so I didn’t have to, and you did it well enough that I rarely had to think about it. I learned much from watching each of you lead – directly and by example – and each of you had distinctive lessons to teach. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for the lessons.

To everyone who played for Starcaller – Cerein, Cloud, Crazi, Farshin, Frick, Gloriosum, Iburysox, Konstance, Lothaestus, Martharion, Phiesta, Stormy, Tastykake, Bazze, Bobtheknight, Borkborkbork, Chiaku, Crunch, Drezni, Eien, Emiwoo, Epsilon, Escoo, Hajek, Kai, Matikz, Moranall, Nuleen, Okearney, Pearalta, Pewpewkachoo, Pippen, Pompompoms, Quorum, Rogerrabblt, Rollo, Selrenor, Sinsational, Sporkfed, Yttrium, and Zarol: you agreed to participate in my mad science experiment, you followed where I led, and you gave everything you had while I was still figuring out what I was doing. What we built together – and what we earned – I carry with genuine pride. Thank you for trusting me with it. Thank you for giving me the best of yourselves.

To Chris Metzen, Samwise Didier, Rob Pardo, Jeff Kaplan, Mike Morhaime, Allen Adham, Dustin Browder, Glen Stafford, Matt Uelmen, Glenn Rane, Peter Lee, and Justin Thavirat: there are many names in the Blizzard pantheon, but yours are the ones that come to mind first. You don't know who I am. I know exactly who you are, and what you made has been a critical piece of making me who I am. Thank you for having a vision, and for turning it into something real.

To David Howe: thank you for inspiring this project. May your journeys be joyful and I wish you great success in your new endeavours across the Atlantic.

To everyone at Blizzard – past and present – who has been part of keeping these stories alive: thank you.