[The frontpiece of the book is emblazoned with a warm, glowing sun
setting over an endless sea.]

Within these pages, I have attempted to describe the wonders that Serin
inspires in me. It is my wish that someday a young mind may read it,
feel inspired to take up the mantle of Water and see the world with new
eyes.

This humble offering is dedicated to my Lord Kedaleam, and the bright
youth of our future.

May these waters ever guide you and keep you safe.

Serra, Paradigm of Water

Springs
-------
From the earth, a spring emerges. The source of all life, a birth. Do
you hear it burbling there? It speaks of endless possibilities, of
boundless potential, only if one were to sip it and gain its strength.

Each of us, adventuring, may fall to distraction out of the pangs of thirst.
Springs borne from the heart of Serin nourish us and grant us the clarity to
focus on our daily tasks. Their ablutions clean the toils from our bodies,
granting us tranquility and restoration.

To water, we owe everything.

Streams
-------
Deep in the Ford, where the giants dwell, a stream runs between the hills.
Once they were not hills, but a plain. With the passing of time, this
humble trickle eroded them into their current formations, revealing sand,
boulders, and the resting place of a giant with a heart of a drum.

From the guild to the world outside, a young giant slowly strives. Elves
and gnomes with their creativity and wisdom sculpt themselves with
lightning. But those gifted differently must seek their inner calm and
persevere.

With patience and humility the smallest stream can achieve great things.

Rivers
------
The mighty rivers of Serin connect its major cities. Within each pulses
the life of Serin, and from one to another a traveler may drift, seamlessly.
In addition to travelers, these conduits carry the evidence of our lives
away from their source to a common end. In this manner, downstream, one
might find a boot, a gnawed bone, a discarded cloak carried by the currents
from a civilization elsewhere. Peering into a river, one may thus see
currents carrying both the present and the past; and in the predictable
movement of it, have a glimpse of the future.

Waterfalls
----------
The mightiest waterfall is found in the Orcish Mountains. Standing
before it, one is awed by the sheer natural majesty that can be found in
Serin, and the power of water when it follows its natural course. Should
you brave the slippery climb up the rocks, you will reach its Source and
discover how its irrepressible vitality surges forth, fed by a stream grown
into a river by the joining of water from Earth and Sky.

One might imagine such a mighty fount to be timeless and eternal, for the
sheer number of raindrops collected in its thundering flow are infinite, and
no construct dares to contain it. But look closer. The rocks you climbed
were once sharp, now worn smooth. Once this waterfall was but a trickle.

Ponds
-----
A minnow is born in a pond. It emerges from its egg sac, safe in the
school of its siblings. The only predator is an occasional turtle or bird
whose shadow announces its intent. Within this small pond, the water is
tranquil. Plentiful nourishment is found here, and the minnow has ample
opportunities to learn. It is blessed by the location of its birth, but it
does not realize its fortune, having known only this. Many minnows are
satisfied with their lot, but not this one. It yearns, whether by nature or
of its own accord, to know - to be - something greater.

Across Serin, many ponds exist such as this, and many minnows of all sorts.

Lakes
-----
One day a heavy rain causes the pond's edges to overflow, and the minnow
tumbles into a stream, which feeds into a lake. Suddenly its life is
fraught with dangers. Hungry pike and eels lunge from the depths and behind
rocks. The comfortable anonymity of its school has been stripped away.
Food must be hunted or found. It is alone now, and must learn its
independence, or die in the attempt. But it need not travel alone forever.
In the lake it finds other fish who have emerged from other ponds. It may
form its own school, for there is safety in numbers. Weaker fish may learn
to outwit their enemies, while stronger ones may learn to defend and fight
back. And the depths of the lake are filled with new opportunities to
learn, and many crevices to explore, some even with lost treasure.

Very rarely does a minnow who has found a lake return to the pond of its
birth. But many find themselves fulfilled by the lake, and over time, some
may even forget there was ever a pond, ever a life of safety, quiet and
stillness.

Oceans
------
Some minnows are cast not into a lake, but the ocean. Here, mighty waves
and currents toss them about. The God of Water has his own destiny for
these minnows, one they cannot hope to fully control. The waters are
different, saltier. For some this brings a new element and flavor to life;
for others, it makes the water more difficult to breathe. Predators of
legend lurk here - sharks, whales, even sea dragons. Gulls and hawks and
pelicans swoop from the sky. But there is such immense enrichment to be
found as well. Brilliantly colorful creatures are found in the depths. The
minnows learn to embrace the vast diversity of life and to learn from each.
Some may learn to find and instill their own order amid the chaos of the
ocean. Others simply allow the tides to carry them upon their rise and ebb.

All learn to worship the God of Water, for his benefaction offers an anchor
against the known and unknown dangers of enemies, whirlpools, and storms.

Clouds
------
High above Serin collects the respiration, perspiration, and
transpiration of all living things. Seeded with dust sloughed from the
skins of the living, these droplets form clouds. They carry within them the
memories and exertions of countless lives, all mingled anonymously in the
heavens. Over time, they become pregnant with these memories. When the
winds bid them, they release their torrents upon us below, who have
forgotten. In purging themselves, they wash us clean.

At dawn, the sun's waking rays stir vapors from the surface of the sea
and release the dew from sleeping leaves. A bird takes off, its resting
branch dipping and jostling as its weight releases. Tiny droplets swirl
lazily in its wake. The drowsy sounds of morning stirs are muffled by the
weight of the fog.

From above, the mist looks just like a sea made of clouds nestled against
the shore. Atop a cliff, a lone figure stands. The seabird circles below,
and below that, invisible waves whisper upon the hidden rocks. The figure
breathes. The air, full of ocean, and the vigor of Serin, flows into it.
And as it exhales, it becomes one with the mist.