Paarfi of Roundwood on Errands

Paarfi of Roundwood on Errands April 23, 2015

“This is the camp of Lord Adron?” said Khaavren.

“None other,” said the Dragonlord.

“Well, this camp is then just what I have been seeking, for I have an errand to His Highness that trembles with impatience and bites its lips with frustration at any delay; wherefore, good soldier, I ask that you let me by so that I and my errand can come to an understanding with each other. I am called Khaavren of Castlerock, and I have the honor to be Captain of His Majesty’s Imperial Guard, and it is on His Majesty’s behalf that I and my errand are come.”

The soldier bowed, “I would like nothing more than to give you and your errand a good welcome, but, alas! His Highness has forbidden errands of any sort upon the site of our camp, and my companions and I fear that you would have some trouble leaving your errand behind, wherefore we hope that you will take no offense if we cannot give way before you.”

— Paarfi of Roundwood, Five Hundred Years After

Khaavren’s errand is, of course, to arrest “His Highness” on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor; His Highness has no wish to be arrested.

Paarfi of Roundwood is a popular historian of the Dragaeran Empire (popular in the sense of writing popular history, rather than being personally popular) who writes in a peculiar and distinctive voice reminiscent of some of the older English translations of Alexandre Dumas, but with his own idiosyncracies and indulgences. I would be remiss if I failed to note that Paarfi is the alter ego of Steven Brust, author of Jhereg and the other Vlad Taltos novels.

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