The Great Library of Palanthas

Astinus' Office

Dominating the center of this room is a massive birch desk. Legend claims this desk has supported the thousands of volumes of history Astinus has recorded. A large pot of ink, a container of sharpened quills, and a candelabra complete the desks decorations. Small windows line the room, allowing light to trickle in and gently illuminate the entire room. A comfortable couch rests against the west wall. Tapestries hang on the walls between the windows. Shelves line the walls, filled with tomes of the more recent records of heroes and villians upon the face of Krynn.

The librarian notices you aren't reading anything... Astinus hands a small book to an Aesthetic standing by you. You note the spine bears the word 'Wygz' scribed in earth-colored green ink. As you glance down at the page you read..

From the pages of Wygz's book..


Author: Wygz Date: Thu Apr 5 14:41:25 2018 Subject An Odd Arrival

The harbour master sits on his stool in front of the writing desk holding the mooring manifest. He lets out a heavy sigh, then looks up to the sinking sun. A smile crosses his face as he realizes his shift is nearly over, but the smile turns to a frown as another small boat sails into the Bay of Branchala. Clearly an elven ship, which was odd these days, but this one is very peculiar. Its sails are a dark grey with a white quilted pattern. Interconnected in that pattern is a symbol that looks like an open book. The hull itself is of elven make, but there are odd runes about the entirety of it. The heavy set man watches as the boat comes closer, seeing the pilot is the only person on the boat causes his eyebrow to rise. As it approaches, the sails seem to furl themselves. The boat comes into moor and stops just shy of touching the dock itself and the elf pilot steps off in a single fluid motion. It is at this time that the harbour master realizes that the elf has been reading a book the entire time. The man stands mouth agape as the elf casually walks by, his head in his old book. The pilot is peculiarly dressed with a sort of matching jacket, vest, and trousers. He holds the book in one hand, and in the other he has a sort of parasol held along with his luggage. The man comes back to himself and calls out to the elf, "Sir, excuse me, sir." Then again louder to break the elf's attention, "Oi, elf!" The odd elf stops, then seems to finish the passage he is reading before looking up with a pleasant smile, "I am sorry, sir, how can I help?" The harbour master finds himself swallowing his annoyance as if unable to remain frustrated at the elf, "There is a mooring fee, sir." The elf starts at this, then looks back at his boat. "My goodness, thank you for reminding me, I had completely forgotten." The human finds a loss for words as the pilot walks right past him again towards the boat. The suited elf sets his luggage down then waves his umbrella at the boat a few times and suddenly it is no longer there, or so the man thinks. The elf then walks to the edge of the dock where the ladder stands. Then, setting his book and umbrella on the dock, he climbs down the ladder. When he climbs back up, he is carrying what looks like an identical model of the boat. He opens his portmanteau and tucks it inside, despite the obvious lack of space based on the bag's dimensions. The peculiar elf then takes up his things and gives a broad smile to the man. The elf walks up to the man, the large man's mouth agape once more. The elf, still smiling, presents the old book he has been reading to the harbour master, "For your troubles, and would you mind pointing me in the direction of the great library?" Without saying a word, the harbour master points towards the direction of the library and watches as the elf begins the walk down the docks then into the city, reflecting on the peculiarity of the encounter. After the elf disappears from sight, he looks down at the title of the book, 'The Wonders of Istar, and Other Reasons to Visit the City of Virtue'.

Author: Wygz Date: Tue May 1 19:58:45 2018 Subject A Declined Request

The Aesthetic makes her way through the hallways of the Great Library at a brisk walk. She reverently holds a folded sheet of paper in her hands, its edges fluttering slightly as she makes her way back to the entrance of the building. She slows down and collects herself before turning the corner and entering the large entry hall. In a corner of the room, sitting in a cushioned chair and reading an ancient book is an elf in peculiar garb. She gets within a few feet of the elf, expecting him to react to her presence. Instead, the elf continues reading the old tome as if he was completely unaware of his surroundings. The Aesthetic clears her throat once, then twice, then finally speaks, "Sir?" "Oh, excuse me," the elf says, as he plucks his bowler hat off his knee and stands, "It seems I was lost in my book. Shall we go see him?" The elf gives the Aesthetic a delighted smile as he peers deep into her eyes. The woman breaks the elf's gaze and looks down as she reaches out her hand, presenting the slip of paper. "The Chronicler will not see you now. He is much too busy at the moment." "Oh, of course," the elf says, unphased by the declining of his request to see Astinus. He opens the small sheet of paper and reads its contents, a small smile crossing his face. "Tell him that I understand, and will return," he says as he refolds the piece of paper and places it in his book before snapping it shut. As he shuts the book, the Aesthetic is able to make out the title, 'Sir Loren Soth, Protector of Pilgrims'. She eyes the elf as he tucks the book into a pocket inside his odd jacket. As she eyes his clothing, she notices the open book pin on his lapel and her eyebrow rises. The elf reaches down and retrieves his luggage from beside his chair, and with a nod states, "Well, thank you, Miss. I hope to see you again soon." He turns on his heel and makes his way to the exit. He opens it, then stops as he notices the rain outside. He replaces the bowler hat on his head, then pulls out a black umbrella from between the handles of his portmanteau. With luggage back in hand, he looks back and gives a wave for the Aesthetic, then opens his umbrella and steps out into the rain, disappearing into the haze.

Author: Wygz Date: Fri Jan 11 16:20:40 2019 Subject Conversation on High, pt. 1

The freezing wind whips through the mountain range as a figure trudges through the deep snow, seemingly unphased by the cold weather. The high elf merely reaches up to insure his felt bowler hat is not lifted off of his head. He finally puts away the book he is reading as he finds he is no longer able to keep the pages from rustling around. He stops a moment to fish something out of the pockets of his overcoat, leaning heavily on his blackthorn walking stick. Finally, his hand emerges holding a pair of theater glasses, and after speaking an arcane word, puts them up to his eyes. He scans his surroundings before a slight smile crosses his face and he tucks the small binoculars back into his overcoat. Changing his direction, he makes his way directly for a rock outcropping not far from his location. After a few moments he reaches the rocky area, and with a chuckle, steps through the hard surface and into a small cave. The curious elf glances around before setting down his large portmanteau and opening it up. He digs around within the suitcase, his entire upper body nearly disappearing into the extradimensional space. After a moment of searching the portmanteau, he pulls out a full-size, standalone coat rack. He sets the coat rack in the corner of the cave then removes his overcoat and places it on a hook before brushing it clean. He then removes his bowler hat, revealing his undercut, and places the hat on another hook. Finally, he leans the blackthorn walking stick on the rack and and straightens the edges of his odd grey suit. He begins to walk deeper into the cave, swinging his umbrella forward before letting the tip of it fall to the ground with a tap. With his book open in his hand once more, the elf makes his way through tunnels, some natural and others dug out, deep into the mountain. Even with the pitch blackness surrounding him, he seems to find his way without any issue and still read his book. Finally, he reaches a large open cavern that is permeated with a magical light that appears to have no source. In the center of the massive cavern, sits a small cottage that would fit better on the Plains of Solamnia than deep inside a mountain. Despite being engrossed in his ancient tome, he heads directly for the cottage door that has been painted a brilliant gold. He stops just short of the door, but does not turn his gaze to it immediately. Instead, he continues reading the section of the book in his hand. Finally, he closes the book, then after taking a deep breathe, he raises his umbrella to rap on the door. Before he can knock on the door, however, its latch clicks and the door slowly creeks ajar. The peculiar elf raises an eyebrow at the door, then reaches out with his umbrella and pushes the door further. It swings open to reveal a space significantly larger than the cottage itself. With a whistle of appreciation, he steps into the cottage and takes a look around. The entryway would feel more appropriate in a Solamnic castle's great hall. Several fires burn in multiple fireplaces throughout the room. Other than the fireplaces, the room is virtually unlit, leaving large swathes of shadows. As the elf takes a few steps in, a large shadow shifts at the back of the hall, "It has been sometime since I have had a guest." Out of the shadows steps an ancient looking human, and though his features would make him seem as though he were close to death, the way he holds himself is like that of a younger and stronger man. Upon seeing the man, the elf stops and waits for his host to approach, then lowers himself into a deep bow. He holds himself nearly folded over for a moment before standing straight, his head still bowed, "It is an honor to be the one to pay you a visit, Mister Glister. I am Wygz." The elf opens the book he was reading and pulls out a slip of paper, then presents the tome to the old man, "Please accept this gift from my own collection."

Author: Wygz Date: Fri Jan 11 16:25:59 2019 Subject Conversation on High, pt. 2

For a moment, a greedy grin crosses the man's face as he reaches out and takes the book from the elf and reads the cover. The human gives a large belly laugh at reading the title, 'Of the first Inhabitants of Krynn'. "An excellent gift, to be sure. Please, make yourself at home, Master Wygz," Glister indicates a pair of overstuffed chairs sitting next to a lit fireplace, "Would you care for an elvish wine? I have forgotten its vintage, but it is from a time before Kith-Kanan." A delighted smile touches the elf's face and he nods as he approaches the chairs, "That would be lovely. Thank you, sir." The high elf takes a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs and stares into the fire as if remembering a time long ago, "It has been sometime since I have had a good elven wine. The older vintages are becoming harder and harder to come by." "All too true, friend. It is good to see that some have not forgotten how to visit one of us. I suppose you could say the older vintages of people are becoming harder and harder to come by," the man says with a warm smile, "But, I expect you did not come here just for a visit. I chose this location for its distance from civilization." The man looks over the elf a moment then smiles, "You are here for a book, no doubt." "Not that I would appreciate the conversation, but yes, I have been sent here by the Chronicler." With a grin on his face, the human sets the wine, cork already removed, and two glasses on the small table between the two chairs. He then walks over to a bookshelf that takes up much of the long wall. As he goes straight for a particularly old tome, he replies, "There is no reason you cannot stick around after our business is done. I would appreciate the company of one, such as yourself." He pulls the old, but well preserved tome from the shelf, "I presume that you are aware there are very few of this title left on Krynn, and that this is the oldest." Wygz smiles and nods and he pours a small amount of wine into each crystal glass, "I am well aware. I make it a point to ensure the delivery of every book in the same condition in which I receive it." "I believe that you are speaking the truth, and I have not met another in this age that I would entrust this to," he says as he returns with the book and holds it out to the elf, "And it doesn't hurt that the Lorekeeper sent you." The mage graciously accepts the tome, then checks the title. With a smile, he whispers something under his breath then taps his index finger on the book before tucking it next to him on the chair. "Thank you, sir," he says as the human sits down in the chair on the other side of the table and pulls out a pipe and lights it with magic. "I do not suppose, you have a spare? I seem to have lost mine." With a smile, the man opens a box on the table to reveal an elegantly carved meerschaum pipe. The carving is made to resemble an ancient elf lord. "You may have it, friend. It was once a present from one of your clan, and it is only fair it return to its heir." The elf reverently removes the pipe from the box and inspects it, a look of recognition crossing his face. He then turns to pose the man a question, but before he can get a word out, he gets his answer, ""Yes, sir. It is." The elf looks at the pipe for a moment, before retrieving a leather pouch from his jacket and packing the bowl and lighting it with his own magic, "Well, I suppose if you have the time, I would like to hear about why it was you decided to seclude yourself up here in these mountains, if you do not mind." The man smiles and nods, "Well, I suppose it was about an Age ago..."

Author: Wygz Date: Fri Jan 11 16:27:31 2019 Subject Conversation on High, pt. 3

The two continue to converse for quite some time over topics from Ages past to current events, both appreciative of the information shared. Finally, Glister stands with a yawn and a stretch, then looks to the several wine bottles on the table, "Well, I do not know about you, but I am tuckered and must get some sleep. I have quite enjoyed this talk, Master Wygz. If you find yourself in my neighborhood again, you are more than welcome to drop in. Give my regards to Astinus, if you see him. There is undoubtedly a late fee for that book, so, please take this to the Great Library and make sure it is put to good use." The man drops a sizable pouch that jingles as it lands on the table. "It has been my pleasure, Mister Glister," Wygz says, standing from his chair and proffering a bow for the being, "And this will go to good use." He retrieves the pouch from the table and hooks it to his belt before grabbing the book and his umbrella. He makes his way to the door, and once there, looks back a final time to see the man's visage shudder as he steps into the shadows at the back of the room. A large shadow settles itself down to rest, and the mage exits the cottage with a smile, the door shutting and locking itself. Wygz pulls up the book that Glister had given him and looks at the title once more, 'The Story of Three Siblings'. Very carefully, he turns it to the first page and begins to read as he walks back to the entrance of the cave, his umbrella making a tapping noise all the way.



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He states simply 'You might start with that one.. or you could take a look at the latest story..'

The Latest Entry

Thaen Stormbourne #6 part 2 by Thaen, posted on Sun Oct 6 14:29:56 2024.

Wyldsheed also noticed he had put on some bulk to his already large frame since he began training with her. She chuckled(read more)....

The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD

Astinus points to the massive wall of books behind him and bids you to make a selection.


Authors: All|A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

Wake
Walken
Walker
Wangler
War_2001
War_2002_1

War_2002_2
War_2006
Warnotes_2003
Warnotes_2005
Warnotes_2006
Warnotes_2007

Warnotes_2008
Warnotes_2009
Whastryk
Whisper
Witrestde
Wulf

Wulfgar
Wygz
Wylar
Wyldsheed

Astinus says 'There are 22 authors starting with the letter W who have stories in the Palanthas library.'
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