An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Alinoria.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)

Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a journal on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Alinoria' scribed in brilliant red ink.

Author:    Alinoria       
Date:      Fri Apr  3 02:31:02 2009
Subject     It's all in the books...

The library was filled with books, the subjects far and wide. Alinoria
Stormchaser sat quietly with her feet curled beside her and a blanket over
her lap, reading about the history of the Qualinesti people. Her father had
been Qualinesti, at least that's what her mother, a human, had told her.

When she finished with the book, she stood and stretched before returning to
the shelves to put the book back where she found it when a book with strange
writing on it's spine caught her eyes. She carefully picked up the book,
feeling a strange warmth on her hands. She immediately dropped it, looking
for burns on her hands. Seeing none, she picked up another book about elves
and retreated to the blanket she had left. Once again, she curled up to
read, but she found herself gazing at the book on the floor. 

Curiousity had her returning to the book. Ignoring the warmth in her hands,
she opened the book, holding the black leather with care as she skimmed the
pages, not caring that she stood near the bookcases, the blanket and her
comfortable reading spot forgotten. 

Her mother entered the library, searching for Alinoria. She found her
daughter standing near the bookcases, her eyes focused intently on one book.
Alinoria was oblivious to everything around her, quietly mouthing the
strange words when her mother touched her shoulder. Alinoria dropped the
book to the floor, turning around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she
saw her mother. With a blush, she picked up the book and returned it to the
shelves, remembering where it was at. With few words, she followed her
mother from the library, vowing to return the following day to find the
strange book that called to her. 

Author:    Alinoria       
Date:      Sat Apr 11 19:57:52 2009
Subject     Books, books, and more books

She returned the following days to the library, going back to the section
of books where she had felt the warmth. The same books were there, and still
seemed to give her the warm feeling. Little did she know, Alinoria was being
watched. A librarian in faded grey robes kept his eyes on her, under the
guise of shelving books. A smirk to himself, he seemed to know exactly what
she was looking for. As light faded from the sky, he glanced skyward to see
the sparkle of the dark moon seeming to gleam down on him. 'Soon, my Lord.
Soon she will be amongst those who can teach her what she will know, ' he
thought, almost giddily rubbing his hands together. 

Alinoria seemed to forget everything around her, including those close to
her. Her family seemed grateful that she spent so much time absorbed in
studies instead of running around like a heathen. On the other hand, another
close friend grew worried and started mentioning the books that took up
Alinoria's time. When her family found out, they too started becoming
anxious about the context of those books, even going so far as to ask the
head librarian that the books be removed. Not realizing that books of that
nature were in the library, the librarian agreed.

On a following day, Alinoria returned to the library, making a bee line to
the section, only to find that the books had disappeared. She stormed out of
the library and started walking, feeling a sudden pull in her. 

Author:    Alinoria       
Date:      Sun Apr 26 22:12:15 2009
Subject     Hitting the books

The tower seemed magnificent in all its glory, the spires stretching to
the sky. Alinoria slowly walked through the gates, viewing the sights around
her with a kind of awe. Here she would study the books of masters, here she
would learn what she could. 

The first person she met was kind enough to give a lost newcomer the grand
tour, showing her where she could find things, as well as where she could
sit and study the countless books on the endless shelves of the library. 

The second was a Master. He was extremely intelligent, gifted in his
knowledge. Yet he treated her like he had little time for her. 'That's ok, '
she thought. 'He's not the master to help me learn what's here.' 

The third person was yet another Master, but this one was different. Besides
being a member of the Red Robes, he seemed more willing to help her out and
show her different things. To this Master, she listened, gaining a respect
for him. 

The days passed, Alinoria burying her nose deep in the books as she watched
people and learned how they acted. Someday, she would follow in the
footsteps of some of them. Others, she would simply forget about as they had
done to her. 

Author:    Alinoria       
Date:      Thu Jun  4 20:49:52 2009
Subject     A task for one

It was brilliant in the forest. The light seemed to float through the
trees, illuminating everything in sight. There was enough light to find
exactly what she was looking for, and Alinoria was doing just that. Finally,
after waiting for his return, her Master had given her a task that seemed
simple enough. She was to gather what ingredients she would need to make a
potion. 

She had left the safety of the enclave early in the morning and had soaked
her feet in the morning dew, but she had an idea that she would have to
search for what she wanted. The first ingredient was simple to find. Most
people would consider it a blooming weed. In fact, it grew rampant on the
walls of the enclave. She harvested what she needed with surprising ease,
carefully bottling it to keep it fresh while she searched for what else she
would need. 

The second ingredient she found only about an hour later, the little flower
hidden under a fallen tree. She shoved aside the rotting bark, cursing as
she harvested the flower. With a glare, she turned and stepped away from the
tree, only to turn back to the tree. With a deep growl, she raised her hand
and set fire to the rotten mess. And with no remorse, she walked away,
leaving the tree smoldering. 

Dark was falling when she stumbled across the final ingredient. She was
already cranky and angered and to see that the final ingredient was in a
cave that housed a pack of wild dogs did little to soften her temper. She
could smell the rancid water in the cave, but knew she would have to deal
with the dogs first. She carefully laid the trap, to call the dogs out. When
they left the cave, she slipped into the damp dark tunnel, and proceeded to
slip on the wet cave floor and slide down the tunnel. She stopped at the
bottom of the cave, cursing her carelessness. She stood up, trying to get
the worst of the damp stench off her. When she looked around, she realized
that she was exactly where she wanted to be. In fact, she was standing in
the water she had come here to collect. With a muffled curse, she filled
bottles with the water and proceeded to make her way out of the darkness. 

She was met near the cave entrance by the wild dogs she had routed in her
search. Here, her limited knowledge of spells paid off. She sent the dogs
running away with a carefully placed magic missile. This done, she started
for the enclave and to take the carefully collected items back to her Master
to find out what else she needed to do, and if he even remembered that she
was gathering them for him. 

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

Astinus mentions 'We have had over 873 storytellers on Ansalon pen their epic stories here for all to read.'