The Great Library of Palanthas
An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.
Stories of Ansalon from the view of Jydien.
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 massive tome lined with fake jewels on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Jydien' scribed in dark black ink.
Author: Jydien Date Tue Aug 24 11:47:02 2004 Subject Tales from his Past: Searching for Serums Jydien moved along through the streets of Palanthas; just a regular guy walking, going about his business. He stepped into a bookshop and after awaiting his turn he asked the seller if he had any books on the reptilian life on Ansalon, in particular, the snakes of Ansalon. The shopkeeper rummaged through several stacks pulling out a few books and then approached Jydien with the stack. After browsing through the books for an hour or so, he paid the shopkeeper for two of the books: "The Reptiles of Krynn, Volume II: Dragons, Draconians, Snakes and other venomous creatures" and "A Healer's Guide to preparing Serums and Extracts" Jydien emerged from the shop and headed down the street, observing the people he saw and the places he passed. He wanderred around the Lord City for an hour or so before enterring a quiet looking inn for dinner and to read his newly acquired books. After finishing his very filling meal, Jydien ordered a pint of beer. He took out his notebook from his backpack and began to read the book on reptiles. Every once in a while he would find something that caught his interest and would jot down some notes on it, including his own thoughts on how it could be useful to him. Over the course of several hours, he managed to compile a list of several dozen snakes that could be found in the Solamnic lands, including information about the strength of their venoms and descriptions. Satisfied with his list, Jydien took out the second book and began to study the theories and methods employed by apothecaries to extract serums and ointments from various animals. After reading for an hour or so, taking notes on the items he needed, he put away his book, realizing that the only way he could learn anymore was through practical experience. And so having decided to pay the local herbalist a visit in the morning, he paid the innkeeper. Asking for a room, he made his way up, looking forward to a long night's sleep. Author: Jydien Date Tue Aug 24 11:49:16 2004 Subject Tales from his Past: The Apothecary After a hearty breakfast, Jydien emerged from the inn full and well-rested. He began his day, strolling through Palanthas. He went to several shops in the market to pick up some things he needed and listened to the daily gossip, adding a little of his own stories from his recent trip to Kalaman when appropriate. Before long, it was time for a light lunch and so he made his way to a fountain he was fond of and began pulling out some of the things he had purchased that morning: a loaf of bread, some cheeses, an apple and a skin of milk. Within a few minutes his lunch had been devoured and he was ready to get going once again. Having spent the morning going about his day to day business, it was now time for the young half-elf to pay a visit to a healer. He had already found directions to an acclaimed herbalist that morning and found his way easily. He enterred the shop and couldnt help but notice the powerful smell of roses and cinammon and a doezen other smells he recognized all mixed in with a multitude of smells he didnt know. All in all, it was an olfactory invasion that left him disoriented for a few moments. 'How may i help you?' spoke the healer. Jydien was jolted back to the moment and turned to see a thin but healthy-looking middle aged man. 'Umm.. i i was hoping you could help explain a few things to me. You see, i'm interested in the methods used to make potions and herbs and what not, and i started reading about these things but realized that i needed to see the methods myself.' The herbalist stood silently thinking for a few moments. 'My name is Jydien, by the way.' Nodding and reaching out to grasp Jydien's hand, the man smiled, 'Ah.. nice to meet you. I am Qusai. The truth is, i have been getting alot of business these days, and i could use a little help around the shop. The pay will be quite little but you can watch me and maybe learn a few preparation methods' Jydien had not expected this at all. He had come hoping for some guidance but he was being offered an apprenticeship. He figurred he didnt really need any money, he already provided for himself with little effort. Making a spontaneous decision, he looked up at the old man saying 'I would be honored, sir. Just tell me when i start and what my hours are' It was thus that Jydien became schooled in the ways of the apothecary. Over the many weeks that he was apprenticed to Qusai, Jydiens became adept and making all sorts of extracts and preparations. Soon he was puting them to the use he had intended all along. He began to research poisons of all sorts. Author: Jydien Date Tue Aug 24 11:54:17 2004 Subject Tales from his Past: Power He didnt know why he did it. It made him feel good. It was just that ever since he had landed in Palanthas, fresh off the boat he had stowed away on, he could sense a city and people ripe to be taken advantage of. And he was more than willing to do so. In the ensuing months he had made himself a small forune feeding off the decadence of the people of Palanthas. It seemed they had grown soft and luxuriated in this era of peace. The Knights of Takhisis and Her Dragonarmies appeared to have been silenced for quite a time to come. In the meantime, Palanthas had grown to become quite a metropolis. There were constant expansions and renovations with several new temples being built in the vicinity. These included those of Paladine, Gilean and Mishakal. One sign that is always indicative of the size of a city is the activity of its thieves guilds. In the period that Jydien had spent in town there appeared, every now and then, signs of a growingly influential underground organization. He had not found out much about this organization but he new it existed. Jydien eventually left Qusai's shop after learning what he was after. He was bright enough to be able to expand on the basics and through his research and his own experimentations he was able to make many discoveries that lent him the edge in his dealings. Not that most of his dealings were visible, let alone legal. It wasn't as if he couldnt make his money legally, he could. What it really came down to was two things. First, it was just so much more fun this way. It gave him a sense of power to be able, without the aid of magic - nor the intervention of gods -, to put people to sleep, sicken them, eben kill them if he was to win something valuable from his work. Second, it was just a lot more exciting than working in a shop all day long. (OOC) These stories were, i believe, posted ages ago on old ansalon. Since they are part of the character's past i have reposted them here and hence the title. Author: Jydien Date Sat Oct 9 15:51:44 2004 Subject Fulfilling his Duty I After having spent several days in intermittent battles with the Black Robed mage - whose name he had yet to discover - Jydien was finally on his way to accomplish his initial task which had been the retrieval of a small item. To what purposes the Mages and Clerics wished to use this item he did not know (Probably some detestable duty necessary for the accomplishment of the Queen's wishes). He was only grateful that he was not forced to meddle in the occult. He had begun his journey after several days of rest at one of the run-down inns that serviced the docks. The Red Onion it was called. A rather derelict establishment for such a majestic city, he had thought. But then, it was a solamnic city and as he had oft been told, and seen for himself, they had a nack for making a mess of the great accomplishments they made by leaving out the details. These thoughts distracted him on the long journey in the back of a transoprt wagon. He had snuck out of the city, not wishing to draw any more attention than he already had, in the night and then waited for a wagon-driver who he had convinced - with a great deal of steel - to carry him hidden with the crates in the back. OF course, he didnt trust the man too much but he didnt have much of a choice. Duty called and he was already a fortnight behind schedule. He hoped his leaders would understand his situation. It was at this point thought that the wagon began to slow down. Jydien leaned over to peek through the whole on the front. There was a large clearing on the side of the road but that was all he could see. He hissed the driver's name to get his attention who whispered that there was a fallen tree blocking the tree near the rest point. This didnt sound too good to someone who had once participated in such robberies before and so he braced himself for the worst, loosening his sword in its sheath and pulling out his short blade so that it would be in his free hand under his cloak. It was not long before several darkly cloaked figures emerged from the dusk-darkenned woods. Though he couldnt see them, he could hear them taunting the driver. The tone was unmistakenly that of thugs across Krynn. They were loosening up the victim, instilling fear. Their words werent coming in too clearly but he could make out enough of their voices to form an image of the scene outside. There were three people approaching from the front - one from the right and two from the left side. He could also hear the movement of two other people towards the back of the wagon. It was at this point that he wonderred how experienced these thieves were. He was confident enough in his fighting skills to think he could handle these people if he was quick enough and a little but lucky as well. The only real problem would be if the raiders were smart enough to have ranged cover. Author: Jydien Date Sat Oct 9 15:54:07 2004 Subject Fulfilling his Duty I (cont.) Since he couldnt possibly know while he was stuck inside, he decided he would have to take the initiative and hope for the best. He managed to quietly make his way around so that he was standing right inside the back flap. At this point all of the thieves were standing by the wagon and Jydien could overhear the driver's pathetic begging for his life and livelihood. This was his only chance: to catch the two that were nearest to the back while the others were distracted. He risked peeking through the flap and sure enough one of the burly men noticed the movement and reached for the door. Jydien stuck out his hand and yanked the man forward, plunging his dagger through the man's wrist and into the wooden planks. Then, garabbing for his sword he tumbled out of the wagon to land right inside the second man's defences where he tripped him and knocked him on the head with the hilt of his sword. In an instant he had retrieved another of his daggers from his belt and flung it at the nearest man as he dashed towards the man who had sounded most like the leader of the group. It then that things started to get out of hand. In the instants that he took crossing towards the leader, arrows began to land all around him. Luckily he was soon too close to the man for the archers to risk hitting him. But he couldnt be sure when they would have a good angle and so he lunged towards the ground rolling under the cart. He knew now that he was overpowered. Without the advantage of surprise he could not hope to match at least five fighters and however many archers were in the trees. He needed to come up with something and fast or he wouldnt live long enough to fulfil his mission. It was then that he noticed the horse's legs. He picked up a stone and threw it at the legs. The horse fussed about. The men at this point had begun to get themselves together and one of them had peeked under the cart and yelled out that he had found him. Jydien, now in fear for his life, crept forward towards the horse and holding on to the bar poked the horse's stomach with his blade. THe horse began to kick around but couldnt move very far with the wagon in trail. Thinking fast, he found where the horse was hooked onto the wagon and managed to unfasten it. He held fast to the horse's reins as he once again poked it causing the horse to run off dragging him in tow through the dirt. It was hard to make out where the horse was heading but since it ran down the road for a while, it must have been heading back where it ad come from. Then, all of a sudden, Jydien was being dragged through bushes He let the horse drag him further into the woods before finally letting go. Looking around hastily, he found cover and crawled into it, bedraggled and bloody. Author: Jydien Date Sat Oct 9 15:55:43 2004 Subject Fulfilling his Duty I (cont.) It was many hours later that he decided to emerge, body limp and aching from the fighting and subsequent beating by the ground. Cautiously, he found his way back so that he was travelling a few feet away from the road. It was nearly dawn by the sounds of it and he prefered not to be caught travelling out in the open. Shortly, he approached the clearing where he had been jumped. Not surprisingly, the cart was still standing in the middle of the road. He risked approaching it and upon looking in he realized that all the crates were still in place. The young man, continued to explore the area when he noticed the little hut that had been put up in the clearing. It didnt seem like much of a house and he assumed it was some form of Solamic attempt to make the roads easier on travellers. He snuck around the side and found an open doorway. Poking his head inside, he noticed the wagon driver lying on a hay pile at one end of the hut. Feeling sorry for the man, who probably met his misfortune due to his clandestine passenger, Jydien crept in and left a piece of cloth with enough steel to buy several horses. Having wasted enough time, he made his way back out. His journey seemed like it would be much longer than he had anticipated. After making his way back into the cover of the woods, he realized that he may yet find the daggers he had used and so headed back towards the wagon where he found one of his blades near the back of the cart. He wiped it off and replaced it in its fold. By now, the sun had begun to rise and so he hastened on his way. As he crossed the clearing something caught his eye. It seemed like the archers werent all that skilled for sticking out of the rest- house gazebo was an arrow. more to come soon, i hope. If i get the time. Author: Jydien Date Sun Oct 24 09:42:12 2004 Subject Fulfilling His Duty II It was many many days and nights of relentless travell before Jydien finally made it to the Khalkhist mountains where he managed to attract the attention of a passing dragonrider. He was soon delivered along his way to his original destination, the city of Kurmost. He dared not waste any more time. What had started out as a simple duty to perform had turned into a series of misadventures out of which he had been only narrowly escaping. It was also many weeks since he had been ordered on this assignment ans he did not wish to delay any longer. And so here he stood before the gates of Kalaman. He had been told that a certain artefact of interest to the magic-users was to be found in the storage room of an elven household named Mystic. Along the way to the gates he had mugged a road traveller and donned his dockworker clothes, hoping to fit into the unfamiliar city. The young man began his soujourn in the city by taking a walk all around, through its streets and alleys, checking out the shops and other areas of interest. HE felt more comfortable if he knew his surroundings. It would also be useful in the event that his cover was blown and he had to escape to more favorable ground with better than the impossible odds he would likely face here. He continued the day thus and spend the evening in one of the inns by the docks where he had paid for lodging. Like taverns accross Krynn, tales of Ansalon's past were whispered in corners and shouted in slurred words. One tale caught his attention, it was that of the Greatswords. He didnt catch much of the conversation but he pick up several things that fascinated him. He figurred out that it had something to do with the once-elven army known as the WildRunners and their desire to leave this world to move to another plain under the blessings of their goddess of animals, Chislev What intrgued him the most however was the way in which, as he understood it, they rewarded people who helped them with thier mission to move their homeland - Zhan he thought the name was. They gave each person a sword forged magically in some way or blessed by the gods or something (he didnt quite get how the were enchanted). And each of these swords had a name and was intelligent, or something. And each had certain properties that befitted and augmented its owner's traits. He managed to catch a few of the names: there was Courage, Greed, Lust, Revenge and several more he couldnt remember. Most fascinating he thought. He had never before heard of such marvellous swords. And apparently, marvellous they were. For it seemed that the one telling the story was very interested in locating these items. He seemed to think that by collecting at least some of these Greatswords, he could accomplish his great and noble mission - which he never quite explained. Author: Jydien Date Sun Oct 24 09:56:33 2004 Subject Fulfilling His Duty II (cont.) When the pair that had been discussing this left the booth beihnd him, Jydien paid for his last mug of ale, stopping to tell the innkeep that he would return for the night, and headed out of the door into the fresh night swept by the cool sea breeze. He wanted to, once again, get a feel for the town but this time at night as he would probably lift the item in the dark. He walked in one direction and soon noticed one of the two men that had been in the inn. He decided to follow him as he had no better direction to go in. He kept back and continued to trail the man, who more and more seemed to be a priest of some sort. Eventually, he turned into a building of sorts on the outskirts of the town. Jydien waited back a while before continuing to walk the road, passing the building the man had entered. As he slinked by, he noticed an image embossed on the wooden door. It showed a feather divided into three thirds that were shaded differently. Jydien did not know what this meant but he could guess it either represented some god or maybe someone's House emblem. He would keep his eye out for further clues as to the meaning of the feather. Jydien continued to walk through the town. He kept hs eye open for anyone that could be hanging around or, possibly, patroling at such late hours. He noted a few that he made mental notes of. He could check again tomorrow. One of them seemed to guard a barracks of some sort. Hopefully this Mystic house would not be near the barracks. He would rather not deal with a host of unhappy wild elves. OF course, if it came down to it, he could probably handle himself. The only problem is that he had been instructed that such a task required subtlety as it would be best if the owners of the item did not discover it's disappearance immediately. That would give time to finish experiments or spells or something before a .. something spell (it had been explained to him as some sort of spell that finds a magic item much like a ranger finds animals in the wild) was used to find is whereabouts. Since he didnt really know about any of this, he was going to be as subtle as possible, lest they track him before he manages to releive himself of the package. Coming back to the matter at hand, he realized that he had spent much time dwelling on magic and his orders. It was time for him to get rested. He would need his energy over the next several days. He returned to his room, set up his regular traps and assorted advanced warning triggers before laying himself down. He dozed off imagining having a magical sword that spoke and thought for itself... Author: Jydien Date Sun Oct 24 11:41:54 2004 Subject Fulfilling His Duty II (cont.) It occured to Jydien, as he emerged from his sleep that he had passed by an apothe- cary yesterday. He had once been trained in the ways of a healer - Not the praying- type healer but the kind that uses natural items to extract all sorts of serums and potions and powders and lotions. This could be very useful. All that was left was for him to locate the house that contained the magical item. Getting out of bed and doning his clothes, he decided that today he would find the house and that within three nights he would be making his way back to Storm's Keep. After breakfast he headed back out resolved to try till he succeeded in locating the house. Indeed, it was not all that difficult to locate the home od House Mystic. It was just that he had been averse to asking questions and this raising suspicions. Luckily he had overheard a conversation through which he guessed the correct location. It was now only a matter of stealth and timing. He decided to scope it out again tonight. In the meantime, he walked around the town some more before heading back to his inn for a bit of rest in the evening before dinner. After a decent - tolerable is a more suitable word - meal, he sat back to drink his ale. While in town earlier, he had managed to find, quite be accident, some herb he had come to know as tobacco. Pulling out his pipe, he placed some in the bowl, lit it from the fireplace and returned to his seat where he sat back just in time to notice that the not-so-sane priest-like fellow was back. He was ecitedly talking to his friend about how his historical discovery was going to set him along the track that would not only make him powerful but allow him to carry out his grand plan that would make the world a better place. He just needed help with the research and tracing back these items to where they all seemed to just disappear. With the Greatswords, he would become great and accomplish his great plan for the betterment of Krynn. Rather pretentious, Jydien thought personally, to have such bold dreams. Nevertheless, it was entertaining hearing more about the legends surrounding the time when they were forged and distributed. Some, the man claimed, say that the were given out by his goddess herself, queen of beasts, Beauty herself the Unicorn, Mistress of the Nature, Chislev. The goddess herself indeed, Jydien thought. Then of course it could be true; his Queen did on occasion reveal herself to her more devout followers. If not in fact then at least in their dreams, their visions. She thus guided them along her planned path so that they may fulfil their destinies. It was late now and the megalomaniac in the next booth was still rambling on about his mission and the swords and what not. Jydien sighed and and pushed himself from the table. Tightening his cloak and hood, he stepped out into the night. How he loved the anonymity of the night. This night would be a rather boring one. All he had to do was watch the house. He thought of the man inside, Stupid Cleric. What had started off as an interesting legend yesterday was today naught but the ramblings of a not-very-sane nature freak. These were intially the ideas i had for the rest of the Branchala thing but since i never had the time, and i had already thought up a story direction, i'm continuing with the arrow, kender, clerics and what not in my stories Author: Jydien Date Fri Nov 5 09:00:10 2004 Subject Fulfilling His Duty III Having emerged, Jydien set off towards the first of his two destinations. He passed the shop, and seeing that it was clear, doubled back the few meters and let himself in. He crept to the back, where as expected, he found the backroom which doubled for the owner's home. Creeping in, he extracted a vial and removed the stopper. Holding it away from himself, he passed it under the woman's nose twice before recoverring it. Feeling safe that she would not emerge, he finished his business and, as discretely as he had entered, he let himself out. With this out of the way, he proceded once again to the home. Having lost patience he did something he knew that he would regret. He decided to move ahead of his plans and proceeded forward with his plans. He managed to relocate the entrance point that had seemed like his most viable option: after jumping the wall, which was, of course, no problem, he crept through the shadows towards what seemed like a servant's entrance to whatever lay below ground. A short series of steps, seven he now found out, led to a very low doorway. It was about four feet high. After loosening the hook he stooped down and crept in. He smiled to himself thinking this would be easier than expected. According to the iformation he was given, the item he was to steal would be in the cellar of the household. Jydien hoped his sense of time wouldnt let him down. He guessed it had been about three and a half minutes since he put his plan into action. He would have to act fast as he would soon have his diversion. He grinned to himslef as he thought od the surprise the residents of the house ould get in about six minutes. More like the entire block he hoped. He jerked himself back to the matter at hand. He needed to move very fast now. His senses in tune, he crept throught the cellarspace looking, feeling for areas where something could be hidden. He picked chests and other containeres open lookinf for any- thing that fit the description that he was looking for. Just as he was beginning to think he was not going to finish his mission tonight (Or anytime soon given the extravagant plan he had concocted), he stopped and put his hand against the wall. He tapped with his finger and with his other hand had already begin to withdraw a dagger. He poked the wall with the tip and realizing that it was a soft earthen wall he began to scrape at it The wall eventually gave way to an opening and he picked out a small doeskin satchel something inside roughly the size of a scrollcase. Hoping this was it, he quickly made his way back to the entrance. By his estimates there was just under a minute before the surprise which gave him a few moments to catch his breath and get ready for the next part of the evening. Author: Jydien Date Fri Nov 5 09:01:31 2004 Subject Fulfilling His Duty III(cont.) On the opposite sude of the house, in the alleyway, a skin was placed on the wall of the house. It had a small hole in it which dripped a viscous fluid down the side of the wall. The fluid made it's way down to a piece of scrap metal shaped like a buckler The liquid pooled on the metal buckler. A little can rested on the bucler. Inside was a metal-eating acid concoction that was slowly wearing away at the can. When the two liquids met, the would explode. This in turn would upset several vials and canisters resting on or around the bucler. In sum, there would be an even larger explosion. The very exciting thing about this, is that it would be a very smoky, smelly explosion. The effects woulod be much more annoying than destructive. Since he was expecting it, Jydien heard the first explosion dampenned by the distance and started on his way out of the little doorway and towards the wall. As he got there the second explosion went off. He was over the wall and running in a matter of momentss He was glad he had taken the few days to scout out the area. He new where to move in the shadows. He wasnt too worried though, anything the night didnt cover would be dealt with by the haze that would soon spread. Once out of the town he didnt stop. He had to keep going until it was no longer possibel for him to move, and then some more. As he ran through the city, he bumped into a wagon. SOmething occurred to him that for some reason hadnt before. He chided himself for not having thought of everything. No time for that now, though. He unhooked one of the beasts and jumped on. He goaded for a few moments before it began to get used to his presence and took off. Jydien continued to push it to move as fast as possible. First, out of the city of Kurmost. He was glad to finally be out of it. And the on down the road. He would tale it as far as it could run down the road. Form there he would travel by foot. Author: Jydien Date Mon Nov 8 08:39:47 2004 Subject Fulfilling His Duty IV Jydien's luck seemed to be improving recently. He had had a few bad runs, starting with that Blackrobes' attempts to sabbotage his mission many weeks ago. As he made his way throught the streets of the port city of Kalaman, he thought back on his adventures since then. It was nice to have a little excitement. It sure beat the hours of endless training that he had to go through. As well as the endless hours he had dedicated prior to joining the knighthood. Hours of exercises and readong for many many months. He had learnt a few crafts along the way, always trying to diversify his abilities so that he could deal with situations that came along his way. And so he had in the last few weeks It was afternoon and he needed to bide is time until dark. Naturally, he stepped into a little inn on Lance Avenue where he indulged in a sumptuous meal. He spared little expense as he feasted on meats and exotic fruits brought across the see. Having been on the road for so long, he needed to recharge his body for whatever task he may be handed next. He then rested for a while, sipping on spicy wines. He usually preferred a more more potent drink, but he would need his sits about him when he travelled to the keep By nightfall he was feeling much better than he had in months. He had already paid the innkeep and so left a little bit of money in the room on his way out. He had washed up right before leaving. Causually, he made his way around the town and towards the dock areas where, checking that no one was watching, he snuck his way to an abandoned pier As he stepped into the shadows, he was reconginized. A cloaked figure spoke a cryptic sentence, to which Jydien replied with the appropriate password. The figure guided the young man along a path he already knew to the ferry that would take them across the waters. A few hours later, Jydien was making his way to the barracks to unload some of the baggage he had picked up along the way. One of his superior officers saw him as he exited his barracks and called him over. He recieved some drama about being gone for so long and not fulfilling his duties. It was at this point that he pulled the satchel from beneath his cloak and handed it to the knight. At this point, his manner changed all together. In fact, he seemed a little shocked that Jydien had actually succeeded and began to question him as to his story. Jydien told everything that was necessary: All the way from his tale of the Blackrobe including his description (which seemed to click with his officer), through the tales of his brief sojourns in Solace and Palanthas, the insane cleric of Chislev and finally the odiforous explosion the rocked Kalaman. At some point, the questioning stopped and there was silence as Jydien stood there in respectful silence awaiting further orders. The officer seemed to contemplate matters for a few moments before speaking, 'You have done well. In fact, you were not expected to accomplish this task. You will be rewarded well. Till then, you shall return to your normal duties' With that he saluted, which Jydien returned, and then stalked off towards the tower that housed the Skull Clerics. Author: Jydien Date Mon Nov 15 04:41:07 2004 Subject On the Isle of Storms Jydien returned to his barracks to rest. It had been such a long time that he had spent away and he wished to recupirate. Removing his boots and armor, the exhausted young man slid into bed as he reminisced over his recent adventures. One thing was sure, he was very content to have succesfully accomplished such a trying endeavor. It was well worth the effort. And, he thought, aside from the reward of personal satisfaction, it seemed his superiors were about to offer him substantial reward for his efforts. He drifted off to sleep thinking of knighthood and was soon lost in vivid dreams of the actual event. He awoke many hours later. It was much later in the day. Late afternoon he guessed from the light drifting in. Stretching out, he sat up and donned his boots. He wrapped his cloak around himself and wanderred out. It would soon be time for the evening meal. But until then, he didnt have much to do and so he decided to wander about the Island. It was the first time in months that he didnt have to follow a strict schedule and he was not sure he'd get another opportunity like this for quite a while. He was sure that once he did get knighthood he would be swamped with a host of new duties, responsibilities and more tests. He wanderred around the great Fort. It was really quite awesome. Unbreachable even by force. There was constant watch. And it's location on an Island did help. So did the dragons the constantly monitored from the skies keeping an eye out for both approaches from the see and water as well as anything suspicious within the keep's courtyard itself. As the sky became dimmer, he found himself near the entrance to that great tower that was the home of the Skull Clerics. Many a tale he had heard of the priests that served the Queen. Long before he had set eyes on a Knight let alone joined the knighthood, he had overheard stories in shady pubs of the vile magic they worked in conjuction with the powerful renegade Thorn mages. Tales of detestable violations of what was natural As these thoughs drifted in the back of his head, he recalled that his officer had left him, after being handed the retrieved item and rushed into this very tower. His natural curiousity piqued, Jydien set about figurring out how to sneak into the occult work- shops. In fact it didnt take him long. He figurred it would be easy to get passed the guards and in any other even, he would just bluff his way through the confrontation. He could probably even pretend he was lost or something. Deal with it when we get there, he told himself as he walked down the hallway passing closed wooden doors - probably not important The plain doors most likely hid administrative offices. Better that they were kept out of sight. Author: Jydien Date Mon Nov 15 04:43:03 2004 Subject On the Isle of Storms (cont.) It seemed he walked for hours. Up staircases and around bends. Corridors that didnt end and seemed to go nowhere. It soon occured to him that despite how intimidatingly large the tower looked on the outside, it must definitely be bigger on the inside. He wonderred whether this was magic at play again. He detested magic. He considerred the thorns a necessary evil (OOC no pun intended). Then he passed a door that looked out of place Unlike the majority of doorways he had passed on this level, this one was elaborately engraved with the images of many races. Around the handle in the center of the double doors was the typical five-headed hydra motif. It's expression looked a little different though he couldnt place his finger on what exactly was off. Decidinh he had bored of this level, Jydien decided to enter through that doorway. He examined around it briefly and came to the conclusion it was unlocked. Turning the knob, he pushed the doors open and peaked inside. He was schocked by the enormity of the room, hall rather, that he stumbled into. What could only be described as an enormous laboratory replete with experiment tables and all manner of tools, containers and colors of liquids. It was also quite abundantly stocked with clerics, thorn mages and a host of sevants and squires. It was those damn mages again. And he was sure he could feel the magic. He knew this feeling. This smell. It brought back images of that black robed mage he had battled previously. He never found out his name. Oh how he wished there was no magic and thins could be understood in terms of the physical, and holy of course. He contemplated for a moment, the world with no magic. Imagine a world in which the moons did not exist. A smile crossed his lips. But that was unlikely. The moons were here to stay. But what if they were to be silenced (or something) by the Queen or angerred to the point that the took away the 'gift' - mental smirk - of magic.. He nodded in his head at this brill- iant thought. Till then, however he would have to make due with both conclave and thorn mages as part of his world. His eyes now told him something he handed initially seen. There was something very wrong about this room. The mages and clerics were not dealing with vials and beakers. The tables were riddled with body parts of all sorts of races. There were goblinoid torsos split open for the body parts to be examined, humanoid limbs stretched out so that the muscles good be examined and a multitude of other biological parts. An annoying screech drew Jydien's attention to a table near him. A Kender was being handled by a group of acolytes. They seemed to be attempting to hold him still so that he could be shackled to the table. This was more disturbing than anything else in the room for but one petty reason: Jydien had never before considerred the possibility of a Kender without pouches and assorted jingly-jangly items all around him let alone imagined one naked.
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 868 storytellers on Ansalon pen their epic stories here for all to read.'
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