An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Crystalis.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 65. You change? 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 large book on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Crystalis' scribed in unearthly orange ink.

Author:    Crystalis      
Date:      Wed Oct  3 20:10:07 2007
Subject     Crystalis' Background Story

The corners of Crystalis' mouth twisted up in a cruel grin as he
watched the
caravan approaching.  Life had been good for him lately, since he
had found that
strange two- faced medallion tucked away in the sack of a
traveler he had
'convinced' to part with his belongings.  As he thought about the
medallion, his
left hand subconsciously reached up and thumbed it through his
shirt.  A warm
tingle brushed his hand as he did so, but the voice that had
spoken from the
corpulent face on the medallion did not reach into his thoughts
this time. 
Taking a firmer hold of the medallion and feeling the warmth
spread throughout
his entire arm, Crystalis closed his eyes and began to focus. 
Within minutes
the sky became overcast and lightning flickered through the
clouds.  Pulling the
hood of his cloak over his head, Crystalis chortled as he tried
to guess what
spoils he would gain today.

Peering at the caravan as it drew close, Crystalis shook his head
in amazement. 
He'd been hitting caravans up and down this road for the past
week and they kept
sending more with just a couple of merchants as escorts. Focusing
one last time
on the road directly ahead of the caravan, Crystalis sprang from
hiding, drawing
his long bladed dagger and roaring as he charged down the hill. 
His skin
tingled as he felt the electricity that had been building in the
clouds start to
arc from the clouds to the road around the caravan.

Bounding down the hill, Crystalis' brows furrowed.  These
merchants were
behaving oddly; they should have been unhooking the horses from
the wagons and
trying their best to flee him by now.  Just as this thought
crossed his mind,
the backs of both wagons burst open, and a pair of guards leapt
from each one. 
All four guards were dressed in full studded leather armor, and
armed with long
swords.  Crystalis bared his teeth and let out a snarl as he
slowed his run. 
Lifting his free arm, Crystalis concentrated again and a bolt of
magic energy
burst from his fingertips, splitting once before impacting into
the chest of one
of the four guards, knocking him backwards. The three remaining
guards began to
charge up the hill towards him, just as a bolt of lightning
struck among the
horses, causing them to rear up in a panic.

Crystalis extended his hand towards the three charging guards,
closing his eyes
to slits and focusing again, the amulet on his chest burning now.
 A bolt of
lightning crackled forth from his hand, slamming into the chest
of the guard
leading the charge, causing the other two to veer off to each
side.  The smell
of burnt flesh filled the air as the lead guard hit the ground,
twitched once,
and went still.  Crystalis wavered slightly; feeling light headed
and drained
from having to expend more magical energy than he was used to
when ambushing
these caravans.

The remaining guards continued to circle in opposite directions,
attempting to
get on either side of him.  Crystalis shook his head and lifted
his dagger,
lunging towards the nearest one.  Taken aback by the sudden
movement, the guard
attempted to raise his sword in time to parry, only to find
Crystalis' blade in
his throat.  Crystalis winced and growled as he felt a stinging
on his side.  He
turned to see the fourth guard pulling his blade back for another
blow.  Lifting
his hand, Crystalis called upon the last of his magical reserves,
a bolt of
magic once again springing from his fingertips and splitting in
two before
slamming into the guard.  The guard wavered and took a step back,
but did not
fall.  Pressing his advantage, Crystalis sprang forward and
stabbe outward with
his dagger.  The dagger caught the guard in the stomach, and the
sheer force of
Crystalis' ogre stature caused it to slide right through the
leather armor as if
it were cloth.

Crystalis raised his arms over his head in triumph as the guard
slid to the
ground.  He was about to let out a savage cry of victory when
something cold
entered his back.  Falling to his knees, he twisted his head
around to see what
had happened.  Standing behind him was the original guard he had
struck with his
magic; bloodied but no longer on the ground by the caravan.  As
the lights
started to dim and a rushing sound filled his ears, Crystalis
realized he must
be dying.  He could swear he heard the sound of a Dwarven battle
cry.

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 sighs as he recants 'We saved 868 books from Ansalon from before the great Cataclysm through today.'