An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Gaelehad.

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 well written novel on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Gaelehad' scribed in vibrant red ink.

Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:      Sun Jul  5
14:50:33 2009
Subject     A strained departure

After
another argument with his father, the Count of Luinstat,
Gaelehad
decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.
For too long now
they had been waiting for the dragon army to
conquer Thelgaard and then it
was just a matter of time before
they would turn south and engulf the City
of Luinstat. 

Every
night it seemed that another guard had decided to head off to
another
city further north tkaing their families with them. Every
day new recruits
were taken from the farms around Luinstat. Young
men who would be better
left farming were conscripted into the
force expected to hold off the Dragon
Armies. 

Gaelehad new from
working with the young recruits that they would never be
ready
for the invasion that was immenent. Now it was time to go off
to
Palanthas and petition the Knights for help and reinforcements
and if those
were not available the training and experience
required to go back and help
in the defence of the city. 

Last
night he had heard his father talking to someone in his
private
chambers. Gaelehad had been waiting outside for an
opertunity to talk to his
father about going to Palanthas to join
the Knights. No one had entered
through the office door and so he
had moved closer to the doors. A muffled
hissing voice was
instructing his father to now allow him to leave the
castle and
offered him 10, 000 silver pieces to make sure he didn't. 

When
it was quite again in the room he knocked and entered. His father
was
busy writing orders and looking up at him smiled and
instructed him to sit
and talk a while. 

They spoke for a while
regarding the defences that needed to be put in place
and he was
given many taks that needed to be performed. Each time
Gaelehad
mentioned sending someone to Palanthas to petition the
Knights for help his
father informed him that it would not be
necesary. 

Leaving his fathers chambers he went down to the
stable, readied all the
things he would need for the long journey
and went up to his room again. Now
for the difficult part, he
knew he needed to write a letter explaining his
actions ot his
mother but knew that he could not tell her what he had
heard
transpire in his fathers office. 

The letter written he
packed his meager belongings, went down to the kitchen
for some
food and a waterskin and returnign to his room prayed to Kiri
for
guidance on his yourney forward. 

Author:   
Gaelehad       
Date:      Wed Jul  8 07:37:01
2009
Subject     Overwhelmed yet Inspired

Gaelehad
spent the night praying to the Triumervate and feeling at
peace
with his descion to leave set off just before the predawn
watch change.
Moving cautiously through the Solamnic plains weary
of the Dragon Army scout
he made his way to the High Cleric Tower
and then on to Palanthas. 

Never in his life had he seen a city
this big. The walls towered over head
and many nights could be
seen patrolling the perimeter and standing on duty
at the gates.
He made his way through the city noting the way it was layed
out
defensively, rings of roads that could be held if the outer
perimeter
were breached. 

Moving around the city he saw many
signs of the strain the war with the
Dragon Army was placing on
the city. There were refugees and young urchins
obviously
displaced by the invading Dragon Armies. Realising he would
need
more than the clothes he managed to leave home with he
started shopping in
the city but soon discovered his meager funds
would never be able to cover
the cost of new clothes as well as
somewhere to sleep. 

He asked around among the citizens and they
informed him that the Royal
advisor at the Palace offered gold to
those who were willing to do dangerous
jobs for the city. Time
passed quickly as Gaelehad travelled the Continent
of Krynn
earning some money working for the Advisor. He saw many places
and
faught many beasts and after a few weeks realised his skills
were greatly
improving and that Kiri had granted him some minor
powers to help him in
times of need. 

Having almost forgotten
the reason for leaving his beloved home of Luinstat
he was
shacked into action when he was sent to Lemish to retrieve a
stolen
artifact. The people of the city were definately not happy
under the
oppresive rule of the Dragon Army. 

Returning from
Lemish he vowed to find Lord Railen and inquire about help
for
his City of birth or failing that being allowed to join the
Knight of
Solamnia so that he could one day help drive the Dragon
Army back to Neraka.

Author:    Gaelehad      

Date:      Fri Jul 10 20:30:57 2009
Subject     A
surpise meeting

It was late one evening after returning
from another quest for the Royal
Advisor of Palanthas that I met
up with Lord Railen. 

We went for a long walk in the Beautiful
city of Palanthas talking fo what
has been transpiring in the
Solamnic plains and more specifically in
Luinstat. He seemed
worried about my observations and promised to send
someone to
investige the strange happenings. 

It was early morning before
we finsihed talking of what was ahppening in
Solamnia and then
started talking about the Solamnic Knights and their role
in
defending Solamnia from the forces of evil. 

It was almost dawn
and we were still walking and talking when I realised
that this
was the sign the Kiri was sending me. I was in this city
speaking
with a great Knight and this was the future I had been
looking for. 

We then discussed the possibility of me becoming
an Solamnic Knight and he
informed me that once I had become more
skillful I should petition to become
a squire. 

Today his
prayers had been answered but he knew it would take a lot of
hard
work and dedication to uphold his part of the Oath.


Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:      Tue Jul
14 12:51:37 2009
Subject     Est Sularus Oth Mithas

I
reported to the Solamnic Keep early on the morning that I
recieved the
message from Lord Railen. There I was met Lord
Railen and imformed that the
council had met and that i had been
accepted as a squire.

Lord Railen led me around the Keep showing
me where I could purchase the
equipment I could purchase as well
as showing me the stables and pages
quaters. Formalities aside he
told me I needed to see Lord Demilon regarding
the practical
aspects of my training. 

I spent the weeks that followed running
erands for the Palanthas elders,
training with Lord Demilon and
patroling the streets of Palanthas,
Solanthus, Caergoth, Vingaard
and Garnet. 

I've heard romours of a Draconian lair south of
Solace near the goblin caves
and have decided to go and
investigate the area. 

Author:    Gaelehad      

Date:      Tue Jul 14 18:56:23 2009
Subject     It's not
just about the sword

Apon returning from Pax Tharkas I
found a note requesting me to report at
dawn to Lord Railen's
keep on the outskirts of Palanthas. Bouyed by my
succes in Pax
Tharkas I made sure to get a good nights rest and set off
before
dawn for the Keep. 

I was shocked when he led me to the gaurds
quaters and assigned me a bed in
the common sleeping quaters but
I held my toungue realising that I was to
start at the bottom and
that priviledges would be earned. 

Lord Railen said I had five
minutes to store my belongings and to then meet
him on the
practice grounds. The rest of the morning was spent being
knocked
down and humbled by a superior warrior but I took it all
in my stride
knowing that all the pain I was enduring know would
result in me being a
better warrior. 

After a short break for
lunch Lord Railen left me in the capable hands of
his Drill
Sergeant and by supper time I was physically exhausted but as
I
was to find out that was just the start of the day. 

After
supper in the mess hall I was called to Lord Railens Office where
for
many hours we discussed the Oath that binds all Knights of
Solamnia and the
Measure that we were all expected to uphold and
live by. We also talked of
the virtues that Knights should up
hold and that within the Order of the
crown the most important
virtues were Loyalty & Obedience but that being
courteous,
generous, industrious and honest were just as important. 

It was
late when I returned to the Guard House and fell into a deep
sleep
knwoing that tomorrow and next few weeks would follow a
similar pattern. 

Author:    Gaelehad      

Date:      Wed Aug 26 13:43:07 2009
Subject     Time
waits for no man

Waking before dawn and going to the
practice yard had become routine but
today was different. A page
came in at least and hour earlier than normal to
call me to the
chapel.

Dressing quickly in full battle gear as had become my
custom I realised that
the heavy armor was now a part of me and I
was a part of it. 

The discussions Lord Railen and Lord
Segwarides had been having with me
recently lingered in the back
ground. We had been discussing what it meant
to be a Knight of
Solamnia. The duties that went with it and the
responsibility to
the people of Solamnia. 

When I left Luinstat a few months ago I
had hoped to find someone willing to
stand and fight to protect
the people of Luinstat and now I realised I was
being groomed to
do just that. Just as the people of the city owed fealty to
the
Luinstat family we had a duty ot protect them. It was an honor to
be in
a position where I would be able to protect my people but
it would require
honor and courage to not falter before the dark
forces that surely where on
their way. 

The chapel was quiet at
this time of the morning and Lord Railen and Lord
Segwarides were
already present. I was not the only squire up this early
there
were a few more who had been called this morning. We went through
our
morning prayers quitely each having his own routine but all
paying homage to
the Triumvirate. 

Given enough time for our
mornign prayers Lord Railen commanded us to the
court yard, where
we found our horses saddled and ready for a short journey.
Riding
in formation, regularly practiced, Lord Segwarides led us to to
the
Holy Grove. 

Dawn was breaking as we were led into the
Whitestone Glade, the most sacred
of all places to the Knights of
Solamnia. Assembled in the Glade were
members of the Whitestone
Council. 

The High Clerist began the proceding calling on the
Triumvirate to bless the
proceedings before continuing with a
centuries old ceremony to induct
squires as Knights of Solamnia.


Rising as a Knight of Solamnia I felt the weight of the world
apon me but
also the support of the Triumvirate. I knew I was not
alone and would
forever have them by my side to bare the burdon
with me.

I knew that from that day on I would be without fear in
my enemies, that i
would always speak the truth and that most
importantly I would safe guard
the helpless and do no wrong. 

I
knew there was one thing left for me to do and that was to return
home and
face the consequences of my actions. 

Author:
   Gaelehad       
Date:      Fri Sep 11 18:18:15
2009
Subject     Disturbing her slumber

Gaelehad knocks
on Lord Segwarides study door.

Segwarides says 'Come
in.'

Gaelehad enters and reports 'Sir the temple has
notified me they are ready
to proceed with the casting of the
spell'

Segwarides says 'Very good. Her body is in Lord
Railen's Keep. It is the
only body within the crypt. I will
request an honor guard to take the
temple's people there
immediately.'

Gaelehad say 'Would it be acceptable for me to
be part of the honour guard
sir? I worked with her a few times
and would like to be part of the
escort.'

Segwarides says
'Granted. In fact you will lead the guard
yourself.'

Gaelehad says 'Thank you sir. '

Segwarides
says 'Report to me anything that is found out from this, and
we
will proceed with the next phase of this
investigation.'

Gaelehad say 'I'll leave immediately Sir
Segwarides'

Gaelehad salutes and leaves to complete his
assigned task.

Gaelehad moved quickly through the compound
gathering the platoon that was
to act as Lady Coria's Honour
Guard on her journey to the temple of
Mishakal. 

Riding into the
Revon keep he was again reminded of her gentle nature, her
love
of all every thing and everybody. The gardens she had helped lay
out
seemed to be more vibrant than ever before.

Ordering the
carriage to be prepared in the Revon livery he and six
guards
went down in to the crypt to collect what remained of her
on this plain. 

She looked at peace where she lay but a feeling
of rage grew in Gaelehad.
How could someone kill a person who
cared more for others than any one he
knew. 

The other knights
seemed taken back by Gaelehad's growing rage and the
oldest put a
hand on his shoulder and said 'Do you really think she
would
want you to carry so much hatred with you.'

The calm
words of the knight cut through to Gaelehad's inner self and
he
realised the man was right. Anger was not an emotion a Knight
of Solamnia
could allow himself to be ruled by.

While the others
took her body up to the waiting carriage Gaelehad prayed
to
Kiri-Jolith for the strength to remain calm and not be
engulfed by the rage
he had felt earlier.

The journey back to
Palanthas passed quickly despite the slow pace of the
carriage
and the Honor Guard accompanying it. By night fall Lady Coria
was
laid out in the temple of Mishakal and the High priestess was
ready to
commence with the ritual that would help them discover
the identities of her
murderers.

Gaelehad withdrew from the
chamber before they started the ritual knowing he
not be able to
remained composed hearing her voice again. He understood know
why
Lord Railen was so enraged by what had happened.

Just after
midnight the High Priestess called him in and gave him
the
descriptions of the men involved. Her scribe had written it
all down and
Gaelehad thanked her for her service to the Knight
of Solamnia before
speeding off to Sir Segwarides with the
information. 

Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:  
   Sat Oct  3 15:51:27 2009
Subject     A journey to
Tarsis

The wretched men who had killed Coria eventually
divulged that they had
been hired by someone from Tarsis. It was
only under intense interrogation
that the killers divulged that
Supai was the name of the person that had
hired the band of
killers.

As this was an assignment that would lead them out of
Solamnia they needed
special permission to take a group of
Defenders. Segwarides was in the
council meeting for a long time
trying to convince them that it was
necessary to track down the
person who hired them. Eventually he was given
permission to
assemble a small group of Knights of the Crown to go
and
investigate. However they chose to assign a small contingency
of squires,
who had been involved in a goblin raid of the High
Clerists Tower, to the
group so that they could gain valuable
field experience.

It was decided that speed was of the essence
and so the overland route was
not a viable option. A small boat
had been chartered to take th knights to
the edge of the Plains
of Dust were they would join a caravan destined for
Stone Rose
and from there on to Tarsis.

When they first set out on the
journey Gaelehad spirit was buoyed by the
successful capture of
Lady Coria's killers but the long journey from the
coast through
the Plains of Dust to Stone Rose had sapped
everyone's
spirits.

It was late afternoon when they arrived in
the small village of Stone Rose.
This small village was where
Knights of the Rose came on a Pilgrimage and as
such there was a
small Solamnic garrison. The sleeping pallets were a
welcome
change to the hard desert sand and after a hot meal and a prayer
in
the chapel everyone retired.

Breakfast had hardly been
finished when a messenger came running in with an
urgent message
for the garrison commander. The commander informed us that
we
would have an escort to Tarsis. His scouts had reported
suspicious
Dragonarmy activity in the city and Segwarides battle
group were to help
them investigate.

Approaching the city it was
obvious that this once great city was now an
empty shell. The
docks south of the city still had ships rotting on the
sands
where they had once floated in the sea. 

Author:   
Gaelehad       
Date:      Tue Oct  6 08:03:12
2009
Subject     The Hunt Begins (Part one of the Mob
Quest)

The city felt empty. Its wide open boulevards
devoid of the throngs of
people that once roamed the fair city of
Tarsis. Those that still lived here
gave the group of Knights a
wide berth or spat at them in passing.

"Sir Segwarides," said
Gaelehad to his patron, "I doubt that these people
will be as
cooperative as we were hoping."

The Inn they had chosen was
tucked away down side road and a dirty alley but
was surprisingly
clean and homely. After a short prayer led by Segwarides
the
group of knights retired for the night knowing that the task
ahead would
be a tough one.

The morning brought with it a
feeling of unease and this feeling was
magnified when the knights
started their search of the city. It was as if
the Dark Queen
herself had turned her attention on this city. There were
armed
goblins and hobgoblins prowling the streets.

As luck would have
it there were a few people in Tarsis who were friendly
towards
the Knights but they wished to remain anonymous and would only
meet
in crowded markets. One such informant knew of the man we
were looking for
as he had been seen talking to a group of
goblins earlier that day and
warned that he was probably a spy
for the Dark Queen.

A large group of Tarsis citizens had
assembled with the news of the Knights
having spread through the
city. Old memories had been stirred and the
peaceful people of
the city had been stirred into an unruly mob.

While Sir
Segwarides and Gaelehad tried to calm the crowd a band of
goblins
ambushed the squires who had been separated from the
Knights. With the sound
of combat sweeping across the of people
Gaelehad realised talking was not
going to work. Praying to
Kiri-Jolith he absorbed the anger of the crowd
into himself and
barely able to control his rage commanded the crowd
to
disperse.

Turning to where the squires had been left Gaelehad
was relieved to see they
had managed to drive the goblins off but
was shocked to see that Etilyn had
been wounded. Cursing those
foul creatures he gazed about for any sign of
where they had
gone.

"Calm down Gaelehad," Segwarides said "we have other prey
to hunt right now.
The goblins can wait until we have this matter
settled."

"Aye Sir." Gaelehad replied fighting to contain the
rage he felt building
inside him.

Gathering the squires the
Knights set off again tracking their quarry
through the ancient
decaying city. 

Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:
     Sat Nov 14 20:21:57 2009
Subject     Rescue or
Escape

Still in a daze and dehydrated from the long haul
through the desert
Gaelehad barely understood Marshal Segwarides
instructions to run but run he
did when his bonds were released.
He didn't see the goblin that was scouting
the edge of the
caravan and was unconscious again before he could even raise
a
defensive stance.

The pecking vultures brought him to
consciousness, head pounding he swatted
at the infernal birds.
The rising from the sands he looked out across the
desert. The
caravan's tracks headed east into the sunrise and towards
Neraka,
south and west was the way he knew he needed to be moving. A
quite
prayer to Lord Kiri with the rising sun was all he had
energy for. The
vultures still circled but further west there
where more and so he decided
to head off towards them as he
recalled there being a battle or some such
thing during the
night.

It must be a mirage was the first thought into his head
as he crested the
hill and saw a Solamnic Patrol spread out
across the valley. Tears welled up
inside as he stumbled down
towards them not caring if they mistook him for
an enemy. Before
he reached them he passed out again. His wounds more
serious than
he had realised.

He awoke again to a violent rocking motion and
the sound of waves breaking.
It took him a while to realise that
the world really was rolling back and
forth. Gingerly he stood
up, ignoring the searing pain of his wounds, he was
alive that is
all that was important. Alive and on his way back to
Palanthas.


Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:      Mon Nov
16 19:28:24 2009
Subject     The gathering of
forces

Gaelehad reported as ordered. He'd been hoping for
a long break after the
Tarsis expedition but it seemed that there
was to be no break at all. His
wounds were still mending but
daily he felt stronger and his conviction to
defend Solamnia grew
stronger each day.

Sitting in the waiting chamber along with a
number of other Postulant
Knights it was obvious that a meeting
of great importance was taking place
in the war room. Messengers
flowed in and out of the chamber continuously
and one by one the
assembled Knights were called in and then left. All of
them
looked concerned by what they had learned within those
chambers.

Finally Gaelehad was summoned into the War Room. On
the map table an
enormous map had figures and flags and strange
devices scattered all about.

A sealed scroll case was handed to
him and he was dismissed without the high
ranking Knights even
breaking from their planning.

Gaelehad returned to his chambers
and carefully read his instructions. It
was obvious from his
instructions that the High Council were preparing for a
war. He
was to lead a group of soldiers and make contact with as many
Nobles
families as possible and persuade them to re-unite with
the High Council in
the coming war. 

Author:   
Gaelehad       
Date:      Wed Nov 18 19:52:42
2009
Subject     A suprise awaits in the Whitestone
Glade

Gaelehad was talking to his men, putting their
minds at ease about the
coming tasks, when a squire rushed in
bearing a summons for him to attend
Evening Mass at the
Whitestone Glade.

Having never attended an Evening Mass at the
Whitestone Glade Gaelehad
enquired of the squire what the dress
code was. The squire was obviously
surprised by the question but
replied that full battle dress was customary
at such
occasions.

Gaelehad quickly retrieved his Crown Tabard and Sash
from his travel pack
and making sure his armor was properly clean
set off for the stables to find
his mount and join the procession
to the Whitestone Glade.

There were a few familiar faces in
among the Knights who were going to the
Evening Mass at the
Whitestone Glade. Up ahead he recognized the
unmistakable figure
of Etilyn di Delgaard as well as Sir Lanfer Di'Ternian.
Riding in
formation it was not possible to make his way towards them and
ask
if they knew more of what this was all about. Perhaps it was
a blessing for
those who were heading off to war as there were a
number of other Knight
Postulants that had received there orders
earlier that day.

The sermon in such a historic place moved
Gaelehad to remember why he had
come to Palanthas so long ago,
the premonition of war and his desire to
protect the people of
not only Luinstat but Solamnia too. The words of the
High Clerist
Alenth struck all the right cords, resonating with the sense
of
belonging Gaelehad felt among the knights assembled.

Gaelehad
was really surprised when they started calling up Postulant
Knights
to the front of the Glade. With every Postulant a Ranked
Knight was called
too. Eventually Gaelehad and Lord Segwarides
were called to the front and
joined the group of Knights already
there.

As each Postulant was now presented to High Clerist
Alenth their linage and
deeds of valor were recognized. Etylin
for her quick actions against a beast
in the plains and Gaelehad
for helping to protect High Priestess Kiyohime in
Vingaard.

It
startled Gaelehad when they were all asked to bow and repeat the
oath of
fealty to Solamnia that all Knights took but after all
the tutelage of Lord
Railen and Lord Segwarides Gaelehad had no
problems repeating the Oath.

As the Oath was said it felt to
Gaelehad that the Triumverate were there
judging each of the
candidates and finding them worthy of serving in the
Knighthood.
The only regret that Gaelehad about this evening was that
his
mother was not here to share this moment.

The euphoria was
not long lasting as the threat of war hung over those
assembled.
There were very few outside this Glade who realized how
important
the actions of the Knights of Solamnia would be during
the coming war. 

Author:    Gaelehad      

Date:      Thu Nov 19 20:56:34 2009
Subject    
Gathering Forces

Gaelehad and the soldiers who had been
assigned to him set of in the rain
before dawn. First light was
obscured by the heavy clouds and pouring rain
but the grey of
damn became the grey of midmorning as they rode on into
the
day.

Their task was a simple one. Travel to all the nearby
nobles and get them to
pledge allegiance to Solamnia in the
coming war. Thankfully the etiquette he
learned form his mother
stood them well on their travels and they managed to
sleep in
keeps and manors as guests of the nobles who occupied them.

As a
knight Gaelehad understood that he had a duty to under go the
hardship
his men had to endure and so even when offered a soft
bed in the main manor
he always joined his men in the guard bunk
houses. Soon they got to know
each other and the air of contempt
he had at first experienced among these
men soon evaporated and
he was accepted as a comrade.

Gaelehad realised the group he had
been assigned contain only 3 veterans of
campaigns all the rest
were unblooded and as could be expected nervous about
the coming
war. Having only recently become a veteran of a violent
campaign
Gaelehad found it easy to empathise with the young
soldiers under his
command and set about easing their minds about
the coming war.

Every morning before breaking their fast he lead
the squad in prayer and
then held an informal combat class
dealing with tactics and tricks he and
the other two veterans had
encountered. Much of this he realised also
included things his
patron Lord Segwarides had been teaching him on their
travels to
and from Tarsis.

The men under his command had obviously been
talking to the soldiers they
were billeted with as at each castle
there were always a few men who offered
to join his growing
force. On every occasion that soldiers volunteered to
join he
would personally ensure that their liege did not need them and
that
they would not be leaving a family behind. He was surprised
that young men
were willing to join his cause.

He hoped and
prayed that they would be able to travel and train with him for
a
few more weeks before they saw their first real
combat.

Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:     
Tue Nov 24 07:45:52 2009
Subject     Glory or an honourable
death

It was early morning just after Gaelehad had sent
out his order for the
next leg of their journey.

A messenger
came riding into the camp, barely alive, he rode up to the
tent
Gaelehad was helping to dismantle and reported that he had a
for the
commander of this group of men. Gaelehad stepped forward
and helped him from
his horse before seeing to the messengers
wounds. Only once he was sure the
man would survive did he
request the message from him.

Stunned that the commander of this
force was helping doing all the menial
work the messenger
retrieved the scroll from his bag and handed it
to
Gaelehad.

Gaelehad read the message in stunned silence,
trying to digest the
information that was contained in the brief
battle report from Palanthas. A
second message from Lord Nathan
confirmed the report and his instructions
were simple. 

Gaelehad
was to lead his force east and then north and help
assault
Palanthas in an attempt to regain the city from the
Dragonarmy troops that
had invaded.

Orders went out and soon the
army was on the move. As they moved they
commandeered every
available cart and horse from farmers with Gaelehad
leaving them
with promissory notes of payment after the war. This helped
to
speed up their movement but as everyone knew everyday the
Dragonarmies were
in Palanthas the people would be suffering.
Gaelehad knew from experience
what cruelty the goblins and
hobgoblins of that army were capable of and
using those images he
drove his men forward to battle.

Standing before the walls of
Palanthas preparing to attack the city he had
promised to defend
from those within was a difficult reality to face.
Gaelehad led
the men in a prayer as the sun rose on what could be their
final
battle.

To the west Lord Nathan prepared his army for a similar
attack and all that
was left to do now was hope that the
Triumvirate would guide their swords
and give them the strength
to fight this battle and win or die trying. 

Author:  
 Gaelehad       
Date:      Thu Nov 26 06:36:00
2009
Subject     Never Surrender

Something had held up
Lord Nathan's armies but this did not deter
Gaelehad. He would
lead his men forward and drive the scum of the Dragon
Armies from
Palanthas.

He looked out before him and the young men who had
declared their loyalty to
Solamnia and were now willing to die to
prove that loyalty and then across
at the army that had come out
to meet them in the field and wondered how
many of his men would
walk away today. 

A sizable force had come out of the city to
meet them and Gaelehad had to
wonder what they had in reserve.
Praying to Lord Kiri for the strength to
win the day Gaelehad led
his force forward to meet the opposing army in
battle. 

With
very few veterans in the force he commanded he knew that he would
need
to be close at hand to rally those that faltered and lend
support where the
line weakened.

With a salute to the forces
that held Palanthas Gaelehad led his force into
battle. The
hobgoblins and goblins of the Dragon armies fought
as
treacherously as he expected them to and soon Gaelehad found
himself
involved in the front line battle.

As the battle raged
on there seemed to be more and more dead bodies around
him both
those of his army and his enemies and yet the enemy kept coming
at
them in waves. 

Not once did Gaelehad consider retreating
even when he realized he was
surrounded and most of his men lay
dead. The only thought he had was of who
would tell the families
they left behind of the bravery and valor in combat
today. 

He
didn't see the blow that took him down and his final thought was
who will
tell my mother that I have fallen in battle.


Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:      Sat Jul
24 09:09:30 2010
Subject     A dark day remembered

The
last thing I remember is charging towards the Lord City leading
an
army of unprepared and barely battle ready men against the
Dragon Armies
that held the city. Well, in truth, that was the
last thing I wish I
remembered. 

In stead my dreams each night
were filled with the screams of dieing men.
Brave young men I'd
convinced to come into battle with me against the Dragon
Armies.
We were out numbered and the enemy had superior training but
still
my brave men fought with the courage bestowed upon us by
Kiri-Jolith. 

I could not stand back and let them fight while I
stood at a safe distance,
despite what all the nobles who had
joined us claimed was the way battles
were fought and I was often
in the front row holding back the enemy forces
while the men
around me rallied, recovered and rejoined the battle.

I remember
finally being overrun and falling among the men who had
bravely
fought with me. I was prepared to go meet Kiri-Jolith
knowing I'd given a
proper account of myself on the battle field
that day and yet here I stand
today on the sight that those brave
young men stood and fought against an
army we could not possibly
defeat.

Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:     
Sun Aug  8 20:24:17 2010
Subject     From Despair comes Hope pt
1

My recovery from the defeat, at the hands of the Dragon
Army, to longer
than I had ever expected. Both physically and
mentally I was scarred from
the ordeal. My body was weak from
having being buried alive among the men
who had died with me and
at nights I was plagued with dark dreams of the
defeat that
day.

I was pondering this when there was a knock on my door
"enter,"  I called
out while putting the finishing touches to
a letter I was writing.

"My Lord, there are some young men
here who wishes to speak to you,"  said
the young
chambermaid.

"Well show them in, Matilda" I said having just
remembered her name and also
that I was not dressed to receive
guests "Well perhaps not right now. Please
tell them that I
will speak to them in the waiting room down the hall."

While
she curtsied to me I noticed that her eyes never left torso
and
looking down at myself with that thought in mind I realised
that the hard
work with the Master at Arms was paying off and my
physique was returning to
what it once was.

Dressing quickly and
draping myself with my Solamnic cloak I made my way to
the
waiting room.

The fact that Matilda was still with them made me
think that perhaps I
should have taken more time dressing but
then I saw the calloused hands of
the young men assembled and
realised they were not nobles. Their nervous
shuffles and glances
at one young man made me think that perhaps he was
their chosen
spokes person and that they might feel a bit more comfortable
if
we were all seated.

"Please gentlemen I ask that you sit while
we talk" I requested while
pointing at the chairs and benches
of the waiting room. Turning to Matilda I
asked Could you please
ask the kitchen to send up some cider, cheese and
bread so that
we may have a light lunch while we talk."

We were just getting
properly seated and I could see that their spokesperson
was ready
to start talking when Matilda walked in again followed by
another
group of young men and rather exasperatedly said "My
Lord you have more
guests."

Flashing her a naughty smile I
replied, "Well you had best tell the barracks
cook that there
are guests for lunch, this waiting room is no where near
large
enough for all my guests. Well have lunch in the barracks
dining
hall."

Continued...


Author:    Gaelehad    
  
Date:      Mon Aug  9 20:03:53 2010
Subject     From
Despair comes Hope pt 2

On the way down to the general
mess I started thinking about what these
young men were here for.
As I glanced from young manto young man I could
tell that these
were farmers not soldiers but I had thought the same thing
many
month before when I lead young men like these in to battle and
back
then they fought with the heart of soldiers but the skill of
farmers.

The idea forming in my head was outragous by all
accounts but workable if I
could put it diplomatically to the
nobles of Solamnia especially those of
Heartlund if only for a
trial period.

"Gentleman,"  I called out, after we had all
partaken of the lunch provided
for us, "I know from the little
I have heard during lunch why you are all
here but before I allow
you to get your spirits up I must say this. While
each and every
one of you has the heart of a soldier and hte conviction of
a
Knight none of you have the training or experience to petition
to become
Knights of Solamnia."

The silence that followed this
statement was short lived as they started
angrily talking among
themselves and so I continued the way I knew I would
have to when
I started this line of thought.

"However this does not mean
that you won't one day have the experience and
training required
to petition the Knights of Solamnia and to fight in the
Crown
Army."

"But how will we get that experience?" came the
question from one table,
"and who will provide the training?"
came from a number of other tables.

"I will provide the
oppertunity for both of those but it can not be here as
you all
have home towns and Lords who rule over those towns and I can
not
assurp his authority over you. If this is to happen I need to
persuade each
of the lords who rules over your lands to allow me
to train you and the
standing armies of their lands and in this
way you will recieve the training
and eventually the experience
you need to become the Knights your hearts
have lead you here to
be."

FIN 

Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:   
  Sat Aug 14 14:14:16 2010
Subject     A new beginning and a
new recruit

After talking to all those young men about
what they could achieve I felt
I needed some time in the sparring
arena to help with the rebuilding of my
lost strength. Donning my
weighted practice leathers and taking up the
practice axe I set
off for the arena.

"Back for your second session today I
see." 

"Aye, Lord Demilon. I still feel I'm not as strong as
I was but with your
help I know I'll regain that
strength."

Taking up positions we saluted as is traditional
and started with a standard
parry riposte drill, working on
speeding it up until our motion was but a
blur. The afternoon
passed all to quickly and I realised that unlike before,
when I
was getting tired and all the muscles had started to ache,
I'd
managed to work through that pain barrier and up to a new
plateau of sheer
agony and yet my legs and arms had not failed as
they had in the past.

"Sir Gaelehad,"  rang out her golden
voice "your presence is required in the
audience chamber as
soon as convenient. I'll run you a bath and lay out your
finery
so that you don't chase your guest away." Matilda hurried off
her
teasing laugh following her.

"I yield Lord Demilon," 
conceding defeat to my training partner, "I guess
the first
round of ales are on me this evening."

"Aye and it'll be the
best drink of the evening, given that I won't be
paying for
it."

Stepping out from the ice cold water feeling much
refreshed I looked over to
the clothes that Matilda had laid out
for me. "They must be rather important
guests if that is what
you think I should be wearing,"  I called out while
drying
myself and making my way over to the clothes horse. "What can
you
tell me about them from the short time you got to spend with
them?"

"It's a retired knight, Sir Gareth uth Bornan and his
young nephew Leonhardt
uth Roslin,"  the way Matilda said young
nephew made me think she was having
rather inappropriate thoughts
about the young man, "I believe Sir Gareth is
looking for a
patron for his nephew."

I took all this in while trying to
work out how this latest item of clothing
in fashion was meant to
be worn, give me a set of armour any day, finally
resorting to
walking out into the main chamber where Matilda was
waiting.
"Could you please help me with this. It's not a piece
of armour so makes no
logical sense,"  finally giving up with
trying to fit the strange ruffles
myself.

Looking out the window
at the setting sun I realised just how late in the
day it was
"I think you need to get pair of rooms readied for our guests,
I
believe there are still a few of the visiting Knights rooms
available for
the pair."

With the ruffles finally settled I
set off for the audience room to meet our
guests.


Author:    Gaelehad       
Date:      Tue Sep
21 08:24:14 2010
Subject     Fanfare and Ceremony pt
1

The sun shone warmly down upon us as we returned from
the Whitestone
Glade. The mood was one of joy and excitement but
there was a dark cloud
shrouding the joy felt by the senior
knights.

The young knights who had been promoted this morning
would soon be off
talking to the Lords of the local islands,
drumming up support for the war
that loomed. Word had reached us
that the marauding armies of Bloten were
mobilising for war and
also that the Dragon Army was recruiting in droves.

Looking
around during the ceremony I noticed that some of the knights
who
had been members of the order of the crown now wore the
livery of the order
of the Sword. This heartened me as it
indicated that there was an intention
to take the fight to the
Dragon Army this time and not to just wait and
repel them where
and when they did attack.

My mind was already on the tasks
assigned to me. Mentally reviewing the
parts of the measure I
would need to revise, my previous field experience
had not
required I know the standard defensive positions required
for
specific attack formations and I need to learn all these in a
short amount
of time.

Upon return to the main keep I sent for
the junior officers who had been
assigned to me and we started
breaking up the work load we could formulate a
defensive strategy
and start training the newer recruits in the formations
and
signals that would be used if we were besieged.

During all this
I still made sure to take the time to see young Leonhardt
before
he left on his ambassadorial duties and wished him well on his
coming
journey. 

The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD

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