An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Kailen.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 80. 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 'Kailen' scribed in earth-colored yellow ink.

Author:    Kailen         
Date:      Mon Dec 28 03:18:08
2009
Subject     --=[The Drunken Maiden, Kalaman]=--


'The Half-Elf
snatched the tossed coinpurse out of the air.

'He's got zeal, I can tell you
that much,' he said, casually 
slipping the pouch into one of the pockets on
the inside of his 
robe.  He was smoking one of those rolled up herbs,
Thon-Thalas 
leaf, that was popular amongst the mariners.  He puffed a few

times on the blunt end of it, seemingly more interested in the 
smoky haze
rising from the lit end than he was the information 
he was giving.

'I gave
you three days, and a hell of a lot of coin for this 
information, so I would
like to know more about him than that!' 
the assassin growled, his patience
wearing thin.

The half elf stared at the orange glow of the lit herb.  As if

he cared about nothing else on Krynn than the study of how that 
herb would
burn.  He then looked up to the assassin.

'His name is Kailen Mor'Tain. 
Solamnic, of course.  Born in 
a run down shack in Harrowdown.  His father was a
knight, the real 
thing.  A drunk, though.  Wasn't exactly a great family man. 

Kailen's mother died of the gout when he was young, and it didn't 
sit right
with his old man.  Didn't get why Habbakuk could be so 
cruel when he'd been so
faithful his whole life.  He used to get 
belligerant on our poor little Kailen.
 The father--Gallandor...he
was something of an oddity.  He was a laughingstock
to the Knights, 
a drunken fool, always crying about something.  But he was a
genius 
on the battlefield.  He had some kind of second sight when it came 
to
military tactics...it's the reason the Knighthood looked past 
his, shall we
say...moral ambiguities?  Anyways...little Kailen
was always trying to please
Daddy, but things didn't always seem 
to go his way.  He took to the Oath and
the Measure like a duck 
to water.  He was determined to be better than his old
man, but 
he would never admit that to himself.  He would just say he was

trying to live out the ordeals of Vinas Solamnus.  Oh, and don't 
get it
twisted...the kid HATES magic.  Considers it an abomination 
amongst most God
fearing men.  Men aren't meant to wield the 
powers of the Gods, he says.  If
you ask me...the kid's off his rocker.'

'I didn't pay for your opinion,'
the assassin snarled.

The half-elf shrugged.  'I know, that was just a bit of
free 
advice.  Like I said, he's got zeal.  And come a second Cataclysm 
or high
water, he'll follow his code of honor until the day the 
Gods see fit to call
him back to them.  He sees the world in black 
and white.  Good and evil.  Even
in the face of complete destruction, 
he won't compromise in this.  Be careful
about this one...he might 
be more trouble than you'd think.' 

Kailen
Mor'Tain

Author:    Kailen         
Date:      Sat Feb 27
02:41:46 2010
Subject     Shadow surrounding

"Aye sir, I bid you
good evening, " Kailen said as turned to walk out the
door. Sdresk raised an
eyebrow as Kailen trembled on his way to the door. He
had noticed this not just
today but twice earlier this week. He shrugged it
off, it would be impolite to
raise doubt or question to his abilities, and
if a man wants his privacy theres
no reason he'd tell him now after keeping
it such a secret. 

The hallway
blurred, and a single bead of sweat trickled down Kailen's face.
He put a
hand to the wall and traced his way to his quarter's, unsure of who
might have
seen this. Was this tied to my nightmares? The black robed man
had come to
see him each night this week. The images he'd seen, the betrayal
of his friends,
of the gods... And a chance to heal the wound that seemed to
plunge almost to
his heart. He kept himself so tightly wrapped in bandgages
he was nervous to see
how it looked. It hadnt healed for over a month now
and seemed on fire at times.
How foolish was he to think he bested the
shadow that day, running after him
into the woods like a madman. If he hadnt
wanted to be found, he wouldn't have.
He had WANTED to get caught...

He chuckled to himself, "And here I am, afraid
of a nightmare but too proud
to go to a clergyman about it." He hesitated,
and then slowly lay back onto
his cot.

A surge of energy flushed through him, a
feeling so great he could not name
it. As soon as it had come, it began to
slowly slip from him. He paniced, it
felt as if his soul were trying to jump
from his skin to chase it. The
swelling began, followed by the familiar flash of
pain that tore through him
like a fire-ridden arrow.

"They wont help you...
They'll cast you out when they see what's become of
you. You cannot be
cleansed of this, you will rot until your last breath.
You need our help...
and you crave it."

He had not shown himself, but he knew the voice well
enough by now. "That
feeling... I've never felt like that... What would you
have me do, and what
if I refuse?"

"You will rot, and you will die. Its
amazing you've lived with it to this
point, it is surely only a matter of
time. You could be so much more, Kailen
Mor'Tain... You embarrass yourself with
your drunkeness and displays of
reckless behavior. You could serve my lord, and
in return you WILL become a
masterful warrior. Think of what you are now, just
imagine the possibilities
that come with our aid."

"I havent been able to
remove those sights from my head... the betrayal you
spoke of... It IS true,
isnt it? There is no hope for them..."

"So you see, there is no other way.
You will join my lord Morgion, and unite
the followers of the Shadow with the
Dragonarmy to overcome the lands. There
will be no one to stand in your
way."

He had seen what happens when he refused, shuttering just to think of
it.
"And the feeling... the blessing as you called it?"

"One of the many
benefits of serving my lord."

The world began to spiral around him, slowly
fading away as he woke. The
black robed man was standing before him now.
"You will come with me, we have
much to do."

"I can't... I have" was
all that made it out as he gasped for air, choking
from the pain. Vivid images
of his fellow knights slashing at eachother
clouded his mind, Lanfer pinning him
to the ground as Railen carved into his
chest with his sword. Tomas battered and
beaten on the floor under Sdresk's
bloody rampage. Madness spreading throughout
the halls as knight turned on
knight in a vicious slaughter. His blood began to
boil as his vision again
gave out. His last breath escaped him as he collapsed
to the floor, "I will
come." The room went dark.


To be Cont.

Kailen

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.'