An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Locki.

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 tome gilt in gold on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Locki' scribed in brown ink.

Author:    Locki          
Date:      Tue Jun  9
10:11:22 2009
Subject     A beginning

Lying on the
ground, in an old abandoned warehouse by the harbour, with
rats
running around him and a handfull of other young urchins, Locki
had to
smile and think back to how he got here.

" Wilfrid!
shut that kid up! Permanently! I'm trying to count here!"
came
the voice of a A half elf bandit, the clinking of coins
continueing after a
moment of grumbling.

The child was no older
than 4, crying out loud at the horror around him,
both his
parents bloody and lifeless bodies lying burning in the
campfire,
the stench of burning human flesh filling the clearing.
"Sorry kid, but what
the boss says, Wilfrid has got to do, its
an oath thing, i'm sure you
understand." The muscle of the
little group, a man with muscles on his
muscles, he was the most
frightening thing the boy had ever seen and now he
was look at
him, holding a knife and stepping towards him.

THUNK

Wilfrid
expression suddenly changes to be very confused as he looks up
at
crossbow bolt sticking out through his forehead before
falling, making the
ground shake slightly under his massive
weight. 

Thunk

Another bandit sits back down as he rises to
look around in suprise. The
rest didn't wait for anymore bolts
before bolting themselves. Confused as
much as the bandits the
child looks up to see the smiling face of an older
man walking
into the light on light, silent feet. He wasn't old, but had
a
slight greying around the temples of his otherwise thick black
hair. He wore
a long grey robe, and a long black beard on his
chin.

"Don't be afraid boy. My name is Tavrin. What is your
name boy?"

Sniff "Its R.."

"Wrong! boy. I saved your
life did I not?" The boy nods, confused. "Then I
shall give
you a new name aswell. From today boy, you will be
called...
Locki" Taverin says as though just thinking up the
name on the spot. "Yes
Locki, I rather like that... Well Locki,
we can't stay here, they might be
back, Come on, don't just sit
there staring like a half-fit, up you get
Locki!" Tavrin turns
and starts walking back into the darkness.

Locki scrambles to
his feet and quickly runs to catch up to Tavrin, and they
walk
off into the darkness together.

To be Continued...


Author:    Locki          
Date:      Wed Jun
10 08:47:42 2009
Subject     a middle

Thump, Thump,
Thump

Nailing the last bunk together, Locki smiles at his small
group. Luther, a
scrawny lad with a hooked nose who resembled a
weasle, Val, the bruiser of
the group, with a face that looks
like its been put through a grinder, two
hatchets hanging at his
sides. And Jazmin, the only girl and youngest of the
group only
14 a sharp girl, strong jawline though quiet pretty. Orphans
each
one of them, Locki had taken months scouting each one out.
Taking a look
around the warehouse, it had all costed him a bit,
but it will be worth it,
and now they had several bed rooms and a
kitchen, the place was all most rat
free even. He looked around
and smiled thinking of how he got here. 

Thump, Thump,
Thump

Locki layed sprawled on the ground, a young teenager now,
spitting out
blood. Tavrin standing over him tutting.  "Come on
boy, I know you saw me
coming, your faster than this in your
studies, the gods know your no
bruiser, but you have a quick
mind, and a quick mind leads to quick action.
You will never
be a fighter by any means, but that doesn't matter, you
will
fight dirty, use stealth, use your speed, but most
importantly, fight with
your those brains of yours. Remember
that night when we first met, one old
man chasing off 5 able
bodies young men, was that with strength and fighting
strength?
No! there is more to fighting than muscle and knowing how to
swing
a blade,   now stop lying there feeling sorry for
yourself and get up!"
Locki pushed himself back up to standing
smiling a bloody smile and nods to
signal he is ready, and they
both move back into the shadows to start
again.

Tavrin, a once
scholar turned soldier and then a scout then deserter during
some
old war best forgotten. Locki never learned much more than this
of the
mysterious man that had saved his life other than that he
had become Locki's
father, his teacher. Tavrin tought him how to
read and write, mathamatics,
economics, language, geography, and
all manner of subjects. Then he tought
him how to cook, how to
serve, how to sit at a high table with lords and
nobles and not
seem out of place. He showed locki how to charm pockets,
the
intricacies of a good disguise, not just the clothes
themselves, but useing
dyes and facepaint to adjust one's face
and hair, and then the subtleties of
body language, how to become
the character the disguise represents, even
down to the detail of
most basic mannerisms that people have, from the way
they walk to
those odd little idiosyncrasies of everyday life. It was
obviouse
he was being trained for something. But for what he would
never
find out from Tavrin. 

Thump, Thump, Thump

Locki
delivered the last brutal kick to the weasle looking boy's ribs.
Locki
had been watching him for a couple of weeks now, and the
weasle seemed to
fit with what he needed. "Whats your name
boy?" "What?" the boy looks up
confused, expecting his
throat slit, not his assailant asking for his name.
Locki kicked
him again repeating his qustion "What" thump "Is your"
thump
"Name" thump "BOY?!" "Its Fr.. OW!" Thump
"Wrong, your old name is void,
you've been living, if its even
called that, of the small pickings from the
purses of those with
barely more than you have. Today you could be dead if I
had been
someone else,   so, today your starting a new start, with a
new
name... You shall be called...Luther... yeah i kind of like
that. Luther.
Get up!" "What the? You can't just.." Thump.
"I could just kill you, but me
and Val here are looking for a
new brother, and you're it.  Have you got
something better to
do? Some other family to run to, that will protect you,
and FEED
you" At that word the weasle's eyes brighten, he licks his lips
and
says "You know what, i've always wanted to be part of a
family, ah, you said
something about food?" Val steps forward
still favouring one side, having
recieved a similar deal a week
before, and helps his new brother up. "And
good food, brother,
don't know where this guy gets it from or how, but its
regular
good food." Locki smiles at them both. "Come my brothers, my
new
friends, we still need to go get our new little sisters
today, then we shall
feast, feast like a family should."


Thump, Thump, Thump

The three members of his new little family
were all thumping the large oak
table they were all sitting
around practically drooling over the feast laid
out before them,
Locki had kept true to his word, there was a large roasted
duck,
pork, different kinds of breads and cheeses, fine wine and ale,
more
food than the 4 of them could eat, more than 3 of them had
seen all their
lives. Locki held up his hand and the noised
quieted down. "I won't hold you
long my friends, my brothers,
but you must be wondering what this is all
about, Well.."
"Hell i'd go with you to the abyss and back for food
like
this" Locki only had to glancw at Val to silence him
"May I? Good. Everyone
gathered here at this table is an orphan
with no other family, including me.
But together we can
change that, and this little family will grow, I will
teach you
what I can, and together we will become one happy family.
Yes
Jazmin?" Locki nodded to the young girl. "Um this maybe
be a stupid question
but, um this ah, gang, ah, um. Your a thief
right? And thats what you will
be teaching us?" Locki smiled,
she might be the youngest but she wasn't
afraid to ask what was
on her mind. "Yes Jazmin, anyone that has a problem
with that
may leave, leave now, leave this little family for good.
Any
takers?" No one moved.  "Good the last thing anyone wants
is to disappoint
their own family right? But now, thief is a
limited word, you have
preconceived ideas of what one is, we will
be something far more than your
average cutpurses, they, can not
afford meals like this. But enough of
business, more
tomorrow, for now, enjoy the meal." Locki smiled happily
and
dug in with his own little gang, it wasn't much but it was
his little
family, it was a start.

To be continued


Author:    Locki          
Date:      Wed Jun
10 22:45:40 2009
Subject     End or New Beginning

With
bloody hands shaking clenched in fist, kneeling on the
wharehous
floor, Locki sobs, looking around at the destruction
and chaos, wondering
how in the name of the gods had got
here.

Locki had spent the begging few weeks with each of his new
family teaching
them what he could. With Luther he would walk
around the Caergoth harbour,
he would provide destractions, one
of his personal favourites, was to chew
up orange skins and
cucumbers, then wonder up to his mark looking ill,
before
'puking' the pulp all over them, giving Luther pleanty of time
and
keeping eyes off him. With Val he would help rough up and
collecting, tax,
from some of the weaker small gangs. With Jazmin
he helped set up a donation
stand for a orphanage that didn't
excist, all Jazmin had to do was put on
her puppy dog eyes while
Locki would speak at length imploring on the people
generousity
and goodwill, especially to the ones who looked like
familymen,
and the people came forward dropping coppers and every
now and again a gold
coin into their little collection pot. It
was a small beginning, but it was
certainly something. And on
other days, Locki would roam the harbour or the
city itself
scouting out some real marks.

Everything had gone so well, They
had gathered all the supplies and costumes
they needed for their
first big score, rented rooms in a couple of different
rooms, set
up bank accounts, forged papers, they had spent a month
creating
identites to people who didn't exist. Spent more months,
learning thier
marks movements, habits, strengths, weaknesses,
connections, they didn't
want someone who had too many friends in
high places but someone who was
high enough up to have a small
fortune. First touch had gone smoothly, Locki
dressed in the
finary of a wealthy merchant, along with Jazmin dressed
and
playing a convincing porter, had introduced themsleves to a
young and minor
noble, and started talking trade and buisness, it
wasn't long before the
noble was inviting them to join him the
next day to his manor for further
discussion. They would spend no
more than 4 weeks milking the noble of his
fortune, with money
now with the promise of a greater return to follow. It
was the
last day of the scam, they had taken half of the nobles fortune,
and
were now pulling a vanish. Locki was just returning to their
hideout with
the last pouch of coins taken from the flase
account. Smiling and whistling
he entered the scene of carnage.


His smile instantly dropped to confusion and concern. He had
been expecting
to return to celebrate, instead he entered the
wharehouse to find the place
complete trashed. Slipping out a
dagger from its concealed place the sleeve
of his arm, he slowly
advanced in. He could here the sound of a small fire
crackling,
and the woomf as it cought fabric. He opened the door where
he
heard the sound coming from, to be created with a blasting
heat, he quickly
shut the door to their extensive wardrobe.
"Shit!" All the disguises had
cost quite a bit, it was months
of work gone, not taken, but destroyed. They
had been so
carefull, there was no way it was that upstart noble's doing.
He
hurried now down to the lounge and stopped short as he got
there. "Oh gods!"
Luther's weasle face lay a few feet away
lying staring blankey beside the
body that it had once occupied.
"Locki?..." gasped a voice. It Val, on the
ground, one of his
own hatchets stuck deep in his chest Lock rushed over to
him
gripping his hand in his own. "Val!, oh gods, what happened
Val? Who did
this Val? Tell me, i'll make them pay, I swear it
Val, you hear me?" "It..
hurts.. i.. don't... want" Val
gasped and then went limp, dead in Lockis
arms. Locki cried out,
he had become to depend on the strong dependable Val
always
watching his back, Luther, always joking never taking
anything
serious, he could always brighten up even the darkest of
days. "Jazmin! of
Gods what have they done?" Her body layed
naked, blody and mutilated a few
feet away, her lifeless hand
gripping a still loaded crossbow, she never
even got a shot
off.

So Locki knelt there sobbing, mourning the loss of his
friends, his family.
The sound of a now raging fire not far
behind him. He wanted to stay, to be
consumed by the fires, but
the memory of Tavrin, another one he has lost,
made him move. The
city guards would be here soon, and the odds where they
would
blame him for this, there was no one else. Locki rose slowly,
looking
around him, seeing once more as it had been the day
before, the day before,
when they had been alive... "Goodbye my
friends, look over me wherever you
are, I will remember you all,
and one day when death claims me, we will be a
family once more.
But till that day my brothers and sister, I must go.
Goodbye
Luther, Val. Jazmin." As he says each name he takes from them
each
one item to remember them bye. Luther's Lucky dice, From
Jazmin he took a
colorful beaded bracelet they had given her on
her birthday. And Val, from
Val he took the Ivory hilted, silver
dagger that Val had won at an arm
wrestling competion, it had
been rigged of course, Locki smiled slightly at
the memory.
Looking around one last time Locki took off tears still
streaming
down his cheeks.

The end, Or just a new beginning 

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 869 books from Ansalon from before the great Cataclysm through today.'