An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Maraxas.

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 concise treatise on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Maraxas' scribed in burnt orange ink.

Author:  Maraxus
Date    Fri Apr  1 04:29:26 2005
Stamp   1112351366
Subject  Mettle Stronger Than Metal


Loyalty, Truth, Wisdom along with Courage in the midst of battle
are just a
few of the qualities found in a true Solamnic Knight. Studying
the books and
scriptures his father had from his days within the Knighthood,
Maraxus had
become well versed in the histories invovling the Legendary Huma
all the way
through the War of the Lance. Glorious re-tellings of Bravery and
Heroism
continuously exhilirated Maraxus, he had re-read the histories
time and time
again.

After time had passed Maraxus had mastered the skill of using a
blade and
memorized the teachings of the code. Yearning for Justice and
Peace throughout
the lands of Krynn, Maraxus knew that he was well prepared to
become a squire
within the Knights of Solamnia. Taking the short trip from his
home to the
High Clerist Tower, his journey to becoming a had begun.



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Mon Apr  4 01:43:48 2005
Stamp   1112597028
Subject  Delivery of a Message


Maraxus' wooden sword was finally starting to chip away as he
relentlessly
swung again and again at the sturdy wooden figure that stood in
the corner of
the courtyard in the High Clerist Tower. Nicks and cuts from the
wooden sword
covered the practice dummy, sweat dripped from Maraxus' brow,
burning his
eyes. A man in brightly polished steel armor adorned with the
symbol of the
crown stood behind him as he practiced. Delivering a few final
blows he ceased
his attack upon the practice dummy and took a deep breath.
Stabbing his sword
into the soft grass of the courtyard he breathed a little lighter
as he turned
around, surprised to see that someone was watching him practice.

"I'm surprised to see someone who has yet to have a Patron train
so
diligently. You're fervor has impressed me, not to mention quite
a few of my
fellow knights."

"Thank you, Sir. I am very passionate about becoming a knight, I
look forward
to the day I am assigned as a squire to one of the Knights."

"We are still sifting through a few more 'intricacies' of
business, but we
will soon have you assigned to as a squire. Actually, Maraxus, I
was here to
ask if you would like to deliver something to one of the outposts
for me."

Maraxus looked at the knight in a sort of astonishment before
saying, "Sir, I
would be honored to make a delivery for you."



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Mon Apr  4 02:13:42 2005
Stamp   1112598822
Subject  The Outpost


The delivery was to an outpost in the Plains of Solamnia, just
northwest of
the region of Elkholm. Maraxus was happy to be travelling into
that area, back
to where his home was. The knight that sent him on this delivery
told him that
he should visit his home before he returned back to High Clerist
Tower. He
would be happy to return to his home, almost 2 months had passed
since he had
left, his family will enjoy his surprise visit. The journey to
the outpost
would only take a couple of days, the knight gave him 2 weeks to
deliver the
message, obviously knowing that Maraxus would want to visit his
family.

The plains seemed to glow in the fading light of late spring, the
tall grass
could be seen rustling as animals scurried about gathering their
last bit of
food before the night set in. After pitching his tent, he pounded
a post into
the ground and tightly wrapped the reins around it. After
building a fire he
tied a leather feeding satchel around his steeds muzzle and
turned in.



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Mon Apr  4 21:26:06 2005
Stamp   1112667966
Subject  The Edge of Elkholm


Upon reaching the outpost, Maraxus saw three knights standing
inside a large
wooden watch tower overlooking the the plains and the border of
Elkholm. A
stone building rested at the base of the watch tower, most likely
a barracks
for the troops stationed at the outpost. Some of the stones of
the building
had been overgrown with moss sprouting out of a few cracks here
and there.
Regardless of the growth the building looked strong enough to
withstand the
onslaught of a small army. As he continued to survey the
encampment, he
noticed another two Solamnic guards walking from around the back
of the
structure, apparently patrolling the area. There were also two
gaurds standing
just outside the huge wooden door giving entrance to the
building. The outpost
was obviously well gaurded, and it would be hard to make a
surprise attack on
such a well patrolled and well prepared base. Maraxus dismounted
his horse and
approached the knights standing before the door.

"Halt. State your name and your purpose."

"My name is Maraxus." He said as he retrieved a scroll from the
saddle-pack on
his steed. "I am here to deliver a message from Sir Kirduns to
Captain
Durgis."

The knights looked at one another and nodded in confirmation and
one of the
pushed open the heavy wooden door giving Maraxus passage inside.
"Captain
Durgis' office is in the back corner of the barracks." The door
gaurd told him
as he pointed towards a room in the back. As Maraxus walked
through the
barracks he noticed that there was accomodations for at least
fifty or more
men, making such an outpost a pretty well protected one. Off-duty
knights
wandered about the garrison unarmored, but every one of them
still wore their
sword at their side, some of them were grouped together around a
table playing
some game that involved a map and a number of small wooden
figures.

The door to Captain Durgis' office was wide open, Maraxus knocked
lightly as
he walked through the archway into the somewhat disheveled room.
A cot sat
near a large mahogany desk, showing that Captain Durgis must also
use this
room as a bedroom as well as his office of operations. He sat
behind his desk
which was dominated by a large map with papers and various
utensils of
measurement and writing scattered about. He looked up as Maraxus
entered the
room with a smile across his weathered looking face, a long
mustache curled
around the edge of his smile. Tiny scars covered his face showing
that he had
fought and survived many battles in his time.

Well, you aren't one of my knights," he said as he rose from his
chair looking
at the scroll the Maraxus held in his hand. "So you must be a new
recruit or
you are delivering that scroll you are holding."

"I am delivering a message from Sir Kirduns from the High Clerist
Tower,"
Maraxus said as he handed the scroll to Captain Durgis.



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Thu Apr  7 04:01:07 2005
Stamp   1112864467
Subject  Homecoming


Standing on a hill overlooking the Ter'Silis estate, Maraxus
smiled down upon
his home. A large two story brick house with an open foyer lined
with white
stone pillars, about twenty yards behind the house was a large
pasture with a
barn and stables housing various animals. The estate rested
within a valley
surrounded by rolling green hills, flowers sprouted up
everywhere, flowers of
all different colors. The place was like a defintion of the
garden of the
gods, absolutely beautiful.

Hoping to surprise his parents, Maraxus quietly walked around the
back and led
his horse into the stables. Walking back around to the front, he
knocked on
the giant oak door remembering just how hard he needed to knock
so that it
could be heard throughout the house. The door pulled slowly open
with a loud
creak, his mother stood behind it with a big smile on her face.
Maraxus
stepped through the door encompassing his mother in a big hug,
stepping all
the way through the door Maraxus smiled as he looked around.

"I'm glad to be back home, Mother, how have things been these
past months?"

He continued to smile happily as turned back to look at his
mother for
information on the family and how everything has been lately. As
soon as he
looked at his mother, though, he knew something was wrong. There
was a deep
sadness in his mother's eyes, she looked as though the only thing
that had
made her smile in a long time was his return.

"What's wrong, Mother?"

"I'm so happy to see you Maraxus, but.....Maybe you should go say
hello to
your brother first. He's missed you so much since you've been
gone, we'll talk
after you've said hi to your brother."



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Mon Apr 11 22:07:18 2005
Stamp   1113275238
Subject  The Passing of the Blade


Maraxus brother was immensely happy to have seen him again,
although there was
a certain sadness that was held within his eyes. He sensed
something was wrong
just like he had when he spoke with his mother, but his brother
would not say
what troubled him either. He stepped out of his brother's room
and into the
hallway conjoining the rooms of each person in the family, the
servants
quarters were on the opposite side of the manor. He saw his
mother exiting the
room at the end of the hall, his parents room, wiping her face
with a white
lace hankerchief.

"Was your brother happy to see you?" She asked as she stifled a
smile.

"Yes, mother, he was happy to see me back."

"I told your father that you had come back, he's been waiting to
speak with
you."

Maraxus walked down the hall and through the door to his parents
room, it was
just as he had remembered it before he had left. Paintings of the
great Huma
hung here and there around the room, tapstries depicting
histories as told by
many a great man hung on each wall of the room. A large bear skin
rug laid
upon the floor at the foot of a huge canopy bed, on either side
of the head of
the bed was a stone griffon. In the distant corner of the room
stood a suit of
brightly polished armor, etched with bright red roses. The armor
belonged to
his father when he was still serving as a Solamnic Knight.
Maraxus moved to
the side of the bed, his mother closing the door to the room as
she left. His
father laid in the bed covered by many delicately woven blankets,
his face was
pale almost ghostly. He could see that his father was gravely
ill.

"My son, I have been awaiting your return since the day I fell
ill. Please,
don't say anything, listen to what I have to tell you. I have
sensed a
darkness spreading throughout the land, you will feel it too as
it's power
grows. The sword that sits on the mantle of the fireplace, it
must be wielded
once more if this darkness is to be vanquished before it overruns
the light.
Remove the blade from its sheath and let its divine blessing
guide you on your
journeys... Goodbye my beloved son."

Breathing his last breath, his father closed his eyes and passed
away from
this world. Tears welled up in Maraxus' eyes as he felt the
essence of his
father's life fade away. Knowing well what he must do he stood
from where he
was sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly kissed his father on
the forehead
and walked from the room.



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Tue Apr 26 04:33:49 2005
Stamp   1114508029
Subject  Unsheathing Castanea


The sword rested upon the mantle, laying in slumber within its
sheath. The
sheath had an intricate carving of the kingfisher in flight
holding two roses
with two swords crossing behind it which was etched in the wood
near the hilt
on either side. The sheath was made of dark rosewood that mingled
with silver
linings and etchings. Silver rose vines weaved their way up to
the tip of the
sheath gleaming with the sun glinting through the window on the
opposite wall.
Maraxus grasped the hilt of the blade, it's holy radiance felt
warm within his
palm. He pulled it down off the mantle clutching the hilt tightly
with his
sword hand and holding the sheath in his off hand. Maraxus stood
for a moment
admiring the the jewels placed within the pommel. The pommel was
dominated by
a large aquamarine gem that was surrounded by tiny sapphires.


Maraxus pulled the blade out slightly from the sheath and was
immediately
taken aback by the brilliance of the blade, the dimly lit room
seemed to
explode with a vast light that reflected off the sword. Right
above the hilt
there was a very elaborate engraving of a beautiful golden
chestnut tree.
Along the edge of the blade were light blue etchings of some
runic language.
They glowed with a strange light that differed from that of the
reflective
light of the blade.

After having bid farewell to his family and saying his final
good-byes to his
lifeless father, he slung the leather strap of the sword over his
shoulder and
departed from his home once again.



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Tue May  3 01:32:09 2005
Stamp   1115101929
Subject  Presentation


After less than a week of travel, Maraxus had arrived back at the
High
Clerist Tower.  Standing just down the path from the gates he
could see the
guards that stood outside the gates, talking casually between
themselves. 
Reaching down he lightly rubbed the neck of his steed before
lightly
spurring it to move ahead.  When he arrived at the gates he
nodded down at
the knights and continued through.  Although while he passed he
noticed that
the guards were looking at him somewhat strangely.  Upon arriving
in the
courtyard, Maraxus saw Sir Kirduns speaking with a couple of
other knights. 
Maraxus dismounted his horse, still holding the reins, and walked
over to
the group of knights leading his horse along behind him.  Sir
Kirduns
immediately noticed him approaching and smiled at him as he
finished his
conversation.  The other two knights nodded and walked away and
Sir Kirduns
walked over to Maraxus.  "Maraxus, so good to see you back.  I
was
actually just speaking with those other knights.  You fared well
on your
journey I hope..."  "The roads were fair, I was able to make it
to the
outpost, and deliver the message in good time.  After that I was
able to
make it back to my home quite quickly..."  "Wait...  Would you
mind
showing me that sword?"  Maraxus pulled the sword from his
shoulder, and
held it out in front of him still sheathed, the light leather
strap dangling
loosely in the air.  "By Paladine, it is what I thought it was...

Maraxus, where did you get this blade??  "It was passed on to me
by my
father, he passed away while I was at home.  This sword has been
passed
through the Ter'Silis family for many many years."  



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Thu May  5 02:03:55 2005
Stamp   1115276635
Subject  An Epic Blade


Sir Kirduns looked blankly at Maraxus for a moment before a look
of
realization and disbelief crossed over his face.

"Of course, I didn't even fully recognize your family name until
now. It did
sound familiar at first, but I just dismissed it. The ancestric
blade of the
Ter'Silis family: Castanea. I vaguely remember the chronicles
written about
that sword and the knights of the Ter'Silis family that carried
it."

"I was unaware that there were stories written about this sword,
I only know
what my father had told to me about my ancestors that carried
this blade. That
it's history dated back to the times before the Cataclysm..."

"The chronicles are housed within the Solamnic Library in
Palanthas. You would
do good to go and read them. I remember in one of the chronicles
that the
blade was blessed by the Kingpriest of Istar himself."

"Was it really?" Maraxus stared in amazement at the sword and
pulled it out of
its sheath a couple of inches to re-examine the bright silver of
the blade
itself. "I was never told about that."

Sir Kirduns smiled as he looked at the sword in Maraxus' hands.
"Before I
forget about what I needed to speak to you about I'd like to
inform you that
we have found a Patron Knight to take you as his Squire. You are
to be
assigned to Lord Reno. Although he is not here at present so that
I may
introduce you to him, he had to leave on an important errand for
the
Knighthood. He should be back in less than two weeks. In the
meantime I
suggest you make a trip to Palanthas to read the chronicles
written on that
wonderful sword you hold in your hands."

Maraxus nodded lightly before pushing the blade back into its
sheath and
pulling the leather strap back over his shoulder. "Thank you, Sir
Kirduns, I
will take your advice and travel to palanthas until the time of
of Lord Reno's
return."




Author:  Maraxus
Date    Fri May  6 06:12:47 2005
Stamp   1115377967
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


Arriving at the Solamnic Library in Palanthas, Maraxus entered to
see walls
upon walls covered with bookshelves. The bookshelves in turn were
filled
beyond their brims with books. Maraxus quickly began to browse
through the
shelves for titles containing the name Ter'Silis or the name of
his sword,
Castanea. While searching Maraxus saw titles containing many
different names,
he even passed over books that contained the legendary names of
Macfie,
Mertias, Whitestar, and Pathwarden. There were also many other
names from days
long past, he kept moving until finally he passed over a book
bearing the
title: Aldinar Ter'Silis. He pulled the book from the shelf and
sat down at a
table and began reading.

---===  Aldinar Ter'Silis  ===--- <<>>
The
knighthood had never been stronger in these times, led by Lord
Krinsan, Knight
of the Rose, Lord Aldinar, Knight of the Sword, and Lord Harteph,
Knight of
the Crown. The presence of evil across the lands of Krynn had
only just began
to make itself more known. Small armies had began to gather north
of the
plains of dust, near the southern coast of New Sea. The Solamnic
Knights made
routine containment attacks upon these small army camps to make
sure that they
did not move out of the area.

The Knight leading these attacks was Lord Aldinar, he led a group
of
dragonriders through the area at given intervals. On the first
month of
winter, Aldinar made one of his routine journey's to the south.
He made the
journey at the beginning of every season. He took nine other
dragonriders with
him to make a sweep of the area and monitor the armies activity.
The weather
was not particularly kind this winter, the snow had begun falling
in the last
month of fall and had continued to storm. Aldinar could barely
see Sirrush,
his silver dragonmount, through snow that continued to fall.
Looking behind
him as he soared through the air, the only riders he could see
following
behind him were the 3 golds and 2 bronze. The silvers were
invisible behind
the wall of falling white.

(To Be Continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Sun May  8 01:37:07 2005
Stamp   1115534227
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


Upon reaching the area where the small armies had been, Aldinar
noticed that
the camps had been abandoned. Directing his dragonmount to fly
lower for a
closer look at the camp he squinted as he looked around the
camps.

"Sirrush, can you see anything within the camp?"

"I do not see anyone, and there are no fires burning anywhere in
the camp."

Flying down, Sirrush landed in the center of the camp. Aldinar
dismounted and
walked towards one of the tents. The flap blew violently in the
snow covered
wind, Aldinar grabbed the flap and held it open as he walked in.
There was
evidence of someone leaving in a rush, as though they were
unprepared to
leave. Walking back out of the tent he could still barely see the
footsteps
moving away from the tent. He followed them, they led towards the
north-end of
the camp, as he walked he noticed that the amount of footprints
was quickly
growing. As he reached the northside of the camp the only snow
remaining on
the path was fresh fallen snow, no more than a days worth of
snowfall. The
entire army that was camped here was headed north either towards
the lands of
Thorbardin or to Silvanost.

Running back to Sirrush, Aldinar quickly climbed into the saddle
and called to
his companions took back to the air and flew north. The Golds,
Bronzes and
Silvers launched into the air behind him, stirring up a flurry of
fresh fallen
snow with the powerful beats of their wings.

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Fri May 13 00:46:40 2005
Stamp   1115963200
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


Sirrush flew at high speeds, moving north following the direction
of the
armies footprints. After about two hours, Aldinar could see the
rear of the
army coming into sight. It was much larger than he had once
anticipated.
Guiding Sirrush he moved off to the west, beckoning his
companions to follow,
moving around to get a better look at the size of the army.

"We might want to move farther away if you wish to remain unseen,
Aldinar.
From what I can see they have at least 5 white dragons with
them."

"Slow down for a moment" Aldinar called the other dragonriders
around him and
pointed at two of the silvers "You two, go back and inform Lord
Krinsan and
Lord Harteph that this army is moving north towards Thorbardin.
They are about
4 days march from the gates. If any reinforcements are sent they
have to move
quickly, or else they may not show up before the battle is over."

The dragonriders nodded in confirmation, turned and flew away
quickly
disappearing into the wall of snow. Aldinar called out to Sirrush
and they
moved farther into the west before heading north again, towards
Thorbardin.
Aldinar could still barely see the army as it moved north, it was
much larger
than he had ever though it would grow to, there had to be at
least three
possibly even four thousand soldiers within the army.

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Tue May 17 01:15:28 2005
Stamp   1116310528
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


Aldinar arrived at the gates of Thorbardin after a few hours,
quickly
dismounting Sirrush he approached the gates dominating the
southern side of
skullcap mountain. There was a pair of dwarves standing on either
side of the
massive gates, they stepped in front of them as they saw Aldinar
approaching,
they pulled their axes from their backs.

"State your name and business, warrior!"

"My name is Aldinar Ter'Silis, Lord Knight of the Solamnic order
of the Sword.
I must speak with your king, it is of great urgence."

"What is of such great urgence that you must see the king, Lord
Aldinar?"

"An army out of the south is marching towards Thorbardin. At
least three
thousand strong and they are accompanied by dragons, I must get
this
information to your King." One of the dwarves slowly nodded his
head and
beckoned for Aldinar to follow him. The dwarf was moving
exceedingly slow for
the importance of the information which Aldinar had, not to
mention the
distance through the dwarven caverns that they had to traverse
before reaching
the king's chambers. They walked past countless other passages
before entering
the foyer of the immense great hall. Aldinar remembered how large
it was, but
it seemed like it had grown larger since the last time he had
visited. They
walked past towering pillars carved out of the mountain itself
amazingly
designed, intricate in every detail. Aldinar had always seen the
craftsmanship
of the dwarves was amazing, even the large scale projects were
perfect down to
the smallest detail. Such over zealousness about ones work was
rarely seen in
other races' works. They entered the great hall and the dwarf he
was following
moved over towards one of the throne guards and spoke a few words
in dwarven
and the throne guard nodded and walked out of the great hall. He
must have
been going to get the king, Aldinar noticed that the throne was
empty as he
walked in.

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Fri May 20 02:02:14 2005
Stamp   1116572534
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


After a few moments a dwarf dressed in brightly colored clothing
with an
elaborate crown resting upon his head walked out following the
throne guard
that had left before. He casually walked up to the throne and
plopped himself
down, shifting slightly as though he were not comfortable enough
in his royal
seat.

"What business have you with the Thane, Knight?"

"Sire, I come to inform you that there is an army, maybe 2 days
march, making
their way towards the southern gate of Thorbardin. At my current
estimation I
would say there is at least three thousand troops, possibly even
four
thousand. I believe you should begin fortifying your defenses and
preparing
your troops for a battle."

"Our defenses should be more than adequate as they are to take on
a raggedy
group of three thousand men. They would never breach our great
walls, it is
unthinkable."

"I regret to inform you that they also bring dragons, Thane. My
dragon spotted
at least five of them, there is most likely more than that."

"Dragons! HA! Not even dragons could breach our walls, the
strength of the
dwarves is too much even for the dragons. I will increase the
defenses to fend
off these unruly beasts, we will show them what dwarven might
really is."

Aldinar nodded and bowed to the thane before turning to leave the
great hall,
this time he traveled alone back through the passages towards the
south gate.
He had to prepare for a difficult battle as he knew that as
stubborn as the
dwarf was he would not supply a sufficient amount of troops to
defend from
this attack. The thane would only be increasing the amount of
soldiers on duty
to the amount needed to fend off the army, this battle could be
taken care
quite easily if the thane would merely put out his army in full
force rather
than holding back. The stubborn pride of the dwarves got on his
last nerve,
frustrating Aldinar as he tried to think of a plan as he emerged
from the
south gate.

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Fri May 20 03:03:58 2005
Stamp   1116576238
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


Aldinar and his troops had been given a room within the barracks
of south gate
to rest, but come morning he awoke uncomfortably stiff. The
dwarves were accustomed
to sleeping on much harder surfaces than had Aldinar. Taking a
long stretch he
felt his bones popping and cracking, lightly relieving the stiff
tension all over his
body. Having slept with his armor on, Aldinar only grabbed his
sword belt and wrapped
it about himself. He walked through a couple of passageways so
that he could go outside
and appraise the situation with how many troops the Thane had put
out. 

The morning air was bitterly cold, though the snow had stopped
falling overnight.
The sun was just creeping over the horizon, painting the sky with
multiple different
hues of red, blue and yellow. The few distant clouds were tainted
purple with the
coming of light, the red moon lunitari was just beginning to fade
from sight. Aldinar
approached one of the dwarven guards to speak with him about the
defenses.

"Excuse me, might you know about the increase in the defenses?"

"Aye, are you authorized for such information, lad?"

"Yes, I brought the information that has caused the increase in
the defenses.
I merely need to know how many more troops your king has put on
duty to deal with
this army that is approaching."

"The Thane has ordered an extra five hundred to stand the walls,
another faction
of one thousand three hundred has been ordered to prepare for
ground battle outside
the walls. Along with the two hundred that already manned the
walls, of course they
will only be maintaining there posts."

Aldinar nodded thanking the dwarf as he turned and walked away,
he knew the dwarf
would be doing exactly this. Downplaying the situation to make it
seem like it 
would obviously be an easy battle. The dwarves still had the
upper hand as long as
Aldinar and his fellow dragonriders didn't leave, but if the
situation became more
crucial the dwarves would not be prepared for it.

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Fri May 20 03:20:48 2005
Stamp   1116577248
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


Aldinar headed over to where the dragons had been left for the
night, finding
Sirrush he spoke with the dragon as he had done so many times
when he needed
trustworthy council.

Something seems to be troubling you, Aldinar. Did the dwarf do
exactly as you
suspected he would do?" Sirrush smiled smugly at his comment,
knowing that it
was what was troubling Aldinar.

"He didn't put out enough troops, if something goes wrong or if
there are more
troops than I had estimated then they will be in dire straits.
There won't be
much that we can do to help them other than fight alongside them
until the
end..."

"You are an honorable man, Aldinar. I know that the decision you
make is the
right one, and for it you will be victorious whether the battle
is won or
lost. I myself have seen you come out of more troubling events
and it has made
you the man, the knight, that you are today."

Smiling slightly as he sighed deeply, Aldinar tried to flush out
his
frustration as he listened to Sirrush. His dragon companion had
always been
able to say what was necessary to make him feel that much better
no matter
what he was into.

Care to take me for a fly-by of the enemy so that I can evaluate
how much more
time "Care to take me for a fly-by of the enemy so that I can
evaluate how
much more time we have to prepare ourselves?"

"It would be my pleasure, Aldinar."


Flying lightly south, Aldinar looked along the ground to try and
see the
enemy. He could see much farther without the wall of snow
blocking his view,
after about two hours of flight Aldinar could see the front of
the army on the
horizon. Strange he thought to himself, because according to his
estimation
yesterday they should have been quite a bit farther away than
they were. A
sharp realization came across as Aldinar thought more about it.
They were less
than half a days march away, looking back he could still see the
hazy outline
of skullcap mountain.

"Sirrush turn around, we need to go back. They are much closer
than I had
first anticipated. We have to begin preparing now."

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Sat May 21 03:22:23 2005
Stamp   1116663743
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


The final preperations had been made and Aldinar could see the
army cresting a
distant hill to the south. He stood beside Sirrush just outside
the gates,
tightening the straps on the dragonsaddle. His companions were
already mounted
awaiting the enemies arrival, the look of anticipation covering
their weather
beaten faces. This would not be an easy battle with the troops
set out by the
thane, his stubborness still irritated Aldinar to this moment.

"I think we are ready now, Sirrush. All we have to do now is wait
for them to
arrive."

"I believe we are, Aldinar, but I see something that may trouble
you.
Something I don't believe the dwarves will be completely prepared
for..."

"What is it?"

"Our enemy is bringing machines of war...Catapults and
ballistae..."

Aldinar peered out in the direction of the army, squinting
harshly at the
distance between them. He could barely make out the shapes of a
catapult or
two, although he could not see the ballistae he knew Sirrush must
have seen
them or else he would not have mentioned them. The dwarves would
not be ready
for this, there was no time to change the preparations. They
would just have
to make do with the way they were set up, in an hour the battle
would be upon
them...

(To be continued)



Author:  Maraxus
Date    Tue May 24 03:07:04 2005
Stamp   1116922024
Subject  Aldinar Ter'Silis


The army was composed of goblins, humans, and groups of
minotaurs, amazing to
see that there weren't any draconians amidst them. Aldinar was
correct with
his estimation of the size of the army before, they were at least
three
thousand strong. The army seemed to be quite well organized, they
formed
massive groups in standard battle formation. There were five
white dragons
standing at the back of the field, mounted by minotaurs and
humans.

Aldinar looked to his companions, pointing at a silver and gold,
"Remember the
plan, you two go around the east side and attack their dragons."
Pointing to
another gold and silver, "And you two go around the west side
flank the
dragons once they have attacked." Looking to the two bronzes he
nodded at
them, "Since the plan has to be changed, I want you two to try
and take down
their catapults and ballistae." Smiling at the last dragon left,
a younger
silver, "You're going to be staying at the front with me, we have
to try and
keep them from reaching the gates. Try and keep the casualties as
low as
possible here."

Aldinar looked back and saw the dwarven crossbowmen preparing for
the first
wave of firing. The dwarven footsoldiers issued for the battled
stood just
outside the closed southgate. Looking ba

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