An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Niao.

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 large book on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Niao' scribed in earth-colored grey ink.

Author:  Niao
Date    Thu Oct  2 05:10:31 2003



Subject  How I Came To This World



Once in the vast stretch of land now named the Solamnic plains,a rock dropped
down for no reason whatsoever onto the lonely road.

It just appeared to have dropped down from the sky,most probably a present
from the Gods. It was a innocent looking rock,did no harm to travellers
passing by,and people passed by without noticing it.

What the lonely rock never did know,and expect,that things will very shortly
change,for ever...

The two legendary mages had arranged to meet every ten years to decide who was
the better of the two. The day of the next duel was on the thirtieth of
february,and it was as though Nature sensed the imminent fight, the aura of
bloodlust in the air grew stronger as the day approached with excruciating
slowness..

They fought fast and furious,each hurling potent and deadly spells towards the
other.

So intense was the duel that even the grounds shook.Thunderstorms all over the
world converged above them...

The poor little rock hadn't a single clue what was happening,it was right in
the middle of two floating mages.

Flashes of LIGHTNING caused by the intensity of the duel struck down at
exactly the spot where the little rock laid,with a loud bang,and the outline
of a half-elf began forming. Niao the Half-Elf is Borned..

The two mages were never seen in this world again. Rumours told of the two
mages being teleported to another dimension unknown after the lightning
struck, but no one ever knows for sure....



Author:  Niao
Date    Fri Oct 10 05:23:09 2003



Subject  Behind The Special One



Looking at the burned patches of barren land around him,he felt a sudden sense
of helplessness.He sobbed,day till night,night till day,day after day,night
after night.His tears seemed never to end.Years passed..

"Come...follow me..I shall take care of you." A weary voice sounded beside
him.

Astonished,he glanced up,seeing the blurred figure of the one person whom he
would respect most in his life.

"Follow me..You will not be alone again.."

The silhouette of the stranger paled,and disappeared.The world around him
became a blur,objects swirled around him and with a swoosh,he was teleported
to the other end of the world.

"Here,come to me,I'm Sai,and you shall be my disciple.What's your name?"

"I...I..don't have a name."

"Then I shall call you Niao,and I will train you in the mystical arts."

Niao nodded dumbly,awestruck at the sight of Sai and the dark aura emanating
from Sai..

----------------------

18 years passed quickly. Niao was no longer the weakling 18 years ago. Under
the care of his master,Niao learned to use the most intricate forms of magic.
He was a fast learner,the disciple favoured most by Sai among hundreds of
disciples.

One day,Niao was summoned to the Great Hall in Sai's Residence. With great
haste,he hurried up the stairs,pondering on what Sai wanted to talk to him
about..

"You have learned everything. I have nothing more to teach you. Leave this
place...and never return again.."

Utterly taken aback by his master's order,Niao dropped down on his
knees,adamantly refusing. However,his master's mind was already made up,and he
did have a choice whether to stay or leave.

"If fate allows,we may meet again.For now,farewell,and good luck."

The whole area faded from view,and he was back at exactly the same spot where
he met Sai. He knew ,deep down in his heart however,he would one day be able
to see his master again.

----------------------

Niao thought "Hmm,since I'm back,I might as well ask about my birth...
Right,I'll do just that." Spotting a tavern in the distance,he hurried
up,anxious to find a place to shelter him for the night.

Niao ordered a bottle of ale,and just as he was getting drunk,something he
heard from the table beside him drove all of his drunkeness away..

"Yes yes,the battle between Qiye and Jiguang was the most exciting of all..."

Niao looked towards the opposite table,and saw 3 mages donning different
colored robes discussing animatedly about the cause behind his birth. Niao
could hardly believe his good luck. Muttering a prayer of thanks to Nuitari,he
continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"They used the most arcane of magic,I was thousands of miles away then,but
still could feel the ground shaking..It was totally freaking!" One said.

"The duel lasted for weeks,or months? Thunderstorms were everywhere..
Everywhere was flooded! It was a great mess back then." Another quipped.

The third muttered,"There were rumours that the powers of the two bonded and
created a life-form. Was that true?"

"Yep,i heard that it happened from many other people too. But this is almost
impossible,and no one have ever seen the creature created." The first one
answered.

Niao smirked,and without a backward glance,departed. He'd understood the
mystery of his birth. He knew he was the special one,no doubt.

----------------------

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.'