An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Tiberius.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap Off 65 80.'
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Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a leather bound tome on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Tiberius' scribed in unearthly purple ink.

Author:    Tiberius        
Date:      Sat Dec 22 00:57:21 2007
Subject     [FWD] Background : Tiberius Eskariot

Cneturies ago the House of Eskariot had been amongst the oldest and
wealthiest noble famillies of Istar and had played a significant part in the
rise of that empire. As the might of Istar flooded Ansalon so too did the
power of House Eskariot grow until eventually their estates were so far
flung that a small army of accountant had to be maintained simply to keep
track of everything. Once every ten years the Lord of Eskariot would spend a
year touring all their holdings and it was during one of these times that
the Cataclysm struck, sending Istar to the bottom of the Blood Sea and also
bringing an end to the bottomless wealth of Tiberius' ancestors.

They had been in Solamnia when the mountain fell and with some difficulty
eventually managed to make their way to Palanthas and there use some of
their last coins to buy a humble estate nearby. The many treasures, trophies
and momentoes they had brought were packed away and forgotten, as was their
power, and they gave themselves over to the new order of things, surviving
as best they could in a world gone mad with no gods. 

By the time Tiberius was born the family had diminished to only a few
members and their household staff. Young Tiberius spent his time either in
the family library reading of his ancestors and their noble victories over
centuries of campaigning or in the yard with his grandfather from whom he
learned the skills used by his family to secure those victories. With the
Silver Sword Company the House Eskariot had won reknown and honour and
Tiberius swore to himself that someday the Company would ride again, that
his family would not fade away, forgotten by the world they had once
conquered. Someday his House's banners would again hearten their allies and
bring despair to their foes.

The years passed slowly and in time his grandfather, then his parents,
passed on leaving Tiberius alone by the time he was 18. Now Lord of an empty
house he let go most of the staff and began to wander Ansalon as a simple
mercenary while he a sign from the gods as to what path he should walk. He
fought in skirmishes here and there for whoever would pay and it was while
in Kern that he had his epiphany.

His commander had taken an ogre's black feathered arrow in the chest and as
he lay dieing in Tiberius' arms the young man beg Kiri_Jolith to save the
him. Next to his own grandfather his commander had been the most noble soul
Tiberius had known and for him to die thus was a travesty of justice. A
former Knight of Solamnia he still retained many of that organization's
beliefs and had treated his men with respect and his foes with mercy where
possible. It was then Tiberius' hands began to tingle and then glow with a
faint silvery blue light, a light which slowly diffused into the shattered
chest of his commander. The bleeding slowed and in moments had stopped and
Tiberius lifted his blood soaked hands away in awe. He had been given his
sign and knew his calling. After the battle He made his farewells with his
unit and reutrned to Palanthas, his mind set and his goals clear for the
first time.

After the battle he bid farewell to his unit and returned to Palanthas, his
mind set and his goals clear for the first time. Gathering up all of his
familly's trophies and heirlooms, long ago packed away and forgotten, he
sold off the estate and purchased the Lighthouse of Palanthas which he has
since restopred to it's former glory and now uses as a secure base from
which he plans to someday send forth the Company again, but this time not to
conquer but to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, for the
weak, aged and oppressed. Not just for glory and honour, but for justice for
all. Beside the Warbanner of House Eskariot, it's black field bearing only a
single silver sword, now flies the Banner of Kiri-Jolith and with these
symbols Tiberius hopes to bring back the stability of Istar but without the
insanity which eventually caused it's decay and destruction.


Author:    Tiberius       
Date:      Tue Nov 24 22:37:51 2009
Subject     All Roads Lead To Home

As the vessel slid up to the weathered old dock in the Harbor of
Palanthas scurvy, grubby sailors threw heavy ropes down to dirty, grubby
dock workers who secured them to iron rings embedded in the stone, holding
the ship fast against the gentle tug of the sea. As the mariners and their
peers on land began offloading the cargo a lone figure made his way to the
top of the gangway and stared down for a moment before descending. Staring
down at the men swarming about below he raised his eyes to take in the
ancient Harbor Gate, the stout high walls of the Lord City and the buildings
towering above in the distance. His gaze drifted along the bluffs ringing
the Harbor until eventually settling upon a tall spire, almost as old as the
city itself, perched at the very edge of the cliff and towering hundreds of
feet above it.

The Lighthouse of Palanthas, the Lord City's ancient beacon of safety and
hope.'Home', thought Tiberius. With a light sigh of relief he strode down to
the dock, through the Gate and for the first time in many a month walked the
old trail up to the Lighthouse. At the base of the edifice he found old
Endarius, the last servant of House Eskariot and Tiberius' oldest friend and
comrade. The old Knight set down his fishing rod and made to stand but his
old bones rebelled and his young lord motioned him to be at ease. Reaching
into his pack for a bottle of old Istarian '32 Tiberius sat on the rocky
shore and the two proceeded to drink more than a few toasts while Endarius
brought his master up to speed on events which had transpired during his
absence.

By the time Tiberius left the old man to his duty the moon was high in the
night sky and as he mounted the stairs he watched as the Beacon flashed out
across the Bay, lighting the path to safety for any mariner this side of the
Gates of Paladine. Arriving at the top of the narrow staircase he put out
his hand and lightly brushed the silver broadword set into the ironwood
door. For millenia this had been his family's pride and joy, given them by
the first Priest-King for being pivotal in the campaign to bring him to
power. House Eskariot and their household unit had been almost wiped out to
the last but had not faltered and in the end had won the day. 

'"For an Honour Greater Than Our Own"', he thought. 'Please Kiri-Jolith,
this was once a motto which brought fear to the Dark and hope to our allies.
Let me live long enough to see it so again. This is all I ask.'.

Opening the portal and stepping inside he entered the Lighthouse's Sanctum
and rested on the long curved bench around the wall. Looking about at a
millenia worth of millitary trophies adorning the chamber he frowned
slightly then looked down at his battlescarred and caloused hands. 'We will
not go quietly into the abyss of history. House Eskariot and the Silver
Sword Company mattered once, and now the hounds of war run amok again
preying on the weak and defenceless. The Solamnic Knights are steadfast
defenders but too few and bound by tradition. They cannot alone stem the
tide. There are still a few coins in the coffers to begin recruiting,
although where I will find enough professional, noble people to take up a
cause which is for anything but themselves I know not.'. Pouring himself the
last of the rare Istarian vintage he slowly retired to his chambers. 

Author:    Tiberius       
Date:      Tue Dec  8 00:14:23 2015
Subject     A Light Returns

Tiberius stood quietly in the shadows on the dock with his arms folded across his chest and watched in silence as the assassin walked down the gangplank with the grace of a cat. They had a strange relationship and by rights should be trying to kill each other at every opportunity but each had earned a grudging respect from the other both on the field of battle and off.

After their first encounter at Kalaman Tiberius had very discretely used his contacts to discover who this very dangerous person was, his strengths, weaknesses and history. While he found the trade of assassin disgusting what he learned about that one made him understand that while Penumbra very well might be completely insane and utterly without mercy he was not chaotic or out of control.

If anything he was likely the one person Tiberius knew who could keep his self control under any conditions. Kalaman had shown hoim that. The Dragon Army had crumbled and scattered, all but Penumbra's unit. They kept it together and hit their mark, then vanished like a mist in a hurricane.

He watched the killer leave the docks and knew regardless of what he had said that Penumbra would be killing someone in the city, likely tonight. "Maybe before he even gets to the Rudder" thought Tiberius.

He sighed slightly but shrugged and standing straight lifted his sack and made his way into the city then out the west gate. a few minutes later he was sitting beside Endarius regaling him with tales, both tall and true, of his recent capaigning. The old comrades drank their fill of Istarian '37 and eventually Tiberius groggily made his way up to the Lighthouse of Palanthas.

Before the ironwood door he brushed the inset silver sword with his fingers. His ancestors had used the last of their resources, the ashes of his house, to rebuild this place. This blade was the essence of his line and, with their ancestral halls at the bottom of the sea, this was home now.

"Home ... at last.", said Tiberius as he pushed the door open and entered the Sanctum. Upon entering his chambers he simply lay on his bed and the moment his head the pillow he too was fast asleep.

The Storytellers of Ansalon, The DragonLance MUD

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