The Great Library of Palanthas
An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.
Stories of Ansalon from the view of Tourach.
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 worn tome on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Tourach' scribed in burnt grey ink.
Author: Tourach Date Thu Jan 23 22:12:57 2003 Subject The New Found Evil While taking a much needed rest one late evening, Tourach was thinking of his Solamnic duties when suddenlya flash of darkness crossed his eyes, it disappeared immediately after it had appeared. He stood hoping to see what it was, his hand unconsciously reaching for his weapons for protection. After a brief moment of tense anticipation th dark flash came back, but this time it did not disappear, it merely stood in front of him, unable to completely decipher what it was he he stared in awe for a few seconds. Unexpectedly the dark cloud spoke, but Tourach did ot understand the words spoken to him, yet all of a sudden he was filled with some unholy bloodlust. A squire warily approaching caught the corner of Tourach's eye he turned quickly, his eyes were glazed over in a red cloud. The squire cowered slightly and quietly asked, "Are you alright, Sir Tourach?" Tourach merely smiled and raised a gauntleted fist and brought it down hard across the squire's face. The squire fell to the floor coughing up blood and spitting out broken teeth, "why did you do that?" asked the squire Tourach pulled his sword from it's sheath while closing in on the squire. Bringing the sword up above his head he swung with all his might down upon the squire severing the body in two and clashing his sword with the stone floor. Continuing to walk towards the exit of the Solamnic Keep he was encountered by a solmnic guard, the guard attempted to stop Tourach and ask him the intentions of his actions , Tourach quickly removed a small dagger from his belt and before the soldier could react Tourach had jammed the dagger through his throat. Finally reaching the exit the two soldiers guarding the door blocked his exit, "For actions you have just taken you cannot leave the premises Tourach!" Two more guards filed in behind Tourach blocking his exits. Grinning with a smile that only an insane person would show, Tourach removed his other sword from it's sheath and prepared to slaughter the Solamnic soldiers. The first one ran at him with his spear pointed at Tourach's gut, in one quick movement Tourach slapped the spear aside and raised his sword to the soldiers face, impaling the soldier upon the point of the sword, squirting blood across the walls and Tourach's armor. Pulling his sword out of the soldiers skull, he turned to the next Solamnic standing in his way. Blood dripping down one of his swords he stared evilly at the three remaining. They all quickly charged at Tourach, Tourach acting with his Warrior instincts maneuvered himself to the best position. Author: Tourach Date Thu Jan 23 22:33:29 2003 Subject The New Found Evil (cont.) Moving quickly from his position he first headed for the single soldier coming from the doors. Crouching down Tourach slashed at the soldiers weapon knocking it out of his way, then Tourach quickly jabbed his still clean sword into the soldiers gut, using his minotaur strength he lifted the soldier up with his sword. The soldier slid down the blade leaving a streak of blood on the blade. His sword still stuck in the soldiers body he swung the other around so that he was standing sideways so as to defend himself from the soldiers approaching from the rear. Fending off the soldiers he attempted to yank his sword from the dead soldier he had gruesomely impaled While doing this he was not paying enough attention to the soldiers he was defending himself against, taking a deep slice across his arm he roared in anger. Filled with even more evil hatred with the blood drawn from him, Tourach quickly pulled the blade from the dead soldiers body. Turning to face the soldiers with both arms free now, he was prepared to kill them and destroy their bodies in his anger. Thinking quickly so as to catch the soldiers as off-guard as possible he swung his swords knocking the soldiers weapons towards the wall creating a path for Tourach to get into close quarters with the soldiers. He closed in quickly, but did not stop when he was close enough, he continued to charge towards the soldiers, lowering his head pointing his horns towards them. Unprepared and untrained for such an attack the soldiers were frozen where they stood. Dropping his swords Tourach reached out and grabbed the heads of the soldiers and forced their heads into the perfect positions, before they could fight back Tourach had gored both soldiers through the center of their heads. Raising his head with both soldiers hanging from his horns he smiled as the warm blood trickled down his face. Reaching up and tearing both bodies from his horns he dropped them on the ground, and began reaching for his swords. Picking up his weapons Tourach turned back to the dead bodies. Raising both swords he swung through the bodies chopping them to pieces, blood splashed through the whole room. Tourach completed his slicing and his fur had turned to a dark red stained by the blood of the solamnics. He turned towards the exits, replacing his swords in their sheaths he stepped out of the Solamnic Keep. Once outside the doors of the keep he roared his new allegiance to the Dark Queen Takhisis. Author: Tourach Date Sat Feb 1 21:08:02 2003 Subject The Induction The induction was a long and prosperous meeting with the Knights and Lords of the Knights of Takhisis, Tourach was enveloped in his love for the Dark Queen. He had been accepted as a squire to the knighthood, he foresaw the tasks that lay ahead of him, he smiled at the thought of serving the queen. Shortly after his induction Tourach was introduced to the halls of Storm Keep. Holding the great hall in awe he was caught off guard by one of the other squires approaching from the barracks The squire held out a training sword and a squires standard armor, taking the equipment Tourach quickly changed into the items given to him. He had small tasks to take care of around Storm Keep, until it was requested of him to retrieve a few items for an aspiring squire. He agreed and and quickly left the knight. He searched through the cities until he was able to find what he needed, being carried by some lowly being, not deserving of what it had acquired. He proudly stepped toward the being, coming face to face with it, close enough to smell the dank warm breath consumed by liquor. Tourach simply told the being to drop the items and he would let him live. The worthless creature refused in his drunken stupor, Tourach removed his training blade from it's leather sheath and asked again. Once again the being refused, becoming slightly angered Tourach stepped back and said "Wrong answer." Using all of the power his minotaur body could put out Tourach swung his weapon slicing the being across the chest opening a wide gap. Tourach watched as blood seeped from the wound and the disgusting, drunken creature fell to the ground. Removing the items he needed Tourach murmered a slight prayer to takhisis leaving the body in her sacrifice he quickly returned to Storm Keep and reported back to the Knight that had requested the items. Author: Tourach Date Thu Feb 6 21:11:00 2003 Subject The Training Shortly after his induction within the Knights of Takhisis, Tourach learned the ways of the Vision, Order, and Discipline. He studied these textures many time over intending to memorize them to his darkened heart. Everyday after his intentive studies Tourach would remove his Squire Issue Sword from it's sheath and begin his intense rounds of training with the weaponsmaster. His training was extremely difficult because of the weaponsmaster discipline towards Minotaurs, they should be excellent in using their strength with their finesse. Tourach carefully studied and practiced each move with delicate exactness, making sure each action was completely correct. Improving his mind and memorizing nearly every aspect of the Vision, Tourach began to focus his training more towards his weapon and battle skills. Becoming extremely proficient with the sword he began to train with different weapons. Working many hard hours with the weaponsmaster, Tourach became proficient in a variety of different weapons. He was preparing himself for the battles that lay ahead of him, practicing his skills with the other knights he learned different fighting styles intent on being the best he could be, He didn't want to be surprised by any kind of attack thrust upon him. The Knights and the weaponsmaster watched as his skill grew, he was nearly ready for real battle. Ending each day Tourach would make his visit to the Temple dedicated to Takhisis spending hours making his prayers to the Queen. Kneeling before the altar Tourach dedicated his heart, mind and soul to the prosperous Vision his Queen provided. Declaring his love for the Queen, Tourach would gather his things and end his day, taking his rest to prepare for the next day of Training, Study, and always Prayer. Author: Tourach Date Fri Feb 14 21:23:34 2003 Subject Tourach in the Beginning (Part I) Stepping outside of his tent, Tourach emerged coming face to face with the leader of their small tribe. They were all warriors trained to the heat of battle learning the ways of power and strength. Drawing from their Minotaur heritage for their agile strength and battle intuition. Tourach was one of the more revered fighters of the tribe. Though he was a fierce and loyal warrior he was somewhat despised for his arrogance that came with his seemingly natural ability. The leader staredat him, searching deep into Tourach's eyes looking for a reason for what he was about to proclaim, the leader was afraid of Tourach and did not wish to accuse him for what he had done. Tourach's deep blue eyes seemed cold as he undauntedly gazed back at the tribal leader, fearless. Knowing well that he had the rest of the tribe to back him up the leader got a more confident demeanor and, not stepping back from his face to face stance with Tourach, began to shout so that all could hear what he was saying, "Tourach your arrogance and attitude towards the rest of us has gone beyond what we can tolerate. I challenge you to a duel, this is the end Tourach if you survive you will still have to depart from the tribe, if you die...the consequences are self evident." Smiling to the leader he simply completed buckling his sword belt and rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. The leader stepped back reaching quickly for the hilt of his sword. The entire group of minotaurs surrounding the two widened into a large circle creating a make-shift arena around them. Delicately pulling his sword from his sheath he prepared himself to fight the leader. Yanking his sword from his side the leader nervously prepared himself for what was to come. Advancing quickly Tourach swiftly knocked his opponents sword aside catching him off-gaurd holding both swords out of the way Tourach quickly, yet powerfully, jabbed the leader square in the gut knocking the breath out of him. Stepping away Tourach spun around preparing for the opposition to make his strike, but it did not come. Tourach becoming the complete agressor in the battle once again advanced swinging his sword clashing it with a parry from the opposite longsword. Returning quickly with his weapon he swung with complete finesse to the underside of the leader. The leader regaining his composure after the blow to his midsection was getting his defense back into full effect. Grinning at the full challenge of his opponent Tourach stepped back and prepared to once again engage the leader. The leader placing his feet in a firm battle position ready for Tourach next advance. Seeing that his opponent was fully ready for any trained attack that Tourach would make, Tourach did something unexpected. He charged at the lower half of his opponents body, swinging to deflect Tourach's sword the leader moved to frantically in his surprise completely missing Tourach. Pulling away with his weapon Tourach rolled quickly standing behind the leader, deftly spinning the sword in his hand, Tourach stopped the weapon and swung full force with the flat of his blade at his opponents head. Striking with a force unmatched by the rest of the tribe, Tourach's blade shattered on the bone. Letting out a sharp cry of pain that ended swiftly, the leader fell to his knees, a spatter of blood dripping down the back of his skull. Dropping his broken weapon, Tourach walked back to his tent. He retrieved his most important belongings stepped outside the flap of his tent and simply stated, "To te abyss with all of you, I was a loyal companion and this is how I am repaid? You say that my arrogance and attitude is wrong to you? Straight to the abyss with all of you, you are all worthless." Turning his back on them he walked away, he was last seen stepping over the hills as all the others watched him leave in awe of this unexpected end. Author: Tourach Date Tue Feb 18 12:10:15 2003 Subject Tourach in the Beginning (Part II) Traversing the hills past his former tribes camp he grumbles, angered at what they had done to him. Not looking back he walked not knowing yet where he was going to end up. Realizing that he had no provisions to eat or any shelter to sleep under he stopped and decided what he must do. Seeing a large forest off in the distance he headed in that direction, once he had reached the forest he had the good fortune to find a large sum of oak trees standing at the brim of the forest. Climbing up one of the trees he pulled his dagger from his belt and sawed off a large, sturdy branch and returned to the forest floor. Finding a convenient stump to rest on he began to whiddle away at the branch. In time he had fashioned a crude bow from the branch Tearing a thick string from the clothing he was wearing he tied it to each end of the bow and slung it across his back. He went back to the oak trees and chopped off some smaller branches preparing to make some arrows. After he completed his arrows he tested one on a nearby tree overgrown with lush green moss. The arrow flew true enough, inspecting it after the shot he grinned at himself satisfied with his seeming competence. Removing his items he left them near the stump and went out to the forest looking for food. Almost losing hope that there were ANY animals in this forest he turned and saw a large elk grazing in a small field contained within the forest. Creeping up slowly he lodged himself against a tree and set in arrow to the string of his bow. Carefully aiming being so careful as to not miss he loosed the arrow and waited. The arrow struck the elk with such force it went straight through barely staying lodged in the elks body. The frightened creature attempted to run realizing it was injured. Using quick instincts Tourach pulled back another arrow and and fired it at the creatures hind legs, luck more than precision Tourach got the elk right in the hindquarters. The elk fell immediately, dragging the elk back to his makeshift campsight, Tourach skinned it and cut the meat from it's bones. Retrieving more oak wood he built a roaring fire and cooked his food. Continuing to survive by hunting while he travelled through the forest Tourach got exceptional skills in hunting down his prey. Learning much more while getting through the forest by himself Tourach prided his ability to survive. Reaching the other edge of the forest he saw a city looming on the horizon in the distance. Deciding that he would head that way he looked back at the forest and smiled and continued towards the city. He reached the city in a little more than a day, seeing that he had arrived at Kalaman he realized that he had been traversing the forest of Estewilde, noting this in his mind he walked to the gates of Kalaman preparing to enter. Stepping up to the gates Tourach is confronted by a guard standing at the gate, he stands in front of the gate stopping Tourach. "What's your business here?" Tourach says "I wish to find food and lodging, I do not bring trouble." The guard looks Tourach up and down nods realizing the only weapons Tourach carries are his bow and his dagger, considering these weapons to be not very dangerous he steps aside and motions for the gates to open and let Tourach enter. Stepping into the town Tourach looks around and wonders what this town may have to offer to him. Author: Tourach Date Fri Feb 21 12:41:40 2003 Subject Tourach in the Beginning (part III) Stepping into the city of Kalaman, Tourach smelled the salty air coming from the waters to the north of the city. The buildings in the city were taller than most Tourach had ever seen, they looked as though they had been built studier than most as well. He continued to walk down the cobblestone road until he came to an inn amusingly coincidentally named the salty dog. He walked in and was confronted by the stagnant air of malt beer and salty skinned saliors. A few turned to stare at Tourach as he bent down to walk through the doorframe. They stared at him until he reached the bar where he seated himself down on a stool obviously made for a human. Asking for a beer Tourach reached into his pocket to retrieve his money ,the bartender merely stared at him for a moment before coming to his senses and grabbed a mug and began to fill it. Laying the money down on the counter Tourach smiled and started drinking. Polishing off the last drink of his beer he stood up and tossed another gold piece to the bartender and started out the door. When he arrived at the door Tourach noticed a tattered piece of paper posted on the door pane. Taking a closer inspection he read that there was help needed at the docks with possible openings for sailors. Taking interest in this Tourach walked out the door, stepping out into the cobblestone streets once again. Stopping a passerby he asked where he could find the docks, the man he had stopped merely pointed up the street to the north. Nodding in affirmation Tourach thanked the man and headed to the north. He found the docks quite easily and saw many scruffy looking men in weathered clothing either standing about smoking or moving crates onto boats. Searching for the captain Tourach walked through the shipyard, finally coming to one of the sailors he asked where he could find the captain. The sailor pointed out towards the docks and said, "He's out at the end of the docks, starin' at da water heh heh" Nodding in acknowledgement, Tourach started out towards the end of the dock, looking through the light mist created by the splash of nearby waves, a tall figure began to come into view. Approaching more quickly he saw that this was a very tall human, chuckling at the thought he came closer until he could see distinct horns on the man stopping for a moment and staring, Tourach realized it was not a man at all, it was a minotaur. Smiling at his seeming "luck" he walked more quickly up to the captain. Arriving behind the captain Tourach said, "Excuse me, sir." Turning about a minotaur with lighter fur faced Tourach, his fur touched by the salt causing it to appear a lighter color, almost white. The minotaur asked, "What do you want?" Tourach spoke quickly, "I was coming to inquire about the help wanted sign in the bar." The minotaur smiled and slapped Tourach on the shoulder and stuck out his other hand, "I'm Illyathorak, I'm the captain of the Orlouge. I have a group of 3 vessels, the Stier, the Orlouge, and the Vanderkaum. Of course you'll start off like every other sailor did, swabbin' decks. When we get ready to leave I wanna see a mop in yer hand." Smiling at his amusement Tourach started to leave when Illyathorak called back to him, "With a little bit of hard work you should advance through this deck swabbing thing pretty quick, I can see a lot of potential in your eyes, don't let me down." Once again turning to walk away Tourach headed to the warehouse to store his bulkier belongings in a locker and pick up the mop he would be using until his much anticipated promotion. Author: Tourach Date Wed May 5 17:58:57 2004 Subject Silent Shadows The rose layed lightly upon the cobblestone street, Tourach stared in deep contemplation as the flower slowly wilted before his eyes. Days passed before his gaze parted the long dead rose, the rose that rested upon his father's grave. A thief had brutally murdered his father, stabbing him from behind multiple times, with the only interest being to steal his belongings. The shadow cast over Tourach's soul for the loss of his father grew increasingly darker over time. He trained himself in the art of war, practicing with any weapon he could find. Knowing that the men of the shadows were the ones that had killed his father, he knew that he must lurk in the shadows as well to destroy the evil he now hated so much. The passion of his anger has made much blood be spilled in the shadows, where no one hear them scream. When he ran up enough money to buy armor, he stained the armor so that it's color was black, darker than the shadows he crept through. His blade, Shadow, was made with a special steel that had a brilliant white color to it, piercing the darkness wherever it may be. Now one of the most avoided men of the shadows, the darkness didn't seem so frightening to the local townspeople, as they knew of Tourach's intents, destroying evil..... (To be continued) Author: Tourach Date Mon Jun 20 01:41:46 2005 Stamp 1119249706 Subject A Marching Army Day broke without the usual chirping of birds disturbing Tourach's slumber, instead there was the quiet thunder of a marching army. Waking from his sleep he walked over to a nearby hill and looked down upon one of the formations. Their dark armor reflecting a dull light in the soft sunshine of dawn, their steady march sounded the thunder that preceded the storm soon to rain upon the land. Watching as they passed by, he thought quietly to himself about his past. It had been many years since he had donned his armor, but he believed it was once again time to join the struggle for control of the lands. Putting on his armor and wrapping his swordbelt around his waist, he slid his sword into its sheath. He walked out and unwrapped his steed's reins from a nearby tree, climbed onto his horse and galloped down the hill and began moving alongside the troops while still hidden within the trees. Waiting until they stopped to camp near the port city of Kalaman... Author: Tourach Date Thu Jun 30 00:31:00 2005 Stamp 1120109460 Subject An Experienced Soldier The field was covered with soldiers wearing dark armor, their swords grasped tightly at the hilt. They were anxious for the battle, awaiting the command to launch the siege. The smoke from the fires billowed up to make great clouds that shrouded the light of the sun, making the day seem dark and dismal. The clangs of metal clashing together rang throughout the camp as the soldiers sparred one another, making bets on who would be the victor. Tourach stopped and watched from edge of the ring of onlookers. The battlers used worn-down, blunt swords that could no longer severely injure anyone. One of the warriors struck the other with a blow to the arm and the other battler went down to one knee. They crowd of warriors roared with excitement, the jingle of gold coins being exchanged to those who bet their money right sounded. The victorious winner turned about looking at the others in the crowd asking for another challenger. He turned and saw Tourach standing amongst the crowd and pointed towards him "How 'bout you old timer? Think you can challenge me?" Tourach smiled slightly at the young warrior's challenge, knowing very well that the warrior didn't have much of a chance. He chuckled to himself remembering an old verse he had heard from an old warrior he had challenged when he was young: Old age and treachery beats youth and skill every time. Removing his swordbelt and his cape Tourach laid them on the ground and picked up the blunted sword. Feeling the weight of it he swung it about a few times getting a feel for the balance of the weapon. It was quite a bit lighter than the one he was used to practicing with, which would make the battle that much easier. Squaring himself he raised his blade and watched as the young warrior moved towards him with his blade raised high. The warrior moved quicker towards Tourach and swung his weapon down with all his might, Tourach parried the blow as he quickly moved around behind the off balance warrior. making a quick strike to the back of the young soldiers right shoulder causing the warrior to stumble heavily before regaining his stance. He turned quickly with an angered look on his face, he charged Tourach once again swinging his blade down with immense strength. Deflecting the blade off to the side, Tourach pulled back and made a quick blow to his opponents chest then whipped about and slammed the flat of the blunted blade upon the warriors left arm. His opponent fell to the ground with a solid thud, the crowd standing around them was taken aback by his victory. Stabbing the sword into the ground, Tourach went back to where he left his things and picked them up. "I'll leave the rest of you to your sparring, keep practicing 'young warrior'." Tourach wrapped his swordbelt back around his waist and clasped on his cloak before walking away and disappearing through the clouds of the camp's fires. Author: Tourach Date Tue Aug 9 19:49:23 2005 Stamp 1123634963 Subject Old Comrades The camp was larger than Tourach had first anticipated, tents scattered throughout the entire plain all the way to the edge of the forest. Walking about he examined the soldiers he would soon be fighting alongside, they seemed to be quite a strong group. A few of them looked somewhat scruffy, but they were vaguely seen among the hundreds of soldiers. Hearing a group of people start shouting, Tourach looked up to see what the ruckus was about and saw a group of about six people shouting to him. They looked familiar and obviously they knew him because they knew what his name was. "Tourach, by Takhisis it's been years since you've been seen amongst the Knights of Takhisis. As I remember it you had 'retired' from being a knight, what's made you return?" "The time has come for my return, our Queen has beckoned me to rejoin her forces." "Well let me sharpen your sword for you, I've been working on everybody elses all day, making sure they are nice and sharp for the Solamnic bastards. heheh It's been too long since I've been able to cut one of fools to the ground." "I assure you this blade will never be dull enough to need sharpening, but thanks none the less. So, how have..." "Sir Tourach, your presence has been requested at the main tent, please follow me." Cut off shortly, Tourach looked a bit surprised as he slowly began to walk from the group he shouted back to his old comrades that he would be returning to catch up as soon as possible. He followed one of the officer's guards back towards the center of the camp.
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 mentions 'We have had over 868 storytellers on Ansalon pen their epic stories here for all to read.'
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