An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Zylug.

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 worn folio on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Zylug' scribed in glowing white ink.

Author:            Zylug
Date    Thu Oct 20 08:20:15 2005
Subject  The Smelly

 "Rats!"   Zylug watched as the small rat got away.  "Me
gotta find big 
rat!"   He stomped his foot against the ground in frustration. 
The aghar 
had been trying to catch the legendary Smelly for the past week. 
The 
Smelly, whenever asked how old it was, always met with the reply:
'It 
reaaaaalllllly old!  '.  But Highbulp Fug had told Zylug to find
big rat, 
because big rat 'made good stew'.  No one had thus far been able
to even 
touch the Smelly, but Zylug was determined.  Waving his rusted
dagger over 
his head, Zylug followed after the rat.  FOr a few minutes the
game of 
cat-and-mouse continued, with Zylug getting close enough to spit
on it, but 
he could never catch it.  "Dumb rat, come back!!"   Zylug
wailed.  He tried 
spitting on the rat again, but all that happened was his spit
flying back 
into his eyes.  "AHHH!  Me blind!  Me blind!!"   Zylug
screamed as he 
continued to run blindly after the rat.  Wiping his eyes, Zylug
managed to 
see a very very, big hole before he fell right into it. 
Screaming, Zylug 
fell several feet before entering a smile-covered chute.  His
screams of 
terror soon turned into whoops of joy.  Soon enough, the 'ride'
was over and 
Zylug was dumped rudely onto a mud covered ground.  Dazed, the
aghar felt 
something furry next to his hand and looked.  It was the rat he
had been 
chasing.  Grinning a gap-toothed grin, Zylug bashed the rat's
skull in.  
After putting the carcass into his pants for safe keeping, Zylug
looked 
around.  He was in a huge chamber, cut out by the dwarves long
ago.  The 
dust was thick everywhere.  Even if he squinted, ZYlug could not
see the 
ceiling above.  "This big."   Zylug muttered.  His voice
echoed in the 
chamber, and Zylug instinctively dropped to the ground screaming,
"NO HURT 
ZYLUG!"   His scream echoed and amplifed, and Zylug screamed
some more.  
Soon, he realized that was HIS words he was hearing and he peekd
between his 
fingers.  "Who there!"   Zylug demanded.  'Who there!  '
Was the echoed 
reply.  "Who you?"   Zlug tried.  'Who you?  ' was the
expected reply.  
Angry now, Zylug stood up and struck what he thought a very
menacing pose.  
"You stop copy Zylug!"   'You stop copy Zylug!  '.  Fuming,
Zylug threw his 
small dagger with all of his might high into the air.  Instead of
claning 
against stone, the weapon bit into something soft and Zylug
cheered.  "Me 
told you, stop copy--..."   Zylug trailed off as a rat--the
BIGGEST rat--he 
had ever seen, dropped from an alcove, scattering bones
everywhere.  The 
rat's eyes glowed like red hot embers, its fur the color of
tarnished 
silver.  The thing that worried Zylug the most were its claws,
each one as 
long as Zylug's hand.   
 
This was definately the biggest rat he had ever seen.   
 
The chamber was suddenly teeming with rats now, all squeaking and

chittering.  Everywhere there were rats.  Zylug somehow made a
mental note 
of this.  It would make a great This Place.  "It reaaaaalllllly
old!"   
Zylug whipsered.  The rat bared its fangs and hissed at him. 
Sticking from 
the rat's shoulder was his dagger.  "It Smelly!!!"   Zylug
screamed in 
absolute terror.  He kept on screaming, eventually soiling
himself as he 
looked around for an escape.  Finding none, Zylug stood there was
the Smelly 
rushed.  Zylug looked in shock as the huge rat charged at him. 
For a 
second, his world gew dark, but then he took in a deep breath. 
Suddenly, 
the Smelly stumped to the side, jarring Zylug's dagger out of its
shoulder.  
The dagger clanged on the ground and Zylug was snapped out of his
terror.  
He dived and scoped up his dagger just as the Smelly turned. 
Again the 
Smelly rushed, but Zylug met it with defiance.  The Smelly
managed to bite 
down on his arm, but Zylug stuck his dagger into its paw.  The
Smelly threw 
Zylug a few feet away and hissed.  Picking himself off the
ground, Zylug 
bared his own teeth and lept at the rat.  Landing on its back,
Zylug hung on 
with a death grip as the Smelly bucked and twisted.  There was
only one 
thing to do in a situation like this.   
 
Zylug bit the rat.   
 
He picked a spot on the rat's neck and bit down as hard as he
could.  The 
Smelly sqealed and rolled over.  Zylug scrambled away before he
could get 
crushed.  As the rat completed the roll, Zylug ran past snatching
up his 
dagger.  The berserked rat charnged after Zylug again.  Zylug ran
until he 
was against the far wall.  Zylug turned around and his eyes
widened, he 
jumped.  The rat, only just a little stupider that ZYlug, looked
up and 
smashed into the wall.  Zylug landed on the Smelly's back and
sank his 
dagger deep into the rat's neck.  In that instant, the legendary
Smelly let 
out a soft hiss and died.   
 
Zylug sa on top of the dead rat, blinking stupidly.  Then, the
adrenaline 
wore off and Zylug fainted.  Hours later, Zylug regained
consciousness and 
nearly fainted when he remembered what happened.  Zylug ripped
one of the 
Smelly's claws off and tucked it into his belt.  A new crack had
opened when 
the Smelly had run into the wall, and Zylug walked through it to
find a ramp 
leading up.  Walking up it, Zylug found himself in a place he
new.  Beaming, 
Zylug wandered home.   
 
Reaching This Place, Zylug took the rat from his pants and tossed
it into 
the stew pot without thinking about it.  Walking straight to the
Highbulp's 
room, Zylug showed him the Smelly's claw.  Highbulp Fug gasped. 
From atop 
his 'throne'.  "Z'ug kilt Smelly!"   The shaman of the clan
ran around in 
circles screeching.  "Zy'ug hero!  Zy'ug kill Smelly!"   All
the aghar 
within hearing distance took up the call.  "Zy'ug hewo!  Zy'ug
kilt Smelly!" 
 Grinning from ear to ear, Zylug remembered something and
shouted.  "Zylug 
find new This Place!  Zylug Highbulp now!"   Fug cheered and
looked relived 
that he was not Highbulp anymore.  Hopping off his throne, Fug
whispered to 
Zylug, "Z'ug watch out fer spoon!"   Fug pointed to the
shaman and left, 
declaring he was very hungry.   

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.'