The Great Library of Palanthas
An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.
Stories of Ansalon from the view of Nikolini.
A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap 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 metal bound tome on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Nikolini' scribed in deep grey ink.
Author: Nikolini Date: Fri May 31 22:56:15 2024 Subject How Nikolini Lost his Hair
How Nikolini lost his hair Nikolini Argoshabolish Papsapopolis Nombrilious - forth in his line - was set to follow in his father, grand father, and great grand father's footsteps as a potion brewer for the gnomes of Mount Nevermind. The family's drafts were known far and wide - for providing virility, stamina, endurance, and for making an old dog sit up and do tricks - if you know what I mean. Typically, it fell to the first born to inherit the family trade. Younger siblings became clerics, priests or - in extreme cases - bards. Ni Nikolini was no different. He loved the work. From a young age, he learned at his father's elbow, mixing components, stirring pots, heating beakers to the precise temperature to make sure these bubbling brews came out with the fizzle and spark that made the magic happen. For years, Nikolini worked beside his father. His hands were died shades of purple and blue from picking herbs and crushing flowers. He knew in the first shades of a boiling draft if the potion would turn out right. In short, he was the pride and joy of his family. Secretly, though, Nikolini was unsatisfied with his work. He was doing no more than treading roads his father and grand father's had already paved. There was nothing new to his work. His family did one thing well, and rested upon it's laurels. Nikolini wanted to experiment, to create new potions. He had heard rumors of drafts to instill the body with dragon's flames, brews to clear the mind and sharpen the eyes, and even potions to increase one's size - if only temporarily. So during his spare moments, he consorted with the sorts of shifty humans and shiftier kenders that hung out in dark alleys. He purchased from them exotic herbs and roots brought from far away lands. Then, late into the night, Nikolini toiled away in his lab. When he knew his efforts could be done in peaceful secrecy. When he knew his experiments would go unobserved, uncommented upon. It was on one such night that Nikolini was interrupted unexpectedly. His father, who spotted some light under the laboratory door when he went to use the facilities - fearing a rival potion brewing family had snuck in to steal the family recipes - flung open the lab door. Nikolini jerked suddenly at the interruption and the herbs he had carefully been adding to his latest concoction, tumbled from his hand and into the cauldron over which he had been working. The liquid in the pot began to bubble violently. Sparks leapt and the bubble became a roaring boil. Nikolini's father, wanting only to help, rushed to his son's side. But the potion was out of control, the magic sought it's own path now. With a hiss that grew to a shreek, the potion exploded! Vapors of magically infused steam filled the rooms like the clouds of a green dragon's noxious breath. Nikolini and his father, blinded by the fumes, stumbled and groped their way to the door. When the father and son ound their way free of the lab, and when their eyes cleared of the stinging smoke, Nikolini saw the terror he had wrought. . His father, a gnome whose reputation was built on virility and strength, stood before him bald as an egg. Nikolini reached up to his own head to find he, too, was as smooth as the day he was born. For weeks the family pretended this was temporary. With time, their hair would grow back in! But as the weeks turned to months and it became clear that the change was permanent, the family's ire turned against Nikolini. Soon enough, he realized he was no longer welcome in his family home. As he quietly packed a bag one day - loading it with some of his family's tried and true brews he could sell on the road - Nikolini's father darkened his doorway. He stood there, quietly, and watched Nikolini pack without saying a word. Finally, when enough time had passed such that the discomfort between them had become a palpable tension in the air, his father spoke. "You have embarrassed us, Nikolini. You have let the family down. We can no longer trust you in our laboratory. Leave us now. Leave us and don't come back until you have found a cure for this baldness you have brought upon us." And with that, Nikolini left his family home to make his way in the world. A rogue gnome, traveling from town to town surviving on the meager magic he knew, stealing and committing other roguish acts when he needed to, and selling his few remaining potions when he became too hungry. Always he went in search of knowledge. For potion recipes or magic incantation's that might restore his hair. Until that day, he will remain an exile from his homeland. He will remain... a gnome without a home.
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
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