C2: Great Library of Greyhawk

The front of this building, facing the Processional, is a grand sweep of granite walls and tall columns. Three wide stairs lead to a pair of massive front doors, suitable for a castle or fortress.

The building beyond the facade is not so grand, but its true worth lies in the treasures kept within its walls. And indeed, the Great Library of Greyhawk is repository for more volumes than are gathered in one place anywhere else in the Flanaess.

The library is unlocked during the hours of daylight, and all free citizens of the city as well as foreigners are welcome to enter the library and browse through its cool, musty halls. Silence is expected of all visitors , and weapons and armor are not permitted.

Any visitor is welcome to peruse the volumes in the six public halls in the front of the building. Only those who are Contributing Members of the library board can remove these volumes, up to three at a time. Contributing Members must donate at least 100 gp annually to the library in order to maintain membership status.

Contributing Membership is often granted by sponsorship. For example, a rich merchant or powerful noble will generally employ a personal secretary or scribe. While the noble or businessman might not be a member, he will certainly make sure to purchase a Contributing Membership for his scribe.

The high desk of Gratius Saghast, head librarian, sits upon a raised platform inside the front door. Gratius is always found here. He is crusty and irascible, but a sage of great repute. He shares his knowledge (including simple directions on the library's contents ) only reluctantly, though the flattery of a pretty young woman always gets him to open up.

Six wings lead off from the main entry hall- three to the right and three to the left. Each is separated from the entry by an open arch. These are labeled History, Geography, Artistic Studies, Poetry, Science, and General. Each, of course, contains volumes on the listed topic. There are 3d6 x 1,000 books in each wing.

Funded through the good offices of its contributing members, the library is well able to acquire new volumes. Indeed, it has several sages and scribes under contract to actually write books, mostly detailing current affairs in the Free City itself. This surplus of capital also enables the library to maintain a selection of exquisitely rare, even magical, tomes, and to protect those treasures accordingly.

The rear of the library building is a stone edifice, layered over on the outside to look like wood. Only Contributing Members are allowed back here, and even they may never remove any book from these chambers.

An iron door leads to a narrow hallway behind the head librarian's desk. Several scribes labor constantly in here, not so much from scholarly diligence as from duty. Their true purpose is to serve as sentries, for their hallway guards the three locked, iron doors to the Library Vaults. These large metal chambers, surrounded by heavy stone, are the repositories for the library 's most valuable works.

The sentries' task is a simple one. Beside the desk of each of the three scribes is a pull cord hanging through a hole in the ceiling. A tug on any one of these cords releases a pair of pigeons from the loft above the library. Those birds then fly, one to the nearby College of Magic (in 1d6 rounds) and one to the Wizards' Guild Pyramid (in 2d4 rounds) , and a powerful mage (level 8-13) then teleports to the library the next round to see what the trouble is.

Each of the three vaults contains books of a specific type. One contains examples of all the various sorts of magical tomes and volumes, one of each. These, of course, cannot be read by anyone, since to do so would mean the destruction of their writing. However, they prove useful for study, and wizard/scribes have discovered that. by starting from the back and working forward, it is possible occasionally to copy one of the works without destroying it.

Another room contains books of rare art. The entire collection is valued at over 1,000,000 gp, with individual volumes worth ld20 x 100 gp. Included are rare paintings from the east, rendered upon silk, and feather-pictures from lands in the far south.

The third and largest room contains the official records of the Free City, including tax reports for the past 30 years, military strengths and expenditures. and the official treaties and partnerships to which the Free City is subject. One whole wall of the room is dedicated to the rosters maintained by the guards at each city gate. Rosters are kept for five years.

Also secured here are books deemed of a libelous or scandal-provoking nature , when those doing the deeming were influential. It is an interesting comment on these cases that even when a book is effectively banned from distribution in the city, one copy remains guarded at the Great Library.

Below the library are several cellar apartments. Gratius Saghast lives here in several austere rooms, and other tiny apartments are kept to offer scribes and scholars whose labors keep them in the library often for days at a time.

If the PCs Seek a Book: When word of a specific volume comes the way of player characters in a campaign, or if they simply desire to read about a topic for other reasons, they might seek the book at the library.

There is a base 50% chance that a specific volume is here, and an 80% chance that a specific topic is covered.

Add or subtract 10% or 20% based on the relative likelihood you, the DM, attach to the book's presence. (An un named, general volume on the history of the Grand Citadel might have a 95% chance, whereas the named work "The Plundering and Disposition of the Silver Metal Cairn" by Vasco Plugge might be encountered only upon a 30% chance.)

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C2: Great Library of Greyhawk. The granite facade of the Great Library, with its columns, stairs, and statues, is far grander than the rest of the building, which is not ornate. Many claim this is the largest repository of books and scrolls in the Flanaess, and this is likely true. The Great Library has collected volumes and papers on nearly every topic imaginable, though evaluating this wealth of knowledge for its veracity is a challenge for anyone. The Great Library is open every day from dawn to dusk unless the staff is ill. There is no admission fee. Magical lights are hung throughout the building, remaining lit at all hours. Silence is expected of all users, and armor and weapons are strictly banned. No use of fire is permitted, and the building has no heating system (a drawback in the winter, but no one complains).

The library has six wings, each devoted to a different topic: History, Geography, Artistic , Studies, Poetry and Literature, Science and Engineering, and “General,” a catch-all title for materials that don’t fit other categories. Books and stacks of papers line the walls of each wing, with the center of each room filled with tables and chairs. About 3d6 X 1,000 books are in each wing. New books are being created all the time by a staff of writers employed by the library. There are no editors, so the quality of the writing varies greatly.

Visitors can read any books and copy them, but they cannot take any home. This privilege is reserved for Contributing Members — library patrons who donate at least 100 gp annually; they may take home up to three books at a time for one week. Some nobles are Contributing Members, but more often, a noble’s personal secretary or a guild's scribe or researcher is given membership by their sponsor, in order to do the research required of their position. Everyone in the Directing Oligarchy and many wizards in Greyhawk are members; even a few major thieves and priests are as well. Those who are not citizens or residents of Greyhawk can be members, but they must pay 250 gp per year.

The library's chief administrator is also its chief researcher, a reclusive wizard/ sage named Iquander [LN hm W11,; hp 23; Int 18, Cha 15; five ioun stones]. Iquander came to Greyhawk from the Duchy of Urnst long ago to research a few questions, but he never left the city afterward. Before Gratius Saghast died, he passed his position to the able Iquander, who has an astounding memory and excellent organizational skills. He is happy to share his knowledge with visitors, and he gives clear directions as to how the library can be used best. Iquander lives in the library basement, where a number of private study rooms are available for a fee to sages and researchers who need a place to study and work.

DM's Notes: The chance of finding a book on any specific topic equals the searcher's Intelligence X 5, with modifiers added by the DM if the subject is very esoteric. The actual information value of nonfiction works varies. Assume that 50% of all “factual” material is accurate in general, with some flaws in the details. Another 30% of information is flawed in general but logically so, making it appear factual. Another 10% appears completely wrong or illogical but does have some elements of truth. Finally, 5% of manuscripts are completely wrong and look that way, and the final 5% are completely true (though they may look preposterous).

The library staff would love to acquire any old books or papers (even copies) that adventurers bring in. The sale value of such books is judged by Iquander and several senior Contributing Members, who generally offer a fair value. Works from the grand early days of the Great Kingdom, Nyrond, Furyondy, and Keoland are much sought, but documents from the ancient Suel Imperium or Baklunish Empire are treasures without parallel. Anything written by Zagig Yragerne is considered valuable.

The library has a continuous problem with book thieves, usually adventurers seeking treasure knowledge and thinking nothing of ripping out pages or stealing scrolls with information they need. Some patrons are compulsive book thieves, stealing books simply for the pleasure of it. Paper-eating creatures such as bookworms are feared by all. However, copies of all books are kept in a basement storage room, and the public stacks are thus not difficult to replace. And they are not the most valuable works here.

The most valuable materials are kept in the three underground Library Vaults, which have stone walls with iron doors. These are reached by a concealed door at the rear of the building, which leads to a flight of stairs down to a narrow hall. Here labor several scribes who are allowed to research any topic they choose, as they are doubling as guards. The “scribes” are usually retired adventurers of good repute. If anyone comes down the hall without authorization (only certain Contributing Members are allowed in these vaults) or starts a fight, the guards pull cords at their desks to release carrier pigeons in a loft above the library. Some pigeons go to the University of Magical Arts, others go to the Wizards’ Guildhall. In 1d8 rounds, 1d2 wizards (levels 7+1d6) teleport in to check on any trouble. Other wizards will arrive on foot shortly thereafter.

The first vault contains copies of magical writings, spell scrolls, spell books, and so forth. Writings and books by the infamous Zagig Yragerne (even his note scraps) are kept here. The second room contains valuable artwork worth untold amounts of money, and the third contains the official records for the entire city. Detailed records are kept for three decades, but some general works are hundreds of years old. Copies of treaties, agreements, and partnerships that the Directing Oligarchy and Lord Mayor have signed with other states or cities are kept here, along with tax records, secret military information on strengths and expenditures, and even the admissions rosters for each city gate for the last five years. Also kept here are books deemed libelous or politically dangerous, including ghastly works written by evil persons or cults,