The Endless Library

Realm of Cique

All who enter here must respect the pursuit of knowledge and what one may sacrifice in the name of that pursuit. For if one does not, they may find themselves as nothing more than a footnote in a lost tome.

— Inscription Above the Door of the Temple of Knowledge in the Southern Library

The smell of old parchment and dusty leather permeates everything, the scent of a candle just being put out wafting over the room. Tomes and scrolls line every wall, mahogany bookcases reaching from floor to ceiling, every inch covered with knowledge awaiting its next recipient. The rustle of papers and the scratch of a quill break the silence, a Scholar taking notes as they peruse a tome nearly as thick as a Dragon's tail, looking for a singular line that answers their age-old question. All knowledge can be found in this place if only one wishes to keep looking.
The Endless Library is one of the many endless Celestial Realms, serving as the home of the God of Knowledge and the residence of all knowledge, past, present, and future that could ever be needed. Here, those who have dedicated their lives to the greatest pursuit find a second life amongst the shelves and tomes, finally answering the questions that they never could during their lives. All things ever known or worth knowing can be found in the words etched on dusty and aging paper.

Localized Phenomena

While many of the Celestial Realms are places of nature changed to fit the whims of the gods, the Endless Library is one of the few realms that is considered to be almost entirely indoors in a singular structure. The main structure of the realm, the Temple of a Thousand Tomes, is rarely seen from the outside as most travelers enter the realm on the threshold of the temple or are found in one of the many rooms. Only the god Cique truly sees the outside of the library he has created.
The Endless Library is truly as its name says, a place that is ever-growing and never-ending, constantly changing as more tomes and knowledge are added to the library. Some of the volumes contained within the library were penned by Cique while others are copies of those written by the many races of the world, often with emphasis on those authored by the Dragons and the Sphinxes.

Climate

Inside the Library

Inside the Endless Library by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

The Endless Library is full of ever-growing and changing rooms that add more shelves and tomes as needed to hold the knowledge that Cique keeps. Of all the Celestial Realms, the Endless Library is believed to be truly infinite, never reaching an end or growing beyond its means.

The Temple of a Thousand Tomes was one of the earliest temples created, preemptively built in the earliest days of the Divine Races to hold the knowledge that they would learn from the gods and eventually pen as their own history. The God of Knowledge did not wish to miss a moment of this new world and its fledgling inhabitants, setting pen to paper himself and creating the first tomes that would line the library walls. Soon enough, he would begin collecting the histories that the Divine Races penned on their own.
Early on, Cique shaped his realm to resemble a bookshelf inside and out. While few others would witness the wondrous architecture of the exterior, it was shaped to remind him of his duty to collect and preserve, to excite him each morning or evening when he stepped away from his private chambers to delve into the volumes he had collected over the millennia. As he continued to collect, the inside grew, but the outside remained mostly the same, only changing to reflect his favorite book of the moment.
The climate of the library has been modified to be best suited to the materials, preserving those that were scratched on thin parchment during the very beginnings of the world as it is known today. The lights have been dimmed, candles added to the various reading nooks that burn with flames that do not harm. Those who wander the halls and rooms are granted cloaks to keep them warm in the crispness of the library, resembling the cool temperatures of fall, perfect for preservation.
It is said that the private chambers of the God of Knowledge are full of summer’s warmth, but these are far removed from the parts

of the Endless Library that are open to those seeking something. Those who choose to come to the library are always seeking something and often care little for certain comforts until it is found.

Temple of a Thousand Tomes

Temple of Knowledge by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

Known as the Temple of a Thousand Tomes, this structure serves as the entrance into the Endless Library. This temple also serves as the gateway between this realm and the Southern Library.
Most believe the structure to resemble bookshelves packed to the brim, but most who come to the Endless Library rarely if ever see the outside of the temple and tend to only see the shelves and hallways of the Endless Library.

Type

Magical Realm

Location under

Celestial Realms

Owner/Ruler

Cique

Owning Organization

Pantheons of Isekai