The Illuminary
The Illuminary, a sprawling and impressive library, was built by Zalva Altayor (a Dragonborn mage) to serve as a personal library and study. Near the end of her life, Zalva dedicated the vast atheneum to the people. She continued construction on the library until she died in 347.
One of the Illuminary's 10 wings.
The Illuminary has evolved into a unique place over the many years since its construction. Today, adventurers come from far and wide with unanswered questions, hoping to find them in the largest repository of knowledge in all of Atolvance, if not the world. Those who wish to enter must present the library with a piece of literature that isn't already in their collection. In recent years, this has led to a dilemma in that entry is seldom granted to the average passerby. The collection is expansive, so books that aren't in the shelves of the Illuminary are hard to come by. Some even spend years writing a book of their own in order to be granted entry.
Purpose / Function
The tower was originally the private home and laboratory of Zalva Altayor. She later dedicated it to arcane research before her death.
Alterations
Over time, as the Illuminary itself was added onto, a settlement began to grow around it. The settlement today is known as Padem, and many of its citizens have dedicated their lives to the study or protection of the Illuminary.
Architecture
The tower is primarily elven inspired in its sleek, elegant design. However, elements of gothic human architecture are evident near the base and in the extensions that were added later on.
Even I was impressed. And I HATE books.
The Illuminary doesn't just keep one copy of each book on hand. Sometimes they will allow entry to those who bring a book or piece of writing that is a rare edition of a book previously in their stock. They also don't limit themselves to just books. They accept musical compositions of significance, journals, etc. They will also occasionally take magic items or things they consider to be worthy of study.