The Library of Iskandria
"The Iskandria: autonomous, magnanimous, opulent, austere, and most terrifyingly: ancient"
Structure
The ruling bodies of the Library are the Pen, the Paper, and the Hand; made up of and served by the Librarians.
Culture
The Librarian is an important aspect of the Dweller culture and is a center piece to their second largest city of the three Dweller cities, the Gate City. The goals, aspirations, and purpose of the Library is to protect and preserve all knowledge throughout the Freelands. Its spire, halls, and repositories of knowledge are symbol of power to all Dwellers throughout all the Freelands.
Public Agenda
They exist to preserve and protect all knowledge, as such they regularly seek out new knowledge to add to their collection and by extension are more than willing to share said knowledge with others. So long as you do not present an imminent threat to the Library, the Librarians, and the contents within the Library; then you may peruse and and enjoy the Library as you please.
Assets
The greatest assets of the Library are its repositories of knowledge and its Librarians willing to lay down their lives in order to defend said knowledge.
History
The Library is thousands of years old and has endured the elves of Alfheim, the Old Bloods of the Kingdom of Man, and the latter day powers of the New Bloods and the Holy Order of the Light. So long as one Librarian remains standing, the Library shall endure thousands more. Supposedly founded by a Gnomish woman named Iskandria, though strangely there are no physical records of her existence. If any proof her existence were to ever be found, the Library would raze a City to claim it.
Demography and Population
Members, agents, and servants of Iskandria are known simply as "Librarians," as Iskandria is the last known true Library within the entirety of the Freelands that remains uncensored and protected from religious extremism, outright prejudice, and innate hatred. Any other institution claiming to a library beyond its walls is under the scrutiny of the Holy Order of the Light and the New Bloods hunting for "heresy," and even before then under the Kingdom of Man (Midgard) they were under just as much scrutiny as the Old Blood's hunted for anything remotely "elvish," and even long before that it was under even more scrutiny from the Alfheim Empire as they were making sure no other races had access to "True Magic," during its height. Within the Library's halls are a few thousand members at any given time, though hundreds of their agents serving as adventurers are always out and about throughout the Freelands seeking ancient knowledge to add to its official repositories.
Territories
The physical territory of the Library stops at its doors, as the rest of Gate City is an "honest" sailor's and merchant's paradise. However any and all knowledge that is or was forbidden by the New Bloods, the Holy Order of the Light, the Old Bloods, the Kingdom of Man, and the Elves of Alfheim are "claimed" to be property of the Library of Iskandria both within and without its walls.
Military
The military, so to speak, that makes up the Library are the Librarians themselves. Each and every Librarian is an accomplished Spellcaster of some merit and skill. Should ever come the time again where the Library of Iskandria is under physical and magical threat once more, the Mages here will gently put down their pens and paper and lift their staves and wands high; and they will most assuredly pick up their gentle pens and paper once more.
Technological Level
As a magocracy of sorts where uncovering past and unlocking arcane secrets being the majority of its focus, they tend to not involve themselves too much into the research of artifice and other such enchantments. The Iron City to the north cares more for such creation and invention, so many such artifacts and materials can be found there. Though the Gate City, the Iron City, the Library of Iskandria are all interdependent on each other one way or another so their "technology" is shared.
Religion
There are Clerics present within the halls of the Library of Iskandria, they tend to not be as much as practicing priests as one might expect. They, as Librarians, tend to be more so Theologists and studying the origins of their Deities as much as they worship them. Their rites and prayers are full as many questions as they are requests. It goes without saying of course that the Holy Order of the Light abhors this but are nearly powerless to stop it.
Foreign Relations
The Library of Iskandria has always had somewhat tedious relationships with all non-Dweller geopolitical forces, save perhaps the Beastfolk as they never really had to deal with armies attempting invade or burn down their Library. The New Bloods with their Warforged along with the Holy Order of the LIght during the Great Rebellion tried and failed to destroy the Library, but were thwarted by a small army of wizards, sorcerers, and druids capable of instilling a litany of spells and wards over the entirety of the Gate City. Before that the Kingdom of Man attempted to "borrow" the entirety of the Library and move it to the Imperial City for "safekeeping" and refused to take no for answer before they too were thwarted. During the Alfheim Empire, the Library was much smaller at the surface during that time and the majority of its contents were concealed beneath the Gate City, and many Elves feared to confront Dwellers on their home turf and left it mostly alone. They've had very little to no known interaction with the Island of Avalon, so their relationship is unclear.
Laws
Within the walls of the Library of Iskandria and so long as you remain a guest or patron of the Library, you are free to peruse and read as many scrolls, crystals, tablets, tomes, books, records, logs, diaries, and journals as you may please. With special permission you may even copy most of the contents into your own personal collections for research and academic purposes, magical or not. It is asked however that you do not damage the original and whatever insight you may glean from your research is turned around and shared with Iskandria in order to improve the contents of the Library on the whole. You may not damage, destroy, or remove any of its contents from the Library under the threat of death. Some particularly violent or dangerous materials are locked in certain halls, and may need special permission to enter. When in these particular hazardous stacks, an escort will be provided in order ensure both the guest and the materials remain unharmed.
Agriculture & Industry
The Library of Iskandria relies heavily on support from the Gate City, the Iron City, and the surrounding Towns for various supplies of all kinds. It is nonprofit and free to use resource for all those who come in pease to use it, and thus it is protected by all the aforementioned areas.
Trade & Transport
Most of the Library's trade flows in and out of the Gate City, with most of their preferred imports being knowledge of all kinds in which in exchange knowledge is just as freely given.
Education
The Library of Iskandria provides free schooling and education to all citizens living within the Gate City, though visitors from the Iron City and the surrounding Towns ranging from small children to higher level learning for adults. There is an entire wing dedicated to this the reaches both above and below the surface in the Gate City. It goes without saying that the Librarians themselves are the most academically gifted citizens throughout the Freelands, and want to do nothing more than to share that knowledge whilst preserving it.
Infrastructure
The Library of Iskandria is immense, on the surface it is marbled building jutting out of the ground into an enormous spire that almost pierces the clouds. Attached to it are entire wings and buildings encircling it and creating an enormous courtyard of sorts. These wings house dormitories, schools, meal halls, study halls, lecture halls, and of course stacks upon stacks of resources. Meanwhile the spire itself houses the majority of the upper echelons of the Library; including the Pen, the Paper, and the Hand which make up its governing body. The majority of the Library is beneath the surface, as the surface level was only constructed in the past few thousand years or so. Many of the subterranean stacks and halls are under protective wards and such, but there are a few that have been sealed off. These sealed halls lay largely forgotten and excavation was deemed to dangerous by most, though there have been a few brave adventurers and Librarians over the centuries that have explored and uncovered these ancient dungeons.
Mythology & Lore
The Dwellers claim to be as old as the Freelands themselves, predating the Elves and roughly appearing around the same time as the Beastfolk. They claim to be born from the physical land, part of its rocks and stones, and thus feel a great sort of attachment to Lady Trinity of the Green in particular. As such the Library of Iskandria has a particularly large statue of her in the courtyard, though other statues are present as well. With the second largest statue in the Library, when compared to Lady Trinity of the Green, being Lady Python Delphi of the Night (who is known to be the keeper of secrets, magic, and curses) and is found in the spire in offices and halls of the Library's governing body.
Divine Origins
There is some debate whether the Gate City or the Iron City is the oldest Dweller city (the Drowned City being the third), but there is no doubt that the Library is the oldest building in Gate City. The Dwellers have always had a knack for construction and craftsmanship, so its not exactly clear how old the Library is nor is it clear if the building itself has any sort of divine origin or relationship.
Cosmological Views
In the spire of the Library there is an occulary, an identical one can be found in the Drowned City, that shows where the Freelands can be found in the system of stars, planets, and moons.
Tenets of Faith
As the Library is not necessarily a religious system, they have one tenet of sorts though: To preserve and protect all Knowledge.
Ethics
The rules and ethics of the Librarians are the rules and ethics of the Library on the whole: Preserve and protect knowledge, however they can.
Worship
There are altars and statues dedicated to several Deities, namely to Ladies Trinity and Python, but it is an academic institution more so than a religious one.
Priesthood
There isn't a proper clergy of any sort to be found here, there are only the Librarians. The roles of Librarians may range from being professors, researchers, confidants, and even adventurers; though the ones that specialize in theology and the study of the Deities can be considered spiritual advisors of sorts.
Granted Divine Powers
Though some Librarians may be Clerics, the institution of the Library is not a church or temple of any sort. The Divine powers granted to these Clerics are theirs alone, and not necessarily the Library's powers.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The existence of the Library has been a threat to those in power: the Alfheim Empire, the Kingdom of Man, and the modern Freelands with the New Bloods and the Holy Order of the Light; all see their repository of knowledge to be their potential undoing. But the Library has remained undaunted and austere for thousands of years, and will continue to do so.
Sects
There are no sects per se, but there are a variety of preferred research topics and groups dedicated to specific topics: Religion (Theology), History, Nature (Biology), and Arcana (Magic).
"Knowledge: To be Preserved and Protected"
1000(?) - Still active and well
Type
Educational, Library
Capital
Alternative Names
The Library of Gate City, the Last Bastion of Knowledge, and the Spire
Training Level
Trained
Veterancy Level
Trained
Demonym
Librarians, Dwellers, Patrons
Ruling Organization
Government System
Magocracy
Power Structure
Dependent territory
Economic System
Mixed economy
Gazetteer
A dependent organization on the Gate City, the Iron City, and the Dwellers to live there to protect it from the threats found throughout the Freelands; including the Freelancers themselves.
Currency
Uses gold like much of the Freelands, but information and lore both verbal and written are the most valued here.
Major Exports
Knowledge.
Major Imports
Knowledge.
Legislative Body
The Pen: An appointed body of the Library to put to The Paper the policies of Iskandria.
Judicial Body
The Paper: An appointed body of the Library to interpret, define, and redefine the policies from The Pen.
Executive Body
The Hand: Enforces the policies from The Pen and from The Paper; headed by the High Librarian.
Official State Religion
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
The Holy Order of the Light both hates and fears the Library for its "heresy."
The Library almost misses the Old Bloods, they were by far more reasonable than the New Bloods and the Holy Order of the Light.
Like the Holy Order of the Light, all that ancient knowledge is seen as a threat to the New Blood's "Freelands."
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