Sylvan Library
The Sylvan Library is a building found in The Hidden Village of Mothlights and other major civilizations throughout The Gates.
Each library is linked to the other through magical means and contains the same set of Librarians. By entering through the doors of one "library", one is entering them all but can only exit through the same library that was entered. The "space" that the Sylvan Library occupies is bizarre, having multiple floors despite each floor leading to the same exit and only ever leading down. DAN Wildcloak discovered by digging through the stone and dirt beneath the 10th floor that there are clouds surrounding it, though this may just be because they were in the Mothlights.
The library seems to contain both infinite knowledge and intentions of either its own or its supposed creator's as sometimes books will be replaced with a different, undesired text after being pulled from the shelf. The prank-based nature involved seems related to fae.
Purpose / Function
The Sylvan Library's purpose appears to be an omniscient reservoir of "all written knowledge" according to its Librarians. However, it simultaneously acts as one giant prank as it apparently takes great effort to obtain the correct book when removing it from the shelf. The Librarians sometimes can be found holding the exact book someone is looking for, though they are usually in the process of putting it back on the shelf. When a book is put back on the shelf it will almost always be something different when removed again by the visitor.
Who built this library and to what purpose they originally had planned is currently unknown. It is still a great wealth of knowledge to those capable of seeking said knowledge out...though, much like Omniscience on a personal level, knowing everything and accessing everything you know are two very different things.
Architecture
The exterior of the Library is one that would be quite a challenge to see were it located in a more wooded area. Within the Mothlight Village, however, it doesn't necessarily stand out but is still easy enough to find.
The walls are covered in moss and vines, though stone does peek through occasionally. The shape is mostly square, but the corners are shaped in such a way that they almost blend into the environment with the intricate swoops and swirls that line them. Not only that, but the barrier between the Library and the rest of the world is blurry, hard to see, yet still draws you in as if leading the eye away from the entrance.
The interior of the Library is simplistic, similar to a local library that might be found in Esther or Remlit. The walls are more evidently stone and a stone spiral staircase leads to the lower levels. The first thing seen is a help desk with a Librarian standing patiently or perhaps sorting returned books onto one of 10 different carts. Around and behind the help desk are bookshelves that are 5 shelves high and paired back-to-back in rows. There are a total of 10 sets of bookshelves (20 back-to-back), each completely covered in books and leaving room for reading nooks with tables and chairs. This same layout is repeated on each of the 10 floors of the library. Depending on the person, the door may be missing and another exit will need to be found. The Librarians mentioned that if there is no exit you'll have to "find your way". Thankfully for the Spiritual Travelers, they all had an exit on Floor 10.
Floor 1 (Recipes, Instruction Manuals, Textbooks, Language Courses) - The first floor acts as a template for a majority of the other floors of this library. As previously described, there is a stone spiral staircase leading down to the lower levels and several bookshelves. On this floor the Spiritual Travelers had their first encounter with a few Librarians and one of them even anticipated the group's need for Self Preservation. This floor always has clean windows and an exit.
Floor 2 (Political Magazines and Newspapers, Census Information, Proper Recycling Methods) - This floor was mostly explored by Hysteria. Here they found information about the undisclosed individual, Ra'in'ica. However, most of the information found here was already known or not very useful, just taxes, arrest records, census info and the like. Everyone but Namina was able to see a door on this floor.
Floor 3 (Fiction) - This floor was briefly explored by anyone looking for their particular books, but nothing was taken from here. None of the Spiritual Travelers were able to see a door on this floor.
Floor 4 (Biographies, Autobiographies, Diaries, Journals, personal song lyrics and poems that no one but the writer has ever seen) - On this floor, Hysteria found The Diary of Ra'in'ica. Strangely enough, Spalsis's diary was not on this floor while DAN was looking for it. Nobody had an exit on this floor at the time that they visited.
Floor 5 (Mythical Creatures, Bestiaries, Animal Encyclopedias, Biology Lab Notes and a wall of Maps with a pile of Atlases) - On this floor, Namina found information about how to dampen her Bioluminescence to make it easier to harvest Shadow Vines. Agave, while looking for a map of The Rotting Gate, instead found an entire wall of maps and atlases. Amongst them was an Atlas of Rot. Lastly, Kaswink found a book on the topic she was looking for conveniently called ONI. The three of them sat and read silently in one of the cozy reading nooks. This floor had an exit visible to everyone but DAN.
Floor 6 (Containment Methods, Time Travel and Manipulation, Interstellar Travel) - This floor was unexplored save by DAN as they traveled down to the 10th floor.
Floor 7 (Alternate Timelines, Races/Racing/Racey Content) - This floor was unexplored save by DAN as they traveled down to the 10th floor. It didn't have an exit that was visible to anyone at the time.
Floor 8 (Medicinal Knowledge, All things Memory, Beaches and Sea-faring Vessels) - This floor was explored by Namina late in the visit to the library as she was looking for a book on herbs. She managed to find both a book on herbs as well as a book on herbs. There was also a book about doctors named Herbert that went by "Herb". This floor had an exit that was only visible to Agave, Hysteria and Frode.
Floor 9 (Occultic Information such as Spirits and Rituals, The Gates, and Physics) - This floor was unexplored save by DAN as they traveled down to the 10th floor. It had an exit that was visible only to Namina, DAN and Kaswink.
Floor 10 (Interplanar Travel, Forbidden Knowledge and Corrupted Data Quarantine) - This floor was mostly explored by DAN while looking for information about Spalsis and Spirals in general. Unlike the other nine floors, this one's shelves were covered in dust, spiderwebs, and its windows to the outside world were also incredibly dirty. The bookshelves were also arranged unusually, oftentimes blocking vision and progress to the dark corners of the floor which housed forbidden knowledge, especially of the Spiral variety. From above, the bookshelves would almost follow a spiral pattern themselves... On this floor, DAN found a copy of Following Spalsis as well as books about Spirals, books filled with drawings of spirals and a book filled with the same "word" over and over again. This book in particular caused DAN a great deal of mental agony and caused them to stop looking for more useful books. When they showed it to a Librarian she died instantly. The spiral staircase that was found on all the previous floors was still present though led down to a dead end. DAN dug through the solid stone at the base of the staircase and found dirt...and then they dug through the dirt and found clouds. The Spiritual Travelers used this floor to escape the Library.
The interior of the Library is simplistic, similar to a local library that might be found in Esther or Remlit. The walls are more evidently stone and a stone spiral staircase leads to the lower levels. The first thing seen is a help desk with a Librarian standing patiently or perhaps sorting returned books onto one of 10 different carts. Around and behind the help desk are bookshelves that are 5 shelves high and paired back-to-back in rows. There are a total of 10 sets of bookshelves (20 back-to-back), each completely covered in books and leaving room for reading nooks with tables and chairs. This same layout is repeated on each of the 10 floors of the library. Depending on the person, the door may be missing and another exit will need to be found. The Librarians mentioned that if there is no exit you'll have to "find your way". Thankfully for the Spiritual Travelers, they all had an exit on Floor 10.
Floor 1 (Recipes, Instruction Manuals, Textbooks, Language Courses) - The first floor acts as a template for a majority of the other floors of this library. As previously described, there is a stone spiral staircase leading down to the lower levels and several bookshelves. On this floor the Spiritual Travelers had their first encounter with a few Librarians and one of them even anticipated the group's need for Self Preservation. This floor always has clean windows and an exit.
Floor 2 (Political Magazines and Newspapers, Census Information, Proper Recycling Methods) - This floor was mostly explored by Hysteria. Here they found information about the undisclosed individual, Ra'in'ica. However, most of the information found here was already known or not very useful, just taxes, arrest records, census info and the like. Everyone but Namina was able to see a door on this floor.
Floor 3 (Fiction) - This floor was briefly explored by anyone looking for their particular books, but nothing was taken from here. None of the Spiritual Travelers were able to see a door on this floor.
Floor 4 (Biographies, Autobiographies, Diaries, Journals, personal song lyrics and poems that no one but the writer has ever seen) - On this floor, Hysteria found The Diary of Ra'in'ica. Strangely enough, Spalsis's diary was not on this floor while DAN was looking for it. Nobody had an exit on this floor at the time that they visited.
Floor 5 (Mythical Creatures, Bestiaries, Animal Encyclopedias, Biology Lab Notes and a wall of Maps with a pile of Atlases) - On this floor, Namina found information about how to dampen her Bioluminescence to make it easier to harvest Shadow Vines. Agave, while looking for a map of The Rotting Gate, instead found an entire wall of maps and atlases. Amongst them was an Atlas of Rot. Lastly, Kaswink found a book on the topic she was looking for conveniently called ONI. The three of them sat and read silently in one of the cozy reading nooks. This floor had an exit visible to everyone but DAN.
Floor 6 (Containment Methods, Time Travel and Manipulation, Interstellar Travel) - This floor was unexplored save by DAN as they traveled down to the 10th floor.
Floor 7 (Alternate Timelines, Races/Racing/Racey Content) - This floor was unexplored save by DAN as they traveled down to the 10th floor. It didn't have an exit that was visible to anyone at the time.
Floor 8 (Medicinal Knowledge, All things Memory, Beaches and Sea-faring Vessels) - This floor was explored by Namina late in the visit to the library as she was looking for a book on herbs. She managed to find both a book on herbs as well as a book on herbs. There was also a book about doctors named Herbert that went by "Herb". This floor had an exit that was only visible to Agave, Hysteria and Frode.
Floor 9 (Occultic Information such as Spirits and Rituals, The Gates, and Physics) - This floor was unexplored save by DAN as they traveled down to the 10th floor. It had an exit that was visible only to Namina, DAN and Kaswink.
Floor 10 (Interplanar Travel, Forbidden Knowledge and Corrupted Data Quarantine) - This floor was mostly explored by DAN while looking for information about Spalsis and Spirals in general. Unlike the other nine floors, this one's shelves were covered in dust, spiderwebs, and its windows to the outside world were also incredibly dirty. The bookshelves were also arranged unusually, oftentimes blocking vision and progress to the dark corners of the floor which housed forbidden knowledge, especially of the Spiral variety. From above, the bookshelves would almost follow a spiral pattern themselves... On this floor, DAN found a copy of Following Spalsis as well as books about Spirals, books filled with drawings of spirals and a book filled with the same "word" over and over again. This book in particular caused DAN a great deal of mental agony and caused them to stop looking for more useful books. When they showed it to a Librarian she died instantly. The spiral staircase that was found on all the previous floors was still present though led down to a dead end. DAN dug through the solid stone at the base of the staircase and found dirt...and then they dug through the dirt and found clouds. The Spiritual Travelers used this floor to escape the Library.
Parent Location
Related Report (Primary Locations)
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