The Library of the Ancients

Located upon an island in the sea between The Kingom of Selara and The Ilverian Magocracy, The Library of the Ancients is a neutral organization dedicated to collecting and organizing knowledge.
Most visitors to the library arrive at the small port town that resides outside the walls of the citadel itself. The entrance to the library itself is a double gate that stands at the outer edge of the town.
Those who gain entry discover a cloistered community of scholars milling round inside the library's walls, a place of enlightened conversation and friendly debate. No better place in Torr exists for those who have a love for or a need of knowledge and who want to pursue such interests alongside fellow seekers.
The Library of the Ancients has the largest repository of written lore in Torr.
Not all knowledge preserved in The Library of the Ancients is of historical importance. The library holds thousands upon thousands of lost recipes, old songs, collections of folklore, and journals written by folks whose time has long since passed. The abundance of these ancillary works makes finding notable tomes an exercise in patience and perseverance. Fortunately, a legion of scholars and sages called the Avowed look after the library and remain vigilant in the care and cataloging of all the knowledge it holds.

Entering The Library of the Ancients

The required entrance fee for admission into the library is a work of writing not already collected therein. Those who show up at the gates without such a gift are kindly but firmly turned away.
The enormous double gates of the library are three times the height of a human and wrought of black metal magically warded to foil attempts to damage them. Both doors are emblazoned with the sigil of The Library of the Ancients. One of the two gates stands open far enough to admit visitors during the day, and the other is kept shut. Bedecked in purple vestments, five Avowed priests of Thaliak, the Scholar, oversee the front gates, examining and discussing written works presented by hopefuls trying to gain entrance. If a question arises, the Avowed send a runner to consult with a sage in the library. The runner eventually returns bearing a missive of acceptance or denial. Visiting scholars experienced in this procedure often bring a selection of possible donations to ensure admittance. Despite the stringent entrance requirements, the Avowed do accept rare editions of tomes already in the collection, journals of those who recount unique or insightful experiences, or the odd work that has been annotated by a prominent scholar outside the library. Once granted admission, visitors quickly discover that it’s wise to assemble a “wish list” of works that members of the senior staff are interested in collecting, potentially reducing the guesswork of readmission on future visits.
Those admitted to the library, referred to as seekers, can request the assistance of an Avowed adjutant who acts as a guide and research assistant for the duration of their visit. This guide has access to all the resources of the library, with the exception of the vaults that contain the rarest and most dangerous works. Seekers can appeal to higher-ranking Avowed for permission to peruse these off-limits works.

Defenses and Decorum

The Library of the Ancients is fortified by a fifty-foot-tall, fifteen-foot-thick, iron-reinforced stone wall with a double gate facing east. Although most of the Avowed are humble scholars, a number of potent spellcasters fill critical posts. If trouble occurs, the Gatewarden (an archmage) and up to four mages arrive to investigate immediately. If they can’t bring the situation under control in short order, up to four additional archmages arrive to lend assistance.

Wards

Numerous magical defenses protect the library. The most innocuous include wards to protect the library’s books from mold, weevils, and other threats. Other protections are more dramatic, as discussed below.
Magic Restriction. Wards prevent anyone from entering the library by any route other than through the front gates. Any attempt to magically bypass these gates fails. These wards do not prevent creatures from using magic to exit the library.
Anyone who tries to fly over the wall into the library is stopped short. Magical flight is dispelled, and the subject floats slowly to the ground fifty feet outside the gates. An intangible ward forces creatures that can fly naturally to either land or circumnavigate the library altogether. Ordinary birds are unaffected by this ward, and a clever wizard or other individual can bypass the ward by assuming the form of a Tiny bird. The Avowed don’t discuss this flaw with outsiders, but anyone who can see the gulls flying over the library can easily reach the conclusion that certain creatures are exempt from this magical restriction.
Fire Suppression. Flames larger than a candle are suppressed within the keep. (The fireplace in the Hearth, the library’s tavern, is an exception.) Thus, any spell that creates fire is wasted if it is cast within the keep.
Theft Protection. Every book, scroll, and other work considered part of the library’s collection is magically protected against theft. Any such work that is removed from the keep disappears and immediately returns to its proper place in the library.
This ward also has a flaw that the Avowed don’t discuss with outsiders. If pages from a book or parts of a scroll are torn away, these fragments can be removed from the library as long as the bulk of the work remains in the library. Similarly, if a work is split into pieces and entirely removed from the library, only the largest piece disappears and returns to its proper place in the library.
Shielding Mythal. From any location in the library, the Keeper of Tomes can activate a mythal—an exceptional, unbreakable magical effect—that envelops all of the library in a protective shield through which nothing but air and sound can pass.

Orders of Accordance

All who enter The Library of the Ancients must agree to the Orders of Accordance, rules set forth by the senior staff to prevent misconduct. Violating one or more of these orders results in banishment from the library, and the banished are seldom allowed to return. The rules are simple:
No fighting. All arguments must follow the rules of cordial debate and discussion. Violent altercations are not tolerated.
No stealing. This rule applies to all objects in the keep, not just the library’s works.
No copying. Visitors are permitted to take notes while studying the library’s works, but anyone who wants to make a full copy of a work must pay to have the manuscript created by scribes at the House of the Binder.
No damaging, marking, or otherwise modifying the works. This rule doesn’t apply to privately owned books, scrolls, and other documents that aren’t part of the library’s collection

The Avowed

Roughly three hundred Avowed live in The Library of the Ancients. The majority of them are low-level assistants, newcomers to the order, or scribes who handle the everyday work in the keep.
High-ranking members of the Avowed include the individuals described below.

Keeper of Tomes

The Keeper is the highest-ranking member of the Avowed and the governor of The Library of the Ancients, who selects scholars to fill vacant leadership positions. The Keeper’s word is law, and each Keeper’s edicts are recorded for the edification of future Keepers.
A Keeper of Tomes chooses their own replacement. If a Keeper dies or departs before making that choice, the council of Great Readers votes to determine who among them is elevated to the position. Tie votes are broken by the First Reader.

Readers

The Keeper of Tomes appoints individuals to fill key roles, as described in the sections that follow.

First Reader

The First Reader constantly expands the library’s literary resources and base of knowledge. Acquiring unique tomes and scrolls falls under the First Reader’s purview.

Great Readers

The Library of the Ancients maintains a council of eight Great Readers, senior Avowed who oversee day-to-day operations. These erudite scholars and gifted spellcasters are chosen from the ranks of Master Readers. Each is acknowledged as the library’s foremost expert on a particular area of study

Master Readers

Master Readers oversee the scribes and teach the adjutants. These learned Avowed possess tremendous institutional knowledge.

Gatewarden

The Gatewarden maintains security at the front gates, through which all visitors must enter.

Type

Educational, Library

Deities

• Thaliak The Scholar