The Library of the Forgotten Academy

In times long past, the Academy was renown for having one of the most extensive collections of magical tomes, scrolls, treatises, and other writings in all of Cartyrion.

Entry Hall

A stone archway leads into a short, wide hallway about 10ft (3m) wide and 20ft (6m) long. Chiseled into the stone above the arch is a sign that says, "Authorized students and staff only". A set of wooden doors at the far end appear to be partly opened. There appears to be a sign or notice of some sort affixed to the door, but it is too far away to see what it says.

On either side of the doors, there are statues of fully armored figures, each about 6ft (180cm) tall. These statues each grasp a 7ft (215cm) halberd in the hand nearest the door. The statues seem to be bound in place by the cobwebs that extend from walls and floor to cover them. As you near the door, you can read the sign on it: "Proper Identification Required".

If the party members are all wearing School Talismans, nothing happens when they attempt to pass the statues and go through the paartly opened door. But if any member of the party is not wearing a talisman...

Suddenly, the statues animate, taking a half sidestep toward each other and extending their halberd-holding arms so that the weapons cross each other to block passage through the door. The visored helmets of the statues turn to face you.

The Stone Guards will not attack first. They will use their bodies and halberds to prevent any attempt to get past them and through the doors. They will only strike with their halberds if the party strikes first. Being made of stone, they will be difficult to defeat. The statues will not pursue a retreating party; as soon as the party moves away from the doors, the statues will return to their original positions.

Reading Room

Once through the door, you find yourself passing between two wooden walls which you realize are the backs of heavy bookshelves that reach to the ceiling of this room about 15' (5m) above you. Beyond is a large, circular space filled with heavy tables and stools. These are badly rotted; breaking corners off tables is relatively easy. At least one of the stools appears to have been smashed by somebody attempting to sit on it.

At the center of this area is a circular desk. Within the enclosed space is a narrow spiral staircase leading downward, and just enough space it for one person to stand and access the desk. There is a set of drawers built into this desk accessible from the inside.

In one of the drawers, there will be four brooch-designed talismans that will respond as bearing Enchantment magic if examined. These are the passes to the Restricted Section of the library, located down the spiral stair. The guardians below will not permit access to anyone not wearing one of these.

The stairway itself is made of metal, and shows significant signs of deterioration. Any attempt to step onto the stairs will introduce a chance the whole thing will collapse. Peering down, it will be obvious that the railings halfway down have already partially given way long ago.

Common Reference Shelves

Surrounding the reading desks are sets of bookshelves arranged like spokes of a wheel with space between to access the shelves. These are filled to varying degrees by bound tomes, stacks of scrolls, and even a few stacks of clay or stone tablets. Each set of shelves has a ladder affixed to tracks that allow it to be slid along the shelves, but the hardware is all badly rusted, and the wood of the ladder doesn't look very sturdy.

The books are all badly decomposing, though some have titles that can be read. The scrolls will crumble if touched. The clay tablets all all written in Taxlatl. Based on the readable titles, one segment of the circle seems to be dedicated to history and peoples of Cartyrion, but most is dedicated to general principles of magic and the Six Energies.

The ladders are useless; they will collapse under any weight. The party will need to figure out a way to access the shelves above their heads. If they do so in the history area, they should discover a small wooden chest set back on the topmost shelf so as to be impossible to see from below.

Restricted Section Anteroom

At the foot of the winding metal stairs which seem to bring you several levels down, you find yourself in a small, round room facing an iron-bound wooden door. Two stone statues of armored figures stand guarding this door, their halberds crossed before it.

If the party are wearing the authorization talismans found in the desk above...

As you approach the door, the statues animate, drawing their halberds aside.

But if the party are not wearing the talismans...

As you approach, the sound of grinding stone accompanies the statues suddenly moving. The two sidestep toward each other, making it clear they intend to block your passage through the door.

The statues are Stone Knights. Like the Stone Guards above, they will actively block the party unless the proper talismans are present. They will not attempt to do damage to the party until the party attempts to damage them.

The Restricted Section

Once through the door, you find yourself in a rectangular space facing a desk carved out of stone. The room beyond is rectangular, with an open space for several stone tables running down the center, with bookshelves in rows on either side. The walls of this room appear to be of worked stone, and you realize the bookshelves appear as if they too were carved out of the original rock as they simply meld into the walls where they meet. Pieces of worked stone that look like segments of pillars are placed as if they were intended to be seating around the reading tables. At the far end of the room, there are three doors that appear to be made of metal - a metal that you note does not show any signs of rust.

On closer inspection, the party will realize that even the desk, reading tables, and stools appear to have been carved out of the original rock; they simply meld into the floor. They do include some fairly intricate decorative elements, indicating that time and expertise were involved in their crafting. There are a few spots on the tables that appear to have been scorched, blasted, or otherwise marred long ago. One table has a row of parallel scratches as if some claw had been raked across it.

As for the bookshelves, the sections nearest the reading tables appear to be fairly well stocked. These books are in terrible shape, though, and will crumble if handled. Some titles are readable though. One shelf seemed to be dedicated to theory on mind control magic. Another was devoted to techniques for summoning powerful beings, including lesser Astralar. A third has titles concerned with manipulating the energies of life and death directly. At the end of the shelf dedicated to summonings, apart from the rest of the volumes, there is a single, large tome. This book has covers made of metal. A clasp and lock hold the book shut. Though dust-covered, this book does not appear to be damaged by the passage of time. At the end of the shelf on life and death, there are a set of chains and an open padlock on the shelf. These chains are affixed into the shelves at one end, and are arranged as if they once held a large tome in place.

The book at the end of the summoning section is a Tome of Summoning Spells. It contains a number of advanced summoning spells.

The Room to the Left

The door seems to be made of iron or steel, but it radiates magic as well. There is a keyhole.

The lock is difficult to pick, but it can be picked. Attempts to listen at the door will reveal the faint sounds - the rattling of chains being moved and an occasional low growl. The magic on this door simply boosts its strength; the door is not "held" in any way.

Beyond the door is a small room, no more than about 5' (1.5m) square. As soon as the door is open, you hear sounds of low growls and slavering accompanied by the rattle of chains. This room appears to have been carved out of the rock like the larger reading room. In the center, a stone pedestal rises, and sitting atop this pedestal is a large tome. Chains secure this tome to the pedestal, keeping it shut. The tome, however, is moving, as if it is trying to break free. The cover of the tome appears to be made of leather or skin, and there is a raised relief shaped like a mouth filled with sharp teeth. This mouth is opening and closing, and is the source of the growls and slurps.

This is a Tome of Abominations. Simply handling the book can be dangerous - its "mouth" will attempt to bite anyone who does. If the book is opened, an Abomination will be summoned - appeareing in the room. The Gamemaster can select or draw randomly from the following table. If this is not done with tome having been placed in a protective summoning circle, the Abomination will attack.

The Center Room

The door seems to be made of iron or steel, but it radiates magic as well. There is a keyhole.

The lock is difficult to pick, but it can be picked. The magic on this door simply boosts its strength; the door is not "held" in any way.

Beyond the door is a small room, no more than about 5' (1.5m) square. As soon as the door is open, you begin to hear sounds. Howling winds that diminish as quickly as they rose, replaced by the sounds of chirping songbirds. Then the sounds of waves crashing on a rocky beach. The sounds of children playing, the sounds of many swords clashing in battle, and the echoing sound of water dripping follow in sequence. These sounds, or variations of them, continue. Some evoke a sense of calm, others of danger.

The room itself appears to have been carved out of the rock like the larger reading room. In the center, a stone pedestal rises, and sitting atop this pedestal is a large tome. Chains secure this tome to the pedestal, keeping it shut. Like the sounds, the tome's cover appears to go through a series of changes. Color, and even material vary as it does.

This is a Tome of Illusions. If the book is opened, the Gamemaster can select, or randomly determine, the nature of the illusion that surrounds the party using the table below. These illusions include visual, olfactory, and auditory elements, though they have no substance and cannot be touched or manipulated. They do, however have an additional effect on the minds of the party members. If the illusion is a pleasant one, party members will be filled with the desire to seek out the place this illusion has shown them unless they make a WIS save. If the illusion is dangerous or horrific, party members will be filled with fear and attempt to flee unless they make a WIS save. Even after shaking the effect, anyone who initially failed their save will continue to have thoughts about the things they saw for up to a week.

The Room to the Right

The door seems to be made of iron or steel, but it radiates magic as well. There is a keyhole.

The lock is difficult to pick, but it can be picked. The magic on this door simply boosts its strength; the door is not "held" in any way.

Beyond the door is a small room, no more than about 5' (1.5m) square. Apart from the sounds of metal moving on metal in the door's hinges, no sounds can be heard. This room appears to have been carved out of the rock like the larger reading room. (Unlike the other two small rooms,) the walls of this room are marked with strings of magical runes. In the center, a stone pedestal rises. Dangling from the pedestal are four heavy chains. An open padlock lies on the floor next to the pedestal.

This room once held the Tome of Cursed Souls, but the volume is no longer here. Anyone with the ability to Read or Interpret Magic will be able to discern that the runes on the walls all appear to be some form of binding, or protection against the undead. Careful inspection will reveal two places where these runes appear to have very faint vertical cracks running through them - this is the outline of a secret door. The wall here is much thinner, and a few good hammer blasts will break it. It can also be pried open if the party has the right tools. Beyond the door is a stone stairway passage leading down into the darkness.