The Vault of Forbidden Knowledge

Purpose / Function

The Vault of Forbidden Knowledge was created to house texts deemed too dangerous, too corrupting, or too powerful to be left in common circulation. It was once the hidden archive of a scholarly order dedicated to preserving knowledge without moral judgment. However, over centuries, powerful rulers and religious authorities sealed away what they considered heretical, sealing the vault and restricting access even from most scholars of Lwendiasa Library. Now, only a select few curators even know of its existence, and fewer still hold the means to enter.

Design

Shape: A hexagonal room, with six alcoves branching off into separate study areas.

Materials: Walls of black stone embedded with golden veins of runes, preventing energy from escaping or being detected from the outside.

Ceiling: A vaulted dome, engraved with depictions of ancient scholars, celestial bodies, and forbidden symbols that seem to shift when not directly observed.

Floor: Made of obsidian-like slabs, carved with protective glyphs.

At the center of the room, a raised black marble podium stands. Those who attempt to read from it unbidden are said to suffer horrific consequences.

Entries

This vault is hidden within a labyrinthine corridor beneath the library, accessible only through a ritual that involves speaking the lost names of the Librarian. The entrance is further secured by a magickal seal that requires both knowledge and intent to unlock.

Sensory & Appearance

Sight: A shifting darkness coats the corners of the room. Some books shimmer with unnatural colors, while others appear bound in materials that do not belong in this world.

Smell: The scent of old parchment, candle smoke, and something acrid—like burnt ozone.

Touch: The air is dense and electric, as though knowledge itself carries weight. Holding certain books can cause the skin to tingle or burn.

Sound: The vault is deathly silent—except for the whispers. Soft, persistent, unintelligible whispers.

Some claim that reading from the wrong text makes the voices louder, turning into maddening screams.

Denizens

The Guardian: An ancient, blind seer bound to its knowledge. It perceives intruders not by sight but by sensing their intentions. Those who seek knowledge for noble purposes may proceed; those with selfish desires are expelled—often with their memories erased.

The Bound Librarian: A shadowy figure in tattered robes, glimpsed only out of the corner of one’s eye. Some say it was once a scholar who failed the trials of knowledge and is now cursed to wander the vault. No one has dared to speak to it.

Contents & Furnishings

The vault holds dozens of books, scrolls, and artifacts—some stored on shelves, others kept under enchanted glass or chained to their pedestals. Some notorious works include:

• The Lost Annals of the Void Order: A record of forbidden magick, detailing the rituals and philosophies of a long-extinct sect who sought to rewrite reality itself.
• The Bone Ledger: A book that, when opened, reveals the exact moment and manner of death for the reader—or so it is claimed.
• The Nameless Grimoire: Bound in unknown leather, sealed with silver chains. No one has been able to open it. It hums when approached.

Some texts are incomplete, their missing pages rumored to be scattered across the world, hidden by those who sought to erase knowledge too terrible to be read.

Valuables

Aside from irreplaceable tomes, the vault contains:

• A set of quills and inkpots said to transcribe one’s thoughts unbidden.
• A dagger with an inscription that shifts languages based on the reader.
• A single, tarnished crown resting upon a pedestal—said to belong to a king who wished to become a god.

Each object has its own dark history, and some scholars wonder if they were placed here to be studied—or simply contained.

Hazards & Traps

The vault is more than just a library—it is a prison for knowledge that should not exist.

Cursed Tomes: Some books are traps, causing insanity, memory loss, or worse upon reading.

Living Ink: Some manuscripts drip with writing that moves. Attempting to read certain passages binds the words to one’s skin, branding them with knowledge that cannot be erased.

Temporal Distortions: Those who linger too long sometimes lose track of time, emerging hours or even days later, thinking mere minutes have passed.

The Shadow Curse: Legends say taking a book from the vault without permission marks the thief. Shadows stalk them thereafter, growing darker, until they eventually vanish.

Special Properties

Self-Sealing Entrance: The vault locks itself after each entry, preventing unauthorized visitors from following.

Knowledge Restriction: Some books cannot be read by normal means—their pages blur or shift, requiring arcane insight to decipher.

Memory Corruption: Scholars have reported forgetting entire passages after leaving, as if the knowledge itself resists being carried beyond its prison.

Alterations

Over the centuries, attempts have been made to destroy or seal parts of the vault, but none have succeeded. Some bookshelves show signs of having been burned, yet their contents remain intact. Certain texts have been scratched out, their original words painstakingly removed. A single, empty pedestal remains—as if something was once there, but vanished. What was taken? And by whom?

Architecture

Unlike the rest of the Lwendiasa Library, which is built in a grand, elegant style, the vault is cold, practical, and almost oppressive.

Walls: Smooth black stone, with no visible seams.

Doors: No traditional doors—only the enchanted threshold.

Ceiling: High, ribbed vaulting, designed to make intruders feel small and insignificant.

Everything about the vault seems designed to discourage visitors.

History

The Vault of Forbidden Knowledge has existed as long as the Lwendiasa Library itself. Originally, it was meant to preserve all knowledge, but over centuries, fear led to its restriction. Kings, priests, and scholars alike buried truths they could not understand—or could not control. Now, it stands as a monument to knowledge both coveted and feared.

Table of Contents

Discovery Date

15 Aurora 1075 AE

Type

Room, Secret, Chamber

Parent Location

Lwendiasa Library

Environmental Effects

Stepping into the Vault of Forbidden Knowledge is like entering a realm untouched by time. The air is unnaturally still, carrying the faintest scent of aged parchment, burnt ink, and something metallic—like old blood.

Temperature: Cold, but not naturally so—it is the chill of something unseen pressing against one’s bones.

Humidity: Bone-dry, preventing the degradation of delicate scrolls and manuscripts.

Light: Dim and uneven, emanating from glowing runes etched into the stonework. Some areas are pitch black, hiding knowledge best left undiscovered.

Auras: A subtle but overwhelming presence lurks in the air, making some visitors feel as though they are being watched.

Gravity: Slightly heavier than normal, as though the weight of accumulated knowledge presses down on those who dare to enter.

Many scholars report hearing whispers when inside—some claim the voices are the echoes of those who perished after reading the texts within.

Owning Organization

Cubria Empire