The Library List, as this work is often known, is a list of popular books on a variety of topics written by the human scholar Maxian Hueng, a student at the
University at Shimmering Rock. While the original guide was later revealed to be a clever scheme to sell books on behalf of The University, it proved popular enough to be released every few years with new books added and obsolete ones discarded. The List is so ubiquitous that it can be taken as a sign of destitution to not own the whole thing and then some, with nobility looking to impress their peers adding dozens of titles to their own collection simply to avoid looking miserly. The list in most iterations contains one hundred titles, split into ten categories
The Histories
Histories of the Conquerors: Imperial Operations and Expansion From Skaldor to Richard VII, a collection that is updated with the death of each
Emperor. Originally researched, compiled, and printed by the famous Confederate historian Solyom Twinzaard, the books cover fifty seven volumes, one for each of
The Empire's rulers.
The Story of Everything: A Brief Look At The History of Illiria in the Age of the Everking, by Imperial scribe Nekos the Undying covers every major historical event over the last ten thousand years, often with an artist's etching for each. Even though each event covers two pages at most, it is considered the largest single book ever printed at four thousand pages long.
Homeland: History of the Elves From The Exodus to Today, by historian Solyom Twinzaard and playwright Nyx Azurril, as stated is a written record of all of
Elf history in Illiria. It is sorted into fifteen volumes, each of which is half history followed by a play about the central figures.
History of Magic and Practitioners Thereof, by Arcandius Red-Eye, is as stated a history of magic from the founding of the Empire onward, covering the
Order of the Eye, significant magical events, the brief histories of other magical guilds, and speculation on ancient heroes that may have actually been practitioners of magic.
The Last Dragonslayers, by
Edvias Grimm is a comprehensive history of the Dragon War and the factors leading up to it. Notably, it is one of the only such histories to utilize necromancy to acquire first-hand accounts of important events.
Ages Past: Records from before the Everking, by noted
Caronorn historian Ygritte Rolfsdottr is a collection of firsthand accounts of the grand empires before the arrival of Skaldor and The Sylvan War. The book has received some criticism for favoring Halfling history over all others, but it remains the single most extensive source of primary information from previous eras. It was originally published in Chorapar but has since been translated into all major languages.
Footpath: The Great Migrations, by Maxian Hueng covers the arrival and relocations of large groups of people throughout the history of Illiria and it's effects on contemporary politics.
Clancall: The Abridged History of the Alliance of Dwarven Clans, by celebrated Dwarf scholar Hrogar the Enlightened is a list of all the known
Dwarf clans, new and extinct as well as the lineages of their leaders, great victories and losses, and a timeline covering the lives of each of the Dwarf kings. The unabridged version is twenty seven ponderous volumes long and only a single copy is known to exist.
A Record of The Fallen States, by
Dhampir librarian Alexander Mykos presents all known information on countries that no longer exist, some dating as far back as the Age of Heroes. The last chapter of the book is a collection of etchings showing the changing layout of Illirian political maps over the course of three thousand years.
Call to Glory: A Record of Heroes, by various authors of
The Tower of the Ancients adventurer's guild covers the history of mighty monsters since the formation of the Guild and the mercenaries sent to slay them.
Lifestyle
Cooking Across Illiria: The Most Popular Dishes of a Continent, a collection of the most famous recipes from every single region of the continent, including small island city-states and each individual group within the Empire. This work was painstakingly put together by Gilber the Torch, former champion of
The Guardian.
Entertain Like a Kuastan, a guidebook on
Kuastan lifestyle and etiquette rules and how to make guests feel as welcome as possible, author unknown
One Thousand and One Facts, by University Master Rhetorician Sylvien Van Helsing is a collection of interesting facts about all of the different peoples of Illiria. It is commonly believed to be a cultural guide in disguise as a light reading fact book.
Speaking in Silence, authored by renowned Gnome poet Bittlemer Yndynun and playwright Nyx Azurril discusses the different forms of poetry found across the continent with samples from great works all with unknown authors.
The Wealthy Beggar, the only known work by Gregarian the Economancer is a collection of tips for the already wealthy to increase their fortunes significantly with long-term investments. Interestingly, the book is sometimes considered a work of satiric comedy.
Confessions of an Immortal Courtesan, by the
Blade Quill is a tome discussing the nature of sexuality and ways to improve performance in bed. It is widely joked to be the only book on The List read with any actual frequency.
Healthy Living in the Modern Age, by
Rivaen physician to the crown Arabella Yang thoroughly details healthy habits and daily exercises, with detailed breakdowns of the dietary and physical requirements of all the known races. Famously endorsed by Queen
Theodora of Lancaster.
Appreciation of Music, written by an unnamed holy champion of
Lyrica is a scholarly dissection of musical theory, a guide on how to play the lute, sheet music, and written entirely in rhyming verse.
The Last Laugh, a collection of what are widely considered to be the greatest jokes ever told broken down into categories, as well as including notes on the sort of humor various cultures find insensitive or especially funny.
The Wanderer’s Guide to Inns, Taverns and Hideaways, author unknown, is a book dedicated to reviewing the various roadside establishments scattered around the continent. The author’s true identity is a popular mystery among travelers, as the book has been in publication for nearly 200 years and is still updated every few years.
Biographies
Ten Thousand Miles: The Journey of the Samurai is the story of the Blade
Bushido, collected in interviews with the Skalxien family over the course of three centuries. It is usually updated every two hundred years or so, and the most extensive record of the continent of Fujiyama in existence.
Skaldor's Journal: Common Translation, Commentary and Notes, authored by a large team of University researchers, is an annotated version of the personal journal of the first Emperor, Skaldor. The book is a notoriously difficult read due to Skaldor’s rambling and often incoherent writing style, and it is regularly updated with improved translations and new interpretations of Skaldor’s writings.
I, Daxos: Blood of Kings is an autobiography by
King Daxos, Vampire Lord of
The Blood Realms. It is a deeply personal text with insights into the choices and hardships the vampire faced on his rise to power. In the book, Daxos talks about his feelings about having to slay his brothers, his decision to join the Empire, and the difficulties he faces ruling over each of his realms. It is the only known text to have an even partially confirmed list of ways to kill a vampire, bringing the actual author into question repeatedly, but Daxos has never denied that he actually wrote it.
Writer of Souls: The Extraordinary Life of an Extraordinary Playwright is the biography of Nyx Azurril written by Maxian Hueng, after the only interview she has ever given. It doubles as a firsthand account of life in
Speiryi civilization before it's utter destruction during The Sylvan War, before most of their cities and records were lost.
Two Hundred Years a Soldier is the campaign journal kept by a
Langite conscript throughout the duration of the Sylvan War. The soldier, a farmer named Hurel, religiously wrote of his experiences throughout the entirety of the war, often cited as one of the best firsthand accounts of the event. The journal was found and published in
The Confederacy hundreds of years after the author's presumed death in battle, as the final entry describes an impending attack and ends quite abruptly.
Archon, written by Confederate scribe Erewyn Murphanen in the early days of The Confederacy, is an account of the life of the first Archon to take office following the end of The Sylvan War. The Archon, Ileniel Fire-Hair, is widely considered a hero of The Confederacy and responsible for it's position as a great power today. The biography mostly covers politics and the process of shaping The Confederacy into it's current state, but also the personal trials and worries of the Archon.
A Life In Magic is an account of the life of Archmage Samuel Firgold, the current leader of the Order of the Eye as written by Bobworth Thistlespring, a Gnome bard best known for the invention of the
Mage Guitar. The book only covers the life of Firgold before his joining the Order in 1066 EK, describing the young Elf's journey in learning magic and includes firsthand accounts from former associates of the Archmage, often gathered through sanctioned necromancy.
The Shoguns, written by University historian Grahg Redtooth tells the story of the ten most influential
Olona warlords utilizing Orc oral tradition and ancient Elf records. Between chapters on the Shoguns themselves, the author covers the fall of Olona civilization during the Sylvan War and the abandonment of the Shogunate as well as speculates on the similarities between old Olona societies and the traditions of the Blades and early Skaldorans.
Five Kings In Stone, penned by a line of Dwarf scholars of Clan Auror painstakingly details the life of each of the known Dwarf Kings. It is infamous for including far too much context for each event referenced, resulting in a biography of five people covering twelve separate volumes. An abridged version is the most commonly read, though modern Dwarf students of history often consider reading the entire thing a rite of passage.
The Twice-Cursed King is a biography about
Emperor Chen IIwritten by his daughter,
Empress Yang III. It mostly speaks of Emperor Chen's greatest accomplishments, but also provides a lot of court gossip from the time of his reign as well as describing day-to-day life in the Imperial Court.
The Plays
The Triumph, by Dhampir playwright Anhur Sanguinari, is a play reenacting and glorifying Skaldor’s victories during the Sylvan War. Its addition to the list sparked controversy, and it is an extremely unpopular work outside of the Empire.
Shining Stars and Summer Breeze is a play by the
Speiryi playwright Nyx Azurril, as part of her Blood of the Conqueror cycle. It is undisputedly the single most performed play of all time, with thousands of variations and is estimated to have been seen by at least a billion people since it's first performance.
The Villain of His Own Tale is a romantic tragedy famously coauthored by
Emperor Richard IV and Nyx Azurril, is about the heir to the throne of a fictional empire and his elvish maid and lover. The two each wrote the part of one of the protagonists, the one oppositely gendered to themselves. The play calls into question whether loyalty or love is more important and is infamous for having what is often said to be the most ambiguous ending to a play ever written.
Honestly and the Best Policy is a comedy written by Halfling playwright Hinnea Tumblefoot famous for it's puns and double entendres. It follows the life of a bumbling bureaucrat constantly misunderstanding the very simple assignments given to her, resulting in a series of chaotic events in the fictional Empire of Nevermore. The subplot is told from the perspective of her extremely fastidious Langite lover becoming increasingly concerned by the protagonist's inability to follow instructions, as well as the lover hiding her relationship from her overly traditional parents.
The Hanging is a horror musical written by noted
Tiefling serial killer Faun Garrix, otherwise known as The Noose of Greyport. It is semi-inspired by the true events of Garrix' murders, following a sleepy town in which the citizens are murdered one at a time and eventually turn on each other as the killer's identity remains unclear. Murdered characters remain in the background as unseen spirits who express their frustrations to the audience.
The Champion is a dramatic ten-part saga, each written by a different famous playwright. The work as a whole was commissioned by
King Richard VII as a celebration of his tenth year as Emperor. The play is a story following a street orphan who eventually becomes the greatest gladiator to have ever lived, and in a very bold move by the authors eventually led a failed rebellion against the Empire. It is widely beloved and regularly sells out auditoriums. The play is so popular that a statue of The Champion themselves was erected in every major city in the Empire (and some beyond) as a Victory Day celebration several years later. The role of The Champion is notably undefined by race or gender, resulting in very different depictions across the continent.
Brave the Unknown is the only musical known to be written by Nyx Azurril, an epic adventure following the arrival of Elvish explorers on a fictional continent populated by dinosaurs, vampires, pirates, and magical merfolk. The three protagonists engage in a series of exciting swashbuckling fight scenes often requiring actual magic to pull off on stage. It's opening musical number sharing a name with the play is particularly catchy and is well-known even by those who had never seen the play. The same tune is often played before lesser known plays to signify that the show will be an adventure story.
A Pious Man is a tragic drama penned by Nyx Azurril and Jenny the Rose, then-champion of Lyrica herself. The play tells the story of a lone priest in a city of thieves and sin. It is considered a phenomenal play but is unliked by the general public because the main character, as advertised before each performance, does not and can not win. Rather, the play follows The Pious Man as he continues to fail to save the souls of his city and turns to increasing wickedness to get his point across, until eventually even he cannot be redeemed.
In the Garden of the Gods is a morality play written by Poet King Richard IV warning the audience of the dangers of intolerance. The play is written to follow the protagonist, a fictionalized version of Richard IV, as he strolls through the planes represented by a magnificent garden and converses with each of the gods, learning the different ways to become a perfect person, ultimately deciding that it's up to the individual to decide, and that one should not be judged by their religious habits. This play is widely regarded to be the single most ironic piece of literature ever put to paper.
For the Thinking Man was written originally by
Embereki playwright Ferun of the Cat's Eye. It is quite famously "a play about nothing", and is different every time, as the only notes given to prospective players are descriptions of personality traits of the characters and a general setting. The play itself forbids the presence of a director or rehearsing lines ahead of time, and is considered one of the greatest pieces of performance art ever done.
Athletics
The Imperial Arena: The Official Fan’s Guide, put forth by the
Imperial Arena Association, is a book detailing every team currently competing in the IAA, the brief histories of every team, their win-loss records as well as their current rosters. It is one of the most sold books in Imperial history, and a new edition is released yearly.
The Great Game, by
Olona chieftain Ongr of the White Hand tribe details all of the warrior games played by the Olona, with varying rules levels for each from contactless to "full-blood", or death being a very real possibility. It is written in a first person perspective from the lens of a pair of young foundlings learning the ways of their adopted people. Aside from being a sports guide, it is also hailed as a fantastic work of fiction.
The Great Book of Records is published once per decade by the Imperial Council for Entertainment and Leisure, and records the best performances of athletes in prominent sporting events. The ICEL office has a special subcommittee for verifying challengers, some of which make it a point to travel thousands of miles for a chance to make it into the book.
The Challenge is a memoir by Kuastan duelist Riava De León and her legendary victory over a much faster, stronger opponent. It is often cited as inspiration for aspiring gladiators, duelists, and endurance athletes.
One Hundred and Seventeen Activities to Improve Your Skills, written by an anonymous Dwarf chronicles every single athletic challenge to have seen popularity in the last two hundred years, but only events that could be done by "anyone, of any skill level". These games have spread in popularity even more since the widespread circulation of this book, with neighboring towns often claiming different activities from the guide as a specialty and competing as a village.
Castles and Caves is a guidebook by Maxian Hueng discussing the most unique designs and challenges present in the arenas at the time of writing. It is one of the only such works to never have been updated. The attention to detail is so meticulous that it is required reading for architecture classes at The University.
Between the Lines describes the rules and forms for traditional Elvish wrestling, as well as briefly discussing it's origins and proposes the sport as a good addition to the average arena event lineup. The book was added to the list after a hefty donation to The University by the Confederate government.
Mind Games is an old guide to meditation and physical improvement by Elienen Twinzaard, better known as Mistress Blade of
The Order of the Dragonfly. While no longer used by the Dragonfly temples, it has made it's way into common circulation, popular for the extremely detailed guides and illustrations on basic physical exercise. Each physical activity is paired with a mental exercise meant to be completed at the same time. Some enthusiasts of the book treat the activities within as a game, a challenge to be completed, and some newer monasteries utilize this mindset as a way to pit initiates against one another to encourage growth.
Play is a description of sports played in ancient times, dating as far back as The Dungeon Builders. It was originally written as the final project of a University archaeology student by the name of Griswold Breakeven, who was stripped of their scholarship and titles after it came to light that absolutely all information in the paper was just made up. However, one of the games, Gatekeeper, became so incredibly popular that the book is still published as an instruction manual.
Fun In Other Worlds by Archmage Callendor the Traveler describes the most popular sports and games played on other realities. The Order of the Eye has heavily censored much of the practical information for safety reasons, but the book remains popular as a source of inspiration for new distractions for the wealthy. Among other things, there is a chapter on basketball as played in
Toonrealm.
Magic
On Magic, written by Farangenor the Eternal with a preface by Samuel Firgold of the Order of the Eye, is a comprehensive thesis on the nature of magic itself, the different kinds of magic, the study of magical theory, and the limitations of magic. It is required reading for almost every single aspiring mage regardless of affiliation, and is used by the non-magic to understand it better.
The Dark Arts, written by Archmage Lastleaf in the third century EK is a work discussing the effects of definitively evil spells, why certain branches of magic are generally banned, and some editions include ways to get around certain restrictions including using a definitively good spell for each evil spell cast in order to balance one's soul. Topics include necromancy, binding outsiders, mental influence magic, and the morality of polymorphs.
Forgotten Lore: The Lost Arts is the life's work of arcane historian Shosu, who supposedly died of a heart attack as she turned in the book to be published. The book details the author's journey to track down the sources of magic impossible to perform with modern understandings of the art including draconic Contingency Runes, Living Spells, psionic powers, chronomancy, and True Creation. The author speculates on the origins of these arts, how they were lost, and what one might do to try and learn them.
Impossible Geometries and Other Paradoxical Realities is a comprehensive study on metamagic and planar mechanics, exploring the ways magic can be manipulated based on physical location, arcanochemistry,
bloodline mutations, and other exotic factors. The book is written by multiple clones of a single mage that does not appear to actually exist, and the book sometimes updates itself.
Replicating Mundanity by famed fraudster Troyel the Arcane describes the myriad ways one might fake magical power, including how to exude a celestial aura, the use of wands for the non-magic, and even performative legerdemain. Famously, each copy of the book is enchanted to detect as magic, without actually containing any other magical properties, making it the single most expensive book on the list.
A Catalogue of Bargainful Entities and Rewarding Risky Behaviors: Access to Magic for the Chronically Untalented is periodically restricted and yet one of the most sought after illicit materials of all time. Written by the first Archon, Ileniel Fire-Hair, following the Sylvan War in an attempt to bolster the magical defenses of the fledgling Confederacy. It describes all the ways in which one might gain magical powers without actually learning wizardry, including infernal bargains, alchemy, fornicating with a
dragon, and drinking raw mana.
Unnatural Nature by Sera Gwendolyn Graves is a dry and lengthy tome detailing creatures of a magical nature ordered from biggest threat to least. She initially started working on it after losing soldiers in a swamp full of shocker lizards during the Moonbrother Uprisings of the early 300's.
The Devil's Stone is a partially fictionized account of a wizard's journey through the layers of
Hell itself. Written by planar explorer (and former Queen)
Inam Nazariafter she found a crystal recording by said nameless wizard, the story talks about the different ways to enter the Hells from various points across the other planes, the hierarchy of fiends, the different layers of Hell, and most importantly the nature of Infernal magic, including lost magic like Infernomancy and Soul Binding. There is a rumor that copies of the book are cursed or haunted, and it routinely makes this list as a sort of show of courage for those who collect tomes.
Moon and Mountain is a guide to recognizing fey creatures and common magical effects due to their presence, especially how to recognize a fairy enchantment or compulsion laid upon a humanoid person. No one knows who initially wrote it, but it has been updated several times and dates back to the founding of the Kingdom of Lancaster. Early editions of the book erroneously claim that Elves are wicked creatures of the fey realms. Modern editions often includes a list of the fey courts and etiquette to be observed in case you ever wind up stepping into Faerie itself by accident.
Witch's Brew and Eye of Newt by Mistress Ingara Blight, an early leader of the Brotherhood of the Powder Mage, is considered to be the most accessible guide to alchemy. It elaborates on the difference between true alchemy and science and in very simple terms explains how to convert minimal magical talent into practical alchemy. The back of each page contains simple formulas that mimic a wizard's spells. Unedited copies (generally only available to the Brotherhood itself) contain chapters on chemistry as well as alchemy and the formulas for gunpowder, alchemical bombs, and ever-burning fire.
Philosophy
The Tree of Souls is a collection of quotes on morality from various
monks, gathered by Zhu the Enlightened. Each section describes the ideals behind several different paths to enlightenment and how those who do not follow The Seasonal might use the wisdom of the monks in their day to day lives.
Nine Pointed Star proposes that cosmic morality can be boiled down into nine distinct "moral alignments" that planar beings can be assigned to. This philosophy is quite common among planar scholars, though within the book itself there is much debate about the true nature of the nine "alignments" and how it relates to the lives of humanoids, and has caused several violent brawls in University circles. Fittingly, the book is authored by nine clerics, each devoted solely to a different deity that occupies a different point on the "alignment grid".
Lies of Omission is a series of parables by the second Archon, Aladriel Tilkjaw, four hundred years into her reign in an attempt to standardize Elvish morality within the Confederacy. It blends the most core beliefs of Embereki, Langite, and Braithstrom over fifteen stories that taken together gives a forced philosophy of dedication to the state and species above all else. It is mostly on the list as an academic curiosity, often used in University courses as an example of how with the right phrasing, you can make any core philosophical tenet twist into a tool for your own use.
Warfare
Tactics of the Elves, by Legion commander Maximus Closeraven of the 23rd is a recounting of the strategies employed by the Elvish Federation during the Sylvan War, specifically how they were able to resist being crushed by a numerically superior force and eventually force a stalemate.
Weaponize the Monsters, written by Chen the Painter who was then the unholy champion of
Attinae, is a study of monster anatomy and behaviors, but particularly how they might be incentivized to fight for any given faction. It is written as a bestiary, and each monster's chapter opens with a haiku. Each of the major powers and several independents have used the book's wisdom to gather monsters for use in warfare. This in turn normalized major powers hiring adventurers as mercenaries to deal with enemy monsters, and spawned a new age of war.
Mixed Unit Tactics is a study of modern war penned by an unknown author, describing how battles have changed from limited engagements to massive affairs in which infantry, magic, technology, aeronauts, and monsters are used together. The book's author proposes that it is in the best interests of the great powers to scale back their armies, but this section is typically ignored.
Cultures
Religion
The Book of Dead Gods, by the fallen angel Ambriel is a collection of lore and stories surrounding the minor deities of Illiria and particularly those that are no longer worshipped at all. Some of the cults depicted in the book do have substantial followings however, such as the followers of
Muqin and
Kiaru. The text speculates on the nature of godhood and the reason why the Fifteen sometimes fluctuate when a new god arises, but other times a deity simply exists without altering the pantheon at all. An authors note mentions that the gods themselves were unavailable for comment.
A Celestial Fairy Tale, authored by Sir Arthur Grimm in the first century EK discusses the divine origins of the
Sidhe Lords and their existence as ascended
demigods. Sir Arthur interviewed several Sidhe Lords himself for the text, going so far as to bind his eternal soul to The Morrigan for information. The most important part of the book to divine scholars are the passages describing how each of the Sidhe were once mortals, long ago, and seems to imply that there is a path to godhood that originates in mortality itself.
Currency of the Soul is a guide to fiend worship written by Tiefling mage Goronax the Twice-Born. The book discusses the benefits and detriments of selling one's soul in exchange for material benefits, explores evil-aligned afterlives, and even includes interviews with high-ranking Archdevils including a brief discussion with
Ku'Qala himself.
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