Scroll Reconstruction

Repairing of Damage Scrolls

Nimble fingers place each scrap of delicate parchment into place, aligning the text and images that were shattered once the scroll tore. Hours upon hours have been poured into this project, each tiny piece of shredded parchment placed meticulously into place onto the backing, little more than a drop of water holding them in place. Once the once beautifully illuminated scroll has been pieced together, then the slightly less difficult process will begin, one that will hopefully make this broken relic whole again.
Days pass before every piece, every tiny shard and scrap of paper has been placed with tweezers and small instruments. Another day of settling and fixing will pass before the final process begins, one that will fry the nerves and leave even the most stalwart Librarian or Archivist shaking with potential failure. While the process they will soon commence is reversible, that fact never calms nerves, especially when the patient is a manuscript older than most Humans live.
With a small amount of heat, the gum on the backing will begin to melt, slowly gluing the scattered scroll back together. Not fully whole, the scroll is but a shadow of its former glory yet its knowledge is not lost to the wind or a fireplace as is common for those that are deemed “unrepairable.” Those who have reconstructed the scroll will scan it for defects, prepared with small tools while the gum is still slightly warm in case of defects. Once the backing has cooled, the once piecemeal scroll can be returned to its home, having survived the process.

Purpose

Scroll reconstruction is the process of utilizing a heat-sensitive sticky backing to repair scrolls that have been damaged. While magic is often a viable option for repair, older scrolls and thin parchment are subject to greater damage if magic is used and a more stable solution is required. The process of scroll reconstruction can be nerve-wracking and has been known to cause Scholars and others to faint due to stress, overall the process strengthens the scrolls that have been damaged so that they may be used for many years to come.

Social Impact

The creation of scroll reconstruction was considered revolutionary as it moved away from the magical techniques that were often used to stabilize and repair any damage that occurred in knowledge repositories. Magic could be useful in a number of ways, but older scrolls were often damaged and the knowledge lost or the original scrolls would have to be copied down by hand, losing context and history in the replication. Scroll reconstruction allowed for original works to be stabilized and repaired while maintaining as much of the provenance as possible.

Tattered Scroll

Tattered Scroll by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

Scroll Reconstruction was created for scrolls such as this one that is damaged to the extent that they cannot be readily used. Using specific techniques, the scroll can be stabilized and repaired, allowing for future use.