The Great Library of Sifa

The Great Library of Sifa, as its name already suggests, is located in the small town of Sifa. With a footprint of around 200 meters in length and 250 meters in width, as well as a height of more than four floors, the building does not quite fit into its surroundings. Visitors traveling across the vast plains can spot the library towering above all surrounding buildings from afar.

Although the building does not seem so from the outside, the library was not built all at once. Its origins can be traced back to the First Age. At that time, the library was nothing more than a residential house expanded with several storage rooms. To this day, this residential house, the former domicile of none other than Bilgi himself, stands at the heart of what is presumably the largest building in Mirintha. During his lifetime, he added two extensions to his private house for the manuscripts he had gathered during his decades-long travels, which leading scientists and artists had contributed.

After Bilgi ascended to godhood in year 402 of the First Age, the original building was continuously expanded over the centuries. The Valoperi remained true to their architectural style throughout, which is why the architecture is characterized by many round arches, colonnades, domed roofs, and high window fronts. The majority of the rooms consist of storage space for the manuscripts, with documents stacked in meter-high shelves. Between the rows of books are desks with chairs, allowing visitors to read the manuscripts on-site. Magical lights maintain a pleasant brightness throughout the building, making it easy on the eyes despite long periods of reading or writing. Sunlight does not reach the rooms where these manuscripts are stored. Additionally, there are several writing rooms for copying documents to aid in their dissemination.

Since year 16 of the Second Age, the building has also been expanded to include several dormitories, washrooms, a kitchen, and a dining hall. These rooms, which are not directly dedicated to the collection and dissemination of knowledge, are functional and simply furnished. Multiple library staff members share a dormitory, allowing scribes to stay in the library for several days or weeks at a time without incurring the costs of inns. These additional functional rooms are spread across different floors to ensure the shortest possible distances. Due to the many expansions, the entire complex now covers an area of approximately 200,000 square meters. The completion date was 5th Rain-Moon 729 of the Second Age.

The current collection of the library comprises approximately 150 million unique items, including books, stone tablets, parchment, and scrolls. Additionally, the collection contains about 50 million duplicates of some documents. The contents are meticulously cataloged, significantly facilitating the search for specific documents. Currently, the manuscripts are sorted into the following sections:

• Fiction
• Epic
• Poetry
• Drama
• Non-Fiction
• Medicine
• Natural Sciences
• Geography
• Biology
• Geology
• Alchemy
• Astronomy
• Mathematics
• Magic
• Religion
• Politics
• Culinary Arts
• Law
• History
• Art
• Technology
• Economics
• Travel
• Linguistics

Home of Bilgi and original library of Sifa

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Approximately 50,000 visitors per year have the opportunity to stay in one of the inns in Sifa. With an average of 140 visitors per day, it is easy to wander through the halls and rooms of the library for hours without encountering anyone else. Many of the visitors come just to admire the impressive building from both the outside and inside. However, among the visitors are also those who seek knowledge or wish to commission a duplicate. As the library is the biggest and most famous place of worship for Bilgi, there are of course also those, who which to get his help. It is believed, that as this is his former home, the chances of being heard are higher here than anywhere else.

The maintenance of the library and the duplication of books are managed by the so-called "Grey Men." While this was indeed only men in the founding days, many women are now part of the organization. Their tasks include duplicating documents, preserving the original documents through magic, and cataloging the collection. The high priest fo Bilgi who is head librarian and custodian at the same time is living in Bilgi's old home. While he oversees the work of all the other Grey Men, he must also maintain the status in Bilgi's house that prevailed when he left Mirintha and joined the gods.