The Literature Museum
It's cold in the basement, but after managing to find work at the museum I'm happy enough. Ever since I saw Diar's Press down here I tried to get back, and now I am it's as though I work in paradise. There are so many things down here that the public don't get to see because they're too valuable. I'm dusting off the cabinet in which the original copy of the Code lies - I can still see the hand of King Klaus even though the letters are somewhat faded. The Press is shrouded at the moment, so as to protect the wood from the light that comes from my lantern as I move around. There are so many things down here - some of the first rotating bookshelves stand in a corner, a paper press rests against the North wall. I sometimes feel I could stay forever here and never run out of things to see.
Purpose / Function
The Literature Museum stands in a great warehouse on the outskirts of the central city of Mythia, Cada Cratal. Originally built as a storehouse for grain and then used as a papermill, the warehouse was converted into a museum in the late 7th century.
Alterations
When first converted from a grain storehouse to paper mill, the building was outfitted with presses and hanging racks, and large doors were installed to allow the admittance of supply wagons while also being able to better guard against the weather. Extensive water protection was done so as to ensure that the paper would not be damaged by the rain. At this stage, internal walls were also fitted to isolate the drying rooms from the rest of the building so as to give the new paper as much protection as possible.
When the building was converted into the Literature Museum, more internal walls were added and the doors were sealed to the same extent that the rest of the building had been, with a smaller opening being cut into them for pedestrian access. A second level was also added, where curator's offices and file rooms were built. As time went on and the museum accumulated more and more items, a large basement was dug to house these.
Architecture
The building is walled with a base of stone bricks and wood extending above that. The stone bricks were part of the waterproofing work done on the building during its conversion to a paper mill, placed as a way to keep ground water down. The exterior is painted with whitewash in order to add element resistance, and due to preservation spellwrits the surface is hard and shell-like to the touch. The structure has no windows, and no other adornments.
Tourism
The Literature Museum is visited predominantly by academics and nobles. Historical spellwriters in particular frequent it, so as to gain material for their research. These historians typically avoid the main exhibition floor and instead examine items in the museum's basement (which are typically the more fragile and valuable ones) or in the file rooms for records of items. The other visitors, which include junior spellwriters and minor nobles, typically examine the main floor but do not go much further into the building's collections. It's seen as one of the necessary but boring activities for a student spellwriter to visit the museum and learn about the items.
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