The Eternal Library Building / Landmark in Pairi Daēza, the Walled Garden | World Anvil

The Eternal Library

The Eternal Library is the work of Elisheva - a combination of a personal demiplane and access to the core concepts she embodies. In a sense, the Eternal Library is both a location and a representation of the concepts Elisheva embodies. Based initially off of a Library from Elisheva's mortal life, the Eternal Library exists in the realm of the dead - an overlaying transitional plane between the mortal world and the afterlife.   The Eternal Library houses the stories of the dead - representations of the lives of those who have gone on to the afterlife, containing their memories and stories of their lives. These stories are collected by the Psychopomps of the Eternal Library - Elisheva's servants - and arranged in the endless stacks.   Elisheva's role here is more that of a librarian than a goddess, with the psychopomps her assistants. While the Eternal Library is not normally open for mortal visitors, it still has a healthy amount of traffic from higher beings and the spirits of the dead, as well as, occasionally, clerics or shamans who have requested access as part of a quest.   During the Month of Ghosts, the realm of the dead becomes closer to the realm of the living, culminating in the Night of Hungry Ghosts, in which the gates of the Eternal Library are thrown wide and access granted to mortals and spirits alike. Should any impress Elisheva or her psychopomps, they can, of course, earn a library card - a coveted item which allows access to the library, should it be presented, and allows the bearer to check out a book of their choice for a year.

Purpose / Function

The purpose of the Eternal Library is to be a repository of the stories and knowledge of those who have come before. To hold tradition and community, and lend a sense of purpose to the lives and histories of the world. It is, of course, a fantastic resource for research - if you know who might know the knowledge you seek, you can retrieve most any knowledge or secret here.   The Eternal Library both serves as a facilitator of other adventures and plot lines, and as a goal/adventure/reward itself.

Alterations

As each sentient creature dies, the library's collection expands - at least, should they properly pass on to the afterlife.   Occasionally, things are stolen from the library, and, occasionally, particularly powerful stories may try to escape.   During the Night of Hungry Ghosts, the Library, being a representation of Elisheva, takes on a strangely festive tone.

Architecture

The Library was made with the same type of boundary magic that defines the Walled Garden - from outside, it is much smaller than the nearly endless interior. The building can exist in multiple places at once - any existing library, in the Shadowlands, has a connection to the Eternal Library. Hence, its external architecture tends to match the library it is attached to, which creates sort of a lense by which visitors see the interior of the library, as well. Much of the decor and layout of the Library matches this, at least near the entrance.   In the deeper library, things tend to be more traditional: endless rows of shelves in every direction, extending off into the darkness. Many levels with walkways crossing rather intimidating expanses of darkness, extending far above and far below.

History

As a conceptual space tied directly to the aspect of a deiform entity, the Eternal Library has existed in some form since the creation of the Walled Garden. Originally used to store experiment logs and share information, it expanded rapidly as the Garden's history developed. It did not, originally, connect to the rest of the Garden - it was only accessible to those who could leave the boundaries.   With Elisheva taking her place as its head librarian, and her assimilation of the Psychopomps into her celestial court, the Eternal Library became attuned to the Shadowlands, with connection points to any existing library old enough to resonate with Elisheva's concepts.
Type
Library
Parent Location
Owner
Owning Organization

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