Great Library of Abderaliana

This article is for the physical complex of the Great Library. For organizational details see Library of Abderaliana.
The Great Library of Abderaliana is the largest collection of recorded material in the world. Benefiting from a history spanning nearly nineteen-thousand years, the Great Library maintains a vast collection on every subject and discipline and constantly adds to it due to its policy of only admitting visitors who bring new materials to the collection.
The Great Library inhabits a square complex on the north end of Saraoth's Square in Abderaliana's Old Town, near to the Emir's Castle and the Ministers' Hall. Just within the complex's gates are a tavern for guests and researchers, a dormitory building for the Librarians, and a wide sunlit courtyard. The main building of the Library sits just three stories high and is a squat square building made of light pink stone carved with intricate designs on its corners. Spacial magic in all of the buildings extend their capacity exponentially and the main library building contains at least 30 floors at last count. As documents are added and catalogued more floors are added to the building and it is known within the organization that individual Librarians are occasionally requisitioned to help power this extreme magic with hours or days of their lives. Librarians who have been compelled to comment on this process describe it as painless, vaguely comfortable, and at worse leaving them a bit stiff in the neck.

Purpose / Function

To Acquire and Preserve All Known Knowledge, Commentary, Prophesy, Speculation, or Public Opinion for the benefit of All, and the Eternal Reflection of our Offspring. And to protect the most Dangerous and Inflammatory of that Knowledge from Those who would wish Us Harm.

Alterations

Innumerable alterations to the buildings of the Library have been undertaking, and all with no alteration to the outside structure. From early in its existence, the Library expanded magically into pocket dimensions and non-linear space. Most Architects of the Library, a special Deputy Librarian designation, have maintained the Main Lobby and Master Librarian's Office construction but many others have altered the Stacks, Archives, and Research portions to fit modern tastes and the emphases and needs of generations of librarians. Many Architects physically constructed new levels or areas of the Library, but so many poured their magic and lifetimes into the cause that the Library mostly creates new levels and areas as needed and the Architect is responsible for furnishing them, reorganizing as needed, and assigning spaces that the Library creates for itself.

Architecture

The complex walls and main building are constructed of a pale pink stone quarried near to Abderaliana to the west called Perisite. The cornerstones of the wall and main building measure 20 cubits by 20 cubits and are inlaid with carvings to Bahamut and the Emiras, as well as blessed by dragonfire, oil, and sand. Later buildings, like the dormitories, tavern, and separate temple complex, are also constructed with Perisite.

Defenses

Physically, the Library relies on thick heavy walls, its centrality within a larger city, and the massive desert around Xoshoyjan as a whole to protect itself from attack. Internally, nearly-impenetrable wards abjure against teleportation and deception within the main building, and the highly-trained Acquisition and Recovery teams patrol the larger complex regularly looking for anomalies. Librarians-In-Training oversee security at the only gate to the complex with wands of Detect Magic and Detect Thoughts, and only admit those who are after information.

History

The Library was originally built to house the personal documents of Emir Shalazar I (7498-7472b). His son Emir Shalazar II (7472-7430b) expanded its mission to store all important national documents and by 82a the Great Library housed enough documents that it instituted a policy that only those bringing new materials could be admitted to its contents. Since then it has made it its mission to acquire at least one copy of every piece of printed material ever created. Due to the relative political stability of Xoshoyjan, even the most secretive societies and persons have felt the urge to deposit their works in the Great Library.

Tourism

The Library attracts a very particular sort of tourism, but it is vital to the health of Abderaliana nevertheless. Ordinary tourists gawk at the walls and waistcoats of the gate guards, but are rarely admitted. The real audience is specialized scholars who cannot find answers anywhere else because these also tend to be the researchers who have created writings no one else has created yet, and are therefore eligible for entry. Other scholars, researchers, adventurers, and treasure seekers attempt to enter and spend weeks at local inns and markets trying to find a text that isn't currently in the archives for the chance of entry. A side-industry of rare books has emerged in the local markets to furnish these seekers to the benefit of the city at large.

Founding Date

7486b

Type

Library