Library of Aldona

"Wander not too far from shore, or ye shall set eyes upon the Library of Aldona and never see home again." - Song of the Sailor

The Library of Aldona was an ancient, mystical, ruined structure that was located somewhere in the Vagabond's Sea.

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"Sacred monastery, alive with knowledge, when great waves, growing larger, rush to the shores and the ground starts to shake, and Aldona awakens. Behold! Cries of the innocent and Trebai Gods alike pierce clouded skies as huge cliffs crumble, and Famela's monument falls into the sea."

From the Arendaeus

The library's first mentions dated back to the First Era, a major part of a popular Trebai folktale.
According to the story, Aldona, a woman born with powerful magical ability, was the first daughter of King Winehard of the province of Troubeaur. Despite the majority of provinces at that time accepting lineage as the firstborn son or daughter, Winehard was conservative and sexist. Ignoring Aldona's great wisdom, her father insisted that her much less responsible younger brothers succeed him as ruler of Troubeaur. Denied the opportunity to engage in the affairs of the court, Aldona instead focused her attention on mastering her use of magic and becoming a powerful enchantress.
Aldona was sent away to study scholarly pursuits to the Monastery of the Lily, which was situated along the southern coast of the Western Commons. The building was renowned for its collection of ancient texts. Enraged at her exile from her family, Aldona, upon arriving to the monastery, cursed the building to doom anyone who set eyes upon it. This infuriated the goddess Famela, to whom the monastery was dedicated. Famela cursed Aldona to forever live, always trapped in the building as punishment.
Only a few weeks after her arrival, a massive earthquake struck the area, and the monastery sunk into the sea. Aldona's family journeyed to the area to see if anyone had survived, hoping to save her. When they arrived, they witnessed a sight that surprised them: the monastery's four towers, in which the building's ancient texts were kept, had survived the destruction. However, the towers seemed to be under some sort of great spell; they were floating above the water, spinning slowly, a thick cloud of red and blue fog hanging around them. This terrified the family, as these were their colors, but also drew them closer.
When the family sailed out to inspect the library further, the towers began to spin much faster, creating winds that sucked them inside. They laid eyes upon Aldona, who floated in the center of the four towers. The curse Famela had put upon her had become damaged by the earthquake's large destruction of the building. Combined with Aldona's original curse, the result was a swirling, floating vortex, drifting aimlessly upon the Vagabond's Sea, centered around the immortal Aldona, forever trapped at the center of the four towers.
The story was often written off as a legend by nearly everyone but sailors who frequently traversed the Vagabond's Sea. According to accounts by sailors, only those who had seen no more than a faint outline of four towers were ever able to stay away. Any who moved closer would be trapped within the library, and presumably die of dehydration or starvation.
By the Fourth Era, sightings of the library were less and less common, and most sailors assumed that the building had either finally fallen apart or drifted far away from major trade routes. In 7347 and 7898, university-funded expeditions were made to try and recover the valuable texts that supposedly remained in the library. The first expedition did not return, and the second returned unable to locate the library.

Purpose / Function

Originally, the building served as one of many monasteries of the Order of the Wanderers. However, upon Aldona's corruption of the place, it soon became her immortal prison as well as a danger to any who saw it.

Alterations

Following an earthquake of the First Era, all that remained of the building were its four library towers, held together by divine and magical energies.

Alternative Names

Monastery of the Lily