Feravora’s Library

The grand library of the academy, a place holding untold knowledge, such that no mortal could ever obtain it all.

It is said that whenever a wizard falls in the material plane, their grimoire eventually finds its way into the librarians personal collection.

The myths surrounding the library have built up a sort of legend, far surpassing any other singular location of the academy and it’s this legend that consumes your mind as you enter its confines.

The floor is comprised of dark oak boards and dotted with deep blue rugs, giving the room an air of nobility, like an aristocrats study or a royal library.

The walls are adorned with shelves and little else, all of which holding so many tomes and scrolls that you fear they may collapse at the slightest disturbance, not unlike a house of cards.

And finally the ceiling, what might be the most intriguing and discomforting aspect to the libraries appearance.

It’s like there’s a blanket of shadows that obscure vision of the ceiling, your only indication to what might be up there is the occasional creak of wooden rafter beams as though they were holding a great weight.

No more than 10ft past the door, you’re instilled with the sensation of being watched, but the gravity of the feeling is unbearable.

It’s as though you’re at the bottom of the ocean, unable to think, unable to move as your heart races in your chest.

Your direction is directed upwards, towards the rafters, there’s one final creak before, from the shadows, comes a spider.

Each leg as wide as a tree, its many red eyes locked onto you as it descends downwards using a single silken rope before its legs find purchase on the tops of the shelves.

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You feel your mind invaded, a voice that’s not your own pushing in on the fringes of your consciousness.

A choir of a thousand voices fill your mind posing a question so benign you almost burst into hysterics given its inquirer.

“Greetings child, welcome to my library, is there something in particular that you are looking for?”

You’re stunned, standing in a stupor for some time as you look up at the beast that speaks directly into your mind, each word accompanied by an awful chittering that scratches at the walls of your brain.

All you can mutter is a weak “I don’t know..” your voice shaking as your mind is assaulted by something so alien and wrong.

“Ah I see… well then I’ll leave you be then while you get… acclimated to the library…” the voice says slowly retreating from your consciousness as the monumental spider ascends back up into the shadows of the rafters, but the feeling of being watched never fully abandons you as you regain control of your body, your knees rattling, your palms sweaty.

With great effort you push forward, stepping past the first row of books, all of which being written in a language you don’t speak.

You pass by a small nook only a few feet further, poking your head in you glance along the multicolored spines of its bounty, quickly discovering this to be some kind of transmutation section, books for altering one’s form, attributes, personality, like looking into the machinations of a puberty stricken Spellwright.

You decide to move along, hoping to find other options before settling down on any one topic.

Next you happen upon a small clearing in the maze of stacked books and shelves, an area that seems dedicated to offering a respite to those coming to study.

There are several round tables scattered across the area each hosting up to 5 wooden chairs that appear to be cushioned with an orb floating a few feet above offering perfect illumination to those working.

Despite the cozy atmosphere the study area is barren, without a soul to be seen other than a strange creature, humanoid in shape but not in features.

Stranger still, you feel an aura surrounding the creature, as though it were something that was never intended to be here but found a way inside, something that is categorically wrong.

And for all of your instincts telling you to stay away there’s also a part of you that is intensely fascinated, academic curiosity perhaps, or perhaps this is the call of the void manifesting in the darkest reaches of your mind.

You’re able to pull yourself away from it, your need for mental stability leading you deeper into the libraries fathomless depths, through a twisting maze of neatly arranged bookshelves, reading nooks and clearings intended for study.

On several occasions you spot small hordes of spiders carrying books along the dark wooden planks to destinations unknown or neatly arranging books along the shelves, sorting among subjects and lettering.

You come across a large variety of sections, ranging from soul magic, the nigh endless rows of elemental magic, and an oddly small section based around enchantment magic.

It also appears that not all sections in the library deal with spell casting in particular, you also spot a number of topics ranging from books on dealing with outsiders, health manuals, world history and so on.

It’s entirely possible that the library has a book for quite literally anything you’d like to know, not just in relation to your academic career.