Library of Balic

Near the House Docks in the southeastern corner of the city sits the Library of Balic, which takes it’s place among the top centers of learning in the Tablelands. This lofty structure towers above the buildings that surround it, an imposing hub of knowledge forbidden except for the favored of Andropinis. 

Inside the entrance is a clerk’s desk where one of the library employees can guide researchers to their area of interest. No containers, such as bags or pouches, are allowed inside, and no material can be removed from the library. Guards are always on duty to prevent any thefts or disallow any dangerous appearing persons from entering, at the request of the clerk.

The interior of the building is dominated by towering bookshelves. Each of the two floors – the second is a mezzanine, to allow the light from the opening in the ceiling to reach all areas – are twenty feet tall, and stone shelves cover every exterior wall from floor to ceiling. In addition, the central area of the first floor has shorter shelving units. The space not devoted to shelves has tables and chairs for the researchers to read in comfort. The mezzanine level is wide enough to allow tables, so readers above do not have to descend the curving stone and dark wood stairways to the first level to read. The chief librarian is Arodimus, a veritable font of information. He knows where most of volumes are located from memory, not needing to consult the Master List, a thick tome that lists the location of all scrolls and books in the library. This is only for reference by the librarians (four total), though researchers can ask them to locate entries in the Master List for them. The library also employs a two servants to help keep the library clean. Generally unknown to the public are the vaults beneath the library proper. These rooms are accessible by a stairway located in a storage room behind one of the bookshelves. This area is off limits to guests, though the items are noted in the Master List, and can be brought to the visitors upon request. The vaults store more obscure artifacts, material that are rarely read, and kept below to allow for space in the shelves above.