Zilargo’s Library of Korranberg is the greatest repository of general knowledge in Khorvaire. More than just a library, it hosts eight attached colleges dedicated to different fields of study, drawing gentry from across Khorvaire who come to study there. In addition to serving as a resource for scholars and explorers, the library often funds expeditions to study ancient cultures or unexplored lands.
Located in Zilargo’s southeasternmost port city, the Library of Korranberg is the greatest repository of general knowledge in Khorvaire. The Library and its related buildings dominate a full quarter of the city. In addition to serving as a resource for scholars and explorers, the library often funds expeditions to study ancient cultures or unexplored lands.
The gnomes of Zilargo have an unparalleled thirst for knowledge; this inquisitive spirit gave birth to the Library of Korranberg. A loremaster of the powerful Korran family became obsessed with the theory that the deities of the Sovereign Host were in fact ascended dragons. This gnome, Dorius Alyre ir’Korran, swore that he would amass enough knowledge and information to surpass even the Sovereign Lord Aureon so that he could ascend and take the god’s place. The Korran family invested considerable wealth in Dorius’s obsession; even those who didn’t believe his theories of divinity were intrigued by the idea of a vast vault for knowledge. In time, Dorius died, but his library remained. As the centuries passed, it continued to grow and expand. With the rise of the kingdom of Galifar, gentry and aristocrats from across Khorvaire came to study at the colleges connected to it. Today, the Library of Korranberg plays a significant role in the economy of Khorvaire. It funds many expeditions to further the search for knowledge, and can be a valuable patron for adventurers.
The citizens of Korranberg take great pride in their library. Citizens of the city may attend the colleges without charge, and every citizen must devote four years of service to the Library. This service is considered an act of patriotism and an educational experience. Many choose to extend this period of service, accepting posts as lecturers, researchers, administrators, and other important roles.
Each of the library’s eight colleges seeks to advance a particular field of study. Eight colleges each have their own specialty: Aureon’s Holt (law and oratory), Balinor’s Horn (natural sciences), Blackdragon (alchemy), Drystone (engineering), Lyrris (art and literature), Morridan (mathematics), Soladas (history), and the Tabernacle (religion and philosophy). The colleges have an intense rivalry, which gives rise to academic, athletic, and arcane competitions. Every citizen of the city is required to devote four years of service to the library in exchange for free education.
Together, the colleges maintain the archives—vast vaults containing knowledge accumulated over three millennia. The doyens of each college serve on a central council that manages the affairs of the library. This council is run by an appointed member of the Korran family, descended from the founders of the library. Like all politics in Zilargo, positions in the library involve intrigue, blackmail, and scheming. The current high councilor, Alina Alrene ir’Korran (LE female gnome, aristocrat 5/bard 2), is a cunning woman who has had to fight off many competitors within her own house to maintain her status and position.
The library is based in Korranberg, but it keeps safe houses in the capital cities of every nation in Khorvaire. These offices provide shelter for library research teams. While the library does not focus on magic as much as the Twelve or the Arcane Congress, it has had centuries to fill its vaults. The restricted archives and secret vaults are heavily defended and shielded against scrying and other forms of spying.
The library appears larger on the inside than from the outside—and from the outside, it looks massive. When a researcher reserves time at the library, a clerk provides a catalog stone—an orange-colored crystal keyed to the topics the researcher wishes to study. A private study cell is provided, which initially looks like a small pool of light in a vast, open darkness located somewhere in the library’s extradimensional space. Within the pool of light, a desk, chair, work table, and narrow pedestal are placed for the researcher’s use, along with quills, ink, parchment, and sealing wax. When the catalog stone is placed atop the pedestal, alcoves formed of shelves full of books and scrolls rush out of the darkness to create the walls of the study cell. When the researcher completes his work, removing the stone from the pedestal causes the shelves to fall away so that the researcher can exit the study cell.
The Library of Korranberg is more than a site in a gnome city: It is an organization with thousands of members, constantly working to maintain the knowledge already contained in the library and to expand on it.
The library is grouped into eight colleges, each of which has a specialized field, and the eight share an intense rivalry in academic, arcane, and athletic competitions. The eight colleges (and their specialties) are Soladas (history), Balinor’s Horn (natural sciences), Blackdragon (alchemy), the Tabernacle (religion and philosophy), Morridan (mathematics), Aureon’s Holt (law and oratory), Lyrris (art and literature), and Drystone (engineering).
Each college has a faculty of professors and researchers, some located in Korranberg and others abroad in Zilargo and elsewhere. The head of the faculty of a college is the doyen, and the eight doyens sit on a central council that manages the library’s affairs. The head of the council is an appointee of the Korran family, descendants of the library’s founder. The current high councilor is Alina Alrene ir’Korran, a cunning schemer. To the detriment of the library, she has heightened the competition among the colleges in order to weaken the power of the council and solidify her control.
The library’s field researchers are the public face of the library beyond Zilargo. They engage in the sorts of pursuits typical of adventurers, but are not immune to the intercollege rivalries that plague the library
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