Been working on this, wanted to get some feedback, suggestions and other ConCrit before I put it up on the Resource Wiki.
The Archive is not the only entity whose job description is to store all knowledge. There are others out there. One group of them is in the near reaches of the Nevernever.
Known as “The Library of Forever,” “The Library of Babel,” “The Library of Alexandria,” or simply “The Library” but often referred to as “L-Space” these days by some of the spirits, the Library is a massive library in the near reaches of the Nevernever. A seemingly endless complex, packed full of scrolls, tablets, books, tickertape, wall carvings and more, it is claimed that all knowledge ever known by mankind is present. An omnipresent hush fills the halls, corridors and shelves, and any loud noise instantly brings Librarians running (Punishments for noise range from chores to expulsion from the Library, depending on the loudness). The architecture can be described as “eclectic” with a considerable margin of understatement; Roman columns mingle with thatch and red brick, twig and twine scroll racks sit next to metal-sheet industrial shelving. Also, the place is somewhat non-Euclidian in nature, although it is hard to notice at first, but after a while, one notices that the path just taken should have intersected itself a few times…
Needless to say, the Library does not use the Dewey Decimal System for the most part. However, they are trying to convert the collection over, but the sheer size of the collection and the inundation of new material has made the efforts of the Librarians akin to bailing out an ocean liner with a child’s beach pail.
The Library is vast, but not infinite; also, despite claims, not every bit of information possessed by the human race is here. The key rule for an item entering the Library is that it is or has been archived somewhere accessible in hard copy. Newspapers? Yes. Books? They’ve got them, even the Print On Demand ones. Tax records? Going all the way back to Linear B and then some. Government Contingency Plans In Case Of An Attempted Takeover By The Girl Scouts Of America? Available down that corridor; turn right in half a mile at the bust of Gustav Adophus and make six right turns, check the upper left shelf. Letters and other personal mail? Nope. Internet material? It’s hit or miss, although the Kindle and other readers seem to make it easier. Schoolwork, tests and homework? Nope. Report cards? Yes. CDs, DVDs and VHS? Sorry, although some Librarians are deeply intrigued. A general rule of thumb is that, if there is only one or a handful of hard copies, and those are kept by a single person, at most two or three, you won’t find it here.
For the last 800 years or so, the Library has been lead and ruled by a coalition of several of the more scholarly deities from the Greek, Egyptian and related pantheons, including Athena and Thoth. However, the day-to-day running of the library is almost completely relegated to the Librarians, spirits of knowledge who organize, catalog and run the place.
Major and notable locations within the Library include Central Receiving, The Department of Art, The Department of Architecture, and Administration.
Central Receiving is where the vast majority of new arrivals to the collection materialize, copied from their sources in the mortal world. The vast room is best described as a mail sorting machine mated with either a kraken or a hydra; it is one (or several) large spirits, dedicated to sorting order from chaos. Slides and conveyor belts run everywhere, overseen by heads, hands, lone eyeballs, tentacles, tendrils and various sensory organs, all dedicated to sorting the constant barrage of material into its component categories. What isn’t sorted here is newspapers; the known periodic publication of the newspapers allows them to have their own separate Receiving Room elsewhere, which is massively less chaotic.
The Department of Art and the Department of Architecture are closely related in the Library, although distinct. The thing they most have in common is that they are shortcuts, after a fashion, to the rest of the complex. Through the doors to the Department of Art, one can, if going the right direction, quickly end up at any piece of art, anywhere in the Library, or visa versa. The Department of Architecture functions in a similar manner, and is reportedly responsible for building and expanding the Library. Supposedly, somewhere in the Department of Architecture lies a complete and up-to-date map of the Library.
Administration is the smallest—so far as such things go—distinct space in the Library, but is the most important, in its way. In here lies the offices of the Librarians, the offices of the gods who officially run the Library, the Restricted Shelves, the visitor records, the “Library Fine” collector squad, and, most importantly, The Index.
Among some, the Library is a popular Way though the Nevernever, its (relative) safety making up for its relative lack of utility. Ways into and out of the Library are only found in deep, hushed repositories of knowledge, where all is quiet and one can be acutely aware of the weight of knowledge pressing down on and around them. Typically, only major cities, old or large colleges and other major institutions will have such a Way. (Although it is rumored that large, underground server farms can also host a Way).
Transiting the Library requires the aid of a Librarian; with the layout slowly changing to accommodate the increasingly growing collection, even known paths can and will change over time. Typically, a Librarian will be happy to aid someone in finding the right exit, in exchange for a promise of help later.
Also an option is research within the Library. This requires Librarian aid and a promise for later help from the searcher. Note that, even with the aid of the spirit, searching the library is a long endeavor. For example, searching for a particular newspaper article from a known newspaper from a particular known month within the last hundred years has a difficulty of Great on a Scholarship roll and a time of an Afternoon. Researching topics typically has a minimum difficulty of Superb on Scholarship or Lore, and a time of a Day. (Note that a Maneuver from the Librarian to aid the research roll is not available, as the Librarian’s help is making the roll possible in the first place; however, in exchange for another future bit of help, most Librarians are happy to use their abilities to help further)
Promises of later help should be treated as oaths, promises and sponsor debt as appropriate. Some rumors have it that those who spent too long in the Library at a stretch or who rack up too many favors become Librarians themselves, but there are too many Librarians, and too many new Librarians, for this to be true. Typically, a promise of help leads to a chore in the Library—shelving, organizing, etc—that lasts somewhere between a few hours and a day.
Librarians log all visitor activity with the Library, recording aid given, transits to and from, and research topics.
The Library has been subjected to several raids over the centuries by the Venators in the course of the Oblivion War. This has not endeared the organization to the Librarians.
Librarian Spirit
The Librarians of the Library are spirits of intellect, whose native home is that of the Library. What is known about the Librarians is little; while they share many characteristics as part of their function and purpose, they are individuals, with individual names, personalities, interests, specialties and appearances. Mostly, they can be grouped into archetypes of librarians, scholars and scribes through the ages; more than a few are modeled after ancient wizards. While numerous, there is supposedly a finite number of Librarians, although the number likely increases as the size of the Library increases—one of the hypothesized newcomer Librarians is an orangutan, clearly modeled after his inspiration from Sir Prachett’s Discworld, right down to the Ook.
In personality, Librarians run the full range, from excitable info-vores who will happily talk a guest’s ear off on the latest in their area of interest, to the taciturn, only interested in getting their work done. Most Librarians have an area of specialty, and tend to stick to the related area of the Library; thus, a regular traveler through the Ways of the Library tends to get to know the Librarians local to his Way.
High Concept:
Librarian Spirit
Other Aspects
Collector, Collator, Categorizer of Knowledge
The Library Is The Entirety Of My Existence
Knowledge For The Sake Of Knowledge
Paid In Literature And Pop Culture
We Are Legion
Skills:
Superb: Scholarship, Lore
Great: Endurance, Discipline
Good: Stealth, Presence, Conviction
Fair: Alertness, Might, Investigation
Average: Fists, Empathy, Rapport
Stunts:
Occultist/Scientist: Most Librarians specialize in one field or another due to exposure and interest.
Linguist: Librarians speak all languages with a written alphabet, although with varying proficiency. Most Librarians speak about ten languages with levels of native poetic fluency.
Powers:
Cloak of Shadow [-1]; Librarians blend into the hushed silence and shadows of the Library as if they were a part of it.
Pack Instincts [-1]: While individual spirits, Librarians have a low-grade hive mind type effect active.
Supernatural Sense [-1]
Strange Sense [-1] Able to know exactly where in the Library they are, and know the direction to a specific destination with precision. Specific destinations are particular Ways out, or a particular known book (title, author, edition).
Gaseous Form [-3]: Librarians prefer to be solid when handling books (i.e. most of the time), but, for getting from place to place quickly when not being hobbled by visitors or stacks of books, they will turn to vapor and move. The vapor has the distinctive and strong perfume of aged paper and ink.
Marked By Power [-1]; Librarians are of the Library, and are readily apparent as such.
Psychometry [-1]
Ritual: Divination [-2]
Inhuman Strength [-2]: The upper limits of a Librarian’s carrying capacity is typically determined by volume and the tensile/sheer strength of their loads rather than by weight.
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
The Catch [+3] is purifying fire. Consuming fire, purifying the area of knowledge, is the greatest fear of Librarians.
Total Refresh Cost: -16
EDIT: Added edits from my master copy; some typos have been fixed, and some clarifications made, as well as expanded on a few sections, including the description of the Librarians.
