The Companions Library
The Companions Library was once a ancient structure of unknown origins in Braddon Bog and it stood on this location as long as anyone can remember.. Then it was a church of the wyld faith briefly. Then a church of the Lightbringers as they tried to make inroads in the Lowlands and Braddon Bog. Even briefly it held a shrine to the fire goddess Merkaine. On the outside, it appears to be on the verge of collapse. The repairs are obvious, and it seems to always be springing new cracks and leaks. That aside, the foundations seem steady and the inside, while perpetually (and strangely) cold, is dry and kept clean. It was given its name when the Brave Companions inherited it from their predecessors The Band of Crows – who bought it (sort of swindled) the Lightbringers who wanted to build on newer and less… temperamental land (it collapsed on a few, even killing one priest – plus fires, floods, and broken steps were constant).
The library draws scholars to it, providing an influx of income int the small town of Braddon Bog (who have been helped, and in turn helped its owners over the decades).
CHRONICLE > Dunstrand Rising is a Living World campaign set in Grand Duchy of Dunstrand in the Steel Realms of the [Fantasy] Steel Realms Setting (planet of Helca).
This library is 4000 years old – dating back to around CY 5000. found under the church during excavations after the troll terror. The old church of Aerna has been converted into a library. The naive and main areas have all been converted into a reception and study. The original books found beneath the old Church of Light by the Band of Crows have all been indexed in Port Towne and copied. It is the originals which sit here. The ‘altar of sacrifice’ for Aerna has been broken and converted into a great hall’s fireplace to keep the entire main floor warm. A lot of recent mortar work seals the cracks and holes that thousands of years has created.
Gallantine Benefits: Half off for galantine members at the companion library for requesting sage work. Any volumes can be checked out for study and learning for free. The stay in town will cost you money. That is not a recoverable expense that can be made to your liege if you are a Bannerman. Unless it’s in service to some specific quest
Ezrilus Shrine: Small Private Prayer Chapel to Ezrilus – The Goddess of Magic has her due looked towards; there is a small wooden enclosure (which can be shut for privacy and silence) where those who require it may go and pray. All offerings are conveyed at the cost to the library to the temple of the goddess in Dusntrand City.
The Gallants Cemetery: All who serve as Gallants are buried with honor on the grounds, from the Band of Crows era till the present day. Each grave has a scroll of heritage, deeds, and notes in the library. See companions errate log book.
Items used in Library Services
The following items are carried by the senior librarian or their designate for policing the library itself. These items are promised to the library caretakers as part of its charter.
- Fine dagger (+1 base damage from a fine edge) gem in pommel and relief design; 700 silvers
- Staff of Abeyance named “Demons Bane” (holds 10 mana, +1 effects of parry; 20 mana = abbeyance of demons like undead); It was actually an apprentices item Taqwill’s mater passed on to him. It was useful when Taqwill was a scrivener in Port Towne because as seekers of knowledge, fiends were summoned all the time and the staff could be used to control the minor ones if they got free in one of the libraries.
- Lens of Mana Straining (+1 to sensing/discerning mana and mystic items); this is a headband with a monocle that comes down in front of the right eye. – Mendollin had this?
- Necklace of Method Insight (+1 to power levels or checks on magi skill).
- Guardian Frog (alarm frog will watch and warn by croaking and possessor will know instantly when the area guarded is entered; possessor must spend mana); This is used at the library as a guardian to watch over the entry to the lower catacombs. There is a pass word.
Books/Works/Collections
Sea-King lore books, drawings and tracings (seals and wards), astrological charts of unknown entities, and various treatises on unknown persons written on ancient vellum; written in ancient Yvaldeysian.
Other Languages and Lores
TRUNK of ANNALS (locked; -1 CS) – always kept next to bed – 18 books of the past annals of Band of Crows/Brave Companions/Gide’s Gallants/The Gallants/The Gallantine Order of Dunstrand
ORIGINAL PROCLIMATION: Dame Mary Rellian is the Lady of Dogwood Flats, the Gallantine Academy and the Gallantine Order.
- [Book] Draconis Primer (Gladnorean-to-Draconis literary translation/learning guide @ level 1)
- Wind Song: Teach the first level of speaking the language of air elementals (2 CP)
- Celestine Script primer (+ 1 CS to deciphering and learning level 1 – but self teaching requires a RSN of 5 and Lore: Religious of 1)… this is incredibly rare, taken from the temple of K’rendi in the far southern jungles by Sandovhal.
- [Book] Rudimentary Vezpr (“Fundamental sounds, patterns and concepts in dealing with entities of the Shadow Realms as taught by Sira Sarkumnar of Ados”) written in Gladnorean (primer @ level 1; requires 6 SAN to self-teach) – sanity failure is bad! nightmares! cancels any luminous bond to learn!
- Perspectives on Leadership by Sustreynus Gim (9164)
- Culahey Again – Dream Sending of Helca by Sustreynus Gim (9164) – there are some seriously weird details in this! San to believe it? Scorpion men!? WTF?
- Botany reference works + 1 CS for those researching with skill less than 5 – Character can gain up to level 4
- Letter of gratitude from the Council of Lowlanders to The Band of Crows for defeating the troll
- A copy of the banner-man’s oath to the Earl of Bar-Innis from CY 9135
Chronicle of the Companions Library
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
This library is 4000 years old – dating back to around CY 5000. found under the church during excavations after the Troll Terror of the Lowlands incident. The old church of Aerna has been converted into a library. The naive and main areas have all been converted into a reception and study. The original books found beneath the old Church of Light by the Band of Crows have all been indexed in Port Towne and copied. It is the originals which sit here. The ‘altar of sacrifice’ for Aerna has been broken and converted into a great hall’s fireplace to keep the entire main floor warm. A lot of recent mortar work seals the cracks and holes that thousands of years has created.
The library was once the church of Aerna in Braddon Bog and it stood on this location as long as anyone can remember. On the outside, it appears to be on the verge of collapse. The repairs are obvious, and it seems to always be springing new cracks and leaks. That aside, the foundations seem steady and the inside, while perpetually (and strangely) cold, is dry and kept clean.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
The majority of the library is taken up by research cubes for those who come to peruse the ancient manuscripts. There are eight of them, and any research or copying is overseen by staff directly due to the advanced stage of deterioration of the manuscripts. The rest of the facility is filled with preservation efforts and linguistic studies. Many of the volumes are written in dead dialects and there is an effort going on by another branch to study and preserve these works. Visitors are welcome to stay at the rebuilt Inn or the common room of Farold’s Conquest – the local tavern.
Farold’s Conquest This is the now famous tavern, established around CY 9144. It is a hub for story telling and those who seek fine drink and eat when visiting the Companions Library at Braddon Bog in the Lowlands of the earldom of Bar-Innis. Security is overseen by the Gallantine Order, to ensure that no “loose lips” occurs from the library’s visitors. It is named after the famous member of the Brave Companions, Farold Oshman. The sign of the establishment of Farold’s Conquest is a picture of the renowned shield of the realm, Farold’s Wall.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
The Brave Companions bought it from the Lightbringers in its poor shape as the Lightbringers were going to be moving onto new land they had bought. the library was founded because the Brave Companions really needed a place to keep their spoils of war. However, it soon became apparent that the ancient building was more than it appeared – fixes to it crumbled within a year, it was constant. Its as if it is intended to look unassuming and run-down.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
Geraldine Aelishan: 9160’s made a full catalog of ALL materials in the library. She also wrote a journal of the process to clean and rebuild the interior into something more commercial – from her conversations with Taqwill. Within this is a cypher – an encoded inventory and explanation (with appropriate warnings) of all the content of the “Forbidden Knowledge” in the catacombs under the library itself.
An unknown source has delivered the Tomes of Bittermaw to the Companion Library. It is unknown if they copied any of them. The chest is filthy and covered in dirt. It is sent with a warning and the whole thing taken to the catacombs for safety. It is merely marked “A gift for Feather”.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
Geri sent one copy of the Taqwill Cipher to Jack Falkrik in Port Towne – knowing his companions would hold onto it for him (her) – this copy would eventually make its way to Mary and to Geri’s daughter Feather. The other she sent to the Blood Hawk Inn in Richfield, to be given to the apothecary Aman Fazeel if he ever shows his face again. After not being picked up by Fazeel, it was incinerated.
Few Gallants know of the Ancient Temple of Malek that lies beneath the Ancient temple of Aerna.