Moorlight Library (hidden refuge under Cerstwhile Keep)

Steel Realms

The Moorlight Library is a hidden and guarded place of knowledge under Cerstwhile Keep in the Barony of Crestwold. It is connected and accessed through the same tunnels as the Baronial Library of Crestwold.

Exploring The Moorlight library

Assuming one can get to it…

The Inner Sanctum

A small room is revealed before you. The walls are naturally carved stone, not cut. As the open door spills light into the room, you can feel it is slightly warm, and slowly a globe near the center illuminates it as a 20×30 room. It has worn and frayed tattered tapestries, and dusty beaten weapons and shields hang upon the walls. The fist sized globe bounces quietly across the ceiling, moving slowly as if a mild and unseen wind was blowing it. The room has several podiums of dried, faded wood. On three of these rests a seemingly new book, bound in leather and closed. Next to each is a rug and chair for reading. There are rolled up rugs piled in one corner, a stack of books on a foot stool, and a trunk with an open top that seems to reveal more books. Nothing makes a sound, all is silent and nothing moves.

Everything is perfectly preserved. The room has not been disturbed for nearly a thousand years. It’s seems unfinished, although its original purpose of housing the books is fulfilled. The books, when searched, are mostly historical references of the common sort, there is a map of ancient Dunstrand Vale before The Sundering around CY 5000 as a rolled up massive tapestry, maps of local areas, local and long forgotten family crests, bloodlines, history, mundane road building, tax collecting, and fairy tales, etc. The level of detail is astounding

[ i ] > There is a distinct lack of any modern Barony of Crestwold references.

Exploring/Finding the Right Book

Book Properties:

The book you seek is finally opened safely. The book does not look as old as it should, that much is obvious. Even the smell belies its seeming newer condition. It is perhaps only a hundred or more years old you would estimate – and well cared for.

  • Some books are in a strange, ancient Yvaldeysean script. The emblems of the Sea-Kings and Gwinnish Prinzes of the old empire make this obvious.
  • Ancient Gladnorian tests from the early days of the founding and wars in Dunstrand Vale are everywhere – these are scrawled by a single hand seemingly.
  • Some even have annotations in a strange language you do not recognize.
    [ i ] > Difficult: The language is Dunlapian
    [ i+] > Very Difficult: To know that there are guaranteed mistranslations. A lot of the sentences are awkwardly worded and use the incorrect tenses. If the seekers can find an original and can read and speak the language, one of them can re-translate the relevant passages verbally and see if they make any more sense.
Dunstrand Rising Living World 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).

The library was uncovered. The Gallantine Order first used its contents, freeing the part Ogre “librarian”. House Malor then attempted to explore it. Several scholarly traps sent some of their members mad (they had to be ‘retired’). It has been guarded by a pair of apprentices (1 on guard at a time) and baronial guards (2 senior guard on rotation of 6 that use the normal Baronial Library as a barracks now) since – no one goes in or out except an agreement with the group working for Feather of the Gallants.

Scholars Cubicle

There is a special 20×20 cubicle. There is a worn copy desk, table, chair, and divan. Everything stays preserved, there is no normal rot.

Scholars Succor: Once per life of a scholar, they may use the “Scholars Succor” feature: Whatever materials they carry in with them, they may study, read, copy, etc. until they are done wit them. No matter how much time has passed, only 1 day will have passed in the world when they open the door again. If the door is opened from the outside, the effect is ended.

  • It does contain a garderobe that is one way and spills out into the astral plane.
  • There is a water basin tied to a cistern in the Monastery of Zermai. It gets constant water and is emptied into the garderobe.

Chronicle of the Moorlight Library

Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore

Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/accessibility. If nothing is indicated, assume it is Pervasive.

Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty

Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty

There are referencs to this place in ancient Bronzefolk history texts as The ‘Refuge of Golden

More…

Do not read beyond this point unless a character has the capability to gain such knowledge [through association, organization, or relation] if they do not possess it themselves or the reader intends to participate in scenarios using this material as a PLAYER! GM Narration will provide relevant information by check or story.

Hidden Knowledge is not available in known references; It is not necessarily Forbidden.

All the Bronzelite spirits have been driven from it. It was originally built as a hideaway and refuge for The Once-King. A storehouse of knowledge that most knew about, and was a token target for his enemies. It was overwhelmed by Bronzemen and their spirits, that endlessly renewed, kept all entities away from it. It was sealed away forever by Umbakians, and discovered by the wizard Urvor hired to clear the area by the new ducal powers of Dunstrand, after the Bronzelites diminished and faded. Urvor never told his employers and it never was discovered by House Malor, such was its protections vs. divination and detections.

Adventures

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic