ORIGINS
It’s said that millenia ago a collective of divinities came through the Quiet Worldgate to the Library Eternal to seek knowledge everlasting. These divinities were the Curators, makers of the Athenai, and though nobody can claim to remember their departure their influence is felt the most through the hollowness and lack of purpose created by their absence.
The Curators are said to have created a soulless frame from porcelain, orichalcum, and crystal just before their departure, crafting six shards of something referred to only as a "paradox", and granting the Athenai five gifts before departing:
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a soul, so that they could learn as much about each other as the world around them
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a tail, which was a symbol of impartiality and balance in mind as well as body
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a pair of teloi, mechanical wings tipped with crystal with which they could transcend the boundaries of reality
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a halo, a reminder of the legacy of the Curators and their eternal mission
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hallows, rooms where new Athenai are created, so the Athenai would never be alone
Many have attempted to create theories as to the Athenai’s purpose. The prevailing theory among learned folk is that Athenai were created by the Curators to continue their eternal search for knowledge in their stead. However, some believe the true purpose of the Athenai is not simply to gather knowledge, but to share their blessed knowledge with other worlds using the same artifact of the Curators that they used to come to the Library. Yet others believe the Curators are a lie, perpetuated by the myriad powers that be in order to keep Athenai complacent and happy in wandering an infinite prison.
The Library
Even during the time of the Curators, there existed many dangerous beings that could cause harm even to them. Even now these creatures still exist in and between the towers.
The Library is inhabited by many creatures:
- HELIOI. Said to have been in existence since the beginning of the library, these humanoid conflagarations float in the space between towers. Occasionally, these creatures descend from midair to destroy a section of tower in a fit of rage.
- BOOKWYRMS. Bookwyrms are a race of powerful inky snakelike entities, said to be descended from the original Circle of Ink. These creatures, deprived of the relative sanity that their progenitors possess, consume books and paper like acid, consuming not the paper itself but the knowledge inscribed upon it.
- CLOCKWRAITHS. These uncannily slender and gaunt clockwork humanoids are preceded by a rhythmic ticking noise, dreaded throughout the Library. With their face covered by a shroud, these creatures guard books filled with forbidden knowledge.
CONSERVATORIES
Soon after the creation of the Athenai, different schools of thought began to form. These schools of thought - or, "Conservatories" - banded together, forming organizations that would eventually become powerful enough to be able to - with the help of each of their signature magics - war against each other to this very day.
The Gauntlet was one of the first few Conservatories to form. Formed after an Athenai with too many enemies decided it'd be better to have the backs of other Athenai of similar reputations, they started off as a group of thieves and vaultbreakers before becoming so large that it became impossible to resist the urge to steal from each other. Now, even positions of power within the organization - which are tied to certain "runes of office" - can be stolen away in a split second, especially through the usage of "probability clones" - a skill made famous through its use by this Conservatory.
The Librum, a nation of crusading warlords, is a Conservatory relying on physical conquest to feed an ever-growing thirst for knowledge. Despite their infamity, nobody really knows what purpose the Librum collect knowledge for, except maybe to oppress the Athenai under its thrall, limiting the flow of knowledge and thus making it harder for civilians to rebel. The Librum uses a famously strict and brutal kind of military leadership to train their warriors in combat as well as brutal gravity magic, leading to a ruthless reputation in and out of combat.
The Anatheme's innocent origins belie a much more dangerous goal. Initially started as a collective of logicians, they turned extreme after they discovered that the Library itself cannot exist due to a fundamental paradox. Thus, they took to destroying it, utilizing magic that destabilizes the fabric of space and time to not only dismantle key dimensional points in the Library, but also to summon unknowable horrors from between universes. This magic earned them a place in the hearts of many Athenai as unstoppable forces of eldritch magic.
The Inkwreathe follow the guidance of the Circle of Ink, dragons made of sentient paper that date back to the time of the Curators themselves. This Conservatory seeks to enforce the law of "survival of the fittest", and to this end members of this group hunt everything: forbidden knowledge, other denizens of the library, and even other Athenai. This specific Conservatory is not only feared for their ability to manipulate plant life within the Library, but also because they have the means to communicate, persuade, or even coerce the beasts of the Library to do their bidding.
The Weavers claim to be prophets, having been granted the ability to see into the future. But in reality, this Conservatory is less a group of fortune-tellers and more like an Inquisition, sometimes executing Athenai in the streets, or spiriting them away forever to preserve the future that they claim to seek. But despite their ambiguous claims of prophecy, none can deny that they don't have any clairvoyant properties: many Weavers possess a gift of true sight that allows them to sense everything in a certain radius, and some even have the ability to see a few seconds into the future.
Cair Fhirinne is the last of the Conservatories to have risen. Its decision not to interfere in any outside struggles with any of the other Conservatories has made the self-proclaimed "First City" a neutral ground for the other five Conservatories. To bolster this decision, Athenai of Cair Fhirinne are capable of dismantling dangerous magics within mere seconds. This near-guaranteed safety has made Cair Fhirinne the ideal place for people tired of other conservatories or people who just don't care. Unfortunately, this policy of non-interference has resulted in some pretty ugly disputes between the City and the people who live in it, resulting in a long-standing grudge between the leaders and the people.