Day 3

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Eventually the group finds themselves in a new part of the city. The stone is cleaner, the air is brighter, and everything seems far better cared for. Whether this is illusion or truth, it’s hard to mistake the trickling sound of a fountain ahead, drawing you into view of a massive open courtyard. Rising out of the middle of it is a tall building with a strangely crooked spire, topped with a globe like a watchful eye.

Closer, it’s easy to read the carved sign above the doorway.

LIBRARY

Perhaps there are answers here.

LOWER STACKS | RESTRICTED SECTION | OBSERVATORY

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LOWER STACKS

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It’s dimmer here, but it lacks the malevolent aura of the forest and parts of the city. Rising all around you are cases upon cases of books, reaching far upwards into the zenith of the spire itself and well past your vision. There is a constant staccato of fluttering pages as the books themselves seem to shift and dart about in the air before returning to the stacks. A few butterfly nets lie nearby, in lieu, perhaps, of a catalog.

While you watch, one of the books flits down to a tall pedestal, where a disembodied quill begins to dance over its pages. It’s a decent climb up a ladder to see for sure what it’s writing, if you’re curious.

RESTRICTED SECTION

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A spiral staircase leads upwards to a higher floor. The books here seem a little older and far more silent than the busy tomes below. Stretching out far over the dizzying head of the tower, across a narrow bridge to a floating platform, is a single massive volume on a pedestal and surrounded by a gilded cage. Even from here the word on the cover can be read – CAIR PARADISA.

OBSERVATORY

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From the upper level there is one last stairway to the top, like some kind of observation tower. A large round window looks out beyond the city. A spyglass stands conveniently nearby, for any that might like to take a look.