Grand Archive of Endless Inquiry

Aura Strong divination and conjuration; CL 15th
Slot —; Price 180,000 gp; Weight 8 lb.

Description

At first glance, the Grand Archive of Endless Inquiry appears to be a massive leather-bound tome reinforced with brass corners and fitted with intricate silver clasps. The cover bears no title, though faint glyphs drift across its surface when touched. Speaking the command word causes the book to unfold impossibly, expanding outward into a complete library consisting of thirty wooden bookshelves arranged in orderly rows.

Each shelf contains seven rows of books, with fifteen books per row, for a total of 3,150 books. Every volume appears unique, ranging from slim pamphlets to large illuminated manuscripts. The books are not permanent objects. They exist only as manifestations of the archive's magic and vanish when removed more than 100 feet from the library.

The archive contains information on nearly any non-unique subject imaginable, including history, geography, architecture, engineering, natural philosophy, religion, cultures, languages, monsters, magic theory and countless other fields of study. Information concerning specific individuals, unique artifacts, secret locations, future events or divine mysteries is generally unavailable, though related subjects may be represented.

One shelf within the archive is reserved for new contributions. The books upon this shelf appear blank when first opened and may be freely written within by researchers, historians, artists and scholars. When the archive returns to its compact form, these volumes vanish along with the rest of the library. Upon reopening, however, any contribution deemed by the archive to preserve meaningful knowledge, cultural traditions, historical records, artistic expression or educational value is absorbed permanently into the collection and redistributed among its shelves. Trivial writings, deliberate falsehoods and works intended to deceive are quietly rejected and disappear without trace. Thus, the Grand Archive remains not merely a repository of knowledge, but a living collection that continues to grow with each generation that studies within its halls.

Locating information requires research rather than a simple request. A character must spend time searching the shelves. For every hour spent researching, the character may attempt a Knowledge check appropriate to the subject being sought. The DC is determined by the obscurity of the information.

Information Sought	Knowledge DC
Common facts	10
Uncommon information	15
Rare information	20
Obscure information	25
Legendary information	30

Success grants the researcher access to one or more relevant volumes, providing detailed information equivalent to a successful Knowledge check result of 30. Multiple hours of research may be spent to gain additional details at the DM's discretion.

The library occupies an area approximately 100 feet by 50 feet when fully deployed. Speaking a second command word causes every manifested book and shelf to fold inward, reforming instantly into the original tome. Any creature within the library when this occurs is harmlessly moved to the nearest unoccupied square.

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, legend lore, analyze dweomer, mage's magnificent mansion, secret page; Cost 90,000 gp, 7,200 XP

Lore

Among sages, whispers persist of impossible libraries that contain fragments of every mortal thought ever committed to parchment. The Grand Archive of Endless Inquiry is said to be one such fragment, compressed into a single volume through powerful dimensional magic. The oldest accounts describe wandering scholars arriving in distant cities carrying a single heavy tome, only to reveal vast libraries hidden within its pages.

Several competing legends attempt to explain the archive's origin. One tale claims it was created by an order of wizard-scribes who feared the destruction of civilization during an age of war. Another attributes its creation to an immortal librarian who wandered the planes collecting knowledge before entire worlds vanished into oblivion. A third, favored by mystics and philosophers, insists that the archive was never created at all but instead manifested spontaneously from the collective desire of mortal minds to preserve what they had learned.

Whatever its true beginnings, every known Grand Archive contains subtle differences. A traveler consulting two separate archives may discover entirely different volumes on the same subject. This has led many scholars to believe that each archive continues to grow over time, quietly gathering new knowledge from the world around it. Whether this process is magical, divine or something stranger remains a matter of heated debate in universities, monasteries and wizard towers alike.

Kelwyn's Notes

Knowledge is among the few treasures that increases when shared. Gold spent is gone. Food consumed is eaten. Even magical power may fade with time. Yet knowledge passed from one mind to another leaves both richer than before. That simple truth has shaped civilizations more effectively than any army.

Many adventurers treat libraries as obstacles. They seek a single answer, grow impatient when they cannot find it immediately and return to the road believing that action alone solves problems. Such people often survive their first adventures. They rarely survive their tenth. Experience teaches that nearly every catastrophe leaves clues behind for those willing to search.

I have encountered dragons whose hoards contained less value than a modest collection of books. A dragon's gold may purchase comfort, influence and temporary power. A forgotten manuscript may reveal the weakness of an ancient enemy, the location of a lost kingdom or the cure for a plague. One treasure glitters. The other changes history.

The greatest danger presented by the Grand Archive is not misuse but obsession. Scholars have spent months wandering its shelves in pursuit of increasingly obscure questions. Every answer uncovers another mystery. Every mystery reveals ten more. Curiosity is a wonderful servant and a terrible master. The archive encourages both in equal measure.

Should you ever possess such a library, remember that wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing. Knowledge tells us what can be done. Wisdom reminds us to ask whether it should be done. A library can provide the former in abundance. The latter must still be earned through experience, compassion and careful thought.