IC Date: 09/08/2025
Though the library within the Tower of the Winds was undeniable in its beauty, from what little Tempesti had been able to gather from Elysia’s memories seemed as though its range of subjects was limited by the whims of the Crown. Interesting as it all was, she had yet to find anything close to the shrines and constructs that constantly tugged her interest. Her first choice would have been the palace library, its proximity to the Primordial Tower made it an obvious choice, but even on her most recent visits the texts housed there were far too brittle. Tempting as they were, she couldn’t bring herself to risk sending them crumbling to dust through her eagerness.

Walking through the night fog of the city, the Great Library of Keraunos loomed large in her mind. Spirits’ Candles flitted like colorful will-o’-the-wisps as she followed the map of her Atlas Orb hovering ahead of her.

The building she’d mapped as a library all those months ago stood before her and even with her limited grasp on the language she could make out enough of the script carved above the door to know that her instincts had been correct. As she examined the building’s architecture she couldn’t help but notice the similarities between it and that of the palace complex. While the library was certainly less ostentatious in its presentation it showed the same meticulous craftsmanship in its stonework, the same careful hand in the dark stained glass windows that glowed softly from within.

The cast bronze pointed arch door was clearly not intended as any sort of defensive measure, stained glass interspersed with panels of bronze to create the image of an enormous tree, each section of its branches rendered to represent one of the four seasons. Horned, snake-like creatures flanked the tree, each glinting green, blue, and lavender in the soft light radiating from the markings on her skin. A distant flicker of recognition arose within her, an old sense of vague familiarity. Symbols of knowledge gained through countless lives and rebirths. She wished that she could remember their names.

Tempesti idly ran her fingertips along a winter bough, eyebrows rising slightly in surprise when the door drifted away from her touch. It shouldn’t have caught her off guard, the ancient capital had been nothing if not increasingly accommodating since she’d first begun her visits and she stepped into the library’s silent interior. The glow of dozens of stained glass lanterns bathed the interior in a warm, golden light as she took in the room surrounding her. Delicate floral mosaics edged the pale grey stone floors, climbing the walls before soaring into the vaulted ceilings where they melded with a starry dawn tinged sky which overlooked what must have been hundreds of ivory colored bookcases, each laden with ancient volumes and scrolls.

A semi-circle of pointed-arch bookcases stood in the center of the room, surrounding an elaborately carved stone lectern on which rested a large, gilded tome. As Tempesti began to examine the ancient parchment, comparing it to her cramped handwritten notes. While the language still largely evaded her, each letter of progress felt like a victory.