Library of Dust

The Library of Dust

Location: Dust / Consumption

This is a place of secrets buried and forgotten, half-buried deep in the desolate wastelands of Consumption. It was once a place of great knowledge and learning, but now it’s a ruin that’s not for the faint-hearted or the clumsy. The remnants of a once grand library, towering stories high, is now nothing more than a shell. Its walls have crumbled to dust, leaving behind only a ghostly echo of its former glory. What remains are shelves upon shelves, stretching as far as the eye can see, laden with parchments, books, and journals. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill tomes; they hold the knowledge of an ancient civilisations, of magics and secrets lost to time.

But here’s the rub: these pages are as delicate as a whisper, brittle as an old bone. The slightest touch, and poof! They’re dust, gone forever. It’s a heart-wrenching sight, seeing knowledge so fragile, teetering on the brink of oblivion. And it’s not just the fragility you’ve got to worry about. Some of these books are booby-trapped with magical protections—explosive runes, glyphs, the lot. You make one wrong move, and it’s not just the book that’ll turn to dust; it could be you too.

Now, the spookiest part of the whole joint is the barmy ghosts of the librarians who used to run the place. They’re still there, floating about, guarding their precious books against any berk who dares to trespass without the proper credentials. They’re a stickler for the rules, these spectral librarians, and they don’t take kindly to uninvited guests. And no, they won’t tell you the rules…you’re on your own there cutter.

Now the Guvners of Spiretown, they’re keen as mustard to get their mitts on some of these books. They reckon there’s knowledge in there about multiverse axioms long forgotten. So they’re on the lookout for canny, light-fingered types who can navigate the library’s perils and bring back a few books intact. Maybe through magic, maybe through sheer luck. But let me tell you, it’s no easy feat. Many have tried, but so far, none have succeeded.

Adventure Hooks:

• The Lost Tome of Secrets: The players are hired by a faction of Guvners to retrieve a specific tome rumoured to contain the secrets of an ancient, powerful axiom. The catch? The book is deep within the Library of Dust, guarded not only by the library’s inherent dangers but also by a particularly territorial ghostly librarian.
• Cursed Knowledge: A cursed book from the library has found its way into the hands of an unwitting victim in Sigil. The players must trace the book back to its origin and safely return it to the library before the curse spreads further, dealing with both the hazards of the library and the curse’s effects.
• A Ghostly Pact: While wandering the plane of Dust, the players are approached by the spirit of a long-dead librarian who seeks their help in protecting the library from looters, perhaps even recovering a tome that was stolen. In return, the ghost offers them access to a hidden section of the library filled with rare and valuable knowledge.

Source: Jens