Sum of All
Location: Outlands / Spirelands
Let me tumble you to the dark of Sum of All, a burg with more mysteries than Zeus has secret children. Sum of All, used to be a real pearl on the foothills of the Spire, glittering like a gem with its pearl-laced domes and golden spires, all reaching up like they’re trying to tickle the bottom of Sigil itself. Picture it: a city so grand it made the Iron Shadow itself jealous, or so the chant goes.
But here’s the rub—magic’s about as welcome there as a fiend in Celestia, thanks to its cozy spot by the Spire. That didn’t stop the rilmani from setting up shop though, cutter. They thrived, even with the questionable magical flux. That is, until the Iron Shadow came a-knocking, leaving the place as barren as the Gray Waste. Now, Sum of All’s nothing but echoes and memories, save for one oddity sticking out like a sore thumb: the Mirrored Library, or Timaresh, as them old-timers call it.
Timaresh ain’t your run-of-the-mill library. No shelves of dusty tomes here. It’s a collection of everything the multiverse would rather forget, all wrapped up in a building that looks like it defies the very laws of geometry. The sort of place that gives architects nightmares, it is. It’s been there since before the rilmani though, and they built around it. Chant goes it holds all sorts of lore that’s as dangerous as it is valuable. The Library of Hated Lore, it was called by its creators, they say, the kind that gets you in trouble just for knowing it exists.
Now, with Sum of All all but deserted, Timaresh stands a lonely vigil. The rilmani that used to swarm the streets are gone, chased off by the curse or whatever foul luck the Iron Shadow brought down on their heads. But Timaresh? It remains, as enigmatic and untouchable as ever. Some say it’s protected by powers even the rilmani don’t fully ken, filled with secrets that could turn the tide of the Blood War or unravel the fabric of the planes themselves.
Venturing into Sum of All now is a trip few dare to take. It’s a ghost town, with the shadow of its former glory hanging heavy in the air. And Timaresh? It’s the heart of that mystery, a reminder that some knowledge comes at too steep a price. But for those with the guts to peer into its depths, who knows what truths—or horrors—they might find?
Canonical Source: Tales from the Infinite Staircase [2e] p99-102 (adventure set in Sum of All)
