Graveyard Tavern and Ancient Library

The Graveyard Tavern and Ancient Library are locations created by DarkScorpion.

Tavern Description

Sanctum Obscura “Dark Haven” Known as Graveyard Tavern to travelers.

A former place of holy ground, the sanctified air of this former chapel has long since fled; and yet, it's windows glow orange-yellow through the dim night, welcoming those unfortunate enough to be passing through. Marble statues, dating back to the chapel's institution, litter both the exterior and the interior; some look strangely familiar, but only the Lord and Lady might identify them for certain. A former-crematorium-turned-fireplace brings warmth and heat along the north wall, the entrance being placed on the east, and the bar-counter lies to the west… Where the alter used to be. The windows are a mix of tempered glass panes and stained-glass artwork, and the area as a whole is enchanted to protect itself from any damage, magical or otherwise, that it might suffer.

When the Lord and Lady are both absent, a misty-formed summoned spirit-creature maintains the tavern and it's surroundings; a strange kind of bartender indeed, it is often playful yet rarely fatal, though - should it be provoked - it is more than capable of handling the troublesome patron. 1)

Ancient Library Description

Bibliotheca Adeo “Library of Time” Known as Ancient Library to travelers.

The library sits, as it has through untold ages, to the left of the tavern; it seems on the perpetual brink of collapse, and yet it has outlived the rise and fall of countless empires… each of which is chronicled, somewhere, on the infinite number of pages and scrolls within it's walls, for this is a library greater than that of ancient Alexandria.

Above the entrance hangs a bronze-inlaid signboard, tarnished by Time and the weather; barely legible now, it's green-hued metal reads “Bibliotheca Adeo” and swings in the sporadic wind. Within, the library seems MUCH larger than would be possible, with endless rows of shelves housing everything from modern novels to data-entry disks to the first clay stylus and it's rudimentary pictographs. The knowledge here is free for the use of all - merely thinking of what you seek will bring the appropriate material to hand - but under no circumstances are they to leave the building; the library protects it's treasures, and itself, with powerful magic, and any materials attempting to be removed will vanish from the would-be thief, re-appearing somewhere among the infinite shelves.

As for furnishings, whatever space NOT taken up by shelves is occupied by an assortment of tables, chairs, and couches, all quite comfortable, but of various styles and makes; one might find a classical velvet-upholstered footstool next to a La-Z-Boy and a Roman couch, for example. In addition, the library also contains rooms, simply-furnished but comfortable, for those who wish to rest briefly from their studies, and one need only address the air and a way will be shown; below the library, the darker facet of history and magic is revealed, carefully preserved and lit only by the occasional levitating sphere of light.

The librarian is an ancient spirit, who manifests as an elderly woman with prim, no-nonsense clothing and her hair in a tight bun; she tolerates no nonsense, and will quickly eject any who maltreat the libraries contents of the other patrons, but will aid anyone who approaches her for it. Strangely, though the realm is one of eternal night, the library's above-ground windows are always lit by a phantom dawn… though some rooms lack windows altogether, to accommodate those less-inclined to daylight.

1)
As an NPC, the creature is both the bartender and the “bouncer”; if attacked, it will disperse, reform, and react accordingly.