Narim's Library

[Dragon]

Even though Narim wasn't that famous for its scholars and knowledge that could only be learned from books and parchments it still had a big library. The whole two story building was for one reason only - storing books and knowledge, whether it was ancient and forgotten by most or of absolutely new events. It wasn't a new building and had been as a library for many patterns, but only recently it had been renewed slightly. Unfortunately even now it didn't look as good as the new ones. Above the big wooden doors a sign hanged. It was also made from wood, which depicted an open book and the name Narim's Library.

The inside greeted with a big, carpet covered hall and ceilings that went all the way to the top. There was no second floor, which was the reason why the ceiling was so high. On the right was a reception table, but the keeper was rarely behind it. People had to stand a little bit longer and eventually he would emerge from one or other side. In the middle stood two rows of tables, with a total of ten. Each was separated by a distance that was big enough for people to be unable to see the pages that others would be reading. All the tables had a chair near it and a quill with ink on it, no paper was given.

Every plot that was left had been occupied by the seemingly never ending rows of bookshelves. They had created a rather good labyrinth for people that weren't used to libraries and their sortings. On top of that, bookshelves were surprisingly high, most of them reached to the height of two humans put on each other, some were even higher and went almost all the way to the top. That made it very hard to reach books that were put that high even for giants. Fortunately the rows between the bookshelves were wide enough and there were ladders scattered all around the library. Those ladders had small wheels on the bottom, so there was no need to carry them, only to give a slight push. Sometimes they had to be attached to the shelf, therefore all the bookshelves were created good enough to save them from unexpected falling on each other.

There was only one librarian in the building, who spent most of his time walking around the shelves, carrying books from one place to the other or sometimes sitting behind a desk and writing something. He was a red and a very old diantar dracon. His eyes were completely white and he could barely see, but somehow he used to get around in the library and find any books quickly and efficiently. There was a rumour, more than a rumour, that long ago this library had books that used to come to life and make a huge mess, but the dracon was keen to keep the mostly forgotten secret.

[S'Lon]

S’Lon stopped and double checked the sign above the doors to make sure that he had found his way back to the building. He had passed it in his explorations of the city and had made a mental note of its location, but he didn’t want the embarrassment of entering the wrong building or one whose use had changed – it seemed hard to believe that this large a building would be dedicated to the storage of books available to the public. He heaved open the large wooden doors and entered the building, easing the doors shut behind him. There was no-one visible and the table on his right was empty. Looking down, he grimaced at his muddy boots and shifting over to the table, after a quick glance around to make sure he was still alone, he wiped his boots clean on some carpet he hoped would not be noticed too quickly.

Satisfied that his boots were now respectable enough to be seen standing on the carpet, he ventured further down the entrance hall to see if he could find someone to help him. He hoped that the building lived up to its promise as the racks of bookshelves surely contained every book available – some of them went right to the roof! He did not fancy trying to find what he was looking for without help. He would shortly try and see if he could join the Rangers, but he was hoping that he could do some background research first. He had heard that there were some accounts and descriptions of tracking. While he would never be able to learn such a skill from writings, he was hopeful that he could see what was available, so that when he started to learn, he would know if there was something that could help him learn during his spare time (if any).

Now where was the Librarian?…

[Dragon]

Khadran the red Diantar had felt a human entering his library. Soon enough and just in time that S'lon finished cleaning his boots, Khadran emerged from one of the bookcase rows. His taloned feet carried him silently to the human that had done soiling the carpet and was looking around for him. "Serale, my friend. Can I help you." A calm voice came from behind S'lon in a surprising way.

Once the human turned to the voice he saw the dracon in red old scales and darker red wings closed behind him. From the looks of it, he had to be very old, very old even for a dracon. There was one more curios thing about him, his eyes were completely white and didn't move, he was blind. However that blindness didn't disturb him to move around the library or to hear every smallest sound, whether it would be walking or brushing feet to the carpet. His extended smell easily told that the one standing next to him was a human. The world was black for him, but it didn't mean that he couldn't see it.

Thus two immobile white eyes waited for a response of the human that wanted to become a ranger. The dracon reflected no rush to hear the answer, he let the human study him if S'lon wanted to. The old dracon was old and wise as well. Maybe that was why he chose to be in the library, a place that held wisdom.

[S'Lon]

S’Lon jumped as a voice came from behind him and he quickly turned to see who had spoken. Some Ranger he would make if an old Dracon could so easily sneak up on him. “Serale, and thank you, yes I hope you can”. As he had chance to see who he was talking to he paused and looked in wonder. His first glance had shown him that the Dracon was old, but now that he was closer, he could see that this was perhaps one of the oldest Dracon he had met and not only had his colour darkened but it appeared that he had gone blind – so how had the Diantar realised that he had entered the building and managed to approach him so accurately? Shaking his head, S’Lon realised that he was wasting the time of the Librarian.

“I wonder if you would help me. I intend to try and become a Ranger and I am hoping that you might have something that would be relevant to me, perhaps on tracking, but I would welcome anything”. As he asked the question, S’Lon’s eyes finally left off staring at the Diantar and wandered off instead onto the bookcases that stretched not only into the distance but also upwards beyond a height that could easily be seen without tilting his head.

[Dragon]

"I see... a ranger... yes we have books on that... follow me..." The dracon spoke slowly and calm. Then he started moving to one of the bookshelves. All the time he knew if the human was following him or not, he could hear him and smell him. He could tell what S'lon was doing exactly even though the human was behind him and even a person that could see couldn't tell so much. So he walked turning from one row to the other, walking deeper into the labyrinth. His tail was brushing lightly on the ground, making a silent shuffling sound. He didn't bump into no bookcases and knew when the turn was.

Then he stopped, somewhere deep in the library. This section had a letter T on the begining of the row. Slowly and gently the red dracon slid his hand over the books in the shelf, then it stopped and he picked one book out. "Here take this. Come." The book that he gave to S'lon was rusty and had a hard cover with a name "Tracking Art." inscribed with white ink. Then the dracon moved once again. The rows of high bookcases seemed to be endless and as S'lon followed the librarian further and further, he no longer had clues to where the exit was.

Then they came to the row that had letter M. Once again Khadran stopped there looking still. He stood there for about half a minute giving no moves and then put his hand on another shelf. Again his clawed hand moved through the books, touching each and every one of them. He read them like that. Then he took one book called "Map of the Empire" and another called "The harsh weather". he turned to the human. "These might came in handy if you would ever choose... to travel.".

Once again he walked the labyrinth and once again stopped in the next row. The fourth book that he gave to the human was about falconry. Unfortunately it was a very old one, giving an expresion that it might be no longer that correct. The not last book that he gave was a big one. "You might want to look at this one too." He glanced at the human and the pile of books that he was holding, the dracon couldn't see it, but he still held it. he could feel only by how hard the person was breathing how hard it was for him to hold this.

"Come..." He said after looking at S'lon long enough and to his relief they went to the row of bookcases that led to the main hall. Unfortunately Khadran didn't let the human to the tables yet and picket one more book. Or rather it was a very small one. He put the book on top of the others that S'lon was forced to hold. "These are the main books and I can see... they are quite enough for now. Please... take a seat by the desks... and take your time to read them... I can't let you take them home..." Thus the dracon led him to one of the tables his tail carefully shifting among them. "Take your time... If you'll need anything..." Then he waited for S'lon to take a seat comfortably by the almost empty desk. "I can tell you that the main thing a ranger should know or usually does is a wonderful skill archery or druidism... If you'll need any information on them..." Like that Khadran went to the main desk and took a seat by it. It was quite far from S'lon's desk.

[S'Lon]

Pinned by what seemed in a weird way to be the Dracon gaze – S’Lon could feel by the hairs on the back of his neck that the Dracon could see him quite clearly. He shifted uncomfortably and he was almost sure that the Dracon was quite well aware of the mud ‘hidden’ behind the table. Fortunately, and before the guilty flush reached S’Lon’s face, the Dracon had turned and led the way deep into the bowels of the building.

The way the Dracon led S’Lon deeper and deeper into the building was quite uncanny, the occasional stops where the Dracon reached over and pulled books off the shelf without the slightest hint of fumbling left S’Lon’s jaw hanging open and he was soon left without any sense of direction and the pile of books grew heavier with every step. S’Lon began to wonder how long he would be able to hold the pile of books which was steadily growing without dropping them. He was almost sure that such disrespect would get him booted out of the library with a stern admonishment never to return and he also had a feeling that the extended route with the heavy books might just be a form of punishment for the mud incident, in which case the Librarian had a very dry sense of humour.

At last the route turned back to the main hall and the last book was only a small one. It was a relief to be able to put the books carefully down on the desk and drop into the chair. As the Dracon turned and left, S’Lon thanked him for his time and trouble – it had been very generous of the creature to spend time and effort to help him so specifically when he could so easily have just waved him into the library. (ooc – thanks! Ic)

S’Lon took each book in turn and quickly skimmed the contents. He could see that there was too much information to absorb in just one visit and clearly there was more available here too. He would read what he could and then come back with something to write in and make notes on the next visit. Taking a breath he took the first one again, sat back more comfortably and started to read.

[Celethor Tyran]

Celethor walked into the library and immediately his "dracon sense" went off. He could sense another dracon present, and he wondered where he could be. Oh well, he thought. I'm not exactly here to make friends. I gotta find a book on excercising.

So Celethor looked around for the librarian. He wondered where he could be. Celethor wondered why there was only one librarian in this huge library in the first place, but didn't think too hardly on it as he was here to find the book. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Dragon]

S'lon
OOC: you're welcome.
Khadran gave the human all the time he needed. This library worked a lot after the time that most other shops closed, so he indeed had all the time in the world. And he wasn't disturbed by anyone, no one was glancing over his shoulder, no one was shouting, no one was looking. There was only a slight scribbling sound that came from the red dracon's desk and maybe his gaze at times. But even if he did look at the human, he couldn't see what he was doing or what he was reading. However he did know that the human was still there. Thus he stayed waiting for S'lon to finish and perhaps ask for more information or more books, or simply an advise. But probably just a thankyou and leaving or just leaving. Khadran was used to it.

Celethor
The librarian soon appeared. "Can I help you, scalebrother?" Khadran asked coming closer to Celethor with one big book in his right claw. The dracon in red old scales and darker red wings neared to Celethor as his feelings told him that the visitor needed help. From the looks of it, Khadran had to be very old, very old even for a dracon. There was one more curios thing about him, his eyes were completely white and didn't move, he was blind. However that blindness didn't disturb him to move around the library or to hear every smallest sound, whether it would be walking or breathing. The Call told him that he was dealing with a dracon and his extended smell because of the blindness told him that it was a male dracon in his library. The world was black for him, but it didn't mean that he couldn't see it.

So with no rush two immobile eyes waited for a response from the scalebrother. He held his book tight and simply waited in the silence that this library provided.

[Celethor Tyran]

"Yes, thank you, brother. Could you help me in retrieving a book or manual about excercise?" Celethor saw the whiteness and glazed over look in the old dracon's eyes, and knew at once that he was blind. He wondered whether the old one could find his way around the library like that. But through away his doubts when he assured himself that he must be able to. Else he wouldn't have been able to find his way to Celethor.

[Dragon]

Celethor
"Exercise? Yes I could. Follow me." The old dracon said and went into a row of high bookcases. Just like so many times before, whether he was leading someone or was walking here by himself, usually coming to a subject or book that was needed took time. Thus he walked in the labyrinth, listening if the scalebrother followed him or did anything else. Then he suddenly stopped. "Yess... It should be here..." Without looking at the books in the shelf he ran his taloned fingers by the covers of the books, slowly going from the right to the left. And he found it. "Here hold this. It's a primer to all combat, perhaps it will help. Now come."

And again he led Celethor deeper into the library. The row that he was looking for was far for a letter Z. Again the dracon stopped and this time almost kneeled on the floor, searching for a book at the lowest shelf. "Take this one too." This book was a big and heavy one, but it wasn't exactly about exercising either. Still the dracon thought it to be helpful.

Without a word to his dracon friend he turned some ways again, keeping his senses that Celethor would be right behind him, having someone lost in the library was not his desire. "Yess... This one might help." And he looked at the shelves for a while, then reached to one quite high shelf and took a book, which was handed to Celethor again.

Again Khaldran was on the move, but this time he head out of the labyrinth of bookcases into the main hall with tables for reading. "These are the books I can give you for now. Take your time to read them. But I should say... exercising is best in a gym, there are plenty of them... One in Tirisfal, one in Archadoon, Taralon and so on. I could name a lot of them. That are the best placed to get a Master to raise your fitness. However living in the wild, working hard, all that will raise your muscles just as much." The blind dracon sighed. "Perhaps you'd want to train your wing muscles... for that you'd need more. If you'll need anything else or want to be more specific, you can find me by the desk." And he turned to go from Celethor, if Celethor didn't stop him, Khaldran was soon by his work desk, waiting for... a new day.

[Celethor Tyran]

"Thank you, brother. I shall read these. You have been of emmense help." And with that, Celethor sat at one of the desks. He took the first book and started reading it. It didn't seem to have much to do with the practice of physical fitness, but it gave him some ideas. Once he was through with the important parts of that book, he took the second one. It was about unarmed combat. Still not directly to the point, but helpful none the less. The third book was the most helpful. It was all about physical fitness. He logged in his mind all that he read.

After he was done, it was quite late. He had been reading all day. Celethor thought about what the dracon had said about the gym. He guessed that the military training center would be sufficient. He didn't want to go all the way to Taralon, Tirisfal, or Archadoon. Perhaps a survival week would be in order...

Celethor left the library enlightened.

[Celethor Tyran]

Timestamp: 10th Candlemark of Aslanica, Brightening 5 of the First Cycle of Ioannes
Summer of Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X Post Fractum in the Age of the Darkening, the Mageocracy of Julos the Mad
Paradigm: The Truce of Demios and the Merfolk

Celethor walked once again into the library, in search of knowledge. He walked over to his blind dracon brother and patted him on the shoulder. "Serale, scalebrother. I am in need of a book on Horse-Keeping. Do you know where I might be able to find something of that nature?" Celethor awaited a reply from the librarian, confident that he would be able to help him, as he had the last time he came. This dracon, though old and blind, seemed to be able to find exactly what Celethor searched for. So Celethor knew that he had come to the right place.

He wanted to learn more about horse-keeping because he was planning on getting one. But he had decided last night that he would not buy an older horse straight away. He decided that he would ask for a newborn colt. That way he could have the experience of raising it and create a bond between them that would last forever. He felt that he needed to do that if he was to be successful in raising it. After all, he wasn't in dire need of a mount at the moment, but he might in the future. So Celethor might as well get a head-start.

[Dragon]

"And welcome back, Sscalebrother." Khaldran greeted Celethor once the young dracon came to him. He could recognize his visitors now, even if he couldn't see how they looked. "Sso, you're interested in horssses... We do have books on their breads... yess. But keeping? That might be a trouble." The old dracon scrached his scaly chin with a talon, thinking. "Well, follow me brother and I'll see what I can get you."

And so he went to the labyrinth of books. The row where he stopped was a rather new looking, even the books weren't too dusty. He ran a finger on some books, checking their names in that way. "Here... this books is old.. and pages are missing... You might not even see most of them, I... can't tell that. But this one is a much better one. They are both about species of our four legged, not about keeping them..." And the old dracon handed the books to Celethor.

Then he walked to the other side and reached a high shelf. "Here, this might help too. Now letss ssee. Hmm.. horses... horses... Yes. Take this one too." He gave those books too and was on the walk again. He went to the desks, where people were reading usually, the same desk where Celethor was the last time. "I'm afraid I don't have books about how to take care of a horsse... But I might tell you a small story if you are interested in listening to an old dracon." Then if Celethor agreed, Khaldran told a short story, if not he went back into the labyrinth.

[Celethor Tyran]

Celethor nodded his head and listened to the old one's story. It in fact was very useful. But the other books he had given him would be equally as useful, as he would need help deciding which breed to buy also.

"Thank you, again, brother. You have helped immensly." Celethor sat down and read the books the dracon had given to him, and, after taking notes in the back of the notebook Shari had given him, left the library, ready to get a new horse.

OoC: I was wondering how Skay knew I was doing blacksmith training .

[Galliban Tyren]

Timestamp: Second Cycle of Ioannes
Summer of Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era X Post Factum in the Age of the Darkening, the Mageocracy of Julos the Mad
Paradigm: The Truce of Demios and the Merfolk


Galliban stepped into the library and looked around. She didn't see anyone, but she heard the sound of footsteps. She hadn't made a point of being particularly quiet about entering the building, so she was sure that the librarian woud notice her presence, wherever he was.