Silently, although with apparent sadness in their eyes, the Chosen left their once beloved world. With sadness they turned to where the solemn constructions, erected by their races could be seen in the darkness. There on the land were the ruins of Goochar, with their still impressive grandeur. Glorious statues looking with empty eyes at their creators. High in the mountains stood the Ivmuar Manuscript Treasury Trove, austere and perfect... But ahead was the tempting light of the faraway land of Lurial, which had been given to them. And the wisest creations of the gods stepped over the threshold: leaving never to return.

 

 

Time passed and many of the constructions, celebrating beauty of spirit and love of life were forgotten. Grass became overgrown in the abandoned place, sculptures and basse tailles were savagely destroyed, the remains of the bygone luxury were plundered by robbers... But not all the creations of the Chosen suffered that fate. Hidden from prying eyes, entrusted to the case of a tiny people, revering knowledge, the Ivmuar Treasury continued to store the wisdom of the generations. Numerous manuscripts lay on its shelves and anyone who could read them would acquire untold power. But the rigid Custodians did not let anyone into the halls of the huge libraries, sacredly following the orders of the Chosen. They did not trust the races left in this world, not without justification considering them conceited and selfish. The Chosen were afraid that if the priceless books fell into greedy hands they would be scattered around the world - and the unique collection of folios would be lost in Faeo forever.

The book custodians, for all their dedication and faith, could not prevent the onslaught of hunters for rare tomes. For they were not a violent people, although they could sometimes take up arms to save their own lives. They were more interested in studying science and reading parchments than protecting the abandoned book repository. It was soon clear that this would not do... The loss of several immensely important folios convinced the Custodians that they would need the help of someone stronger than they were to protect against theft. After several years a way to acquire such a guard was found.

In some caves near the Treasury lived a tribe of mountain Trolls: the were simple minded creatures but very strong. Deciding that they would find no better protectors for the manuscripts, the Custodians used their learning from the books and created a magic dust that was able to rein in the fury of monsters.

They caught one of the Trolls and brought him to the central hall of the library where they chained him up and forced him to guard the rarest tomes. Nobody could get past the disgruntled guard: sometimes his anger made the oak cabinets and shelves of the repository shake and the ancient manuscripts tumble to the floor. However, the Custodians underestimated the danger of having such a neighbour and they often carelessly left him unattended. On one such day the Troll was able to break free from his chains and escape. Either because of his natural stupidity or because the library had virtually become his home, the creature continued to wander around the book repository, frightening the hapless custodians and even, if truth be told, sometimes eating a particularly unlucky custodian.

This was a period of decline for the Ivmuar Treasury. Fearing the Troll’s revenge, the Custodians virtually stopped looking after the precious books. Only rarely did they walk down the corridors, looking anxiously from side to side, and wiping the dust from the grimoires. And the library would have remained in this state of neglect if it had not been for the return to this world of three of the Chosen, who included Barachmung the Chronicler, who missed the abandoned book repository, from which he drew many stories and legends. Bearing in mind that the Chosen could not intervene in the order of things, the chronicler could not take the parchments for himself or gain power over the treasury. But nothing prevented Barachmung from turning to the warriors of Faeo and tasking them with acquiring several of the rarest manuscripts that were important to the Chosen from the library. Wanting with all his heart to recover the lost manuscripts, the powerful chronicler promised to reward the brave warriors that responded to his call.

 

 

Since then many of the folios that seemed lost forever have been returned to the care of the chronicler. But so many unique tomes remain on the dusty shelves of the library! What book will leave the abandoned treasury next time? Split Blood, Elfin Secrets - or another more interesting book? Probably even the Chosen cannot answer that question.