Chained Library

The Chained Library is an ancient fortress-library built beneath Mount Vesithar, predating all known kingdoms. Guarded by blind celestials and staffed by librarians summoned through dream callings, the Library preserves dangerous knowledge that is too important to destroy and too perilous to freely share. The party traveled here in Session 45 to research how to repair the weakening leyline barrier.

Leadership

• Samaris — Head librarian. An ancient black-skinned tiefling with long horns. Deeply mistrustful of all visitors — she despises the books in her care and dreams of burning the entire collection for the good of the world. Insisted the party be marked by the Eyeless Guardians before granting access. Met in Session 45.
• Vael — Fifth Binder, Chainbearer of the Silent Vault. A tall, ageless figure cloaked in layered grays who speaks with surgical calm. Acts as the Library’s field agent, investigating Hollow Thresholds and the weakening barrier. Met the party at a collapsed Hollow Threshold and eventually escorted them to the Library (Sessions 41–45).
• Alois — The newest librarian, a young human who arrived following a dream calling. Unlike the other staff, Alois isn’t convinced the books are truly evil and secretly browses the Howling Shelves when possible.
• Eyeless Guardians — Blind celestials (CR 7) who patrol the Library. They mark visitors for tracking, allowing the Library to shadow guests after they leave and monitor them for signs of corruption.

Key Locations

• Mount Vesithar — A massive, dormant volcano in the center of the Elven lands, covered in dense enchanted forest. Local legends call it “The Heartroot.” The Library is built beneath it.
• The Ashen Shrine — A circular, half-buried shrine atop a moss-laced plateau near the summit of Mount Vesithar. Four broken plinths mark the cardinal directions, one for each season. A star-shaped platform at its center contains an indentation shaped like a sword’s blade — when Summer’s Edge was placed there, the shrine awakened and descended into the mountain.
• The Hollow Veins — An underground chamber where magma once flowed but now pulses with planar magic. A chasm separates the entrance from the Library’s sealed doors. Crossing requires a soulwrought bridge — formed when each visitor makes a personal vow and sacrifice.
• The Howling Shelves — The Library’s main collection. Dangerous but useful texts chained with adamantium links. Telepathically manipulative books tempt readers with offers of help.
• The Deep Stacks — The lowest level of the Library, containing sentient, malevolent books too dangerous for humanoid contact.

Culture & Identity

• Knowledge preservation above all — the Library never destroys a text, no matter how dangerous
• Strict access control; visitors earn entry through trials, sacrifice, or the Library’s agents
• Librarians are summoned through dream callings rather than recruited
• Samaris sends agents to shadow visitors after they leave, waiting for them to prove their corruption so she can order their assassination
• The Library’s curse: thieves who steal books suffer necrotic rot (DC 16 CON save)

Knowledge Gained

What the party learned during their visit in Session 45:

RITUAL ADVANCEMENT

◆ Weaver chooses Option A or B each turn

Option A: Focus on Ritual (Full Action)

• Advances ritual by 1 phase immediately
• Can use bonus action & reactions
• NO legendary actions this round
• NO multiattack or spells

Option B: Combat Normally

• Use multiattack + spells as normal
• Ritual auto-advances +1 phase every 2 rounds of concentration
• Can use legendary actions

Ritual Progress Track

• Phase 1: Rounds 1-2 => Portal Forming
• Phase 2: Rounds 3-4 => Portal Growing
• Phase 3: Rounds 5-6 => Nidhogg Approaches
• Phase 4: Rounds 7+ => Breakthrough Imminent

Disruption

• Weaver incapacitated 1 round = ritual pauses
• Weaver incapacitated 2+ consecutive rounds = ritual regresses 1 phase

LAIR ACTIONS

◆ Automatic - Initiative 20

Roll 1d3 each round to determine effect

A minion is a weak foe designed to allow GMs to create dramatic combat encounters with hordes of enemies without overwhelming the characters. In fact, an encounter with minions makes characters feel heroic since they can take on a myriad of foes and live to tell the tale. However, minions still make threatening foes. Killing a minion still requires penetrating their defenses, and characters can’t just shrug off damage from minion attacks. So how do minions make running a horde of enemies quick and easy for the GM?

Encounters with the Cult

1. Initial Skirmishes: Early encounters with cultists and lower-ranking members of the Cult of the Eclipse can help the party gain experience and gather intelligence.
2. Mid-tier Leaders: As the party progresses, they can face mid-tier leaders and more formidable cultists, each encounter increasing in difficulty and complexity.
3. Major Confrontations: Key battles, such as the one with the Black Dragon Sorcerer, can serve as significant milestones, offering substantial experience and rewards.

Missions for Reforging Summer’s Edge

1. Finding the Smiths: The journey to locate the great Smiths of the Summer Court can involve several quests and encounters with creatures or obstacles in the Elven Forest.
2. Gathering Materials: Collecting rare and powerful materials needed for reforging the sword can involve dungeon crawls, battles with powerful guardians, and solving intricate puzzles.
3. Trials of Worthiness: Proving their worth to the Smiths can involve completing a series of challenging trials, each designed to test different aspects of the party’s abilities.

Quests Related to the Chained Library

1. Proving Worth to the Massa’Ista: The series of quests given by the information guild to prove the party’s worth can be diverse and engaging, involving investigation, combat, and diplomacy.
2. Journey to the Chained Library: The journey itself can be an epic adventure, with encounters against natural hazards, powerful enemies, and other seekers of forbidden knowledge.
3. Exploring the Library: Navigating the dangers and mysteries of the Chained Library can be a high-stakes endeavor, filled with traps, powerful guardians, and ancient secrets.

Additional Content

To ensure the party reaches the desired level, you can also include:

1. Vidrir was the leader of the Order of Seasons and once wielded Summer’s Edge in a great war against the Shadowfell
2. Vidrir is Odin in disguise
3. Elven control over magic is due to their proximity to a large rift between the mundane world and the elemental planes (Feywild and Shadowfell are closest)
4. A powerful magical barrier holds the elemental energies at bay (Forbiddence) and allows the elves to tap into the planes with some level of control.
   1. The original Matriarch organized the ritual that created the barrier and lent much of her power to its formation.
   2. No one has been born with the Matriarch’s gift for barriers in two generations, and the barrier is beginning to weaken.
5. A powerful entity from the Shadowfell seeks to take advantage of the weakening barrier to enter our world.