Codexium Infinitae
Contents
Overview
The ‘’‘Codexium Infinitae’’’ is a towering and abyssal library hidden within the city of Cordis, in the realm known as the Patchwork. It is said to contain at least one copy of every book ever printed — and just as many tomes that have never been known to man. Its physical size defies logic: thirty ornate, cathedral-like floors rise above ground, while more than fifty descend into a dark subterranean world, with some levels accessible only by arcane means.
The library’s shelves stretch for thousands of kilometers in total, made possible through extradimensional space-warping and non-Euclidean architecture. The building is a beacon for scholars, mages, the curious, and the damned.
History
No one knows who built the Codexium Infinitae. Old Patchwork legends attribute its construction to a nameless order of Pre-Civilization scribes, while others claim it is the final work of the First Librarian — a being part-human, part-construct, part-forgotten god.
The upper floors became known to Cordis scholars several hundred years ago, when the city expanded its perimeter. Attempts to explore the deeper floors have led to madness, disappearances, and in rare cases, enlightenment. Some say the library predates the city itself — a wound in the world, rather than a structure upon it.
Facility Description
The Codexium’s thirty upper floors are constructed of pale white stone and crowned with golden domes. Massive windows let in natural light during the day and eldritch radiance at night. Here, books are categorized by known disciplines: history, arcana, philosophy, biology, sanctioned magic, and more. Grand staircases spiral up between floors. Murals tell stories no one has translated.
Below ground, however, the architecture changes. Stone gives way to black basalt. Lanterns burn without fuel. Corridors stretch too far. Some shelves loop back on themselves. Some don’t. The air grows heavier with each level. You may find: • Floors that rearrange nightly. • Tomes that whisper as you pass. • Books written in extinct languages, by authors no living being remembers. • Sealed vaults marked with sigils designed to unmake the unready. • The famed Shadow Ledger — an index of all books that have destroyed their authors.
It’s rumored that: • Floor 51 contains a biography of every soul that will ever exist. • Floor 67 leads to another world entirely. • Floor 80 cannot be reached unless you’ve been erased.
What Happens if You Read Too Much
• ‘’‘Floors 1–20’’’: Enlightenment. Enhanced memory, clarity of purpose, occasional harmless madness. • ‘’‘Floors 21–30’’’: Obsession. Readers begin to lose sleep, relationships, and time. • ‘’‘Floors 31–50’’’: Madness. Persistent delusions. Nonlinear memory. Languages spontaneously learned — or forgotten. • ‘’‘Floors 51+’’’: Erasure. Your name leaves people’s memories. Reflections forget you. Eventually, even the Codexium forgets you — and then you stay.
Staff
There is no formal staff, only the beings that reside within. • ‘’‘The Whispering Lamplighters’’’: Hovering entities who illuminate specific tomes. Never speak aloud. May respond to thought. • ‘’‘The Scribes’’’: Blinded humanoids with ink-stained fingers and lips sewn shut. They maintain the collection. It is unclear whether they were always this way. • ‘’‘Archivists’’’: Tall, bone-fingered figures who drift between floors. They never interfere — unless protocol is broken. • ‘’‘The First Librarian’’’: Rumored to dwell in the sub-basement, or perhaps to be the building itself.
