The Library Arcanium is the current headquarters for the Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Elimination Society.
Overview[]
The Library Arcanium is not just a simple library; it is the greatest storehouse of knowledge in existence.
Its numerous and various rooms are filled with books that cover every sort of topic imaginable - various magics and martial arts, literature, history, mathematics, space flight, religion...and these are just for starters. One could spend their entire lifetime in a single room and still not read everything within it.
Most books are normal copies of texts that have existed elsewhere; however, on occasion, missions must be undertaken to retrive or copy sensitive, dangerous, or just incredibly rare information that only exists in one place.
There are some books, however, that are too dangerous to be available to vistors, and these books are kept in a private room attached to the Librarian's office. There is no lock and no hinges, and it is impossible to attempt to breach the door with magic, brute force, or any other means. Only the Librarian knows how to open this door and he has ferociously resisted attempts to make him open it.
History[]
A history of the Library itself, who built it and the complete list of those who have run it, has not been found. It is doubtful that such information exists. Apparently, the Library has existed since the dawn of recorded knowledge.
Recently and most notably, the Library has become the home and headquarters of the Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Elimination Society.
The Librarian[]
The Library must, as its name suggests, have a Librarian in order to exist, and there may only be one Librarian at a time. How one becomes the Librarian is unknown, as none of the Librarians have ever revealed it; it is assumed the knowledge is held elsewhere.
The previous Librarian was Runoa, but she was expelled from the position and her home for varying reasons.
The current Librarian is Adrian. For the short period of of time that Adrian was dead, Tash Marquand took the position to keep the Library in existence and she was assisted by the Counter Guardians. Since his resurrection, Adrian has resumed his position as Librarian, with Tash as his Assistant.
Architecture[]
Access[]
Because of its vast collection of knowledge, some of which is very dangerous to even trained minds, the Library lies in trandsdimensional space. There are no windows or doors that lead 'out' of the Library per se, and trying to break through walls will only lead one into another room. It remains inaccessible by outside means for the most part. Though there are a few powerful entities (gods, goddesses, angels, authors etc.) who could enter the Library, they are so powerful that they have little to no need of the knowledge within its walls. Thus, the Library remains a impregnable fortress to many who desire its treasures.
The Librarian is allowed to enter and leave whenever they wish and are allowed to bring others with them. Currently, Agents of the Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Elimination Society possess Portal Guns that allow them to open a portal between their current location and the Library. However, these portals have been altered to let only registered members pass through them. An unregistered person attempting to do so will be thrown back violently and zapped with lightning. Repeated attempts will result in the same, plus a loud raspberry.
Interior[]
Once in the Library, navigating can be quite a challenge. With an endless supply of rooms of varying shapes and sizes, not to mention architecture (the room on Greek mythology, for example, is shaped like a Greek temple), one can get quite lost very easily. It has been said that if a particularly unlucky person wandered for a hundred years, they would probably never come across the same room twice. Only the Librarian can navigate the Library easily, as he naturally knows where everything is.
Luckily for vistors, in recent years, the Library's size has more or less remained the same and the arrangement of rooms has remained constant, forming a central 'hub' for operations, and surrounding it with functional rooms and offices before any major book rooms begin. Furthermore, pictorial and written labels for each room have appeared, making locating and finding things much easier. There is an index located in each room so that one might find a particular book quickly. There is also a master index located in the Librarian's office.
The Library often reshuffles its rooms around to a different configuration, which baffles many. The Librarian's office in particular is rarely in the same place for long and is hard to locate (especially if he's napping).
The majority of the corridors of the central hub area have bookshelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling and plush carpets. Creating offices/bedrooms for individuals is a simple process and may be decorated as wanted.
Specific Non-book Rooms[]
- A reinforced section of a lower floor of the Library is known as the Basement, and is where the captured Sues and Stus are imprisoned.
- There is an extensive Hospital Wing, stocked and equipped to deal with almost anything.
- The Monitor Room is a room adjoining major corridors and the Hospital Wing. It contains a large bank of computers and screens that are the primary eyes into the Multiverse.
- Several kitchens now exist for feeding the large number of people who now lodge in the Library for extended periods of time. They are numbered: One is more like a small pantry, Two is the famous Rhia's kitchen where many good things to eat are made, and Three has been abandoned.
- Vault of Abandoned Ideas is the room where some authors leave their unwanted characters.
Exterior[]
The exterior of the actual Library Arcanium is, of course, unknown.
It seems, however, that the Librarian can 'create' a small version of the Library on various worlds. These smaller Libraries contain usually just information on a specific topic (magic, history, etc) and appear in worlds where a hero or protagonist is need of direction or guidance. The current Librarian will always be attending at these mini-Libraries and generally know just what to tell or help the hero with in order to progress things. In appearance, these mini-Libraries tend to look like the building style around them, though they always appear to be a bit rundown and ramshackle compared to their surroundings.
Trivia[]
- Whilst Breaking the Fourth Wall of fandoms is perfectly fine, Breaking the Fourth Wall of reality is extremely dangerous whilst in the Library (which, unfortunately, is usually done by, or blamed on, Aster).