The Phoenixum
The Phoenixum – The Library of the Undying
The Hidden Flame of Nahrim’s Scholar District
Nestled within the Scholar District of Nahrim, among academies, lecture halls, and scriptoria, lies The Phoenixum — the Library of the Undying. To the untrained eye, it seems but another scholarly hall, its basalt-and-obsidian exterior blending with the stonework of the district. Yet its presence is unmistakable: while other institutions bustle with students and orators, The Phoenixum radiates a hushed gravity, a silence that unnerves even the most learned.
Exterior
The Phoenixum does not rise proudly like the academies of Rishama’s scholars, nor glitter like the noble libraries of kings. Its form is low, broad, and dark, with wings extending outward like folded feathers. The façade is plain save for subtle phoenix reliefs etched into the black stone, visible only when torchlight grazes them. The gates are wrought of bronze, heavy and unadorned, watched over by hooded keepers holding lanterns that burn with gray flame.
Above the main arch are carved words in High Script:
“From Ash, Truth. From Flame, Memory.”
Scholars passing by often pause here, for the walls themselves seem faintly warm, as though the library harbors a quiet fire within.
Interior
Crossing its threshold, one leaves behind the murmur of the Scholar District and enters the Obsidian Atrium — a circular hall beneath a dome of emberglass. Light streams through the dome in shifting red-gold hues, illuminating the central mosaic of a phoenix in eternal cycle. The shelves, carved of lacquered black oak, climb impossibly high, supported by iron bridges and spiral staircases that appear older than the district itself.
The library divides into great wings:
The Hall of Embers – lore of phoenixes, rebirth, and primordial flame.
The Chamber of Forgotten Tongues – ancient languages, preserved and studied by scribes.
The Vault of Ashen Relics – locked away artifacts, some too dangerous for eyes unprepared.
The Eternal Scriptorium – where initiates copy and preserve works, whispering aloud as they write, for in The Phoenixum words are believed to live when spoken.
Place in the District
The Scholar District thrives with chatter, debate, and the clamor of eager learning — but around The Phoenixum, the noise always dims. Students walk its perimeter in hushed awe, professors cite its texts with reverence, and archivists speak of it as a place where the line between knowledge and divinity thins.
Unlike other libraries, The Phoenixum is not open to all. Admission is given sparingly: to Undying initiates, chosen scholars, and rare outsiders deemed by the elders to seek truth rather than glory. Yet its shadow touches every lecture and every manuscript of the district, for all know that behind its dark walls lie truths older than empires.
The Hidden Flame of Nahrim’s Scholar District
Nestled within the Scholar District of Nahrim, among academies, lecture halls, and scriptoria, lies The Phoenixum — the Library of the Undying. To the untrained eye, it seems but another scholarly hall, its basalt-and-obsidian exterior blending with the stonework of the district. Yet its presence is unmistakable: while other institutions bustle with students and orators, The Phoenixum radiates a hushed gravity, a silence that unnerves even the most learned.
Exterior
The Phoenixum does not rise proudly like the academies of Rishama’s scholars, nor glitter like the noble libraries of kings. Its form is low, broad, and dark, with wings extending outward like folded feathers. The façade is plain save for subtle phoenix reliefs etched into the black stone, visible only when torchlight grazes them. The gates are wrought of bronze, heavy and unadorned, watched over by hooded keepers holding lanterns that burn with gray flame.
Above the main arch are carved words in High Script:
“From Ash, Truth. From Flame, Memory.”
Scholars passing by often pause here, for the walls themselves seem faintly warm, as though the library harbors a quiet fire within.
Interior
Crossing its threshold, one leaves behind the murmur of the Scholar District and enters the Obsidian Atrium — a circular hall beneath a dome of emberglass. Light streams through the dome in shifting red-gold hues, illuminating the central mosaic of a phoenix in eternal cycle. The shelves, carved of lacquered black oak, climb impossibly high, supported by iron bridges and spiral staircases that appear older than the district itself.
The library divides into great wings:
The Hall of Embers – lore of phoenixes, rebirth, and primordial flame.
The Chamber of Forgotten Tongues – ancient languages, preserved and studied by scribes.
The Vault of Ashen Relics – locked away artifacts, some too dangerous for eyes unprepared.
The Eternal Scriptorium – where initiates copy and preserve works, whispering aloud as they write, for in The Phoenixum words are believed to live when spoken.
Place in the District
The Scholar District thrives with chatter, debate, and the clamor of eager learning — but around The Phoenixum, the noise always dims. Students walk its perimeter in hushed awe, professors cite its texts with reverence, and archivists speak of it as a place where the line between knowledge and divinity thins.
Unlike other libraries, The Phoenixum is not open to all. Admission is given sparingly: to Undying initiates, chosen scholars, and rare outsiders deemed by the elders to seek truth rather than glory. Yet its shadow touches every lecture and every manuscript of the district, for all know that behind its dark walls lie truths older than empires.
Comments