Republic Engineering
Artificial Intelligence
"Are you willing to give up everything in the pursuit of true enlightenment? If so, the Athenaeum awaits..."
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a hopefully interesting addition to the Netherworld.
- Image Credit:
- The Elder Scrolls - Apocrypha [DeviantArt Link]
- The Elder Scrolls - Hermaeus Mora [Fandom Wikipedia Link]
- Scanline PNG Background - Created by Me via Photoshop.
- Canon: No; Not Applicable.
- Permissions: Not Applicable.
- Links: Not applicable.
- Structure Name: The Hadean Athenaeum; Font of Knowledge Undivided.
- Classification: Netherworld Athenaeum.
- Location: The Void - Unexplored Netherworld Territory.
- Affiliation: The Curator - Unaligned Entity.
Accessibility: Soaring above and seemingly isolated from the Mists-beyond below, the Hadean Athenaeum rests atop a rocky plateau; surrounded on all sides by a swarm of shards from the sundered, and levitating landmass. The monolithic structure houses a host of ethereal beings, post-humorously known as the Catalogers, who stalk the labyrinthine halls; maintaining and allegedly guarding the seemingly infinite library against the unworthy souls seeking entry. Despite the roaming, scholarly sentinels that patrolled the Hadean’s vaulted chambers, the Athenaeum was open to all who dared brave the gauntlet within and could survive with their sanity intact.
Description: Situated atop of a broken, rocky landmass, the Hadean Athenaeum was described as being an ever-shifting monolith; forged from hundreds of impossible stone cathedral-like structures that were connected by black, metallic bridges. While the towering athenaeum dominated the central portion of this levitating continent, the Hadean was surrounded in every conceivable direction by orbiting terrestrial shards; supposedly the remnants left behind when the structure rose from the Mists-Beyond. These constantly shifting Islets were the primary method of ingress onto the island, as there would be moments when they would connect to create a continental bridge; allowing spirits and the living to venture into the endless labyrinth in search of forbidden or forgotten lore. Although the secrets were unclaimed, those that survived their sojourn into the Hadean returned, babbling incoherently of shifting halls forged of stacked tomes, and floors made of stone-carved tablets. They also spoke of vast, cavernous vaults built out of stone and glass that housed thousands of blackened leather opuses, composed by long-forgotten authors, stacked upon hundreds of metallic shelves. Such forbidden lore was joined by crumbling scrolls and smouldering journals; each supposedly recording of possible futures and fates ever conceived by mortal minds that would drive their readers insane with the infinite, cosmic possibilities.
Description: Situated atop of a broken, rocky landmass, the Hadean Athenaeum was described as being an ever-shifting monolith; forged from hundreds of impossible stone cathedral-like structures that were connected by black, metallic bridges. While the towering athenaeum dominated the central portion of this levitating continent, the Hadean was surrounded in every conceivable direction by orbiting terrestrial shards; supposedly the remnants left behind when the structure rose from the Mists-Beyond. These constantly shifting Islets were the primary method of ingress onto the island, as there would be moments when they would connect to create a continental bridge; allowing spirits and the living to venture into the endless labyrinth in search of forbidden or forgotten lore. Although the secrets were unclaimed, those that survived their sojourn into the Hadean returned, babbling incoherently of shifting halls forged of stacked tomes, and floors made of stone-carved tablets. They also spoke of vast, cavernous vaults built out of stone and glass that housed thousands of blackened leather opuses, composed by long-forgotten authors, stacked upon hundreds of metallic shelves. Such forbidden lore was joined by crumbling scrolls and smouldering journals; each supposedly recording of possible futures and fates ever conceived by mortal minds that would drive their readers insane with the infinite, cosmic possibilities.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- The Infinite Garden: While the cause of the orbiting Islet’s could only be hypothesized, it was a name bequeathed onto them by the first unfortunate souls to return from the Hadean with a measure of their sanity intact. It was said that each, and almost every floating Islet was populated with a wealth of supposedly extinct species of flora and fauna. However, trusting the rants and ravings of the deranged was ill-advised. With what could be cobbled together, it’s believed that those floating Islet’s held some sort of ethereal hallucinogenic vapour; which caused those that ascended towards the Hadean see all manners of long lost, or forgotten things.
- The Gates of Mora: Acting as the sole entrance to the Hadean Athenaeum, the Gates of Mora were an ornate, circular porthole that bled into a cavernous foyer; which in turn led toward an infinite number of corridors. Through these stylized gates, lay the lost and forbidden knowledge of the cosmos. While such an immeasurable boon was within an Adventurer’s grasp, there were warnings were etched into the very stones that served as the gate’s foundation, seeking to caution would-be Seekers of the price that comes in return for knowledge.
- The Labyrinthine Causeways: Should the words of caution be ignored, would-be Adventurers would find themselves faced with the Labyrinthine Causeways; that was rife with dangers untold. Every corridor bore an unmistakable resemblance to one another. Stone tablets formed the foundation of every seemingly endless causeway, with each being engraved with the life-experiences or memories of those lost to the Hadean. The walls were a blend of grouted sandstone and leather; with the latter appearing as if they were featureless tomes set into shelves. There were no windows of any sort in the Ethereal Library, for there was only the promise of knowledge - and the price to be paid - within those haze-shrouded halls.
- The Vaults: Those that survive the Infinite number of twists and turns that populate the interior of the Hadean, would find themselves ensconced within the Vaults of the Curator’s collection. It was within those cavernous chambers that the Knowledge of the Cosmos was reportedly contained; where secrets thought long-forgotten were committed to paper by potted ink and scratching quill. There, would-be adventurers would see countless spirits or minds gripped by madness, rifling through the tomes in search of knowledge; either to aid them in their quest for enlightenment or to garner an advantage over some long-lost enemy. Many live their last moments bearing witness to this breathtaking sight before they’re slain by the guardians of the Athenaeum or consumed by their own intellectual hunger.
- The Seat of the Curator: At the heart of the Hadean Anthenaeum, was the Seat of the Curator. None who have seen this chamber have ever returned and were able to speak of what they saw with any clarity. However, it’s surmised that this chamber is spartan in design; save for the nebulous being at the centre, and the thousandfold prophetic leaflets that were scattered about the stone-wrought floor. It was here that the most forbidden of lore, or the most dangerous of prophecies were kept, within reach of and in the Curator’s personal collection. Supposedly, the haze that permeated the halls of the Athenaeum came from the Curator’s billowed out from this chamber, created by the furious scratching of a quill.
- Rating: High.
- Personnel Assets:
- The Curator.
- The Ethereal Catalogers.
- Various Malevolent Wraiths, and Insane Mortals seeking Forbidden Lore.
- Structural Assets:
- Labyrinthine Corridors; Ever-Shifting and Changing to Represent the Consistencies of an Uncertain Future.
- Floating and Re-arranging Tomes.
- Semi-Sentient Ethereal Ichor; Forever Seeking to Devour the Minds of Unwary Adventurers, Adding their Knowledge to the Collection of the Curator.
- Solitary Islet Ingress.
- Font of Infinite and Cosmic Knowledge; Insatiable Greed and Insanity Await.
- Gate: Not Applicable - Internal Netherworld Access.
- Lucidity: The Hadean Athenaeum doesn't adhere to the conventional laws of the known universe. It is a realm of impossibilities, where terrestrial formations levitate above what many would conceive as solid ground, and entire passageways shift directions at random. Should a Brave soul venture into this mighty Citadel, if they weren't driven insane by the irrational behaviour of the structure, the secrets contained within the various tomes would surely hasten them towards insanity's embrace. From the scattered reports of those that managed to survive their venture into this maddened realm of impossibilities, it was said that a lingering, smoky haze blanketed the interior chambers; adding yet another illogical aura to the maddening ambiance.
- Hostility: Extremely - While seemingly apathetic to the presence of Outsiders, the Curator's turn exceedingly hostile when their duties are interrupted or their vast collection's disturbed. The true dangers of the Hadean Athenaeum lay within the monolithic structure itself. With alternating passageways, and ethereal ooze seeking to add the knowledge of careless adventurers to the Curator's collection; there were an innumerable ways for Seekers of Knowledge to get lost amidst the vaulted corridors and become one with the Netherworld's Repository of Forbidden Lore. In addition to the expansive library being dangerous to all that seek to plunder it's secrets, there existed the dangers of other wanderers; either driven mad by the inconsistencies of the structure or the tomes they devoured. The maddened souls of both the dead and living that dwelled within the heart of the Hadean Athenaeum often became jealous, coveting the knowledge that laid within and sought to safeguard their finds; whatever the cost.
- In Character Rules:
- An Ever-present Drain Knowledge aura will seek to pry knowledge from Character(s) and grow ever more powerful the closer they get to the Curator.
- Hostile Wraiths, Insane Mortals - Spirits and Living Souls alike, and Ethereal Catalogers will seek to "Assimilate" any Character(s) within the Athenaeum.
- The more damage that's sustained from any combat will likely see knowledge ripped from the minds of any wounded Character(s) making lengthy expeditions within the maddening Labyrinth dangerous beyond compare.
- The Halls of the Athenaeum are always changing. No closed door will ever lead back to the same chamber, thus creating an Infinite Labyrinth of ever-changing layouts and possibilities.
- Sacrifice is a key, unwritten theme within the Athenaeum. One must sacrifice something of theirs to acquire knowledge of equal value to what was given - freely or otherwise. The more powerful the connection, and more information that's contained within - be it experiences or otherwise - the more likely one shall garner the knowledge they seek. Or, they'll go mad in the process in having sacrificed something near-and-dear to them, only to be rewarded with knowledge they've already attained, or is ultimately useless.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
[ An Artist's Rendition of the Curator, atop the Font of Knowledge. ]
The true origins of the Hadean Athenaeum were shrouded in mystery and known only to the enigmatic being who went by the moniker of the Curator. With that being said, however, there was a myriad of stories that surrounded the monolithic structure’s genesis within the ethereal realm of the dead. It is commonly believed that the Hadean first appeared when sentient life began to commit their history to paper; conjuring the very idea of a repository of knowledge that would forever more stand the tests of time. From that point onwards, the various stories branched into various ethereal myths and legends detailing personal viewpoints or stained by the maddened ravings of the insane. It was difficult to determine what was and wasn’t true in regards to the structure, as such secrets were closely guarded by those that dwelled within the monolithic repository. What was proven to unvarnished by falsehoods, was the knowledge stored within the various vaults of the Athenaeum. The information that each tome imparted varied from volume to volume.
Some of these leather-bound opuses supposedly contained the knowledge of the cosmos; most of which were considered nonsense, but there were rumoured to be pearls of wisdom hidden amongst the cluttered collection. What those pearls contained, however, was entirely subjective to the prospective reader as one man’s wisdom is another’s lie. Nevertheless, the tomes weren’t the only denizens that were sequestered within the Hadean Athenaeum. The first, and foremost of these Inhabitants were the Ethereal Cataloguers; who sought to preserve and ultimately enumerate the Curator’s eternally expanding collection of knowledge. Their appearance seemingly changed from story to story, but the general consensus was that they were tall, ethereal figures - cloaked in vaporous shadows and golden orbs that acted as eyes. Supposedly, their fanged maws were crowned by a forest of spectral tentacles that were consistently probing the atmosphere; either restoring the sanctity of the Hadean’s collection or transcribing volumes of their own with ghostly ink pots and quills.
Second, to the Catalougers, were the various souls - living and dead - who were gripped by the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Their desire to scour the halls for clarity, and survive the horrors that roamed the Hadean’s halls, drove them insane. Their ethereal figures, shrouded in the smoky haze, would constantly be scrambling from one tome to the next - devouring its contents in the hopes of reaching enlightenment. They would prove to be a danger to not only themselves, but anyone and anything their maddened encountered within the twisting labyrinthine structure. In their frenzied state, they’d lash out in a fit of jealous rage; quoting that whatever comprehension was theirs, and that nothing could separate them from whatever scraps they obtained. While easily avoidable by cognizant adventurers, the semi-sentient ooze that permeated the entire Athenaeum was an extreme hazard to the unwary or those consumed by their quest for garnering knowledge. This living aqueous slime, if it managed to seep through the walls or the floors and grasp onto a mortal, or a spirit, they’d begin to drain their essence until nothing was left but a ghostly echo.
Everything that was drained from the sentient beings consciousness would then be taken by the mysterious Cataloguers, inscribed into a freshly minted tome, and subsequently added into the expansive collection.
Despite everything that’s been said of the structure, be it fact or fiction, the only truth that was known about the Hadean Athenaeum was that the ethereal building drew in throngs of adventurers from all walks of life, and death as well. They sought to delve into the towering edifice and plunder what enlightenment they could from the vaults of the Curator; all the while dodging the ever-shifting strands of fate, and those who sought to sever them from their mortal coils. True death, in the realm of the dead, was the possible and logical price for attaining knowledge that was forgotten by those that were once among the living. However, in spite of all the warnings that were scattered about the structure, sentient beings were overcome by their curious natures and desires; and were often willing to take the risk in return for the reward.
Some of these leather-bound opuses supposedly contained the knowledge of the cosmos; most of which were considered nonsense, but there were rumoured to be pearls of wisdom hidden amongst the cluttered collection. What those pearls contained, however, was entirely subjective to the prospective reader as one man’s wisdom is another’s lie. Nevertheless, the tomes weren’t the only denizens that were sequestered within the Hadean Athenaeum. The first, and foremost of these Inhabitants were the Ethereal Cataloguers; who sought to preserve and ultimately enumerate the Curator’s eternally expanding collection of knowledge. Their appearance seemingly changed from story to story, but the general consensus was that they were tall, ethereal figures - cloaked in vaporous shadows and golden orbs that acted as eyes. Supposedly, their fanged maws were crowned by a forest of spectral tentacles that were consistently probing the atmosphere; either restoring the sanctity of the Hadean’s collection or transcribing volumes of their own with ghostly ink pots and quills.
Second, to the Catalougers, were the various souls - living and dead - who were gripped by the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Their desire to scour the halls for clarity, and survive the horrors that roamed the Hadean’s halls, drove them insane. Their ethereal figures, shrouded in the smoky haze, would constantly be scrambling from one tome to the next - devouring its contents in the hopes of reaching enlightenment. They would prove to be a danger to not only themselves, but anyone and anything their maddened encountered within the twisting labyrinthine structure. In their frenzied state, they’d lash out in a fit of jealous rage; quoting that whatever comprehension was theirs, and that nothing could separate them from whatever scraps they obtained. While easily avoidable by cognizant adventurers, the semi-sentient ooze that permeated the entire Athenaeum was an extreme hazard to the unwary or those consumed by their quest for garnering knowledge. This living aqueous slime, if it managed to seep through the walls or the floors and grasp onto a mortal, or a spirit, they’d begin to drain their essence until nothing was left but a ghostly echo.
Everything that was drained from the sentient beings consciousness would then be taken by the mysterious Cataloguers, inscribed into a freshly minted tome, and subsequently added into the expansive collection.
Despite everything that’s been said of the structure, be it fact or fiction, the only truth that was known about the Hadean Athenaeum was that the ethereal building drew in throngs of adventurers from all walks of life, and death as well. They sought to delve into the towering edifice and plunder what enlightenment they could from the vaults of the Curator; all the while dodging the ever-shifting strands of fate, and those who sought to sever them from their mortal coils. True death, in the realm of the dead, was the possible and logical price for attaining knowledge that was forgotten by those that were once among the living. However, in spite of all the warnings that were scattered about the structure, sentient beings were overcome by their curious natures and desires; and were often willing to take the risk in return for the reward.
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