Veiled Library



The Veiled Library is a magic library owned by Lilium. It resides in a pocket dimension separate from reality. It is home to her and her new human apprentice, Aidan.

Overview
The library

Exterior
The exterior appears similar to a traditional two-story building constructed of faded red brick. It has a balcony extending across the front and back of the second floor. Vines and ivy climb the sides of the exterior and hang from the roof on all sides. The bottom of the building is almost completely obscured by moss and flowered shrubs. A short staircase leads up to a porch extending across the entire front of the building and the double front doors. The glass on the front doors looks into a small entry hall, with another set of double doors on the other side.

The library appears to be sitting in a large clearing surrounded by a dense deciduous forest. A massive lake sits to the west of the library, spanning farther than the eye can see with a sandy bank leading down to its edge. No fauna live in the forest despite its size and there is no evident end to the forest. Walking through it in a continuous line results in a loop, ending up back at the library no matter which direction one goes. This is due to the magic of the pocket dimension displacing anyone who attempts to reach the edge of the barrier, the only exception being the current proprietor.

Interior
The interior of the library is exceptionally large compared to the appearance of the exterior. This is thanks to the magic of the library allowing the inside to expand as much as needed without contorting the outside. The atrium is the largest area, with rows of bookshelves lining the walls and smaller adjoining rooms interspersed along the edges with desks and chairs. Long tables sit in the middle of the room and a large desk rests just to the right upon entering the room from the front doors. Two staircases on the edges of the room lead up to an open second floor which looks down over the atrium. More bookshelves line the walls and smaller shelves rest against the railings.

The second floor also has a variety of doors between the shelves. On the east wall, a door leads to the kitchen, Lilium's room, and the study. The west wall doors lead to a bathroom, Aidan's room, and a living area. The kitchen has an adjacent dining room through an open doorway and Lilium's room has an attached bathroom for her personal use. The study is normally off-limits to everyone except Lilium, with a magic barrier preventing entry without her express permission. Aidan's room overlooks the lake and the vines extending past his window allow him to easily climb straight down. Despite the rooms inside extending beyond the exterior foundation, the visual discrepancies are hidden from plain sight and normally cannot be noticed.

Entrance
The entry hall has a magic placed over it which allows travel to other places outside of the pocket dimension. To do so, both sets of double doors must be closed and the ones traveling must have a clear vision of where they wish to go. Upon deciding the destination, the exterior doors will exit out into the nearest location to that area, with the library taking the outside appearance of another building. Onlookers will be unable to discern that the library is out of place due to the magic keeping it from being noticed. Entry back into the library can be done from any door, even on another building, so long as the visitor is aware of the library and has a clear vision of the entrance.

The last way to enter is with the library key, a magic key which Lilium keeps on her person at all times. With the use of this key, passage into the pocket dimension is possible from any point. Anyone can use the key, but only if they can use magic and are aware of its purpose. The holder may insert the key into anything- a wall, the floor, or even the air itself- and must focus all of their energy into opening the door, or else the magic will become inert and nothing will happen.

History
Even Lilium is unaware of when exactly the library came into being. She only knows it was not built by human nor witch hands and is an anomaly even among magical constructs. The full strength of the library isn't entirely known, but only the current proprietor is able to access it. The previous owner was the one to create the lake next to the library as there had previously been none prior to their ownership. Lilium herself has been able to create rooms within the library itself with ease, such as when Aidan became her apprentice and needed a room to stay in.

The collection of books within the library steadily increases with each year. Lilium isn't certain where all of them originate from, and many are too worn down from the ages to be read any longer. Since taking over ownership of the library, she has collected nearly a hundred more books to add to the shelves. The contents of each range across a variety of genres and there's a wide selection to be had from both the human and fae worlds. Fae, witches, and humans alike all came to the library in ages past, but since the war humans have all but disappeared from the visitor registry. In Lilium's time, she recounts mostly witches signing the registry, with the fae visitation having dwindled over the centuries.

The previous owner of the library was a human magician who took Lilium in and raised her when she was young. He helped her with her magic and gave her a great deal of knowledge of the world. He had been the library's keeper for over 500 years when he handed the key over to Lilium, thereby releasing him from the curse of immortality. He faded into motes of light and Lilium planted a willow tree in his memory.