Stack upon pile upon shelf upon trunk of books, scrolls, tablets, parchments, and the skeins of knitted stories from the remote regions of the Arkene are gathered together in the center of learning and knowledge that is the Keep's Library. It is a popular place to study or do research, lit beautifully during daylight from a massive skylight, with a merry fireplace to heat the room and even a glass ceiling over the newer set of rooms. The Library is open at all times of the day and night, as a past Head Librarian found it not worth the effort to attempt to keep out students who'd left their studies to the last moment.
Rows of tables that serve as desks are scattered among the maze of shelving, and the odd chair tucked away in quiet nooks provides a peaceful hideaway for those not feeling sociable. Candles, blank sheets of paper and parchment, bottles of ink and quills are placed conveniently close to hand for ease of use, or perhaps merely carried to some remote corner and left behind when the Magi who brought them became absorbed in a new line of inquiry. Here and there Atramentum cats can be seen lounging sleepily, some sprawled out over the tops of books or curled up in the baskets before the fire while others busy themselves with transcribing the notes of recent travelers.
At one of the tables, a magician has a stack of books, a mix of ancient tomes and newer books and maps, all spread across the workspace they've overtaken. They're tall, with a muscular build and clothes that look more like sleepwear than a proper outfit. A massive bird- a crimson Ilikatal well into adulthood by the looks of it- stands over the back of their chair, talons gripping into the wood and old, deep scratch marks implying this is a long standing tradition for the pair and this library.
Every once in a while the mage will surreptitiously slip a small dried fruit or piece of jerky to one of multiple ratumbidae- little rat/pidgeon chimeras- and sending them off for quills or bits of charcoal or just giving them a little pat.
