Essence of Babel
Drinking this strange essence that smells like glue and tastes like old paper bestows you with the status of the sole Head Librarian of the Library of Babel.
● The Library of Babel is a thought experiment by the Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges. It is a nearly infinite library containing a nearly infinite number of books. Enough books to contain every single possible combination of alphanumeric symbols in the modern English language. As such, the Library of Babel contains all the knowledge in the world, but obscures this knowledge in a veil of nonsensical babble. Since the vast majority of letter combinations are nonsense, for example "wofich", the vast majority of books in the Library contain absolute nonsense, with perhaps a few actual words sprinkled in among the meaningless gibberish.
● As the sole Head Librarian of Babel, you possess access to the Library's index, a list of every single book in the Library. Although this index alone would contain enough information to drown a universe in text, it is somehow contained within a small slip of paper. This index is semi-precognitive, and is capable of deducing what book you wish to read before you even know you want to read it. Thus, whenever you look at the index you will always see the title of the book you wish to read. To reach it, simply walk through the Library for a minute's worth of time and you will end up in front of the shelf containing the book.
● What use is the grandest library in the world without the time to read it? You are now incapable of dying for as long as you have yet to complete every single tome within the cosmic-sized halls of Babel. Whenever you suffer an injury, you will be instantly healed back to full health. In exchange, every time you are healed, a single letter in a single book somewhere in the Library will be erased from the surface of its page. The severity of the injury does not increase the number of letters erased, every injury no matter how small or large only erases 1 letter. You may repair this damage simply by writing the letters back into the books with a pen or pencil.
● The largest Library in the world also holds the most amount of knowledge in the world.
And as Terry Pratchett once said, Knowledge equals Power equals Energy equals Mass equals Gravity.
- The sheer quantity of data within the Library generates a unique metaphysical gravity that warps the environs of the Library, creating a separate dimension known as L-Space.
- Through L-Space, you are able to travel to any location in the Library simply by walking randomly through its halls.
- L-space also enables you to exit the Library, appearing wherever a book is present.
Although you will only be able to access the Library via a book at first, as you read more books and store more information in your head you will gradually reach a critical point, allowing you to enter L-Space at will without any need for a book.
● The Library of Babel, though immense, is incomplete. Its books contain only the letters of the English alphabet, the 10 Arabic numerals, and punctuation.
- You may choose to expand its archives by donating books it does not have yet.
- Each book you donate to the Library grants you a Nomicon in exchange, a tome of great magical power. Containing words written in eldritch script, completing a Nomicon grants you the magical abilities described within its pages.
- For instance, reading the Necronomicon would grant you magics of death, whereas the Pyronomicon would grant you magics of fire.
- These Nomicons come in a series of never ending volumes, and each one you complete increases your magical power.
● Through your authority as the Head Librarian, you may bring others into the Library by giving them a library card, designating them as readers.
- This card cannot be used by anyone other than the person you gave it to, and cannot be lost either.
- By holding the card in their hands and thinking of a book title, the reader will be transported into the Library, standing in front of the shelf containing the book they were thinking of.
- However, they are only able to enter the Library as long as you are inside the Library. When you are in the real world, the cards will become blank slips of iron wood. Those you designate as readers have 3 tiers, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Bronze readers may only enter the Library to read normal books. Silver readers may enjoy the immortality benefits that you enjoy as well. Gold readers can read the Nomicons that you obtain from your book donations and gain magical powers.