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Island of the Sorcerers
Alzar finds himself in a hexagonal chamber. In one wall is an open lancet window, and there is the russet orb of the sun beyond, sitting behind a placid sea. In a tree beneath the window, a nightingale is singing, and the scent of jasmine drifts in on the gentle breeze. The chamber is lit by a glowing gem hanging from the ceiling and has a bench fixed to the wall opposite the window. The remaining walls are decorated with frescoes of fabulous beasts and in the bench is a crystal vial, some powders and a dish of black residue. A trapdoor in the floor is open and a figure is coming up, and spies Alzar, mouth agape.
The man introduces himself as Sfar, a servant of the great wizardess Giagfena. He grabs the items that were meant for her from the bench, and then begs Alzar to follow him, and leads him to the refectory. There are a dozen or so mages here eating dinner. Alzar is introduced to them. He is at The Bibliotheca, an underground library on an island that is the center of knowledge and research for all things magical and arcane in the known world.
The complex includes the guesthouse here, as well as modest ports and such. Then there is the library itself with nine floors of books, one for each level of spells. The center of the library sports the Luminance. This is a powerful artifact in the form of a shimmering crystal (sometimes shifts to a throne) that protects and defends the Bibliotheca. It prevents any magical travel to the location, and Alzar’s arrival, although not possible by the laws of magic, was probably enabled via the usage of chronomancy – in other words, he was already on the island, he just shifted in time. Apparently chromomancy is a loophole in a lot of things.
Anyway, the Luminance also creates a powerful storm cover, summons creatures to defend it and the Bibliotheca, and can be a powerful weapon. In fact, when it’s in throne form, a powerful (24+ level) wizard can sit in it and control, to some degree, the defenses of the island. Anyone who sits in the throne can also gain inspiration in their research for golems, magical items, spell learning or crafting, potion brewing, scroll making, and so forth.
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