“We are not the sum of our years, but of our stories. And stories, when preserved in grace, do not end—they echo.”
—Inscribed above the Gate of Memory, Aelorian Archives
Hidden among silver spires of living crystal and veils of moonlight, the Aelorian Archives stand as the most complete and enduring collection of knowledge in all the known world. Though their origins lie deep within Aelindor, realm of the Syl’Aeris, the Archives are no elven vault alone.
They are a gift to the world—a covenant of remembrance offered to every race, realm, and voice in Khassid.
Purpose and Legacy
Founded in the early Second Epoch, shortly after the Cataclysm, the Archives were shaped not from stone or scroll, but from intention. The Syl’Aeris believed that stories must be preserved not merely in ink, but in spirit—woven into the songs of ages, the echoes of beasts, and the soul-memories of peoples.
Under the care of Aleryn Duskwhisper, Exarch of Illario and Keeper of the Aelorian Archives, the Archives have flourished. Thousands of tomes, visions, and memory-crystals have been gathered, recording:
- Histories of kingdoms risen and fallen
- Songs and oral traditions of the Felden, Barazûn, Humans, Syl’Aeris, and more
- Mythic accounts from the Age of Awakening
- Bestiaries, from common beasts to legendary wyrms
- Cultural tomes, charting rites, beliefs, and sacred texts
- And visions yet to be fulfilled…
Structure of the Archives
Though many halls remain hidden to mortals, scholars and seekers may walk these wings:
The Echo Spire
Within the heart of the Archives rises the Echo Spire, a slender tower of resonant crystal and moonstone that sings with memory. Here, the songs, sagas, and spoken truths of every people are preserved—not as text, but as living sound. Voices long silenced may still be heard: a Felden lullaby, a Varnokh war chant, the whispered prayers of forgotten queens. To stand within the Spire is to listen through time.
The Vault of Beasts
Beneath the Archives lies the Vault of Beasts, a chamber carved from shadowed quartz and warded bone, where the living memory of Khassid’s creatures is kept. From the humble karnel to the last breath of a sky-wyrm, each beast is recorded in form, name, and legend. Some entries are etched in ink, others preserved in soul-glass, and a few—dangerous and rare—bound in whispering iron. Scholars, hunters, and dreamers alike come here to know the world through the wild that shaped it.
The Gallery of Worlds
The Gallery of Worlds is a vaulted hall of shimmering veils and sculpted light, where the peoples and cultures of Khassid are chronicled in enduring grace. Each enclave, kingdom, and wandering tribe is given space—whether carved in Barazûn stone, sung in Felden scriptleaf, or woven through the soul-threads of the Syl’Aeris. No realm is too small, no voice too distant. Here, the spirit of each people is honored as part of the great weave, and their traditions remembered not as curiosities, but as living truths.
The Timelaced Wing
Time does not pass through the Timelaced Wing—it lingers. This silent, spiraling hall holds the great chronology of Khassid, woven through etched crystal strands and suspended memory-scrolls. Here, the First Epoch flickers beside the fire-torn days of the Cataclysm, and the dawnlight of the Second Epoch glows faintly at the edge of what is still becoming. Not all dates are fixed, nor all events fully known. Some records shimmer with uncertainty—threads awaiting their moment to bind.
The Gates of Silence
Sealed by ancient sigils and untouched by time, the Gate of Silence rests at the deepest point of the Archives. None speak within its presence, for to do so is to risk unraveling truths not meant for the waking world. What lies beyond is known only to the Exarch and the Gods—prophecies sealed before the Cataclysm, forbidden names, lost gods, and memories that weep when stirred. It is said the Gate listens… and that, sometimes, it answers.