The Archivist, a Young Gold Dragon named Galazafor, is the head librarian of the University of Xyrneiros, and guardian of the Lost Relics of Champerty
Description[edit | edit source]
The most carefully guarded secret of the University of Xyrneiros lies at the core of its massive archive. Buried levels beneath the campus-spanning underground library lies a massive vault accessible originally only by the Archmage, heads of each College, and select members of the Order of the Dreaming Eyne, which houses the most forbidden, volatile, and eldritch tomes and items seized from across Champerty during the ascension of the Glendoveerian monarchy.
Among the extensive collection of recovered texts from Champerty’s halcyon days buried in the vaults beneath the University of Xyrneiros, lives a protector and living catalogue of the region’s knowledge—Galazafor, a growing gold dragon. Hatched in captivity by the Wartime Ministers of Champerty from an egg sheltered by the dragon cults of Dolmvay following the first banishment of Tiamat, Galazafor was originally intended by the mages of Champerty to be both an experiment and weapon in the First Realm War.
The Wartime Ministers intended to hatch Galazafor initially as a spearhead for their assault against the Troverth Dynasty, then later as a deterrent to prevent encroachment by the Kingdom of Glendoveer. However, irregular incubation conditions caused by the egg’s transport across Osugbo resulted in the egg taking far longer than expected to hatch, and the resulting dragon to be born scrawny and malnourished. Though the greatest military minds of Champerty attempted to find an accelerated aging spell capable of growing Galazafor to maturity, they struggled in their studies for fear of the unintended consequences of their spells backfiring.
By the conclusion of the Realm War, Galazafor was no bigger than a housecat, living in the hinterlands of Champerty with Idor Ghazebous—a founding member of the Order of the Dreaming Eyne. Upon the creation of the University of Xyrneiros, Galazafor was relocated to the vaults beneath the island under cover of night by the first generation of the Order of the Dreaming Eyne. Galazafor views the tomes and scrolls which comprise the entirety of the archive as its horde—tending and protecting them as its own. Sometimes, Galazafor takes the form of a bookish human librarian to read texts on the upper levels, but is occasionally able to stretch its wings in the night skies above the university under the guise of “advanced illusion coursework.”
Personality[edit | edit source]
Galazafor is generally a benevolent force towards the guidance of the University. Astute and compassionate, it has read every book in The Archive—some twice—and can quote from them almost by heart. Its understanding of Quelmar, its history, politics, and people is encyclopedic, and is often consulted by the University administration and members of the Order of the Dreaming Eyne on questions of both policy, and politics. Galazafor views knowledge as the greatest treasure known to the realm, and is frequently the first to check out new arrivals in The Archive. Despite resolving to stay at Xyrneiros to defend the college and the Lost Relics of Champerty, Galazafor secretly longs to meet other dragons, melancholy at the prospect of being the last of its kind.
The University’s attempts to return some of the artifacts and books seized by Glendoveer during the Realm War have occasionally prompted a degree of friction with Galazafor. While initial efforts to return select books and enchanted items have been successful, much of their success revolved around Galazafor’s condition that an inter-library loan system be implemented in case it needed to read any of the returned tomes. The true issue lies with the Lost Relics of Champerty. Galazafor is convinced that the safest hands for the relics is its own. Kept out of history and forgotten, they will be safe as long as they remain supervised. If word of the Lost Relics were to become anything more than an oft-whispered legend, Galazafor would vehemently oppose any effort to return the artifacts to mortal institutions—fearful of the harm they could bring if misused, and possessive of them in accordance with its instinct to hoard.
