Strixhaven University

The Biblioplex — A Student’s Field Guide

A pocket reference for curious mages. Suitable for quick glances mid-session.

Map & Layout

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The Biblioplex, three floors: main hall, study levels, and maze-like upper stacks.

What Is the Biblioplex?

The Biblioplex is Strixhaven’s beating heart of study: a vast library-complex where ink remembers, staircases politely rearrange themselves, and the air smells faintly of parchment and ozone. Students from all five colleges share its halls. Quiet does not mean silence here— it means respect for the chorus of learning.

  • Open Hours: dawn to midnight (longer during exams).
  • Entry: Student or staff sigil opens the doors; visitors register at the front desk.
  • Help: Seek a Reference Sprite or any librarian-mage at the rotating desks.
  • Borrowing: Most tomes leave the building under charm-bond. Some never do.
  • Danger: Minimal. Curiosity bites only if you feed it unsupervised magic.

Floors at a Glance

1st Floor — Grand Hall & Study Commons Gathering, help desks, open study

The first floor is a sun-lit plaza of learning. Long tables host mixed-college study groups. The central fountain doubles as a scheduling focus—drop a copper and you’ll hear today’s events whispered in your own voice.

  • Help Rotunda: Reference desks staffed by librarian-mages and upperclass volunteers.
  • Exhibit Niches: Rotating displays—specimens, antiquities, student works.
  • Quiet Rings: Two octagonal gardens hum with hush-wards; perfect for note review.
  • Lecture Alcoves: Short talks happen on the raised platforms every bell.
2nd Floor — Reading Rooms & Carrels Focused study, tutors, reserved stacks

Circular galleries line this level. Private carrels face inward to a ring of curated shelves. Faculty often hold office hours here; keep questions sharp and concise.

  • Seminar Pods: Sound-dampened rooms for groups of 4–8.
  • Reference Ring: Quick-reach texts on common subjects: runic grammar, planar etiquette, formulae.
  • Scriptoria: Copying stations enchant quills to mirror your handwriting—useful, dangerous.
3rd Floor — The Upper Stacks Labyrinthine archives, special permissions

The topmost level is a maze of narrow aisles and whispering shelves. Paths shift subtly to guide seekers with legitimate purpose and to loop the merely nosy back to the stairs.

  • Special Collections: Request access at the overseer’s desk; bring two references (academic, not arcane).
  • Study Oculi: Circular overlooks grant a view of the maze—useful for Locate Object triangulation.
  • Wayfinding: Stacks are labeled by Concept → Epoch → Method rather than alphabet. Ask if unsure.

Points of Interest

Reference Sprites

Tiny winged attendants who love proper citations. Bribe with bibliographic accuracy.

  • Can fetch common volumes within minutes.
  • Will refuse cursed requests with delightful professionalism.

The Fountain of Queries

A scrying pool keyed to student schedules and campus notices.

  • Whispers due dates, room changes, and club postings.
  • Throwing gold does nothing extra. Tried. Repeatedly.

Arcane Copy Desk

Replicates pages with watermark sigils. Counterfeits vanish by morning.

Living Index

A wall-sized index that rearranges as new works are added. Touch a subject to see suggested routes.

Etiquette & Rules

Quick Facts

Adventure Hooks

  1. The Book That Checks You Out: A volume slips into a bag and won’t stop following the party until its mystery is solved.
  2. Night at the Index: After hours, the Living Index points to a subject that hasn’t been invented yet.
  3. Maze Echo: Footsteps in the upper stacks repeat questions you haven’t asked—yet.

Use these as scene seeds the moment someone says, “I browse the shelves.”