Guardians of the Library

Grumbling through the endless halls of the Great Library with his rune-lit mop and bucket of unknowable soaps, Crabb Scrubbleclaw is the unsung hero of cleanliness. His massive claws and six utility limbs make him terrifyingly efficient—if a little dramatic about the messes left behind by "scroll fanciers" and "wand polishers." He speaks only in deep gurgles and sighs, but somehow everyone understands him. If you leave wax, ichor, or ectoplasm unattended… you'll find a warning scroll nailed to your door. With soap.

Zeffy bursts into rooms like a confetti spell gone rogue—glittering, laughing, and probably halfway through explaining a magical object’s wildly inappropriate origin. An elf of eccentric tastes and barely-there couture, Zephyrella is equal parts guide, gossip, and glitter bomb. She knows where every secret corridor leads… especially the fun ones.

With eight dexterous arms and the glare of someone who’s re-shelved the same scroll four times, Mistress Palpina keeps the Library in a state of immaculate chaos. Whether offering visitors a cup of steaming memoryroot brew or cracking her whip at a loud moaner in the atrium, she does it with precision, discipline, and a t-shirt that says “Shhh happens.” Ask her anything—just not twice.

Rarely seen, never heard, and only sometimes… entirely human. Brother Umbros has wandered the lower stacks for centuries, cloaked in whispers and shadow. His eyes, if he still has any, haven’t looked at a mortal face in ages—yet he always knows when a scroll goes missing. The spectral apparition that follows him may be his assistant… or his conscience. He won't say. He doesn’t need to.