The Wandering Librarian

[YouKnowItsJuno 269]

A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar. - Lao Tzu

 

 

A young woman strode through the streets of Al-Wakrah, a satchel slung carelessly across one shoulder. Soft brown eyes scanned the labyrinth-like streets for directions to the palace, one of two buildings large enough to loom over the rest of the city. Despite having never stepped foot in the Caliphate of Khalestine's capital, she looked as if she belonged there. She was tanned like a Qalisheen should be, with brown eyes to match. Her garb was in the farfolk fashion, perhaps only a bit more ostentatious than the normal female dress, which was a long formless dress with a hijab. No, she was donned in a deep blue skirt and blouse exquisitely embroidered with beautiful designs that caught the eye, her midriff exposed (something that many criticized and called indecent). The only thing about her that did not look Qalisheen was her hair - frizzy and wild, sunbleached beyond repair. She had managed to braid most of it and wrap it with white and red ribbons, making it a bit more ascetically pleasing. It hung down her back and nearly brushed the ground. All-in-all, she was neither beautiful nor homely looking, but merely interesting to observe as she finally made her way inside the palace.

 

 She was in luck as she entered the throne room, as the Caliph was having court. She stepped into the short line of citizens gathered to make appeals and awaited her turn to speak with the older Qalisheen man. After several minutes, it was her turn as the last person in line. She grinned, bowed with her whole person, and then made her request.

 

"My Caliph, I am Rajiya Al-Shamrani. I have been at sea for many months with my father and brothers, but have decided it was time to live among my own people again. They have sailed on without me to continue trading with far-off countries, but I come to serve you and the Caliphate. I had heard from afar that you sought a Talaaba - the Scholar of Khalestine and Keeper of the Grand Library. I offer my service to you to take up this office and open up the Grand Library as a sanctuary of knowledge, and to show all of Valior the wisdom and knowledge that our great nation has to offer. I wish to scour the world for books from all over and bring them here. I will rebind them and keep them in repair, I will make copies when texts are too old to survive the test of time. I will care for them and share them with those who wish to learn. Let me serve you and you shall not be disappointed."

 

Faiz Kharadeen laughed, walking down from his throne. He placed a hand on her shoulder, startling her a bit. Looking a bit wounded, she gazed upon the Caliph.

 

"My child, you speak so eloquently for one so young. Come, you do not have to convince me further - I shall show you the library," He smiled kindly, leaving the throne room. A bit bewildered that it had been so easy, she followed him as he led her through the winding streets.

 

 

At last, they had finished walking around the huge mosque, the other building that had towered above the city, and entered into the library that had been situated in the lower levels of the holy building. Rajiya only smiled as they walked down the huge hall. Bookshelves to the ceiling on both sides stood like silent sentinels. Foliage grew in pots and from the tops of shelves, as if the library had grown there rather than been built. At the end of the hall sat a young tree that grew freely, the branches stretching out. Below it sat hundreds upon hundreds of books - some old and dusty, others brand-new and bound in the richest leather. The pieces there ranged from huge novels to scrap pieces of letters from long ago - nothing seemed to have been discarded, but stored away and taken care of until it could be moved there.

 

The Caliph stopped in front of the stacks of tomes and smiled, almost amused, at her. "Here they are, rafiqi. As the new Talaaba, your first job is to shelve all these books. Then, when you are done, the library can be opened to the public."

 

As he turned to leave, he peered back at her. She stood there a bit dumbfounded. To shelve all these books would take weeks. He merely chortled, a twinkle in his eye, before sweeping out of the library. As he left, Rajiya sank to her knees next to the books. They loomed over her, as if to mock her ambition that had gotten her into this undesirable situation.

 

Now she knew why it had been so easy to get the job...

 

((Thank you to Faiz for allowing me to write about his character - It's always a joy! I'm back to roleplaying in the Caliphate and am hoping to travel all over the place to bother people about books and presenting puzzles and information for those who seek it. I want this to be a fun character, so hopefully I'll be meeting a lot of people soon. A library thread will soon be written on the Caliphate board of the forums, so keep a look out soon. - Juno))

Edited November 9, 2015 by Juno_Ax

[Gebruht 39]

Kareem is delighted to hear the news and hurries off to seek out the new Talaaba.

 

((Drop by the Masjid sometime, Kareem is an author plus he loves books in general))

[YouKnowItsJuno 269]

((Will do! I'll probably buy copies of his books for the library.))

[Imam Faiz Kharadeen 3167]

Faiz Kharadeen smiles as he walks casually back to the palace, very proud and happy of Rajiya. The grand library shall soon be open to the world!

[YouKnowItsJuno 269]

As she was nearing the end of her long task of shelving books, the Caliph and an orc entered to make a request of her.

 

Long story short, she received all the books from the orcish library and now had even more shelving to do. With a heavy heart, she sat upon the floor and sorted books with care.

[Elad™ 560]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.