Runehollow Hall

Runehollow Hall is the oldest and most revered Grand Archive and Library in the City of Or. Carved into the stone just beyond the gates of the Undercity and directly across from the entrance into Stonehollow, this great archive was created to preserve the city’s written legacy. Built by dwarves in honour of Or Flatstone himself, it stands as a monument to knowledge, craftsmanship, and the enduring power of memory.

Unlike the chaotic brilliance of gnomish design or the fluid grace of elven scriptoria, Runehollow is sturdy, structured, and sacred. It contains volumes on mining, engineering, metallurgy, rune-lore, city records, magical theory, religious scrolls, and histories predating The Collapse—some of which exist nowhere else in Iridia.

Exterior

The entrance to Runehollow Hall faces the gate into the Undercity. It is a symmetrical and solemn structure of carved stone and understated grandeur, bathed in the ever-glowing red light of the Armour of Or’s crystalline ceiling above.

Six massive, square pillars stand in a proud row, etched with glowing dwarven runes of wisdom and memory. Between the outermost pillars stand four towering marble statues—depictions of legendary dwarven scribes, each holding a carved stone lantern. These lanterns burn with a pale green flame that never flickers nor fades, casting a ghostly light beneath the wide canopy above the stairs.

The main doors are engraved with an image of Or Flatstone holding a scroll in one hand and a pickaxe in the other—symbolising the balance between learning and labour.

Interior

Inside, the Hall opens into a vast chamber of silence and reverence. Colossal stone bookshelves rise high into the vaulted ceiling, their surfaces etched with gold-lined runes. The shelves are laden with everything from brittle scrolls and enchanted tablets to leather-bound tomes and stone-inscribed slabs.

Recessed reading tables—each surrounded by soft, rune-etched sound barriers—are scattered throughout the chamber. Delicate arcane lanterns float above them, casting focused light for scholars and scribes. The air smells of aged parchment, metal ink, and warm stone.

A mechanical elevator system of brass rails and gnomish design allows the librarian and their assistants to navigate the higher levels. Small brass platforms move with a whisper, directed by arcane levers and glowing runic switches.

At the far end of the hall lies a great desk, carved with the relief of Or Flatstone, and behind it, a mural of the founding of the city: miners, historians, and spellwrights gathered under the radiant red sky of the Scale.

Significance

Runehollow Hall is more than a repository of knowledge—it is a place of pilgrimage for scholars, a vault of city memory, and a symbol of the City of Or’s dual dedication to craft and clarity.

It is said that every law passed, every invention crafted, and every poem published in the city has a place within Runehollow’s shelves—though not all of them can be found without help.

Notable Figures

• Stonfin Dustbinder, halfling keeper of the library, is the current steward of its secrets. His warm presence and remarkable recall make him a quiet legend in his own right.

Rumours and Whispers

• Some say there are sealed sections deep within the hall, protected by runes only senior council members may read.
• Others believe that Runehollow Hall is secretly linked by magical passages to other ancient archives across Iridia.
• A few whisper of a book that rewrites itself, locked behind a forgotten door only Stonfin has seen.