Librarian knights

Stob, Magda, and Rook preparing to leave and become Librarian knights.

Librarian knights were individuals elected by the Librarians Academic to study at the Lake Landing Academy, build a skycraft and write treatises for the Great Library of the Free Glades on what they discovered during their treatise voyages in the Deepwoods.

Rook Barkwater became a librarian knight during the events of The Last of the Sky Pirates.

Election

Main article: Announcement Ceremony
"Do you swear to serve Edge Scholarship, both Earth and Sky, for the good of all? - With my heart and my head, I do."
—Rook[src]

Librarian knight elects were chosen by the Council of Three. They were chosen for their intelligence, their abilities to fight, their curiosity and hunger for knowlegde[1].

Journey to the Freeglades

Before the librarians moved from Undertown to the Free Glades, librarian knights-elect had to make a long and treacherous journey through Undertown, the Mire, the Eastern Roost, and some of the wilder areas of the Deepwoods, identifying allies by a special Bloodoak tooth pendant[2].

Education and Training

Building a skycraft

Every librarian knight had to built his or her own skycraft. The Woodtroll Oakley Gruffbark taught them how to make the prows of their skycraft. However, he said that the inspiration for the form of the skycraft should come from the timber itself and should not be forced upon it[5].

The Varnish

In the Gardens of Light the young librarians had to produce the varnish invented by Tweezel that gave the skycraft the ability to fly. First, the librarian knight squires had to milk slime-moles for mole-glue and then cook it. According to Tweezel, it took most of the librarian knights more than fifty attempts and several months to get the varnish right[6].

Xanth is practicing roping

The Sails

At the Slaughterers' Camp, the librarian knights learned how to handle the sails and lines of their skycraft. Brisket was their advisor[7].

Flying Lessons

The famous librarian knight Varis Lodd was advising the librarian knights-to-be in the sign language used by the knights to communicate[8] and the flying skills[9].

The Naming Rite

The naming rite was performed when the skycraft was finished, the evening before the first flight lesson.[10]

"By Earth and Sky, you name shall be Stormhornet. Together, we shall set forth into the Deepwoods and return with a treatise entitled An Eyewitness Account of the Mythical Great Convocation of Banderbears. This we pledge to do, or perish in the attempt."
—Rook[src]

Treatise-voyage

Main article: Treatise-voyages

After their education, the librarian knights undertook treatise-voyages to gain more knowledge of the Deepwoods. The treatises were then stored in the Great Storm Chamber Library and later in the Great Library of the Free Glades.

Equipment

Because of the small size of the skycraft, librarian knights had to transport many things close to them. They wore a green leather suit with golden wood-armour plates[9].

Librarian Knight Magda Burlix in her flight suit

Things attached to the suit:

The skycraft contained:

  • Cooking equipment[11]
  • Equipment for smaller repairs[11]
  • Hammock[11]
  • Notebook[11]

Librarian knights in the Third Age of Flight

In the Third Age of Flight, there were still librarian knights like Zelphyius Dax. Their skycraft, although faster, were not common anymore and replaced by Phraxships and the Lake Landing Academy was turned into a museum. However, there were still some who longed for the purer life of the Second Age of Flight.

Known librarian knights

Librarian knight Skycraft Treatise
Arboris Helquix A study of sweetwoods
Fenbrus Lodd On the Husbandry of Prowlgrins
Kern (librarian knight-elect)
Magda Burlix[10] Woodmoth The Iridescence of Midnight Woodmoth Wings
Petris Fillit Petris Fillit's treatise on oozefish
Rook Barkwater[10] Stormhornet An Eyewitness Account of the Mythical Great Convocation of Banderbears
Stob Lummus[10] Hammelhorn A Study of the Growth Rings of the Coppertree
Tallus Penitax
Ulbus Vespius
Varis Lodd Windhawk A Study of Banderbears' Behaviour in Their Natural Habitat[12]
Xanth Filatine[10] Ratbird A Witnessing of the Hatching of a Caterbird from its Cocoon
Zelphyius Dax (Third Age of Flight) Varis Lodd

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 3: The Announcement Ceremony
  2. 1 2 The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 4: The Great Mire Road
  3. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 5: Deadbolt Vulpoon
  4. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 8: The Eastern Roost
  5. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 11: Stormhornet: The Woodtroll Workshop
  6. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 11: Stormhornet: The Gardens of Light
  7. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 11: Stormhornet: The Slaughterers Camp
  8. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 13: The Foundry Glade
  9. 1 2 3 The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 12: Flight
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 11: Stormhornet: The Naming Rite
  11. 1 2 3 4 The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 15: Wumeru
  12. ↑ The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 1: The Great Storm Chamber Library


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