The hall stretched wide, the stone floor extending far ahead, yet Vencian could see where it ended. The scale of the place was overwhelming, though it carried a strange order. Sheets of parchment floated high above, suspended in vertical rows, filling the ceiling that climbed beyond sight. Between them rose tall pillars, arranged in exact intervals, their alignment giving the vast chamber a rhythm of silence.
At the center stood a raised platform. Upon it rested a lectern carved from stone, waist-high and broad, neither altar nor podium but something in between. A shallow groove ran across its surface, holding a slim stylus black as obsidian. A faint glow pulsed from within it, subtle but constant.
