Alexandrian Curator

"Pardon me dear guest, but it seems you're lost. Yes, yes, the halls do tend to blend into one another don't they... but fear not! I've a solution, just for you! You see, we have a map detailing the entire layout of the Library; perhaps you would like me to go and procure it for you? After all, finally knowing the way out will perhaps grant you some measure of peace in your final moments. A much better way to die compared to going mad amongst the endless stacks..."
- Y'thir, Grand Archivist of the Alexandrian Curators

An Alexandrian Curator is an eternal repository of knowledge and information that haunts the halls of The Great Library of Alexandria. After its fall countless years ago, many of its staff had died or succumbed to old age -- and yet, they must obey their ancient laws and stay true to their duty, guarding the knowledge within from prying eyes and detestable thieves.

An Alexandrian Curator may vary in size depending on their stature, but tend to be between 3 and 7 feet tall, a majority of their appearance hidden by a lightly decorated and hooded cloak that conceals their forms. They lack color and are translucent, making them difficult to see from a distance. Their hands and faces are the only visible features, and are stripped to the bone. A pinprick of candle-light hovers in the middle of each eye socket (no matter how many they may have) and are the only source of color to be seen on them. From this point on, their features are largely dependent on how they appeared in life; a Curator who was missing a hand may still lack that hand, or a Curator who was crushed to death might have shattered bones. These visual differences do not affect their performance, such as being able to use a hand even if there appears to be none, or speaking despite the lack of a jaw.

A Curator has a duty first and foremost to protect its Lair and the information stored within, no matter the cost. But their other duty is to uphold the Laws of their Lair, often a simplistic set of rules laid out by either the Curators themselves or by an entity to whom the Curators answer, such as a Couatl, Naga, or Sphinx. One such set of rules you can use goes as follows :

1. Upon entering a Curator's Library (Lair) individuals may be separated from a group in order to demand any writing they have upon them; if they resist then the writing may be taken forcefully, but a copy must then be returned if requested. If a copy is not requested within one hour, they may be kept indefinitely.
2. Individuals cannot be directly harmed by a Curator unless they show that they are an enemy of the Library, an enemy of the owner of the Library, or an enemy to the knowledge contained within the Library.
3. A Curator may not Lie, even evasively, as they are the guardians and protectors of truth and knowledge. However, they are free to answer a question in whatever language they are most comfortable with, regardless of a listener's ability to comprehend said language.
4. If an individual reads or takes any information that is not publicly displayed within the Library, their soul may be procured forcefully after 5 seconds, at which point the owner of the Library may do with it as they please.
5. A Soul Contract may be accepted or rejected at the leisure of the Library's owner. Once the Contract is written, the specified book must be provided and the individual must then sign the Contract to certify that the book fulfills the request. Curator's must then refrain from taking the individual's soul until the specified time on the Soul Contract, which can be no longer than 12 hours.
6. Any and all possessions of an Alexandrian Curator must be returned to their Next of Kin, but only if requested to do so.

The Lair of an Alexandrian Curator is its resting place, The Great Library of Alexandria. When adopting this creature to a more personalized setting, this Lair might be a similarly grand or magnificent Library containing vast quantities of written knowledge. It is important to note that they require the knowledge to be written and recorded; a Lair that stores information in any other fashion will not work for this creature (unless modified.)

When fighting inside its lair, a Curator can invoke ambient magic to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Curator can take one lair action to cause one of the following effects:

• The Alexandrian Curator may magically travel any distance to arrive within 15 feet of any creature within its Lair. This is automatically cancelled by any leveled cast of dispel magic, or if performed in an anti-magic field. It may be dispelled by other similar effects at the DM's discretion.
• The Alexandrian Curator may magically summon any piece of information held within the confines of its Lair instantaneously. This is automatically cancelled by any leveled cast of dispel magic, or if performed in an anti-magic field. It may be dispelled by other similar effects at the DM's discretion.
• A trap that can be seen within 120 feet is instantly reset or defused. This cannot be cancelled by any leveled cast of dispel magic, but will fail if performed within an anti-magic field. This may be dispelled or hindered by other similar effects at the DM's discretion.