Floor 899,167,435,042

Floor 899,167,435,042 was one of the infinite number of floors in the Plume Coteries' Library.

258 years before Coloth met Callum and Maritsa, a Stocktaking Party led by Master Librarian Roland and his mentor, the "Last of the Mappers", explored Floor 899,167,435,042. However, it was there that Roland, who had been growing suspicious of his mentor, finally confronted him about his true identity. He revealed himself as Auteur in disguise, and confirmed that he was not merely exploring the Library at random, but attempting to locate and take control of the Bookwyrm. After Auteur attempted to kill Roland's firstborn child as part of a ritual to summon the Bookwyrm, Roland realised Auteur posed an existential threat to the Library itself and set the entire floor on fire, breaking one of the Bookkeepers' greatest taboos, in an effort to destroy Auteur. He marked his passage on the Floor on his map but did not write down any details about what it had once contained, having burned it all down to ashes, Auteur included.

258 years later, after getting the map back from Novice Bookkeeper Callum, Roland's grandson Naimon attempted to journey to Floor 899,167,435,042 with the captive Callum, Coloth and Maritsa, hoping to "finish his ancestor's work". Instead, he fell down an elevator shaft to the Floor, killing him. His blood was used as ink by what remained of Auteur's spirit, allowing him to write his name over and over and thereby effect a regeneration. The reborn Auteur greeted Callum, Coloth and Maritsa after they made their way down to the Floor in their own, non-lethal way, then promptly attempted to complete his original ritual, only to be swallowed alive by the Bookwyrm, who had no interest in acting as his stooge. (PROSE: The Cactus and the Corpse ^[+]Loading...["The Cactus and the Corpse (short story)"])