In your Tome, this page is a mess. It looks like it has been re-drafted many times, with much of it being crossed out or illegible. Whatever this page used to be, it has been changed beyond recognition. What you do manage to make out reads as follows:
Libraries, for all their grandeur, are fragile structures. A simple spark can be enough to bring them down. In other words, they need protection. That's where we come in.
As Guardians, it is our mission to protect the Libraries from fires, floods, noisy Guests - indeed, anything that might ruin them. Or rather, it is our mission to ensure you, dear Chosen, possess the skills and supplies needed to provide such protection. Some of us are chatty, some silent; some keen to please, some not.
There are seven of us.
Find a list below, for reference.
You have already met the Serpent. They were the one who gave you this Tome. You will remember, I am sure, its long, winding body hiding amid boughs of ripe and tantalizing pears. Keen-eyed onlookers may have even spotted the Serpent’s head; if not for their glowing slit-pupiled eyes, then for the small, stylish berets they like to wear, even though they have trouble keeping them on. When they are not camouflaged amid the emerald leaves of the gigantic pear tree, their massive form is often found curving around its trunk or branches.
This proud, giant hedgehog is an academic… or that's what they call themselves. In reality, they are more of a bookkeeper, and a rather unreliable one at that. It is all too common for one to find Urick mumbling to themselves as they trot about the Library halls, only slightly panicked as they search for some important administrative record they've once again misplaced. This could be anything from a list of collections on dying languages to their own lunch break receipt. Regardless of what it is, it is most likely to be found on their back, stuck on their many, many quills. They keep their bejewelled spectacles on a chain around their neck, and even they seem to lose track of those.
Seems to be a regular hedgehog?
There are paw prints all over the entry.
The Gargoyles are brothers, or at least, you think they are. They aren't quite clear on that. They always seem to be arguing with each other and complaining about how things used to be. You get the feeling that one day in the distant past they were great winged stone beings, but nowadays, they are embodying increasingly weak creatures. Upset and dissatisfied, they usually take out their frustrations on other guardians or even Chosen, in the form of (usually) harmless pranks. It is hard to tell from talking to them that they have any motivation to save the Libraries at all. They just seem to be… enjoying, what little time they have left, in a sardonic way.
see page 29 for true happiness
you ruined my waffles!!!! adults SUCK!!!!!!
The youngest of the Guardians, Waffle is not the most sociable. “Shy,” you might call them. Or “feral.” You may choose which you deem more appropriate yourselves.
As per the notes they keep leaving in your Tomes despite receiving clear instructions not to do so, Waffle has one true love in life - and that is waffles. Rather strangely, they would rather eat them burnt.
Other particularities of the Masked Child include their telekinetic powers, and their artistic prowess. They would like everyone to know that they have made all their masks themselves, with no help from any adults.
You will often find Waffle hidden away in some unsuspectic corner or nook. Alternatively, they may choose to find you.
These two shadowy figures are usually lurking around the Restricted Zone. If you haven't heard or seen them yet, you have probably felt them. Cold spots? Icy patches? A breeze where there should be no airflow whatsoever? Sounds like the Monitors.
They have a nasty tendency to get up into people's personal space, boring into your body and mind with eyes of glowing white. If you stare into them too long… well.. you might feel them flicking through your memories. Searching, picking, plucking…
Lastly, there is myself. I was the first of the Guardians, and it is my duty to see that knowledge is preserved at all costs. I do not reveal myself often, but do not mistake by absence for negligence. It is a large Library, after all, and there is always more work to be done. But rest assured that when the need is great enough, I will be there to lend my aid.
The following writing appears to have been added in a different hand. The cursive is less slanted and archaic, more curling, neat and to the point. The ink is still fresh and glistening on the page of your Tome…
This has never happened before and, in the Original Book's stead, I will convey the most wondrous news. That a new Guardian has been born! From a… potted plant left behind in one of the Library Incarnations? Most of us are still fuzzy on the details of how this occurred.
The new Guardian, Sires Plant, seem to be producing both green and golden fruits of an, ahem, very spiky and stinky nature. They are called durian, I've been told. Hopefully, they bring the same effect as the pears and bless you Chosen with bountiful Skills.
Another entry appears, this one in a Comic Sans font. The text is large, well spaced, and easy to read.
In return for such a warm welcome, I feel it is only right that I return the favour. The Library has revealed the seventh and last Guardian, (although they have been here far longer than I) as Aster The Intern. Although there seems to have been some confusion as to the nature of their employment (including for Aster themselves), I can tell you all definitively that they are in fact a Guardian. As such, please respect them as you would any other Guardian.
They have been through a lot.
With the dismissal of the Gargoyles, for the first time in the history of the Library, a Chosen has been enlisted to take their place. Angelo and Angelo are winged creatures that resemble twins. Both with a set of fluffy wings that spring grotesquely from their backs. Gold writing covers their bodies.
One Angelo appears mostly human with an impeccable wig mostly fused to his skull and a forked tongue with sharp teeth and claws, a glowing aura of light shines behind them. The other is shadowy and pallid in complexion with black eyes and a willowy figure. They often hold hands, with the shadowy one hiding behind the other.
Taking over the duties of the Gargoyles, they control the usability of language and translation within the Library. Making sure all knowledge is readable and understood by all. They are the steward of lost languages and can be called upon for any linguistic queries.