One thing I'm still confused by:
How do the novices know what book to request next?
The books they are borrowing are codices vitae right? And they take then away and crack their code right? Doesn't that just give them the decrypted life story of a bound member? How do they know whose codex vitae to request next?
Actually, now that I think of it, are they always returning a book when they pick up a new one?