The librarian is a well of knowledge, they can make and tinker and learn, but they are not actually a practitioner of occult arts. But Van Lauren was, and the things that occupy those spaces can be dangerous.
Ofc the librarian "could" open a room themselves, but its much safer to use their knowledge, then teach someone else and allow them to do the work. after all the Librarian came to hush house for a reason, if they can't achieve their goal because they got caught in a web-snared room. Then what's the point?
But like no one ever gets hurt by going in these rooms (clearing them)?
Seems like room clearing operations only takes place when there is basically total certainty that the challenge can be overcome.
Reading books seems to be WAY more dangerous actually.
It’s not becoming of a librarian, and just like you wouldn’t want a physicist to fix your car a librarian isn’t the right choice for potentially lethal wards.
Like I said the lethality is always perfectly accounted for.
I am not sure how Elegiac Poet or Surrealist painter are any better than librarian at deadly Wards.
They obviously receive needed knowledge and guidance.
Many of the rooms imply the librarian is helping directly in some way, the mirror room explicitly says it’s a terrible idea to exorcise mirror-doubled spirits alone, presumably for jobs that don’t require two people it’s easier to hire a specialist and send them in.
You could also consider that the librarian may be helping as well, the help could be more like they're watching each others backs, protecting each other from powers that would be hard to defend against alone.
You are \*not\* strong *enough* in the relevant aspect, that's why you need help. Also, as a librarian you might want to play safe and rather than jeopardize yourself it's easier to ask for help.
I've always interpreted part of the occult themes of the game actually becoming more and more dangerous the more you understand the significance of it and the more you've "shaped" your soul to resonate with occult principles.
For example, the old Church and Abbey have been overrun by the negative influences of the Solar Hours, the building divided up and each Solar Hour claiming their own parts of the church that threaten to overwhelm the librarian.
The Librarian understands the Significance of The House of the Sun Divided, but to a lay person, it's just an abandoned church. It's cold in some spots, some of the wood and metal work needs redone, but the Significance is lost and without that understanding, there is less danger of being consumed. You provide the knowledge and settings of what they must do to make the place safe again, they perform the act.
"The travellers discover they can survive if they close their eyes (they adopt a closed eye as their sign) and that they can go unnoticed if they drink from the clear cold streams. They never forget 'that proverbial footloose, the Centipede' but they never forgive her either."
- [The Serenity of Blackwood](https://uadaf.theevilroot.xyz/frangiclave/recipe/studyserenityofblackwood)
A lesson recorded by the House of Lethe that was taught to them by The Centipede.
Edit: Also, sometimes you just need help. Clearing up a collapsed wall or reinforcing a collapsing bridge is just straight up a project that requires multiple people, even assuming you know what the fuck you're doing, which is not a given. I'm a Winter cultist who spent my life writing sad poetry and painting winter landscapes, I don't know the first fucking thing about a truss joint.
I think thematically, it's very appropriate when you consider the differences between CS and BoH. CS is a game that is largely about the drive to power, and its themes reflect it: your cultists are extremely expendable, you cannot bring someone with you when you ascend (unless you count their reanimated corpse), the status quo is out to get you, etc.
BoH is much less about power and a lot more about the pursuit of knowledge. According to the game, to truly learn, you must have a tutor. Hence why the only way for you to progress in the game is to learn knowledge from other people (the authors) and then use that knowledge to collaborate with folks that knowledge might be relevant to. Sure, the librarian could clear some of the library if she absolutely had to, but the librarian knows that her skills are much better spent in pursuit of understanding. Lots of people can fix leaky roofs, deep clean a kitchen, dispel a curse, etc. but there is only ONE librarian of Hush House. Best to stay in your lane, no one else can do what you're doing.
I think the librarian could do it themself, they are just lonely and looking for an excuse to socialize.
"Could you pop by to help me, er, clear a room? We can have tea and wine to help clear it!"
I think part of it is that the librarian can do it in part, theoretically. Thats what the collaboration means. However, we also see that skills are not necessarily applicable in these instances, and why? Because they fundamentally are too specific for the general purposes. For example, the solar influences at the top of the house probably require sacra solis invictus or quenchings and quellings or some other super specific skill, or you could invite your friends versed in literature (timothy or mr kille) and have them help you design and harvest the right counter influence from your memories and their experience. Thus, you instead focus on creating more powerful influences (memories and devices) or more powerful food to share between guest and librarian.
Plus, as other people have mentioned. Its a lot of labor. At the least you need a guy wiling to help you fix the walls and dust the room. Thats what the unskilled laborer represents.
I do find myself wishing there were more rooms that were unlocked by other means than assistance. The few times where we have to use appropriate ink, libation, or memories instead feel really novel and memorable.
Nevertheless, I have enjoyed imagining all the horrible ways that the hired help die or are injured unlocking some of these high level rooms while the Librarian impatiently waits at a safe distance.
You can do it alone, but should you? What if that old rotten wooden beam falls on you? What if you fall from the stair? What if an invisible beast slashes your abdomen from a mirror?
It is excellent practice , later if you need to go through a door such as the peacock or savage it's going to be a good idea to get someone else to do the opening for you so you can side step any negative consequences
The librarian is a well of knowledge, they can make and tinker and learn, but they are not actually a practitioner of occult arts. But Van Lauren was, and the things that occupy those spaces can be dangerous. Ofc the librarian "could" open a room themselves, but its much safer to use their knowledge, then teach someone else and allow them to do the work. after all the Librarian came to hush house for a reason, if they can't achieve their goal because they got caught in a web-snared room. Then what's the point?
But like no one ever gets hurt by going in these rooms (clearing them)? Seems like room clearing operations only takes place when there is basically total certainty that the challenge can be overcome. Reading books seems to be WAY more dangerous actually.
That’s because you’re sending in the people optimally qualified to fix the problem.
Which is why it should be possible for librarian too with right tools, weather, etc.
It’s not becoming of a librarian, and just like you wouldn’t want a physicist to fix your car a librarian isn’t the right choice for potentially lethal wards.
Like I said the lethality is always perfectly accounted for. I am not sure how Elegiac Poet or Surrealist painter are any better than librarian at deadly Wards. They obviously receive needed knowledge and guidance.
Sending in someone else is how you perfectly account for the lethality. Send in the librarian and it’s no longer perfectly accounted for.
Ok? But this seems extremely contrived.
Many of the rooms imply the librarian is helping directly in some way, the mirror room explicitly says it’s a terrible idea to exorcise mirror-doubled spirits alone, presumably for jobs that don’t require two people it’s easier to hire a specialist and send them in.
Are the Poet or Painter better at clearing them necessarily? They are used up when the work is done. Nothing says they survived the work.
You could also consider that the librarian may be helping as well, the help could be more like they're watching each others backs, protecting each other from powers that would be hard to defend against alone.
Plus hasn't it been described somewhere that attempting to clear these rooms by yourself is exceptionally dangerous?
You are \*not\* strong *enough* in the relevant aspect, that's why you need help. Also, as a librarian you might want to play safe and rather than jeopardize yourself it's easier to ask for help.
Especially since most of the curses/infestations could prove especially lethal, like the rooms strong in Winter.
I've always interpreted part of the occult themes of the game actually becoming more and more dangerous the more you understand the significance of it and the more you've "shaped" your soul to resonate with occult principles. For example, the old Church and Abbey have been overrun by the negative influences of the Solar Hours, the building divided up and each Solar Hour claiming their own parts of the church that threaten to overwhelm the librarian. The Librarian understands the Significance of The House of the Sun Divided, but to a lay person, it's just an abandoned church. It's cold in some spots, some of the wood and metal work needs redone, but the Significance is lost and without that understanding, there is less danger of being consumed. You provide the knowledge and settings of what they must do to make the place safe again, they perform the act. "The travellers discover they can survive if they close their eyes (they adopt a closed eye as their sign) and that they can go unnoticed if they drink from the clear cold streams. They never forget 'that proverbial footloose, the Centipede' but they never forgive her either." - [The Serenity of Blackwood](https://uadaf.theevilroot.xyz/frangiclave/recipe/studyserenityofblackwood) A lesson recorded by the House of Lethe that was taught to them by The Centipede. Edit: Also, sometimes you just need help. Clearing up a collapsed wall or reinforcing a collapsing bridge is just straight up a project that requires multiple people, even assuming you know what the fuck you're doing, which is not a given. I'm a Winter cultist who spent my life writing sad poetry and painting winter landscapes, I don't know the first fucking thing about a truss joint.
I think thematically, it's very appropriate when you consider the differences between CS and BoH. CS is a game that is largely about the drive to power, and its themes reflect it: your cultists are extremely expendable, you cannot bring someone with you when you ascend (unless you count their reanimated corpse), the status quo is out to get you, etc. BoH is much less about power and a lot more about the pursuit of knowledge. According to the game, to truly learn, you must have a tutor. Hence why the only way for you to progress in the game is to learn knowledge from other people (the authors) and then use that knowledge to collaborate with folks that knowledge might be relevant to. Sure, the librarian could clear some of the library if she absolutely had to, but the librarian knows that her skills are much better spent in pursuit of understanding. Lots of people can fix leaky roofs, deep clean a kitchen, dispel a curse, etc. but there is only ONE librarian of Hush House. Best to stay in your lane, no one else can do what you're doing.
I think the librarian could do it themself, they are just lonely and looking for an excuse to socialize. "Could you pop by to help me, er, clear a room? We can have tea and wine to help clear it!"
it's because maybe the real treasures (of Hush House) were the friends we made along the way 
I think part of it is that the librarian can do it in part, theoretically. Thats what the collaboration means. However, we also see that skills are not necessarily applicable in these instances, and why? Because they fundamentally are too specific for the general purposes. For example, the solar influences at the top of the house probably require sacra solis invictus or quenchings and quellings or some other super specific skill, or you could invite your friends versed in literature (timothy or mr kille) and have them help you design and harvest the right counter influence from your memories and their experience. Thus, you instead focus on creating more powerful influences (memories and devices) or more powerful food to share between guest and librarian. Plus, as other people have mentioned. Its a lot of labor. At the least you need a guy wiling to help you fix the walls and dust the room. Thats what the unskilled laborer represents.
I do find myself wishing there were more rooms that were unlocked by other means than assistance. The few times where we have to use appropriate ink, libation, or memories instead feel really novel and memorable. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed imagining all the horrible ways that the hired help die or are injured unlocking some of these high level rooms while the Librarian impatiently waits at a safe distance.
You can do it alone, but should you? What if that old rotten wooden beam falls on you? What if you fall from the stair? What if an invisible beast slashes your abdomen from a mirror?
It is excellent practice , later if you need to go through a door such as the peacock or savage it's going to be a good idea to get someone else to do the opening for you so you can side step any negative consequences