Nathaniel walked to the library dome which was a room with keyhole shaped floor plan, walled by rows of marble bookcases. There were books, scrolls and even works of art rolled up on the shelves. At the very centre of the room, the round part of the keyhole, was a circular table where an old man was sat in his toga, reading a fairly large book. He was short and thin, making him look frail but his hair was full and bright white, covering the crest of his head. "Are you Ogwyn?" He asked, breaking the silence of the room. The man peered up at him and answered with a simple yes. "I wish to use the library," continued Nathaniel.
"Well you are in it so you can use it at your leisure. A city guardsman is always welcome in these halls," he said, repeating the words of his colleague from the large dome.
Nathaniel looked at the nearest marble shelf. Carved into the end face was the word 'Poetry'. Although he did not think he would find what he was after on that shelf, it did help to show him how to find the categories. Each marble shelf followed the next around the circumference of the table at the centre. He walked round the shelves clockwise scanning the word on each face. He stopped when he reached 'History'. Perhaps there would be something in there. Some mention of dark elves to help him prove his sanity to his friend and the commander. Then he could take it to the ministry and get the city to prepare for the attack. But where in this huge tower of books, all designated 'History', would he find the answers he was looking for. "It is in chronological order, starting at that end and working its way up," said Ogwyn, who had silently crept up behind him.
Beginning with the oldest document did seem like the best idea but by the huge volume of material he would have to read, it would take him days if not weeks of solid reading to get through it all. He walked to the very end and stopped, sighing deeply. He took the first three books, large tomes with faded covers, and carried them to the centre table. The first book began several decades after the completion of the city and its defences. It described how the armies of Ollorath had rid the land of trolls, back when it was the capital of the kingdom, now The Great Republic. The book moved through the full line of kings up to the last of the line, though he never actually became king. There was however no mention of any kind of dark elf or even wizard for that matter. This book was of no help and so he moved onto the next.
This book then described how the last king had granted the formation of the republic on his deathbed. Removing the chance for his son to reign as king. The boy was then banished from the republic and was believed to have sought refuge in the neighbouring kingdoms. The book then outlined the early years of the republic and the construction of the ministry upon the sight of the old royal palace. The masonry from the palace was in fact used for the construction of the senate. Again that book had nothing in it regarding any kind of unusual creatures. The third book he had collected was the second volume of the second book and once again was useless to him.
Nathaniel made several trips back and forth between the shelves and the table, picking up more books to try and speed his research. His day continued the same way, carrying books back and only to discover nothing with regards to this lethal enemy. It was easy to lose track of the time and the daylight began to wane away and with it his reading light. Ogwyn went around lighting candles in the library, which did very little to actually illuminate the room, but Nathaniel could manage as he read on through further books. He must have covered what felt like a thousand years of history with not one mention of anything helpful to him.
It was frustrating but he continued to read on through the enormous series of books. He read well on into the night and saw the sun rise again as he worked his way up the shelves of historical material. When the sunlight lit the room, he took a minute to give his eyes some rest. He then noticed that Ogwyn had been sat with him the whole time. He was unsure whether it was out of curiosity, distrust or just that he had nowhere else really to be. Either way he sat across the table reading books. Ogwyn momentarily brought his gaze up and noticed Nathaniel's tired eyes staring up at him. He then looked back up and offered Nathaniel some help in finding what he was after.
Nathaniel took a deep breath looking him dead in the eyes and asked, "Do you believe in magic Ogwyn?" To which Ogwyn did not seem to react.
"Few of us scholars over the years have dabbled in alchemy. The rewards are fruitless." He replied. Nathaniel frowned,
"I am not talking about alchemy, I meant magic,"
"Good, I was making sure. People round here think that you are mad when you talk about magic," replied Ogwyn with a look of mischief on his face. "Perhaps what you are after lies within that section there," he added, pointing a stubby finger at the shelf directly behind Nathaniel. He turned his head slowly and read aloud the word 'Architecture'. "Here let me show you," finished the scholar walking over and reaching up to a roll of old papers, which he dropped on the table in front of Nathaniel.
The top paper sat bowed upward before him. Placing his hands down the left and right edges he held it flat and began to examine it. Drawn onto the paper was a layout of the city walls. It showed how the seven guard towers were spaced evenly around the city and how the walls, instead of joining into the towers, swerved around them. The multiple tiers of the walls were then connected to the towers by small bridge-ways. It was a beautifully drawn image, exactly matching the actual construction. Over the next leaf it showed something quite strange. Underground tunnels, fanning around the central hill and connected to the old palace, inter-connected the seven towers.
Before he continued to read on through the papers he had questions burning in him that he needed answers for. As a guardsman he should know every detail of the city defences but he had no knowledge of these secret tunnels that lay beneath the city streets. "What are these?" he asked, pointing to the tunnel diagram.
"Tunnels," replied Ogwyn, stating the obvious. "They were put in place to allow the guard to travel fast to where they are needed most, and also to protect the king." He added. It made sense to have these defences, but he wanted to know why they came into disuse, a question to which the scholar had the answer. "The passages were built for the king by the elves as legend would have it. The doors in each tower can only be opened with the right key," he explained. "The tower captains and commander of the guard were each given a key. After the republic was established their purpose was soon forgotten and the keys were buried with their owner after they died." Finished Ogwyn. If he could recover one of the keys it could certainly help in the oncoming battle.
This scholar Ogwyn seemed like he could be trusted with the knowledge of the growing threat in the mountains, but he would be just as unlikely to be believed. Man had grown stubborn in their disbelief of magic. Nevertheless Nathaniel explained to him what he had seen and what was coming. Ogwyn was the first person to believe him, claiming that the return of magic to the land was inevitable and that he was glad it was in his time. Nathaniel tried to counter his opinion saying that the return of magic had brought with it other devastating forces, which could destroy the great city and all those dwelling within the walls. Ogwyn then expressed his interest in Torstein. He had clearly read every single book in that library, which must have taken years. But he had never heard mention of wizards and was unsure if they were just beings of legend.
"I have been librarian for thirty eight years. The next longest term of service is six years. Do you know why I have not given up my position as librarian?" asked Ogwyn.
"I suppose because you like books," Nathaniel joked,
"Yes I suppose," laughed Ogwyn, "But it is more because of what they say." Nathaniel was confused as to what he meant and his expression must have shown it. "You could look at those pictures all day and have no idea how to access the tunnels. But if you look beyond the pictures, beyond the text, the solution is hiding there, for those with the imagination to find it." He finished still leaving Nathaniel confused. He may have been a confusing man, more so than Torstein at times, but he was a good ally to have and as an esteemed and learned man he would be very helpful.
Ogwyn continued his questioning of Nathaniel, asking awkward questions, to which he was not sure how to answer. "Do you know why the city guard is so well respected?" he asked and Nathaniel could only shake his head in reply. He knew he would not give the answer Ogwyn was looking for and so he did not even attempt to try. "The guard was established as the first stones of the city were laid. It is the oldest establishment in Ollorath and has stood the test of time, loyal only to the city. Even putting it before the king at times." He answered for Nathaniel. "Over a thousand years of history and heritage and the city guard has seen it all and protected the city every day since its creation." This seemed like some other sort of riddle. Why it was relevant was not clear to Nathaniel.
His mind was now thinking about how to recover one of the tower keys. He would have to find out who the last tower captains were to hold them and where they were buried. He had an idea how long ago it might be, since it could not be before the formation of the Republic. A captain of the city guard would usually be buried in the guardsman's hall of remembrance. A tower captain would be buried in the long gallery of the hall of remembrance. The crypts beneath the hall must have gone several levels deep to accommodate all of the guardsmen who had died heroically or serving as captain. Ogwyn had no clue as to the names of the last tower captain's to hold the keys. He did however mention that during the days of the kingdom, the tower captain's were buried in a sarcophagus, which bore a statue lying on top, which was a likeness to the man enclosed. If the captain was buried with the key then the sarcophagus should show it worn around the statue's neck. However the practice of carving the elaborate statues ended sometime with the birth of the republic.
The dates were too close to call but it might help Nathaniel in his search. Ogwyn had guessed that grave robbing was his purpose and did not seem to show any concern for his plans to vandalise the crypts. Even if he did not break into the sarcophaguses now, doing the research to find them now would be useful for when the time came that he needed to use them. With the building of this large army in the mountains it would probably be quite soon that he would need to use the tunnels too. Having the knowledge now meant he had time to prepare for the attack, but how much time he had, he was still unsure of. He needed to make sure that the city was ready when the army came. Whatever creatures fouler and darker than goblins and dark elves, which were coming, the city needed to be ready for. Somehow he had to make them all believe before it was too late.
As Nathaniel walked back through the large dome he could feel the eyes of the scholars watching him curiously. He was glad to be outside again in the open air and sun. Having been inside the stuffy library for so long, he appreciated far more than usual the refreshing feeling of the breeze on his face. He descended the hill back the way he had come, passing the courts and market and winding back through the richer streets to the foot of the hill. The hall of remembrance was at the top of the white square, south of the hill. The streets leading south were built of rough stone and oak beams. They had wooden window shutters and the older ones tended to lean slightly. Some of the houses had support bars between them so that the houses would lean together and hold each other up. Across the streets, tied to the rafters were washing lines with people's shirts and trousers hanging down and swinging lightly in the wind.
Moving further south through the streets the houses had upper levels of wattle and daub painted in whitewash or a tanned yellow. The windows had flower baskets blooming with colour and shutters painted in various colours. As he grew closer to the square the houses began to look richer. Soon they were built from smooth stone or carved bricks and were larger than the earlier houses. To a foreigner the streets of the city were like a rabbit warren, but to anyone living there, it was a well-known string of roads, circling the hill. As a man of the city guard, Nathaniel knew the streets better than an ordinary citizen and could get across the city by the fastest and shortest route. He also knew the look and smells of each street, if he was blindfolded and led to a random spot in the city, he would have his location in seconds and be finding his way back moments after.