The Library of Torgos
At about 3 in the afternoon, their destination finally came into view as they crested a small hill. They could see the River Eros flowing to it's mouth, and there, they saw the white walls of Torgos. Much more striking however, was the huge tower that stood above the city, built out of the same white stone as the walls. Dwayne's breathe caught in his throat as he saw it, and a glean came over his eyes. "The Library of Torgos... what a sight!" His ears quivered with excitement at the prospect of actually going to that legendary centre of knowledge. "Calm down Dwayne," Ylgu glanced back at him over her shoulder, "They don't keep books on magic there, just boring scholarly stuff. Not even worth visiting I'd say. Just a pretty sight in the harbour." Dwayne's face fell at the words, ashamed at how childish he must've looked as he gazed at the tower's splendour.
Purpose / Function
The Library of Torgos is foremost library in Arador, and serves as both a place for the protection of knowledge, and for its inheritance from one generation of scholars to the next. It houses an impressive collection of tomes on matters of history, technology, genealogy, culture, and military tactics, as well as a large assortment of maps. There are a few imported works, but the Aradorians are less concerned with learning of others practices, and more concerned with the preservation of their own. Additionally, there are very few books on magic within the tower, as such matters are more the Academy's concern.
Originally, the tower was built as a defensive structure, and was the building around which Torgos was founded. During the Chaos Era, it served as Tor's southern frontier fortress, and was the first line of defence against attacks from the Southern Continents. After the Chaos Era, the amount of travel between continents lessened greatly, and the Erosians who inherited Arador after Tor departed, didn't see the need for a defensive fortress on the southern shores of their land. After a time when it was left empty, the Erosian scholars asked their king if their could use the old tower as their library, and it has stood as such ever since, not once needing to revert to its initial purpose.
Alterations
When the tower was converted from a fortress to a library, much of the fortifications were removed. The bridge leading to the island was made much more permanent, and the gates to the tower were ornamented rather than reinforced. Much of the interior remained the same, rooms and halls being re-purposed rather than remodelled, though some alterations were made to the decorations.
The chapel to Tor remains as it always was, and is still overseen constantly by a priest of Tor, though it is not the main centre of worship to Tor in the city, serving rather as a place for the scholars to worship without having to leave the library.
Architecture
The library is an impressively tall tower, the like of which would not be able to be recreated by today's architects. Made possible by the guidance of Tor himself, the tower rises up from a small island just off shore from Torgos, and is made from the same white stone as the walls and many of the buildings in the city. It is built with 14 sides, as many religiously inspired buildings are, and has three main tiers to its structure, each with a substantial landing atop it. At the peak of the tower, there is now a large beacon which is used by ships coming into the harbour as a lighthouse to guide them at night.
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