Hallowed Vanguard

The library

William looked around the room, it was a large tall room used as the main library when the castle was still in use by the Hallowed vanguard. The old bookshelves were still stacked high with old large dusty tomes, with several rows of shelves reaching to the roof tall wooden spiral staircases to reach the highest shelves, William thought to himself that if he were to use one of the ladders it would give out under his weight and he'd plummet to the ground. His gaze shifted again and he saw his friends on the other side of the library the mages going through some old documents and tomes that looked in better condition then most of the ones on the shelves. He also saw Shania pacing back and forth a new sword hung at her waist.
      Calil and the healing mages(excluding Shania) sat around a slumped figure in the corner which William recognized as Erick, who now sported a large slash across his chest the mages worked to heal Erick's wound and keep him from bleeding out.
"W-what happened?" William managed to ask his throat was dry and his head hurt as though he just got clubbed by a goblin. Shania turned to William after he spoke and ran over slapping him across the face then embracing him in a hug,
    "You ass don't ever scare me like that again otherwise I'll kill you."

     "I love you too, but seriously what happened I don't remember anything after I charged that dead guy over there and then I woke up in some dreamscape thing with a horned man and his giant pet snake then after I managed to kill them I woke up again here."

     "You don't remember after we killed the Crimson Warrior, you just started laughing then you walked over to a wall solved some kind of puzzle that opened up a hidden part of the library with all the secret information about the Hallowed vanguard, then you looked at Erick chuckled and jumped at him slashing him across the chest then you came after me but Hunter knocked you back with a blast of air and you ran into one of the bookshelves and we tied you up"
   "I attacked Erick and you, I'm sorry but I think I was possessed by some sort of demon or something after I was stabbed in that ambush a while back."
William looks at Erick, tears welling in his eyes as he realizes what he did he then looks at Shania. "Well I see the mages over there studying, so did we learn anything?"
"Not yet we got a few leads but we need to find more" Shania responds as she unsheathes her new sword and cuts Williams bonds. "Nice sword where'd you get it?"William asks as she helps him up. "I got it from the dead guy" Shania responds motioning to the Crimson Warrior. "Cool now lets get looking for a clue or something." William says as he walks into the secret section of the library picking Oathkeeper off of a nearby table and sheathing it, before stepping into the room.
   William starts looking around the new room in the center there was a tree surrounded by shelves with beautiful carved spiral staircases leading to the upper level. "This could take awhile" he says as Shania walks up next to him. "Well then let's get started." Shania says as she walks over to a shelf and starts reading through the spines of the books and with a sigh William joins her, the thought of Erick and what happened on his mind.
   After a few hours of looking around and countless paper cuts. (Majority of which happened to William Shania laughing every time he got another one.) "let's take a small break and explore the room a little before I die of boredom." William says as he steps back from the shelves and rubs his eyes. "Just a small one because we need to get back as quick as possible." Shania says as she starts to wander around, William walks up to the tree and starts feeling the rough bark as he knocks three times on the wood he notices something.   
       "The tree, it's hallow." William says thinking out loud as he unsheathes Oathkeeper and starts to hack at the center of the tree. Shania jumps and lets out a startled gasp with the random outburst of violence to nature William commits as his sword cuts through the bark and he pulls out a small chest with a lock on it. William uses Oathkeeper to break the lock and opens the chest finding a map and a letter inside as Shania walks up behind him hugging him from behind as she reads the note with him over his shoulder.
"If you are reading this note then you have been sent here to find us by the Archmages of DragonHold it is likely that the Monster Horde of the great mountain Range have been spotted in the area the map provided with this note will lead you to us you will be put through a series of tests on your way here may the guardian watch over you as you find us and good luck."
William unfolded the map revealing a map of Ufria with a location near the great mountain range that separates the world in half rising even above the ocean waves. The mountain range is rumored to have one passage in it one that leads to the side of the good creatures, Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Fairies, Ents and other creatures like them and the other half is home to the monsters Orcs, Goblins, trolls, cyclops, and others. No one has ever been able to find this passage and most who look for it never returned it is also stated that on top the mountain is where the dragons live not letting anyone pass over. Even if one is to find the passage it is said that two feuding gods The Guardian and his twin brother The Defiler sit fighting and letting none pass monster nor man.