Nevercold Library

Lordday, 12 Winter, 175 II : I am woken in the night by the smell of smoke and the wailing of people. I left my bed and burst outside to see a smudge of orange reflected on the plume of smoke. I bolted from my bed to investigate the source, only to behold a tremble-inducing sight: the life's work of me and all of my colleagues in a raging inferno, and about to be lost to the ages.

— A journal found with a murdered researcher of the Nevercold Library

Nevercold Library used to be the centre of the growing Gratic colony of Evercold. The inhospitable landscape made it difficult to justify the growing academic presence in the area, but the Gratic Empire was very proud of its centre for learning. That is, until the terrible fire several years ago which not only destroyed most of the manuscripts inside, but set the city at each others' throats.

A Testament to Gratic Engineering

The original floorplan of the building was, ironically enough, one of the few things to survive the fire that claimed the structure. Due to the immense distance to the nearest Gratic stone quarries, the nearby forest was exploited to make the extremely durable beams and supports of the building. Wooden shutters were put over the windows, with plans to replace these with expensive glass once the owners procured the funding from the imperial government. 
It was set up to be a two story building, but budgetary constraints meant they only had a bottom level and a small attic space before the fire. In the main central chamber stood many bookshelves of important Gratic, Essic, Llenic, Hayim and dawr literature, non-fiction works on a variety of subjects and political pamphlets from every conceivable location in the world of Endaman. A few smaller rooms to the main chamber's wings had meeting rooms and study nooks, many of whom were occupied until the researcher offices could be completed. 

What Remains

The fire completely demolished the building, leaving very little to indicate that the structure had even stood in the area. A pair of stone columns supporting the collapsed attic are all that remains, the burned and charred wood being cleared years ago by the Icebreakers to be used in a display in the rebuilt building in the future. From time to time, bits of paper from the library are dug up in the chilly dirt, or found buried in snowdrifts that survive from year to year in this cold region.

RUINED STRUCTURE
12 Winter, 175 II

Alternative Names

The Gentleman's Library and Salon of the City of Nevercold (full name)

Type

Library

Parent Location

Nevercold

Owning Organization

Icebreakers

The Devastating Fire

No one is quite sure how the fire that claimed the Library began. The Icebreakers will swear up and down that it was arson on the part of their enemies, the Flamewreathed, while the Flamewreathed claim the opposite was the case. Others wonder if it was a saboteur from the Princedom of Llenir trying to destabilize the region. 
The fact of the matter is that the structure caught fire at some point during the night, and the fire's spread was much too rapid to have been a simple unattended torch. Despite desperate attempts to put out the blaze, it consumed the entire structure. It left only burned scraps and a few books behind of the collection inside, much to the sorrow of the academic community of the city.