He led them farther into the room. It was clear that this area was in the deeper recesses of the archives, if only because of the shelves that were crammed with documents and books.

"I am afraid you'll have to excuse the mess," the Orc continued. "I am pretty much left to myself down here, and I must admit to being quite lacking in the area of cleanliness." He paused suddenly, turning to face them, "Not to say that I do not bathe, you understand, merely that I lack organizational skills." He turned back to continue his journey.

"Just down here," he pointed farther down the shelves, "is my work area. I have a few chairs around here somewhere." He pushed a stack of books onto the floor, revealing a rather comfortable, though dusty armchair. "There you are," he said, "I knew I'd find it if I moved a few things."

Athgar indicated that Natalia should take the chair while he remained standing.

"Now, what is it you wanted to see me about?" asked Tonfer.

"We're interested in pirates," said Athgar. "We were led to believe you're the expert in such matters."

"I am, among other things," the Orc replied. "Is there something in particular about them you would like to know?"

"We were wondering when the pirates started harassing the shipping in this area?"

"Ah, an interesting subject," the scholar said. "Of course piracy, in general, has been around since the dawn of man, but I assume you are referring to the Pirate Coast, in particular?"

"Yes," said Athgar.

"Let's see," said Tonfer, standing before a table heaped with books and papers. Digging through them, he produced a leather-bound tome that was held together by a thin strap. Undoing it, he opened the book to flip through the pages. "Here it is," he pronounced at last, "the first reported problems occurred about fifty years ago."

"What can you tell us about that time?" asked Natalia.

"According to my research," said the Orc, "they started preying on the merchant houses. The city council of Corassus called on the Church to eliminate the threat, but the Sisters refused, saying it was not within their purview."

"Sisters?" said Athgar. "Are you trying to tell me it was a group of women?"

"The Sisters of Saint Agnes are Temple Knights," the Orc defended, "not lay sisters."

"Then when did the Cunars arrive?" asked Natalia.

"Two years later," said Tonfer. "They were invited by the city council to take over control of the fortress. Of course, they expanded it significantly once they were in residence."

"Where did they come from?" asked Athgar. "Was the temple fleet already here, or did it arrive with them?"

"They were based in Ilea," said the scholar, "and yes, they brought the fleet with them, although they never chased down the pirates. If anything, the pirates grew bolder."

"I'm confused," said Natalia, "if the pirate raids were going on that long ago, where did they get their slaves?"