The small guard towers that sit in the four corners of the city,

provide access for the local guardsman mercenaries to patrol the

walls. The only way up to the walls is through one of these towers.

In more peaceful times, a guard might have been bribed to let you

slip outside unnoticed or past curfew, but in these more dangerous

times, they eyeball you suspiciously and won't let you go anywhere

near the stairs.