Candlekeep

Candlekeep was a towered fortress library that stood on a crag overlooking the Sea of Swords. The library was filled with books and scrolls of knowledge. It was the home of the great seer Alaundo who foresaw the coming of the Bhaalspawn, over a millennia before the crisis of the 14 century DR.

The keep's sigil was a castle emblazoned over a flame.

Description
Candlekeep rest atop a volcanic crag on a narrow peninsula that jutted out from the side of the Sword Coast. It was nestled onto the crag just few hundred paces from the cliffside overlooking the Sea of Swords. The path leading to its entrance was called the Way of the Lion, which extended from the Trade Way that ran along the Sword Coast.

The outer wall of the keep rose high above the ground of Faerûn, dotted with towers that ascended even higher still. The main entrance through this was wall was by a set of grand double-gates, that were three times as tall as a man and forged from a strange black metal that was impervious to lightning and magical divination. Within this protective perimeter was the strong, central keep that housed the Great Library, encircled by gardens, a stable and housing for the keep's citizens.

Weather
The western facade of Candlekeep was bombarded with mist and waters from the Sea of Swords, and became iced over during the freezing winter months. Several of the towers on this side had to be abandoned for part of the year due to this hazardous accumulation of frost.

Entry
To gain entry to the halls of wisdom a visitor had to present an "entrance-gift" to the library, a tome of immense value, great rarity or significant historical importance to add to their collection. While the shrewd gatekeepers typically accepted books worth no less than 1,000 gp, books containing particularly insightful annotations or journals of important persons have been accepted before.

The "friends of Candlekeep" were allowed entrance in to Candlekeep without offering an entrance-gift. Among these select individuals were certain archmages, priests of the deities Oghma, Deneir, Gond and Milil, along with both local and High Heralds alike.

Notable Locations

 * Great Library:
 * The great library of Candlekeep was considered to be the largest and most robust collection of scholarly writings, lore and knowledge in all of Faerûn. Conversely, its bookshelves also contained a seemingly endless amount of paltry and insignificant documents such as: recipes, inscribed song lyrics, journals of fairly unremarkable individuals and other such trivialities.


 * Vaults:
 * The vaults deep beneath the keep were said to contain such hidden knowledge that anyone who was able to discover and wield them, would gain power that was incomparable to anything known on Toril.

History
Although some sources stated that Candlekeep was originally the citadel of Alaundo, having grown around his small and humble tower, the keep actually predated the seer by some hundred years, having been founded c. -200 DR.

In 75 DR, Alaundo arrived in Candlekeep to study the writings kept there and got a reputation for his visions into the future.

Inhabitants
The monks of Candlekeep referred to themselves as the Avowed, servants sworn to protect the keep and the contents of its halls. As of the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, the Avowed were led by the Keeper of the Tomes, Ulraunt, and his assistant, First Reader Tethtoril.

Appearances

 * Candlekeep is the starting location for the protagonist in the CRPG Baldur's Gate. Likewise, it is the starting point for the novel based on the game.
 * In Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, Candlekeep is besieged by followers of Cyric as they strive to obtain the Cyrinishad carried by the paladin Gwydion Fleetfoot.
 * In The Lost Library of Cormanthyr, Candlekeep is the seat of an expedition to seek the lost library of Cormanthyr led by Baylee Arnvold.
 * In the Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion pack, Mask of the Betrayer, the developers developed a new Prestige class for players called the Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep, which allowed a spellcasting character to better focus their metamagic.