High Temple of Mystra

The High Temple of Mystra on Mount Talath was said by some to be the center of all magic in Halruaa. It contained one of the largest storehouses and libraries of magic in all Faerûn.

Location
The temple was built near the summit of Mount Talath and within the caverns below its surface.

Structure
The temple was an impressive many-spired structure of stone with crystal walls. The architecture was such that some parts of the structure could not possibly stand without the aid of magic, such as walls of force. Some of its towers seemed impossibly tall.

Services and Activities
Anyone wishing to worship Mystra was granted free access to a limited area of the temple designated for such worship.

Although it functioned as a normal temple of Mystra, the temple of Mount Talath's library was its primary draw for visitors. Visitors not native to Halruaa were subjected to a thorough magical screening process. Even if they passed these tests, they had only limited access to the vaults and library below. Members of the Council of Elders were permitted access to most levels, but other guests were restricted to certain areas. Non-natives were required to pay 1,500 gold pieces worth of coin, jewels or magic items to enter the library. From here, such visitors had limited access to a private store of magical lore. For an additional 200 gold pieces per day, visitors could request access to specific tomes and peruse them in peace in reading rooms as long as they agreed to be watched by a lorekeeper.

These tomes were brought up from a cavern complex built under the temple in the rock of the mountain itself. None but the temple clergy had access to this section, and it was well-warded against would-be thieves. So vast was the collection, that it could sometimes take as long as five or six years for a wizard to find the information he or she was looking for, and some diviners dedicated their entire lives to inventing new spells simply for locating information with the temple's caverns. It was generally believed that no one truly knew how much knowledge the library contained.

Defenses
The temple was full of protective abjuration magics. Thieves and spies were regularly found in the caverns burnt or frozen to death or simply as piles of dust.

In addition to the magical protections of the temple itself, the fortress of Talathgard at the base of the mountain protected it from unwanted visitors.

Rumors and Legends
The Cult of the Shattered Peak was believed to have at least one agent among those living in the village, as there was much lore on the magic of Netheril contained within the caverns.

Inhabitants
In 1373 DR, the temple's high priestess was the powerful cleric Greila Sontoin, but she was very old.

A small town surrounded the temple complex and housed its staff.

Appearances

 * Anauroch: The Empire of Shade