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. To gain entry to the halls of wisdom a visitor must gift the library collection with a new tome of immense value. The shrewd gatekeepers accepted tomes of no less than 1,000 gp.

The path to Candlekeep was called the Way of the Lion.

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. Legends said that he foresaw his own demise, and journeyed to Candlekeep to donate his records. He died the year after. By 82 DR, the sages had become so impressed by the accuracy of his predictions that they assigned thirty monks to a never-ending "Chant of the Unfulfilled Prophecies".

The Monks of Candlekeep
The monks of Candlekeep referred to themselves as The Avowed. As of 1372 DR, the Avowed were ruled by the Keeper of the Tomes, Ulraunt, and his assistant, First Reader Tethtoril.

The small community of monks and scholars residing in Candlekeep mainly favored Oghma, the god of knowledge, as well as the deities Deneir, Gond, and Milil.

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.