Candlekeep
Candlekeep is the grandest repository of knowledge in all the Realms. The great fortress library rests on a volcanic crag along thSword Coast, south of Baldur’s Gate and west of the Coast Way via its own dedicated, yet well-traveled, road called the Way of the Lion. Those who come to Candlekeep in search of knowledge are commonly referred to as supplicants. Most supplicants never make it past the front gates, for the price of entry is steep. Respected scholars, famous treasure hunters, and esteemed nobles have joined the ranks of countless supplicants turned away by the monks of the gate. However, every so often, a supplicant’s gift is deemed worthy, and the purple-robed parleying monk awards them the title of “seeker,” welcomes them inside the gate, and points them toward the Emerald Door. As the largest collection of scrolls, books, and other texts in the Forgotten Realms, the Great Library is home to untold secrets and coveted information. It is the duty of the Avowed to respect, maintain, and protect its bountiful lore, no matter how inconsequential it may appear, for where there is knowledge, there are those who seek to use it for evil purposes.
Government
Monastic
Defences
Magical wards, the Avowed, traps,
the ghost of an ancient silver dragon
History
Candlekeep was founded by two divinely
inspired human clerics in the Year of the Stonerising, −200 DR. Some scholars incorrectly
attribute Alaundo as the founder of the Sword
Coast’s library fortress, but the famous seer
arrived nearly 300 years after the first stone
was laid.
Called to Serve
Lavralauna Dree, Devout of Oghma, and
Cadelyn Forostaland, Light of Deneir, received
dream-visions from their deities which depicted
the pair erecting a seaside tower to house precious books. The tower would act as a great
archive, safeguarding the histories of Toril’s
civilizations—initially the societies of humans,
elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, though
the list would continue to grow—from wars
and other destructive forces. United under this
godly pursuit and a devotion to knowledge, the
two clerics fell in love and were later married.
The First Towers
Dree and Forostaland obeyed their gods and
set to work on the construction of the first
tower: a squat, massive cylindrical tower with
a roof of overlapping slates. Unable to accomplish this task alone, the couple hired local
gnome masons and halfling carpenters under
Oskalar Mallowstone and Lalradree Haeldrin,
respectively.
Before the tower was complete, two
wealthy clerics of Milil arrived at the site.
8 Welcome to Candlekeep
Avraelra Taelen and Rorlra Delhauntle had
received similar visions from their deity. Using
their abundant coin, the pair persuaded the
builders to begrudgingly erect a second tower
beside the first, and link the two together. Subsequent requests for additional towers followed
as worthy priests responded to omens sent by
Oghma, Deneir, Milil, and later, Gond. Most of
the gnome and halfling work crews, along with
the Four Founders, lived out their lives at Candlekeep as they made further expansions to the
ever-growing complex.
Notable Historical Events
In addition to its founding, Candlekeep has
been subjected to a number of invasions,
assaults, and infiltrations. These events heavily impacted the monastery and its members,
resulting in changes to its procedures, defenses,
and layout.
Calishite Wizards
In the Year of the Shieldtree (1181 DR), several bands of Calishite wizards attempted to
infiltrate Candlekeep and steal secrets within
its vault. They were destroyed or otherwise
driven back, only to make a swift return in
the Year of the Tomb (1182 DR). While the
wizards were unsuccessful in their endeavor,
their elaborate spells lead to the death of the
silver dragon guarding the caverns beneath
Candlekeep (for more information on Miirym,
the Sentinel Wyrm, see chapter 2, “The Library
Fortress”).
The Iron Crisis
In 1368 DR, a warrior by the name of Sarevok Anchev attempted to fan the fires of war
between Baldur’s Gate and Amn. Sarevok was
a leader within the mysterious Baldur’s Gate
merchant house, the Iron Throne. He was also
a Bhaalspawn, one of many mortal remnants
of Bhaal, the god of murder. Sarevok sought to
bring financial ruin to other prevalent Baldur’s
Gate iron merchants and earn the title of Grand
Duke, which he would use to officially declare
war on Amn, hoping such devastation would
propel him to godhood.
As part of his scheme, Sarevok visited Candlekeep a number of times, where he learned
about his divinity and the existence of another
Bhaalspawn known as Gorion’s Ward. Sarevok
then infiltrated Candlekeep along with a group
of doppelgangers hired to frame, and later, kill
Gorion’s Ward, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. After Sarevok’s death in Baldur’s Gate,
the doppelgangers on his payroll slowly vacated
the Citadel of Learning.
Confrontation at Candlekeep
During the Second Sundering (circa 1484 DR),
a tumultuous time of upheaval and restoration
for the Forgotten Realms, a cult of Asmodeus
assaulted Candlekeep to retrieve a foul scroll
penned by the Lord of the Nine Hells himself.
The scroll, which was stolen and hidden in the
Great Library by Mystra, contained compulsion
magic of immeasurable power. When Asmodeus learned of its whereabouts, he sent one of
his Chosen, a blue dragon named Valraun, to
penetrate the keep and fetch it. Valraun brought
an army of humanoids, doppelgangers, and
goblinoids to the keep. With the help of a sizable
number of adventurers, the Avowed raised the
Great Shield, a ward of incinerating white light
that repelled the cult from Candlekeep before
they could obtain the scroll.
Infiltration of the Avowed
Over the past twenty years or so, primarily in
the decade leading up to 1487 DR, a slew of
entities successfully infiltrated the ranks of the
Avowed. This included gods, spies on behalf of
their organizations (the Harpers, Moonstars,
and Shadovar, among others) and powerful
individuals such as the Seven Sisters. This corruption threatened the integrity of the Avowed,
and thus, the entirety of knowledge contained
within Candlekeep. Such subversions were
dealt with swiftly—and often violently—upon
discovery, leading to a swath of destructive
infighting within the library fortress. As a
result, Candlekeep underwent various physical
changes during reconstructive efforts.
Candlekeep Today
Thanks to its wards, walls, and devoted defenders, Candlekeep has never faltered in its pursuit
and defense of knowledge of all disciplines,
whether they be deemed sacred or trivial by the
rest of the world. As time took its toll on Candlekeep, descendants of the Avowed rebuilt it.
Sadly, the original towers have entirely vanished, their stones worked into the foundation of
the Great Library that stands today.
Interestingly enough, the collection and
maintenance of wisdom has had little effect on
daily life at the monastery. Though the Avowed
have endless secrets at their disposal, most
are simply absorbed and chronicled. Rarely do
monks subject the contents of scrolls and other
texts in the Great Library or its vaults below to
any sort of experimentation. To Friends of Candlekeep and any seekers fortunate enough to
pass through the Emerald Door on more than
one occasion, the Citadel of Learning appears
unchanged and undisturbed, like the many wellpreserved writings in its collection.
Architecture
Candlekeep rests atop a long, rising crag of volcanic rock that juts out into the Sea of Swords, whose waves crash against the rocks below. The steep, purple-black cliffside beneath the keep houses its catacombs within a network of caverns dotted with glowing lichens. The Castle of Tomes, as some call it, is surrounded by a high stone wall with but one apparent entrance: an arched gateway constructed from lightning-repellent black metal of an alloy dating back to ancient Netheril. Enclosed within the fortress wall is a complex of interconnected towers so crowded and plentiful that no monk has ever been able to get an accurate count of them, as the towers and their many overpasses obscure one another—no matter the vantage point.
Maps
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Candlekeep
Alternative Name(s)
The Library Fortress
Population
425
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
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