Candlekeep (CAN dull keep)

An overview of Candlekeep by Unknown

Purpose / Function

Candlekeep has the largest repository of written lore in Nehwon, including the collected prophecies of an ancient sage named Alaundo the Seer. Those compiled divinations make up a tiny fraction of the accumulated knowledge and secrets contained in the library’s vast collection.
Not all knowledge preserved in Candlekeep is of historical importance. The library holds thousands upon thousands of lost recipes, old songs, collections of folklore, and journals written by folks whose time has long since passed. The abundance of these ancillary works makes finding notable tomes an exercise in patience and perseverance. Fortunately, a legion of scholars and sages called the Avowed look after the library and remain vigilant in the care and cataloging of all the knowledge it holds.

Design

Candlekeep has invisible doorways to dozens of permanent extradimensional spaces, some as small as a room at an inn and others as large as the space created by a demiplane or Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion spell. The Avowed try to keep track of all the extradimensional spaces in Candlekeep, but a few forgotten doorways lurk in the library, their locations or access requirements lost. Valuable books, scrolls, and other items might be trapped inside these extradimensional spaces.
When an extradimensional space is rediscovered, it must be thoroughly explored, the resources within cataloged, and the space tested for its stability. When an extradimensional space is no longer needed or desired, the archmages of Candlekeep dispel it.

Alterations

Great Library

The Avowed transported the towers of the Great Library piecemeal from other locations and painstakingly reassembled them, creating a skyline of bristling spires in a panoply of architectural styles. Among the stone structures are a few towers made of stranger materials, such as infernal iron and the bones of a long-dead colossal red dragon.
Non-Avowed rarely enter the Great Library, but senior staff members occasionally bestow letters of admittance upon individuals of remarkable talent and impeccable reputation (including adventurers). These visitors may peruse the contents within, with an Avowed adjutant (a commoner) serving as their guide. Visitors are required to stay with their guide, since those unfamiliar with the library might become lost in its labyrinthine halls and extradimensional spaces.
The oldest of the library’s buildings are soaring stone affairs with floors crafted from lustrous dark wood and floor-to-ceiling shelves. Ceiling heights vary, ranging from as low as ten feet to as high as one hundred feet in the tallest towers. The Avowed use floating disks, each one large enough to hold three Medium creatures, to reach the highest shelves. Continual flame spells light the well-traveled areas, and the Avowed employ driftglobes when visiting remote sections. An intricate arrangement of mounted mirrors lights the upper reaches of the tallest chambers, reflecting sunlight by day or a continual flame spell on cloudy days or at nights.

Modrons

Candlekeep is a haven for thirteen rogue modrons (monodrones) that escaped from Mechanus. The Avowed struck a deal with the creatures, and they’ve been part of the library staff ever since. Working alongside the Avowed, the modrons catalog and shelve books, though each of them can manage only one book at a time.

Exaltation

The bastion of Exaltation is the tallest and most heavily defended structure in Candlekeep. From the citadel’s stone battlements, one can see over the walls of Candlekeep in every direction.
The Avowed live in Exaltation, and visitors are not welcome here unless they’ve made an extraordinary donation or performed a special favor for the Avowed, in which case they’re allowed a room and given strict instructions not to wander the halls without their assigned guides.
The halls of Exaltation connect to its classrooms, kitchens, bakeries, dining halls, shrines, workshops, offices, study halls, scriptoriums, and dormitories.
Bells rung at dawn mark the beginning of everyone’s daily routine, and bells rung at highsun and sundown signal the serving of lunch and dinner. These bells also denote the changing of the guard at the eastern gatehouse and the Emerald Door.

Architecture

The enormous double gates of Candlekeep are three times the height of a human and wrought of strange black metal magically warded to foil attempts to damage them. Both doors are emblazoned with the sigil of Candlekeep. One of the two gates stands open far enough to admit visitors during the day, and the other is kept shut.

Bird's eye view of Candlekeep by Chad Watson via Midjourney

To venture beyond the Court of Air into the sheltered Inner Ward of Candlekeep, Seekers have to pass through the magnificent, and magically-protected Emerald Door. The Inner Ward houses the Great Library of Candlekeep, the great repository of knowledge known far and wide across the Realms, along with the personal living quarters of the keep's Avowed.
Beneath the keep are a series of secured chambers used for spellcasting, catacombs, sewers, and subterranean passageways inhabited by unusual creatures. Deepest of these was the Chamber of Lost Lore, an continually-illuminated room that allows those with permission to commune with long-deceased scholars and sages.

Defenses

Candlekeep is fortified by a fifty-foot-tall, fifteen-foot-thick, iron-reinforced stone wall with a double gate facing east. Although most of the Avowed are humble scholars, a number of potent spellcasters fill critical posts. If trouble occurs, the Gatewarden (an archmage) and up to four mages arrive to investigate immediately. If they can’t bring the situation under control in short order, up to four additional archmages arrive to lend assistance.
Numerous magical defenses protect the library. The most innocuous include wards to protect the library’s books from mold, weevils, and other threats. Other protections are more dramatic, as discussed below.
Magic Restriction. Wards prevent anyone from entering Candlekeep by any route other than through the front gates. Any attempt to magically bypass these gates fails. These wards do not prevent creatures from using magic to exit Candlekeep.
Anyone who tries to fly over the wall into Candlekeep is stopped short. Magical flight is dispelled, and the subject floats slowly to the ground fifty feet outside the gates. An intangible ward forces creatures that can fly naturally to either land or circumnavigate Candlekeep altogether. Ordinary birds are unaffected by this ward.
Fire Suppression. Flames larger than a candle are suppressed within the keep. (The fireplace in the Hearth, Candlekeep’s tavern, is an exception.) Thus, any spell that creates fire is wasted if it is cast within the keep.
Theft Protection. Every book, scroll, and other work considered part of Candlekeep’s collection is magically protected against theft. Any such work that is removed from the keep disappears and immediately returns to its proper place in the library.

Shielding Mythal. From any location in Candlekeep, the Keeper of Tomes (see “The Avowed” later in this section) can activate a mythal—an exceptional, unbreakable magical effect—that envelops all of Candlekeep in a protective shield through which nothing but air and sound can pass.

History

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. 2500 RJ.
Alaundo arrived in Candlekeep in 2602 RJ to study the writings kept there and got a reputation for his visions into the future. Following his death, the keep became a sanctuary of knowledge, revering his prophecies and dedicating itself to the preservation of all available knowledge.

The sage Gorion and his ward Abdel leave Candlekeep.
During the Iron crisis, Sarevok Anchev infiltrated the Great Library during his quest for power and immortality. He filled Candlekeep's catacombs with doppelgangers that masqueraded as citizens of the fortress, along with those who were significant to his sibling and fellow Bhaalspawn Abdel Adrian, including his foster father Gorion.
As the calamitous Second Sundering wracked Mythan Belanore, the keep was beleaguered by wealthy citizens attempting to purchase shelter within its walls or foreign envoys who demanded arcane knowledge to shield themselves from the growing threats of the Realms. Numerous monks of the Avowed began to disappear,as a result of a years-long campaign of infiltration perpetrated by agents of the Shadovar.
In the Year of the Nether Mountain Scrolls, Candlekeep was literally besieged by a host of devils from the Nine Hells, led by a mage devoted to the archdevil Asmodeus.
The following year Candlekeep suffered an aerial assault carried out by a woman riding atop a black dragon, mysteriously attempting to go after one of the long-abandoned towers.
Just a few days later, the continued efforts of several parties seeking to gain control of the magical Weave energy stored in Candlekeep's mythal came to a violent conclusion. While the sage Elminster strived to personally guard over the wards of Candlekeep, Laeral and Alustriel Silverhand of the Moonstars sought to destroy them, in order to prevent them from being used by Shar and the Princes of Shade. Just as Maerandor the Shadovar began their attack, they were met by the Great Readers of the Avowed, and rebuffed in a great spell battle. After the spell battle broke out, the lich Larloch revealed himself to the monks of the keep, and deceived Elminster into essentially handing over control of the mythal's power.
Many Avowed were killed during this conflict, including several senior monks such as the Keeper of the Tomes.

Tourism

Orders of Accordance All who enter Candlekeep must agree to the Orders of Accordance, rules set forth by the senior staff to prevent misconduct. Violating one or more of these orders results in banishment from Candlekeep, and the banished are seldom allowed to return. The rules are simple:
No fighting. All arguments must follow the rules of cordial debate and discussion. Violent altercations are not tolerated.
No stealing. This rule applies to all objects in the keep, not just the library’s works.
No copying. Visitors are permitted to take notes while studying the library’s works, but anyone who wants to make a full copy of a work must pay to have the manuscript created by scribes at the House of the Binder.
No damaging, marking, or otherwise modifying the works. This rule doesn’t apply to privately owned books, scrolls, and other documents that aren’t part of Candlekeep’s collection.
Gaining Entrance Historically, to gain entry into the halls of wisdom, a petitioner had to present the seal of a renowned wizard, as well as 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 GR, books containing particularly insightful annotations or journals of important persons had been accepted before.
As of 3001 RJ, requirements for entry seem to have relaxed, and visitors to the library are only required to donate a book, scroll, or similar piece of writing not contained within the library.
The "friends of Candlekeep" are allowed entrance in to Candlekeep without offering an entrance-gift. Among these select individuals are certain archmages, priests of the deities Oghma, Deneir, Gond and Milil, along with both local and High Heralds alike.
Anyone entering the Inner Ward are required to possess special permission from leaders of the Avowed, in the form of a signed letter that can only be verified by the portal's Keeper.
Services Visitors granted entry into the keep are known as "Seekers", and referred to as "goodsir" or "goodlady" by the library's monks, if their name was unknown. These individuals are allowed to stay for one tenday, after which they are asked to leave and wait a full month before returning for another stay.
During their time in Candlekeep, Seekers can read specific books within the necessariums, but are not permitted to copy their contents. Inscription service are specifically provided by the Avowed, with copying and binding costs that range anywhere from 100 to over 10,000 GR and took upwards of several weeks to complete.
Seekers can solicit the wizened advice of Candlekeep's scholars for the substantial fee 2000 GR, double the standard rate for sages in the Realms beyond.

Notable Locations

by Unknown

Service Shops & Temples

• Erudite Outfitters & Clothiers, a tailor's and workshop that specialized in maintaining the robes and clothing of the keep's Avowed.

• House of the Binder, a scholarly workhouse provided various scribing services and even released an annual publication.

• Pillars of Pedagogy, the grouping of towers in which the Avowed researched the requests brought to them by Seekers.

• Smithy & Stables, an establishment run by Khe'ril Hammerbind, that offered smithy and stabling services, even for more exotic flying mounts.

• Temple of Oghma, the keep's holy house of the Lord of Knowledge.

Inns & Meeting Halls

• The Hearth, the keep's grand eating hall that allowed its guests to mingle with one another. It contained shrines to Deneir, Gond and Milil. The warm and cozy establishment was the successor of the former Candlekeep Inn

.

• House of Rest, a three-story simple bunk room that provided lodging for the keep's seekers.

• The Baths, a relatively humble bathhouse behind the House of Rest by the citadel's outer walls. It was open to seekers and its access to volcanically-heated water pumps was brag-worthy.

• The Warmwet, the volcanically-heated bathhouse open exclusively to the monks of Candlekeep, located deep beneath the sea-facing end of the citadel.

Landmarks

• Court of Air, a cobblestone courtyard of Candlekeep is kept rather simple and kept unadorned. While it was once decorated by a small grove and a terraced rock garden, it later became a meeting place set between buildings that catered to the visiting Seekers.

• Exaltation, the tallest tower of the keep that houses the personal residences of the Avowed.

• Great Library, what is considered to be the largest and most comprehensive collection of scholarly writings, lore and knowledge in all of Nehwon. It addition to the great works and rare tome found within, the Great Library holds a seemingly endless amount of paltry and insignificant documents such as recipes, inscribed song lyrics, journals of fairly unremarkable individuals and other such trivial writings. It holds a dozen towers, known as "necessariums", that offers seekers ample place to study and read in peace.

• Vaults, the subterranean chambers that are 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 Nehwon. They also house stores of essentials for daily life, enough for the population of the keep to withstand a months-long siege.

• The Everwinding Stair led to study areas for the monks.

In addition to these buildings the keep houses a warehouse, several granaries, and an infirmary.

Type

Library

Parent Location

Mythan Belanore

Connected Rooms

• Beneath Candlekeep

Owning Organization

The Avowed

Characters in Location

• Charles

Inhabitants

Candlekeep Researchers by Chad Watson via Midjourney

Scholars of all races and backgrounds, even those from other planes of existence, are granted a place in Candlekeep, so long as they abided by the Orders of Accordance. The Avowed counted Humans, tieflings, dragonborn, and even githzerai among its members, and at least one ogre scholar are granted residence within the keep's walls. There are even a small number of modrons granted safe harbor in Candlekeep, far away from their home plane of Mechanus.
The subterranean vaults guards by the ghost of the silver dragon Miirym the Sentinel Wyrm, who is bound to defend Candlekeep and the Avowed by the great sorcerer Torth.

Notable Inhabitants

2800-2900 RJ

• Eltrivyn, the sage who aided those who exhibited innate magical powers and did not inflict harm upon others.

• Ulraunt, the haughty Keeper of the Tomes.

• Tethtoril, a learned and wise man who served as the First Reader.

2900-Current RJ

• Janussi, Keeper of the Tomes and devotee of Deneir.

• Skoda Valanaster, the keep's First Reader.

• Little One, an ogre granted intelligence that spends most of his time alone in study.

• Klaeleth, Norldrin, Chethil, Guldor, and Aumdras, are old Avowed that served as cooks or wardens. They are well regarded at Candlekeep, but do not hold supervisory duties.

• Great Reader Albaeron Thalion.

• Chanter Nabeirion.

The First Reader, who harbors much pride, and whose knowledge of Candlekeep's wards is second only to the Keeper of the Tomes.