Candlekeep

Candlekeep is the famous library-fortress that stands proud as a bastion of enlightenment and knowledge on the Sword Coast. It houses a magnificent collection of books and scrolls of lore, considered the greatest collection of the writings in all of Faerûn. The keep is the home of the Avowed, a group of renowned scholars and people of learning, that rever great seer Alaundo and his collection of prophecies that forsee many great events that pass throughout the ongoing history of the Realms.

Candlekeep is a spectacular sight from the surrounding lands, a formidable fortress that comprises scores of towers, of varying heights and styles. The keep's skyline rises high above the coast, set within formidable, 50 ft (15 m) tall walls of stone and iron. Its numerous towers ascend into the skies above, creating a unique silhouette against the skies over the coastal sea.   The keep's enormous double gates, which stand three times as tall as a man, form its main entrance facing east. Its doors are forged from a strange black metal, each of which featured the sigil of Candlekeep, the image of castle with flames set atop each of its towers.   Immediately beyond the imposing front gates was the Court of Air, a vast cobblestone courtyard around which were Candlekeep's establishments and amenities that cater to visitors and "Seekers", those who arrived with the purpose of finding knowledge and wisdom.   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 is the Chamber of Lost Lore, an continually-illuminated room that allows those with permission to commune with long-deceased scholars and sages.

While Candlekeep does not possess a true government as a village of similarly-sized settlement might, the monks of the Avowed are led by a group of their order who ascended the ranks on a meritocratic basis. While all of the Avowed swear themselves to protect the keep and the contents of its halls, their leadership makes allowances for them to fulfil their duties with structure and order.