> [!infobox|right] > #### Candlekeep > ![[5E_CANDLEKEEP.webp]] > > ##### Location Information > | | | > |---|---| > |![[ICON - bookmark-etch-solid-full.svg]] **Type**: | Fortress-Library | > |![[ICON - chess-rook-piece-sharp-solid-full.svg]] **Location**: | Western Faerûn,<br>[[Sword Coast]] | > |![[ICON - question-solid-full.svg]] **Status**: | Active,<br>Great Repository of Knowledge | > |![[ICON - hourglass-duotone-solid-full.svg]] **Founded**: | -200 DR | > |![[ICON - hourglass-duotone-solid-full.svg]] **Age**: | ~1700+ Years | > > #### Governance > | | | > |---|---| > |![[ICON - eclipse-solid-full.svg]] **Leadership**: | [[The Avowed]] | > |![[ICON - sparkle-solid-full.svg]] **Realm**: | [[Candlekeep]] | > |![[ICON - person-limbs-wide-solid-full.svg]] **Population**: | ~300 | <a href="https://dioctionary.net/THE+DIOCTIONARY/HOME/Home" class="dioctionary-ribbon-2"> HOME </a> <div class="dioctionary-ribbon">A Brief History</div> - [[Candlekeep]] rises from the windswept cliffs south of [[Baldur’s Gate]], its pale granite towers overlooking the sea like a fortress built not for conquest, but for the preservation of knowledge itself. Founded in -200 DR, the great fortress-library has endured for centuries as the largest repository of written lore in all of [[Faerûn]], protected by the scholars and wardens of [[The Avowed]], whose oaths and traditions predate even the rise of [[Cormyr]]. Entry into Candlekeep is tightly controlled through a single fortified gatehouse, with visitors required to offer a written work not already contained within its endless shelves before they are permitted entry. Beneath towering libraries and arcane sigils glowing softly against the night sky, the keep safeguards ancient histories, forbidden research, magical treatises, and secrets powerful enough to shape kingdoms. It was within these halls that [[Olivia Halcrest]] was born in 1413 DR, raised among scholars, scroll-vaults, and quiet stone corridors before ultimately abandoning the safety of Candlekeep in 1440 DR to answer the call of [[Tymora]] and join the wider world beyond its walls. Her departure would eventually alter the fate of [[Dio Eldwynair]], [[Silvercross]], and the [[Order of the Lucky Blades]] alike.