Those who destroy knowledge, with ink, fire, or sword, are themselves destroyed

- Candlekeep’s absolute rule

Candlekeep, the citadel of a thousand towers, the famous fortress-library of the Sword Coast, was founded circa -200 DR, making it one of the oldest structures along the Sword Coast.
It houses the world’s greatest collection of tomes and scrolls, and is best known as the house of Alaundo the Seer, who arrived at the library and established his tower there on 75 DR.
It is the only place in the world where the complete collection of Alaundo’s prophecies can be found written in his own handwriting, on their original scrolls.

It is said that the collection is so large and complex, that an entire tower is devoted just for the library’s index. In reality, there are several different libraries, each with its own index.

In the year of the turrets, a great host will come from the east like a plague of locusts. So sayeth the wise Alaundo.

Entrance

Entrance to Candlekeep is restricted. A visiting group must bring a rare and expensive tome, and no monetary fee is collected.
Once inside, reading rooms are given, but access to the actual libraries is often restricted as well, with monks (known as the Avowed) responsible for bringing the visitor copies of the requested materials.

The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sewn from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo.

The Endless Chant

The Endless Chant was a practice of dedicated monks, the Chanter and the four Voices, who recited Alaundo’s prophecies from start to finish in chronological order.
Though legends claim the Endless Chant is sang without pause, that is not the case. Though the practice is common, it is not a continuous song.