THE DEADWINTER PROPHECY 101 The library’s central hall features a lava pool and fountain, and the air is thick and hot throughout the structure. Indeed, many Avowed forgo their sense of unease to visit the library in winter, when it is one of the warmest places in Candlekeep. Curator: Sylvira Savikas Librarian: Gruxlug the Tiny is a small, bentover half-orc warlock of the fiend, who shuffles around the library muttering to himself. He doesn’t like visitors. CANDLEKEEP COMPANION This lore adds to and adapts from that published in Elminster’s Candlekeep Companion, which you can buy on the DMs Guild. PAVILION NATURALIS This library dedicated to natural sciences is crowned with the translucent spiralling shell of a vast mollusk, and visitors may walk up this shell and consult the books that are shelved here. The building stores Candlekeep’s largest collection of books on flora and fauna, and also contains hundreds of display cases of fossils, dead insects and stuffed lizards, while illusionary butterflies and humming birds flit through the air. The pavilion has a central hall where the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex have been reconstructed to create an impressive, life-size display. Curator: Kazryn Nyantani Librarian: Frondu, a wisened firbolg obsessed with the bizarre mating habits of various creepy crawlies. THE ATHENEUM The Atheneum is a large complex of buildings in the north section of the Inner Ward that house libraries to do with politics, history and society. Some of the most visited include: TEMPLE OF LAW This triangular-roofed building sits atop of a doughty bastion and contains all manner of legal manuscripts and codices by leaders of empires and kingdoms past and present. THE ECHOING HALL This towering, domed rotunda contains floor upon floor of historical tomes, surrounding a large central well. The footsteps of scholars echo loudly throughout the library long after they’ve stood still, reminding scholars that the echoes of history can still be felt in the present. HERITAGE HOUSE This building resembles a merchant’s townhouse and sits next to the Echoing Hall. It serves as a repository of cultures and traditions from every corner of Faerûn. Many of its tomes were penned by travelling bards and scholars often have trouble separating fact from fiction. Curator: Fheminor Scrivenbark Librarian: Longwalker, a broad-chested goliath whose obsession with health and safety is at odds with their love of the brutal sport of Casketball. DRAKONOIKOS The preserved remains of an ancient red dragon called Fyrentennimar is reinforced with stonework in this library of dragonrelated tomes and manuscripts. Several rooms are made entirely of the wyrm’s hollowed out carcass, with bones for pillars and scales for walls, ceiling and floor. One contentious chamber within the library contains the “Dragon Breath Simulation Room”, constructed many years ago by a wizardly member of the Avowed who wanted to know if he could survive the impact of a dragon’s breath weapon. The room contains five very lifelike taxidermied heads, arranged above the entrance: one of each of an adult white, black, red, green and blue dragon. Anyone wishing to test their endurance can enter and stand opposite these heads and call out their chosen
CANDLEKEEP MURDERS 102 colour in draconic. Should they do so, they must make a Constitution save against the selected dragon’s breath weapon (note: the resulting dragon breath is illusory, but it feels VERY real!). If they are not reduced to 0 hit points by the illusion, then they survive without losing any hit point, but take one level of exhaustion, recovered on a short rest. If the illusion reduces them to 0 hit points, they fall unconscious, taking psychic damage instead of the dragonbreath’s usual damage. They don’t have to make death saving throws to regain consciousness, but when they do so they have half their usual hit points and two levels of exhaustion, only one of which can be recovered on a short rest. Curator: Bookwyrm Librarian: Thava Norixius is an elderly dragonborn mage and arguably the world’s leading dragon scholar. CANDLEKEEP COMPANION This lore adds to and adapts from that published in Candlekeep Companion, which you can buy on the DMs Guild. THE SCHOOL OF DRAMA This purple-roofed building has a pentagonal heart, annexed to which are four distinct wings. Each wing is dedicated to a school of theatre, namely: romance, tragedy, comedy and historic drama, and each contains thousands of works in that style. The pentagonal heart contains a Grand Entry Hall on the ground level, and a theatre on the second level. A magical statue of the renowned halfling bard, Batbayar, in the Entry Hall, bows if anyone applauds him. Curator: Daral Yashenti Librarian: Kitt Remington, an extravagant tabaxi who likes to perform lengthy monologues from his favourite plays to no one in particular. THE PILLARS OF POETRY The Pillars of Poetry are dedicated to verse, with each of the four pillars housing a specific style of works, namely: epic, satirical, erotic and eulogistic. Between the pillars, on the roof, is mounted a huge golden statue of legendary scholar-poet, Lyronell, presenting the heavens with a book of his verses. Curator: Daral Yashenti Librarian: Symonas, a willowy young wood elf scribe who is so shy they hide behind shelf and pillar to avoid having to talk to visitors. THE TOWER OF TALL TALES This tall weathered tower, with blue-green conical roof, is Candlekeep’s foremost repository of fiction. Many scholars consider these works (many of which purport to tell true stories) as worthless, while others delight in the fantastic fables and the imagination of their authors. Heated debates sometimes take place amongst Loremasters and Great Readers about whether to give credence to an author’s work, or to consign their volumes to this oft derided collection. Curator: None Librarian: Hobert, a pudgy halfling who imagines himself to be the hero in many of the tower’s tales, sliding along the smooth flagstones and sparring with an invisible rapier as he reads aloud. EAST INNER WARD The East Inner Ward is a diverse corner of Candlekeep, with several highly specialised libraries. THE HALL OF MOMENTOUS DEEDS The Hall of Momentous Deeds is a library dedicated to famous heroes and adventurers, and features tens of thousands of hagiographies of significant individuals through the ages, and accounts of their exploits. THE WHISPERING DOME Atop of the library’s enormous square base, sits the Whispering Dome, a large golden hollow with the ability to magically inspire
THE DEADWINTER PROPHECY 103 those that enter, drawing from the many heroic words contained within the library’s texts. To be inspired, a creature must enter the dome alone and meditate there in silence for 1 minute. In return the hallowed words of a long dead hero will whisper throughout the dome and exhort the listener to greater deeds. If a player observes this ritual, roll on the Words of Inspiration table, or simply select an appropriate phrase for them. The benefit is a one time benefit, and a creature can only be inspired by one quote at a time. Curator: Fheminor Scrivenbark Librarian: Essavorn, a phlegmatic half elf who has lost his lust for life. THE MELODROME The Melodrome is built in the style of a municipal hall with modern glass windows and terracotta tiled roof. It is a library of countless songs and verses through the ages, the majority in human, elven, or dwarvish tongues. The library’s curators through the ages have prioritised texts with neumes or other music notation, so that the song’s melodies can be preserved for posterity. JOOK’S BOX Undoubtedly the library’s most notable feature is the strange-looking contraption at the top of the Melodrome’s single turret, designed by a music-loving wizard named Jook, many centuries ago. Jook’s Box, as it is known, is capable of playing any tune held within the library, using a silver piece as a material component to power the magic melody. One must simply insert the coin into a slot in the contraption and name the song. At this point, the tiny top floor of the Melodrome’s turret WHISPERING DOME - WORDS OF INSPIRATION d8 Inspiring Quote Hero One-Time Effect 1 “The words of one well-spoken woman can achieve more than the deeds of a thousand well-armed men.” Erika the bard You are inspired by a new line of argument. You can reroll one Charisma check you fail. 2 “What doesn’t kill you better be a fast runner.” Henrik the barbarian You gain advantage on all your attack rolls for one round against a single target that has already attacked you in combat. 3 “If you can conquer your fear, you can conquer the Nine Hells and beyond.” Estelle the paladin You can reroll one failed saving throw against being frightened with advantage. 4 “The bigger they are, the more important it is to hit them in the balls…” Ollie the rogue If you roll a 19 against a creature at least one size larger than you, you may treat it as a critical hit. 5 “Life is short, glory is eternal…” Jamelia the fighter You may use your choice of a reaction or bonus action to gain a number of temporary hit points equal to 3d6 plus your level. These hit points are lost if you retreat from combat. 6 “If first you don’t succeed, ask the gods for help!” Saswyn the cleric If you fail on an ability check to complete a task, on the following round you may attempt the same check with advantage. 7 “Fortune favours the rogue.” Killian the pirate You gain advantage on one Stealth, Deception or Sleight of Hand ability check. If you succeed on that check you may gain advantage on a second related task, at the DM’s discretion. 8 “The Weave never runs dry… sometimes you just have to dig deep to use it.” Lavinia, the wizard If you run out of spell slots, you may regain one spell slot of your highest level (maximum 5th). When you cast a spell using this regained slot you gain a level of exhaustion.
CANDLEKEEP MURDERS 104 magically expands so that whoever activated the box finds themselves in a large auditorium surrounded by an ethereal orchestra of legendary bards of the past and their various instruments. The bards seem composed of light and are sucked back into the box when the song ends, while the room returns to its usual dimensions. Curator: Daral Yashenti Librarian: Vedda, a rebellious 20-something human who ignores their duties in order to concentrate on composing their own tunes. THE ASTRONOMICON One of Candlekeep’s most distinctive constructions, the Astronomicon is fashioned from a series of opaque blue globes protruding from a base blue dome. It functions as an observatory and astronomical library in one. The astronomical library occupies the building’s ground floor dome, and is notable for its zero gravity field. The library’s books float freely around the dome, encased in glassy forcefields that are solid to the touch. To open these bubble-cases one must press one’s palms upon them for 5 seconds, after which they yield their contents and a scholar can read the book while floating around the dome. When a book is released a bubble forcefield forms around it once more. THE ORRERY The Astromonicon’s largest globe is called the Orrery. This is also a zero gravity space and features a vast three-dimensional animated illusion of the all known planets, moons and solar bodies in the immediate galaxy. STARGAZER The highest positioned globe of the Astronomicon features a giant telescope, which certain members of the Avowed used to track the movement of the planets. The globe, known as Stargazer, splits open to allow unfettered access to the night skies. Curator: Kazryn Nyantani Librarian: Rodry, an earnest young dwarf. COMBAT IN ZERO GRAVITY If combat breaks out in the Astronomicon consider how zero gravity might affect the combatants. Movement would depend on leverage and changes of direction, midmove, would be almost impossible to pull off. Clashes of blades might send foes spinning off in opposite directions (making the grapple attack an important option). The floating, bubble-encased books are not heavy enough to affect movement, but offer an unpredictable amount of cover to range attacks (all ranged attacks suffer a 1d6 penalty on the roll to simulate this shifting cover). THE OVAL THEATRE The Oval Theatre is a partially covered rink, with tiered seating surrounding an oval stage. The theatre is used by the Avowed to stage plays and other artistic performances, but it is never as lively as when the order’s favourite sport, Casketball, is being played. Teams of four or five compete to throw or slam a heavy, leatherbound cork ball into the opposing team’s casket. Punching, gouging and casting spells are all forbidden, but pretty much anything else goes in this important physical outlet for the usually cerebral monks. THE ROTUNDA The Rotunda is a library of cartography with thousands of maps of Faerûn and beyond, located on the eastern wall of the Inner Ward, just west of the Pillars of Pedagogy. Most of the maps held within are stunning to behold, although some are rather fanciful (viz. wildly inaccurate). The Rotunda’s most important maps are displayed behind protective glass, on the walls. One of them is a map of Candlekeep itself (although as it is over 50 years old, it is rather out of date). Curator: Alkrist Librarian: Kofu, a very serious and refined kenku, whose love of gazing at maps (esp. those that take an aerial perspective) stems from what they miss as a flightless bird.
THE DEADWINTER PROPHECY 105 RANDOM LIBRARY GENERATOR d8 Building Structure 1-4 A number of mezzanine floors around a central hall / well that extends to the top of the building. 5-6 A series of floors, one on top of each other (either a tower or house). 7 A series of floors, split by adjacent half floors (creating a zig-zag of floors). 8 A series of rooms on a single floor (segueing off a hall or central passage). The Random Library Generator is a tool that allows DMs to quickly imagine one of Candlekeep’s many collections, within the sprawling Great Library, in enough detail to bring it to life at the table. You can use the following tables randomly, or just pull details from them to make a coherent and fun space for your players to explore, either with an encounter in mind, or whenever they need to unexpectedly consult a tome. (Note: while seekers are not usually permitted in the Great Library, there are plenty of situations DMs can devise that will allow them to do so, and satisfy their desire to explore this fantastic location). d6 Interior Walls 1 Austere grey stonework (with protruding buttresses). 2 Beautiful red brickwork, reinforced by iron supports. 3 Mahogany, oak, or cedar wood panelling. 4 Plasterwork with with reliefs (religious motifs, curious beasts, heroic deeds). 5 Hanging tapestries, depicting battles, coronations, disasters or prophecies. 6 Unusual material, such as dragon bones, giant turtle shell, rare metal, glass or precious stone. d6 Ceiling 1 Vaulted stone / brick ceiling, steeped in shadows. 2 Dome decorated with motifs relating to the library contents, with clerestory windows around the base. 3 Brightly coloured frescoes depicting the deeds of Oghma, Deneir, Gond or Milil. 4 Faded mosaics of battles, hunts or rituals of a long dead culture (the mosaic was transposed in the library’s constructions, many centuries ago). 5 A magical depiction (glowing or animated, or both) of the cosmos, a creation myth, dragon flight or other epic scene. 6 Gothic chandeliers holding hundreds of candles that drip wax onto the floor below. d10 Book Storage System 1 High shelves with ladders. 2 Towering shelves accessible using floating disks. 3 Shelves which can be lowered and raised using a pulley system. 4 Remote shelves with books fetched by invisible servants, imps, pixies, or pseudodragons. 5 Books stored on shelves with sliding glass panels, which are kept locked (librarian has the keys). 6 Books stored on rotating carousels, or ‘book wheels’. 7 Books stored on usually-shaped shelves (V-shaped, diamond or honeycomb). 8 Books filed in racks made out of iron, wood, rope, ceramics or bone (the rib cage of a strange beast). 9 Books are stored in ‘upcycled’ wardrobes, pianos, cupboards, drawers, ship crates, grandfather clocks etc. 10 Books are stacked on the floor in huge horizontal piles.
CANDLEKEEP MURDERS 106 d10 Condition 1-3 Pristine (clean, tidy, marble and brass polished to a fine sheen). 3-5 Generally clean and well kept, but with well-worn furnishings 6-7 Messy, with dust and cobwebs, and books left in piles on desks and other surfaces (instead of shelved). 8-9 Leaking roof, crumbling stonework, rotting beams and/or draught from a broken window. 10 Locked, or even barred. Unused for many years, with thick dust and cobwebs everywhere. d20 Distinguishing Feature 1 Hundreds of mirrors mounted on the walls to reflect the natural light given by a few small embrasures. 2 The library is designed without a single straight line, with curved tables, door frames and beams, and sinuous walls and columns. 3 A really low ceiling, forcing even Medium size creatures to nearly double over. 4 A complex meteorological station that can predict the weather, as well as measure the tides and timings of dusk and dawn each day. 5 Dozens of aerial walkways that link mezzanine levels and galleries. 6 A landscaped interior garden with flower beds, water features and trellises. 7 A huge tree growing through the middle and sprouting out the roof, its ancient roots intertwined with the library’s stonework. Fungi and creeping vines also grow in this wild garden. 8 A clowder of cats first introduced to keep the mice at bay, and now adopted by the Avowed. 9 An aquarium with bright exotic fish, or reptile terrarium with chameleons and small, highly venomous snakes that need feeding daily by the librarian. 10 One huge taxidermied owlbear, manticore, or wooly mammoth, or a larger collection of smaller beasts. 11 A colony of bats, which has made its home there. 12 A menagerie of bright-feathered birds, whose tweets amuse some while enraging many more. 13 A parrot with the ability to answer three questions uncannily accurately once a day (see communespell). The parrot was a troublesome witch who was polymorphed into bird form as punishment. 14 Magic mouths that appear to shush noisy readers, admonish those who put books back in the wrong place, or forget to close the library door. The mouths all speak with a heavy lisp. 15 The statue of a famous scholar-bard who speaks a joke every 10 minutes. “Yesterday a book fell on my head…. Well I only have my shelf to blame!” “What building has the most stories…. A library of course!” “The past, present and future walked into a tavern… talk about a tense situation.” “Why do robbers never break into libraries…? They are terrified of long sentences”. “Recently I started reading a book on anti-gravity… I haven’t been able to put it down.” 16 Animated tapestries that recount the explorations of a famous scholar-adventurer. 17 The ghosts of half a dozen dwarf miners who died on this rock long before Candlekeep was constructed. 18 The library is pitch black, but every piece of text in the library glows. 19 Trampoline-style launch pads allow scholars to jump to higher levels, while everyone in the library is constantly under the effect of feather fall. 20 A permanent silencespell takes effect across the entire library. d8 Study Areas 1-3 Regularly-placed desks in the library’s central hall. 4-5 Regularly-placed desks spaced out along each gallery / balcony. 6 Cubicle desks or armchairs in small alcoves along the library’s side walls 7-8 Dedicated study rooms aside of the central hall with either chairs [1-4], study benches [5] or bean bags [6]). 9-10 Lecterns (standing desks), either between bookshelves or in a dedicated study area.
THE DEADWINTER PROPHECY 107 LIBRARIAN GENERATOR d20 Name Race Distinguishing Feature, Quirk or Trait 1 Giselbert Human Refuses entry to non-Avowed. Needs a signed letter from the Keeper of Tomes. 2 Thalgrit Dwarf Follows Seekers around everywhere, suspiciously. Pretends not to be doing so. 3 Hagre Elf Insists on complete silence, at all times. Ejects anyone on a second infringement. And is an archmage. 4 Fanut Gnome Insists that gloves be used when handling books. 5 Clover Halfling Wants to know all about Seeker’s origins, their ancestry, their religious practices etc. 6 Quinelle Half-Elf Ignores Seekers and any requests for help. (Their research shouldn’t be disturbed by tourists). 7 Brosh Half-Orc Hates bright lights. Old, gruff and grumpy. 8 Qhow-qhoq Aarakocra Loves recanting Candlekeep lore and stories. 9 Iszkarax Dragonborn Keeps sneezing, has a dust allergy. 10 Windbreaker Firbolg Friendly and flatulent. Anyone nearby must pass a DC 5 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. 11 Slider Genasi (earth) Moves from room to room by passing through the walls. (Something that tends to surprise any first time visitors). 12 Prux Goblin Blind (Candlekeep has a decent collection of night written books - using raised dots - and several more magical ‘speaking books’). 13 Aurgak Goliath Scared of mice. 14 Kelpu Kenku Croaks in rhyming couplets. “Hello my name is Kelpu, how can I help you?” 15 Frazzle Kobold Has an encyclopaedic knowledge of dragons. 16 Simba Tabaxi Narcoleptic. 17 Dharxikas Tiefling Extremely patronising. Questions Seekers’ scholarly credentials (and even their ability to read and write). 18 Kogg Tortle Almost totally deaf from old age (has a horn as a largely ineffective hearing aid). 19 Major Proudfin Triton Former military commander who runs a disciplined library. 20 Szaztili Yuan-ti Pureblood Loves gossip, scandal and intrigue. The most memorable part of any visit to a library is likely to be the players’ interaction with its librarian(s). In Candlekeep each book collection within the Great Library has both a curator and a librarian. The latter is usually an ever-present at the library, as they are responsible for opening and closing it each day (if it closes) and for upholding Candlekeep’s rules and good conduct within the library. DMs may wish to use the following table to insert a readymade custodian or inspire their own. RANDOM LIBRARIAN GENERATOR