even during seasons Jess suitable for travel, merchant
caravans cross the bridge and pilgrims come to pay
homage, beneath the protective gaze of the paladins
of Elturgard stationed at nearby Fort Tamai.FORTTAMAL
For many years, a ruined keep on the southern bank
dubbed Bridgefort served as the campground for cara-
vans passing over the bridge. Whether going north or
south, caravan masters could anticipate a safe rest within
the grassy space enclosed by the ruined walls, sharing
the duties of keeping watch with other travelers.
Then in the midst of a crisis of leadership in distant
Elturel, one of the heirs apparent for the post of High
Observer, a paladin named Tamai Thent, went missing
with her entire retinue near the bridge. Although an
investigation was undertaken, no sign of Tamai or any of
the others was discovered. Thavus Kreeg, Tamal's rival
for the post, was elevated to the post of High Observer
soon after, and one of his first declarations was that
Bridgefort be rebuilt and given a new name in honor of
lost Tamai.
A flurry of activity occurred around Boareskyr Bridge
at that time, with the soldiers of Elturgard making fre-
quent patrols of the road and surrounding lands while
Fort Tamai was being constructed. Today things are fairly
quiet at the bridge. The tradition of caravans camping
at the bridge and pilgrims visiting it continues, but now
people stay in a caravan ground around a small village
that has grown up outside the fort.
Activity around the area is overseen by a curious mix of
Companions of Elturgard. The Companions-all paladins
of gods such as Tyr, Torm, Helm, and Amaunator-tend to
be either young firebrands or grizzled veterans content to
sit by a fire. Many of the veterans have been stationed at
Fort Tamai since it was constructed, and they have fam-
ilies that live in the village outside its walls. Their more
youthful counterparts come from all over Elturgard, but
all seem to have been assigned to Fort Tamai after some
act of insubordination. Perhaps it is hoped that time out
on the frontier with their more experienced counterparts
will cool some of the young Companions' zeal.
Certainly some of the young Companions I've spoken
with see their post as a punishment. Boareskyr Bridge is
far from the rest of Elturgard, and the caravans that camp
at Fort Tamai never seemed to need such a robust guard
before. Even the relative nearness of Najara seems to
provide little reason for so many of Elturgard's mightiest
defenders to be squandered on such a trivial task. For
their part, the elder Companions talk of fulfilling duties
and following orders, but to me they seemed too content.
A paladin should have drive. They have been granted
the power of the gods for a reason, and surely that reason
can't be to stand guard while merchants sleep. Then
again, the High Observer is, by all reports, a wise and
effective ruler. Perhaps he perceives threats at Boares-
kyr Bridge that I can't. Najara has been more active of
late, despite its quiet exterior, I assure you. Dragonspear
Castle to the north was once again the source of an infer-
nal incursion. And maybe there is something sinister
about this place where a god of murder died and a god of
lies is honored.
For my part, I sympathize with the young firebrands,
and I counseled those to whom I spoke to look to the
skies. In the time of Cyric's legendary battle with Bhaal,
pegasi dwelt nearby. The magical creatures are said to
favor those of pure heart and even allow themselves to
be ridden by such folk when the cause is just. That favor
might never be bestowed on the young paladins, but I'm
sure the thought will provide them with some pleasant
daydreams.CANDLE KEEP
The great keep never fails to take my breath away: it
stands on a volcanic crag a hundred or so feet from the
coastline, a fiat-topped spur of rough stone out in the
midst of the surging sea. Imagine, if you can, the top of
this crag hemmed in entirely by a tall wall. This wall is
interrupted by several towers all the way around, and it
encloses a large space from which even more of these
same towers rise. Those who have seen this vista from
above have said that it looks like nothing so much as
a cake decorated with too many candles. The mist of
sea-spray fills the air nearest the western walls, and in
winter, this moisture can cause treacherous build-ups
of ice. Sometimes entire towers along the western edge
of the keep have to be abandoned for the season, they
become so overtaken by frost.
From the center rises the largest and thickest tower
of Candlekeep. If the other towers are well-wrought
branches and blossoms, then this surely is the bole
of the tree: strong, massive, and rising well above the
perimeter structures. About the central keep a garden
spirals in rising steps, and those lucky enough to enter
the library proper do so by passing around and up
through this green space to the keep's main door. How-
ever, most folk who visit Candlekeep see this structure
only from the courtyard east of it, where the facilities for
arriving scholars lie.
The only gate into Candlekeep stands at the end of
the Way of the Lion, which is the only road that provides
access to and from the outside world. The route extends
from Beregost, leagues away, and winds a lonely path
out on the peninsula where Candlekeep stands.THE GREAT LIBRARY
Candlekeep is the largest repository of lore and writings
in all the Realms (although my scholarly kin in Evereska
don't like being reminded of that). It was once the home
of the great prophet Ala undo the Seer, and within its
walls were written the Prophecies of Alaundo. Its vaults,
it is said, contain hidden knowledge enough to make any
person with the ability to discover and absorb it all pow-
erful beyond compare. The problem with doing that, of
course, is the same as with secrets in any other location:
one must know that a secret exists before its details can
be sussed out.
To that end, Candlekeep's vast library is something of a
defense in and of itself: for every bit of hidden lore of poten-
tially great power that lies within, there are thousands of
inconsequential recipes, old songs, bits of history, journals
of Jong-dead folk, and myriad other pieces of writing of no
lasting importance save to the monks of this place, and the
sages who come seeking such trifles.CHAPTER 2 I THE SWORD .. ...... - ......