Sorcere Sorcere was one of the three schools at the Tier Breche academy in Menzoberranzan . It was within Sorcere that drow mages and wizards were trained . It was nicknamed " the Tower . " Structure . Exterior . Sorcere ' s complex was made from sculpted stalagmite towers . The tower itself had many spires and was located against the western wall of the Tier Breche cavern . Interior . Sorcere had hallways filled with paintings , sculptures , and framed magical texts . All students lived alone in the apprentices ' wing and were allocated austere quarters with a pallet and a zurkhwood desk and chair . The interior walls of the complex were lined with lead sheeting and stucco from gorgon ' s blood and spellstore dust . Sorcere ' s scrying chambers were large and circular . The walls were lined with lead sheeting and stucco from gorgon ' s blood and spellstore dust , just as the rest of Sorcere . Runes of gold were inscribed on the walls to protect against magical intrusion . In the middle was a huge scrying crystal bound with the eye of an eagle that was living beneath the crystal in a cage . Mages could cast spells through the crystal . However , it was destroyed circa 1373 DR when spells cast on Nimor Imphraezl rebounded . The summoning chamber in Sorcere was a room with great columns rising to flying buttresses some 80 feet up . There was a circle of mushroom - stem chairs secured to the floor . ( Whether these chairs were temporarily or a permanent fixture was unclear . ) Gromph Baenre had his own quarters in Sorcere with no windows , a desk of polished bone with extradimensional drawers with fronts containing different skulls . Only Gromph could open them . There was an access shaft in its own pseudoplane that had no wards . Sigils to protect the quarters summoned a fire elemental and cast the spell " imprisonment " . The floor was made of marble and there were also many bookshelves with scrolls . The rooms were lit by perpetual red candles held in skeleton hand candleholders . Gromph ' s chair was plush , while the visitor ' s chair was made of hard wood . The door was made of black marble with silver runes . Cavern of Masters . The Cavern of Masters was a cave situated on the east side of Menzoberranzan . Although not part of the Tier Breche complex , it was reserved for students of Sorcere to practice their spells in . Schooling . All drow nobles at the academy had to spend a short time studying magic here , but only males who wished to dedicate their lives to the ancient skills stayed longer as students to master the talent . Drow wizards spent about 30 years at Sorcere studying , usually beginning their training at 25 years of age . Many powerful drow mages spent time at Sorcere . Only the finest were selected to be permanent residents and teachers . It was said that only drow males resided at and attended Sorcere , but at least one female ( Noori Baenre , in residence circa 1373 DR ) was granted an exception to this rule and allowed to study arcane magic there . Interestingly , however , Liriel Baenre , who was very gifted and well - trained in arcane magic , was forbidden to attend and explicitly told that females were not allowed to attend the wizarding academy . There was a test of endurance at Sorcere that required students to cast spells while masters held flames to their skin . Organization . Sorcere was run by a council of mages , all of whom were counted among the masters of Sorcere . The leader of this council was Horroodissomoth Xorlarrin in 1370 DR , second only to the Archmage of Menzoberranzan , Gromph Baenre . However , at least in 1372 DR , Gromph was serving as the Head Master of Sorcere . In addition , there was the post of Archmage Emeritus , who was responsible for all teaching at the academy . He was also in charge of and experimenting with the most powerful magical items held by Sorcere . He was secretly Sorcere ' s overseer of security , and hence the spymaster in charge of watching the noble houses . In 1370 DR this post was held by Courdh Mizzrym . Instructors of Sorcere were known as masters and there appeared to be specific masters of certain Schools of Magic . Masters had their own signet rings bearing the mark of Sorecere which lent power to their spells . In 1361 , seven wizards of House Xorlarrin were serving as masters . Masters of Sorcere wore rings indicating them as such ; these rings were able to " detect magic " . History . In 1372 DR , during the Silence of Lolth , the masters of Sorcere performed a ritual spell calling a storm with rain and lightning to save the city from hordes of revolting slaves and disillusioned drow males . Later masqueraded as the Faceless One ( Gelroos Hun ' ett ) .