Font of Knowledge

The Font of Knowledge was a temple of Oghma in Waterdeep on the Sword Coast North in the late 14 century DR. It also included a library, known as the Great Library, and a monastery.
==Location==
The temple stood in the city's Castle Ward, amongst a block of buildings just east of Swords Street and south of Tzochail's Race. It lay roughly between the Halls of Justice, a temple of Tyr, to the east, and Blackstaff Tower, on the other side of Swords Street. Formerly, the site was used for a block of warehouses.
==Description==
It was among the largest temples in the city and considered beautiful, making it a local landmark. From the street, stone steps led up to the double-doored entrance.
==Structure==
It was a three-story building, converted into a four-story building, and constructed of wood and stone.
==Interior==
From the entrance, one stepped into the Hall of the Binder, a stone-walled entry chamber that rose three stories high. Within stood a mighty statue of Oghma carved from green marble. He was depicted as a muscular nude man, with very long hair and beard, posed as if about to take flight. Over above the floor, his outstretched left arm clutched a golden scroll; while apparently just gold sheeting, it was rumored to contain secrets of the gods. This statue had been donated by Khelben Arunsun, the Blackstaff, during the temple's construction and was thought to have once stood in the grounds of Oghma's temple in Myth Drannor. Climbing it was considered blasphemous.
On either side of the Hall of the Binder, behind the statue, were two sets of double doors, themselves two stories in height. These led into the Great Library of the Binder, which covered four whole floors and included a scriptorium for writing and copying manuscripts.
On the second floor, a keyed two-way portal joined a library on the second floor of the Zoarstar, the guildhall of the Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild, and to a secret library in a hidden chamber of the Maze Level of Undermountain.
==Activities==
The temple's Great Library was of course the key service offered by the Font of Knowledge to Waterdeep. It housed the largest and best-quality collection of books and scrolls in the City of Splendors, rivaled only by the New Olamn bardic school; the House of Wonder temple of Mystra; the Tower of the Order, guildhall of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors; and the House of the Moon, a temple of Selûne, and its own Great Library. Moreover, it was public library, wherein visitors could view any book. In the late 1400s DR, the temple maintained arrangements with local booksellers to get first pick on tomes on certain topics such as lost history, and would pay well for such texts.
An unofficial sideline was the so-called "Council of Sages", a kind of "market square" for sages, scholars, and experts of all kinds. Although Waterdeep's sages were famously independent, many had begun passing hours at a time in the library each day, so adventurers looking to consult one in a hurry took to finding them here. As a result, paid inquiries conducted at the library were taxed at 10% by Sandrew the Wise. The Council of Sages originated in the scholars and librarians recruited by Sandrew to build the Great Library.
Hence, either way, the Font of Knowledge was a good place to go to research all kinds of topics and to find maps, have texts translated, unearth secret lore, as well as to obtain clerical healing. On the side, the priests also produced wine from their own press.
Finally, the Oghmanyte priests at the Font of Knowledge provided free lessons in reading to all who asked for it, helping Waterdeep to become one of the most literate cities in Faerûn as of the 1490s DR.
==Members==
The temple was led by Savant Sandrew the Wise in the late 1300s DR.
Circa 1372 DR, the church counted 172 members,This 172 number may count priests and lay worshipers, whereas the earlier number only counts priests. with 110 humans, 17 elves, 17 half-elves, 9 halflings, 9 gnomes, 5 dwarves, 3 half-orcs, and 2 of other races. They were clerics, bards, experts, rangers, rogues, sorcerers, and wizards. Senior clerics occasionally trained as bards as well.
Joining the church required a demonstration of understanding of its teachings and a vow of devotion to Oghma. Though there was no fee to join, there were dues of 5 gp per month. Members were expected to follow the tenets of the faith and work in the libraries for about 10 hours a tenday.
The priests wore yellow robes.
===Abilities===
Members trained in areas of diplomacy, speaking and deciphering languages, history, religious lore, spellcraft, and concentration.
Those of strong faith and favored by the temple could achieve prodigious feats of research and recall of even the most obscure knowledge, albeit only rarely in their lives. To achieve this, they must conduct research or pray to the Binder for a period of 1 hour in any temple of Oghma.
Many spellcasting members were initiated into the magical secrets of the church.
===Known Members===
* Loremaster Most High Sandrew the Wise, Savant of Oghma, high priest of the temple.
* Hroman, a priest with a leadership position.
* Loremaster Gustyl the Curious, a gnome priest and scholar of mages of the North.
* Loremaster Phanar Manthar, assistant and later successor to Gustyl.
* Jhasper Goldtoes, librarian and expert in trade and commerce.
* Hycis Gentilore, librarian and expert in elven history and culture.
* Aria Whucknolls, librarian, expert in religion and human deities, sister to Cera.
* Cera Whucknolls, librarian, expert in demihuman languages, sister to Area.
* Damlath, a wizard who helped in the temple's construction.
===Notable Sages & Other Visitors===
* Sangalor of the Secrets, a mind flayer cleric of Oghma living in Skullport who visited the temple on a regular basis and was potentially considering joining fully.
* Sulphon, an expert in magical beasts and aberrations.
* Ilighast Chamnabbar, an expert in magical traditions; the Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane, and Elemental Planes; and the histories of dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings in northwest Faerûn.
* Blackrabbas Khuulthund, an expert in the flora and fauna of northwest Faerûn.
* Alcedor Kolat, an enchanter and maker and researcher of staves, wands, and other magical items.
* Javroun Lithkind, an expert in geography and human history, genealogy, and politics.
* Touras Niveradon, leader of the Cult of Ao.
* Geth Stormlight, an elderly sage and tutor.
==History==
While Waterdhavian bards, sages, and wizards had a long tradition of venerating the Lord of Knowledge, the church of Oghma itself did not have a significant presence in the city. That changed when Savant Sandrew arrived in Waterdeep around 1362 DR with the vision to build a temple and library worthy of the Lord of Knowledge in the City of Splendors. He had come from Silverymoon with a small number of fellow priests and wizards, including Damlath and his master and they occupied a rowhouse on Swords Street, which served as their temporary temple. The ground-floor shop was used for worship and meetings, while the upper three floors housed the priests.
Over the 1360s DR, Savant Sandrew's hard work and delicate negotiations led to the construction of the Font of Knowledge and the Oghmanytes becoming established as a major faith in Waterdeep. They purchased an old three-story wooden warehouse in the Castle Ward and quickly began replacing it with new construction and adding a fourth floor. Much of the Guild of Fine Carvers was contracted for the work of renovating the older buildings and adding decorative carvings and moldings, among them, Raegar Stoneblade, a burglar who would join the church. Meanwhile, the Great Library was funded by generous donations from House Estelmer, who led the effort to collect, organize, and house the collection of books and scrolls at their villa while the temple was built. Even before completion, Sandrew attracted new clerics and librarians and marshaled them to minister to the faithful and assist with growing library. This also led to many more bards and sages settling in Waterdeep and, along with New Olamn, revived the reputation of the City of Splendors as a place of learning. A school for the city's children was also planned. However, this rise did steal some attention and support previously enjoyed by Gond's temple, the House of Inspired Hands.
Projected to be finished before Midsummer, construction was completed in Midsummer in the . The clergy and books moved in and the Font of Knowledge opened that year with the largest and best collection of books in all of Waterdeep. It enjoyed a sharp increase in attendance and donations, as well as popularity across the North. However, certain folk back in Silvermoon disdained it for what they saw as attempts to replicate the achievements of their own city, while several Waterdhavian noble scions emigrated to Silverymoon.
Nevertheless, work on the temple continued through Ches of the following year, and the Swords Street rowhouse remained in use for housing.While Faiths & Avatars and City of Splendors: Waterdeep have the temple completed on time in Midsummer of 1368 DR, the novel Rising Tide, published between the two, describes it as still under construction in 1369 DR. It seems likely that the temple is open and operational, but work continues on some parts, such as priest quarters. On Ches 30 of the , the priest Hroman allowed the old bard Pacys to stay at the rowhouse after he entertained the priests there. That night, Pacys, Hroman, and other Oghmanyte priests lent their aid to the defense of Waterdeep against invading sahuagin commanded by Iakhovas in the Deepwater War. While some provided healing and maintained communication, others fought directly.
On Uktar 29 of the , the lich Priamon "Frostrune" Rakesk dominated the Oghmanyte ex-thief Raegar Stoneblade and compelled him to steal the golden scroll from the statue of Oghma, in the belief it was an artifact of Rhaelnar's Legacy. He burst into the Hall of the Binder and scaled the statue, while three pursuing sharn emerged from portals and slew those in the Hall who tried to stop them. Fortunately, Khelben the Blackstaff and Tsarra Chaadren, and her tressym Nameless intervened and rescued Raegar, when they came to meet with Sandrew. However, the golden scroll scroll was magically stolen.
A century later, in the , the Font dispatched Brother Cieran to purchase a book, Lexicon on the History of Thay, from a local bookseller, Gannon. Unfortunately, devil agents of Asmodeus sought to suppress this work and got their hands on it first. Later that year, adventurers may have researched Morgan Estelmer at the library.
Around 1492 DR, Halaster Blackcloak was scrying on the Font of Knowledge, amongst other Waterdhavian landmarks, via a false portrait kept in the Halaster's Tower demiplane accessed from Undermountain.
==Relations==
The Font of Knowledge maintained a strong alliance with the New Olamn bardic college and close links with the Scriveners', Scribes', and Clerks' Guild. Further afield, there was a free flow of information between the Font of Knowledge, New Olamn, and the Vault of Stars and various libraries of Silverymoon.
The temple also received significant funding from two of Waterdeep's noble houses, House Estelmer and House Majarra.
Under High Harper Eather Heilean in the early 1370s DR, the Harpers of Waterdeep slowly began to work more closely with the clergy of Oghma, as well as those of Milil, Sune, and Tymora.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Temples to Oghma
Category:Temples
Category:Oghmanyte locations
Category:Locations on Marlar's Lane
Category:Locations in the Castle Ward of Waterdeep
Category:Locations in Waterdeep
Category:Locations on the Sword Coast North
Category:Locations in Northwest Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril
Category:Year of Metropolises