Zander Fogvale's Journal

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The dense leather-bound notebook serves as both a traveling spellbook and a journal of its owner's recent exploits. Past the front page and preface, the remainder of the book is written in an unknown language, with crude drawings of animal parts and strange hieroglyphs. Some pages are torn, and the initials ZF are written on its back cover.

[Lore 20 or Draconic language required]: The preface is in Common, but the remainder of the book is penned in what appears to be Draconic script. The book, likely written by an arcanist, holds several pages detailing magical beasts, places of power, influential people, and hand gestures often used for sorcery.

Journal
& Spellbook

Reader's note: Please refrain from reading the information stored in this journal and spellbook; apart from holding private information, some of the paragraphs also contain arcane rituals and incantations, and could prove dangerous in the wrong hands.

Please consider returning this book to Baldur's Gate, in the Blade and Stars inn. The proprietor is instructed to compensate you for your efforts out of my daily rent. Thank you kindly for your help, stranger, and be safe in all your future endeavours.

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Locations

Settlements

• Baldur's Gate: Rats in sewers below ground. Merchant city along the Sword Coast, kept safe by the Flaming Fist mercenary company. Landmarks include several taverns, Sorcerous Sundries selling arcane supplies, the Duchal Palace and various manors and gardens in town, temples to Gond, Umberlee, Tymora, shrines to Helm, Ilmater, Lathander, Oghma.

Travel Paths

• Coast Way: Bandits lurking at night. Connects Baldur's Gate to Candlekeep, Beregost, Nashkel, and further south Athkatla in Amn and northern Tethyr. Kept safe by Flaming Fist patrols. Part of the Trade Way stretching from Waterdeep to Calimport.

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Individuals

Independent

• Bandits: Eastern farmland caves, hostile. Most are weak but fast, hide from their arrows and handle any rare spellcasters or leaders first. Some wield heavier armor and weapons, best weakened by traps before they close in melee.

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Bestiary

Animals

• Wolf: Eastern farmlands. Weak but quick, its bites cause only minor pain. Best defeated at range from hiding; otherwise focus on accurate melee strikes over power. Minor traps only needed if fighting a group.
• Snake: Eastern farmlands. Weak but very quick, its bites may carry poison. Attack at range from hiding if possible; otherwise consider traps to avoid engaging in melee. Difficult to spot in tall grass, but rarely found in groups.

Magical

• Phase Spider: Eastern farmlands. Babies are weak, but hard to hit while phasing. Best defeated at range from hiding; otherwise wait for their phasing to dissipate before making the killing blow. Phasing is likely to bypass traps altogether.

Undead

• Skeleton: Fields of the Dead. Dangerous depending on their equipment. Use slings or blunt weapons to break their bones, or holy water or traps to wear them down before engaging in melee. Will continue to attack until completely destroyed.
• Zombie: Fields of the Dead. Slow moving but heavy hitters. Some zombies will throw rocks or even body parts if they cannot reach their enemy. Keeps moving regardless of injury, but has the same vulnerabilities as skeletons.

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Recipes

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Spellcraft

Cantrips

• Silent Portal: Pass through an unlocked door without opening, to scout the room ahead unnoticed.

1st Circle

• Disguise Other: For half a day the person touched gains an illusory disguise of your choice. Some may recognize the spell.

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Appendix