In Baldur's Gate 3, what do you do with the necromancy of Thay?
Several artifacts are scattered throughout Baldur's Gate 3, but few are as close to your starting position as the Ancient Book, also known as the Necr...
Phil Hayton
Sept 08, 2023
Several artifacts are scattered throughout Baldur's Gate 3, but few are as close to your starting position as the Ancient Book, also known as the Necromancy of Thay. Once you have your first real encounter in the city, this book becomes available and is cleverly concealed right under your nose. You will have to keep a vigilant eye and thoroughly search every corner to discover its whereabouts and unveil its secrets.
Of course, obtaining the book alone will not suffice; it never does. Once the book has been found, you must also find a way to unlock it. And even after acquiring the key, delving into its hidden contents presents no small challenge. When it comes to the Necromancy of Thay, it will be a matter of one thing after another.
Updated on September 8, 2023: We have updated this guide to include additional useful links, make it more reader-friendly, and ensure that everything is as helpful as possible! Enjoy your journey into the realm of necromancy!
How To Find The Necromancy Of Thay
Resting in a secret laboratory beneath the contaminated village, you must first scout out the hidden entrance to the cellar of an apothecary. From the main entrance gate (where the goblins on the roof converse with you, facing towards the beach and the druid grove), you enter the first house on the left side.
In the room with the double doors leading outside and closest to the waypoint, you should find a trapdoor on the floor that leads to the cellar. It is located behind the counter. Open it to descend into the cellar.
The cellar contains several useful herbs, potions, and a few small valuable items. Among the seemingly insignificant objects, the one to which you should pay attention is a book on a table on the left side of the room, titled "Healer's Protocol." Within it lies information that will serve as the key to solving a puzzle later on.
After reading the book (and perhaps taking it with you), proceed to the large wooden cabinet where your characters can roll for passive perception to notice scratch marks on the floor.
To move the cabinet, lift the three stacked crates to the left of it and either move or destroy them. There, you will find a hidden lever.
Pull the lever, and then proceed through the newly opened door to the right of the cabinet.
On the other side, there is a courtyard with excavated coffins, and if you snoop around them, several undead skeletons will rise from their resting places. If you don't seek a fight, ignore the coffins and instead approach the mirror.
The mirror will pose a series of questions to you, and you must answer them all appropriately in order to proceed.
- My name is [Player name].
- Yes, an ally! I'm an ally of your master's.
- Szass Tam is a foul, wretched creature / A foul lich. May he die a thousand deaths.
- To clean a wound / I found a book...
- 'I'd look for whatever spell will rid me of this worm in my head' / 'I'd see my enemies suffering.'
Alternatively, if you achieve a high enough roll, you can intimidate the mirror to allow passage. However, if you fail or answer the questions incorrectly, it will conjure a sphere that spews fire towards you.
Upon entering the laboratory, you can find several powerful potions and spell scrolls. Loot what interests you and, for now, disregard the iron door between the torches.
Proceed to the exit, where a lever can be activated to open the path back to the section of the apothecary's cellar. Once the shortcut is opened, turn to the side and inspect the nearby shelves for a rusty key. Take it with you.
You can skip locating the rusty key and the entire section below if you possess and cast the spell "Mage Hand." Use it to reach through the iron door and pull the book through the metal bars without the fear of triggering any traps.
As you approach the iron door, you may notice a trap on the floor in front of it. Entering appears to only activate the torches, so you can choose whether to disarm them or not.
Open the door with the rusty key and discover the Necromancy of Thay inside. Do not pick it up. Instead, there is a trap beneath the book, as well as a trap in each of the gargoyle statues on both sides of the room. Disarm them all.
Once the traps are disarmed, you can finally pick up the book safely. You may pique the interest of either Astarion or Gale in taking the book. At this point, you have three options:
- Destroy the book (not recommended; if you intend on destroying it, at least give it to Gale). You must attack it with Radiant damage to destroy it.
- Give the book to Gale for him to consume, losing the item.
- Keep the book and search for the Amethyst Key to continue the quest.
There is a known bug that if both Astarion and Gale are in your party, you cannot talk to Astarion or give him the book.
How To Find The Dark Amethyst, AKA The Amethyst Key
To find the Amethyst Stone, you must venture into the Whispering Depths. There are two ways to enter the Whispering Depths in the contaminated village:
- Taking a rope down the well.
- Knocking down a weak wall in the storeroom under the house to the right of the main gate.
The Whispering Depths is recommended for groups with a minimum recommended level of three or higher.
Once you are inside the Whispering Depths, you need to delve deeper into its depths. Along the way, you will need to defeat at least one horde of spiders and eventually encounter the mini-boss: the Phase Spider Matriarch.
Fortunately, the fight against her is quite easy as long as you stay on solid ground and lure her and her spiderlings towards you. Yes, her health is on the sturdy side with 125 hit points, but her armor class is manageable, and her bite attacks are not too devastating for a reasonably high-level group.
Your only concern in this battle is to avoid being poisoned by her bites and venomous spray. Make sure you have someone with the "Healing Word" spell to mitigate the effects of the poison during the fight.
Using "Guardian of Faith" or "Fireball" will be extremely useful here as they can eliminate the small spider minions in one hit. "Guardian of Faith" is the better option as you won't have to worry about positioning your team.
After defeating the matriarch, you can climb down a vine wall to the left of the spiderweb, which leads to a broken pillar (north of the entrance you came from) and where the phase spider matriarch likely teleported. Down here, you'll find a poison mixer robe, but the real prize is on the other side of the large hole in the middle of the room.
A glowing purple stone on the other side is the Dark Amethyst. Pick it up and bring it back to a safe place (such as the camp).
What To Do With The Necromancy Of Thay
Once you have secured the Dark Amethyst, you can now unlock the necromancy of Thay.
At a safe location, select the necromancy of Thay in your inventory and read it. This will open a dialogue window where you can choose what you want to do. Use the Amethyst stone.
When the book is opened, you will receive a few more options:
- Open the book.
- Destroy the book (don't do this; just speak with Gale to give it to him).
- Give the book to Astarion.
- Put the book away (choose later).
If you give the book to Astarion, it will increase his approval and unlock unique dialogues, but it will end the quest and prevent you from keeping the book for yourself.
Opening the book prevents you from having the opportunity to pass the book to Gale. However, you will automatically gain a special spell ability called "Speak with the Dead," regardless of how you fare on the required saving throws to study the book.
If you choose to open the book, you will need to make three difficult Wisdom saving throws. First, a DC (Difficulty Class) of 10, then a DC of 15, and finally a DC of 20 (or a DC of 10 to close it). If you fail a saving throw, you will be afflicted with the "Veil of Madness" for 50 rounds, a condition that gives you disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks. If you fail two saving throws, you will gain a similar condition called "Corrupted Knowledge," which is permanent.
If you are affected by "Corrupted Knowledge," you can remove it with the spell "Remove Curse." This is a 3rd-level spell that can be learned by clerics, paladins, warlocks, and wizards.
If you succeed in passing the saving throws of the book, you will receive some unique insights into your future, but there are no known notable side effects, neither positive nor negative.
Warlocks, wizards, and clerics of Shar and Lolth (especially Shadowheart) have lower difficulty classes (DCs) and special options.