Investigate the Necromancy of Thay

Key takeawaysSpoilers

The quest is built around exploration, risk management, and a decision about how far to pursue the tome’s power.

• Find the tome beneath the Blighted Village The Necromancy of Thay is located in the Apothecary’s cellar, beyond a secret laboratory and the Ornate Mirror. Traps make the approach part of the quest rather than a simple pickup.
• Recover the Dark Amethyst The book’s lock is tied to the Dark Amethyst, which must be found in the Whispering Depths before the tome can be unlocked.
• Treat reading as a saving-throw challenge Opening the book requires increasingly difficult Wisdom saving throws. Continuing after each check risks curses, while stopping avoids pushing the reader further into the tome’s danger.
• Decide who, if anyone, should keep it The tome can be given to companions such as Gale or Astarion, or destroyed with radiant damage. These options define the quest’s immediate resolution.
• Return to the storyline in Act 3 The Tharchiate Codex in the Sorcerous Sundries vault provides the route to fully master the tome and obtain Danse Macabre.

Investigate the Necromancy of Thay: overviewSpoilers

Investigate the Necromancy of Thay is an optional, multi-act quest about a cursed tome discovered beneath the Apothecary’s cellar in the Blighted Village.

The quest begins when the party finds the Necromancy of Thay, a mysterious book hidden in the Apothecary’s cellar beneath the Blighted Village. Reaching it requires more than simply locating the cellar: the route leads through a concealed laboratory, an Ornate Mirror, and trapped areas that can punish careless exploration. The book is a story-related object tied to the Search the Cellar, Unlock the Ancient Tome, and Destroy the Ancient Tome quest threads.

The Necromancy of Thay cannot be fully opened until the party obtains the Dark Amethyst. This item is hidden in the Whispering Depths, making the quest a connected exploration objective rather than a single interaction at the cellar. Once the tome is unlocked, reading it involves a series of increasingly difficult Wisdom saving throws. Failing those checks exposes the reader to the book’s curses, so the decision to continue is a meaningful risk rather than a routine reward prompt.

The quest can continue beyond Act 1. The book may be given to companions such as Gale or Astarion, or it may be destroyed with radiant damage. In Act 3, a character who continues pursuing the tome can find the Tharchiate Codex in the Sorcerous Sundries vault and use it to master the book’s remaining power. Completing that later path grants Danse Macabre, a spell that summons a small army of ghouls. Because the quest crosses several acts and includes irreversible choices, it is best treated as a long-term item storyline rather than a short cellar errand.

Where this sitsSpoilers

Requirements

The essential progression items are the Necromancy of Thay and the Dark Amethyst. The later mastery route requires access to the Tharchiate Codex in Act 3.

• RequiredReach the Apothecary’s cellarThe initial tome is hidden beneath the Apothecary’s cellar in the Blighted Village, so the party must first reach and investigate that area.
• RequiredNavigate the secret laboratoryThe route to the book includes a secret laboratory and the Ornate Mirror. Traps and the mirror must be dealt with before the tome can be secured.
• RequiredFind the Dark AmethystThe Dark Amethyst is hidden in the Whispering Depths and is needed to unlock the Necromancy of Thay.
• RequiredChoose how to handle the bookThe party can attempt to read it, give it to Gale or Astarion, or destroy it with radiant damage.
• OptionalReach the Act 3 mastery routeTo pursue the book’s full potential, continue to the Sorcerous Sundries vault and locate the Tharchiate Codex.

ObjectivesSpoilers

1. Search the Apothecary’s cellar for the Necromancy of Thay.Investigate the cellar and its hidden laboratory rather than stopping at the first accessible rooms.
2. Bypass the Ornate Mirror and avoid the cellar’s traps.The mirror and trapped sections guard the route to the book and can turn careless exploration into a failed approach.
3. Recover the Dark Amethyst from the Whispering Depths.The amethyst is the key needed to open the tome after it has been found.
4. Decide whether to read, share, or destroy the Necromancy of Thay.Reading exposes the chosen character to escalating Wisdom saving throws and possible curses; alternative outcomes involve companions or radiant damage.
5. Find the Tharchiate Codex in the Sorcerous Sundries vault.This later objective is required for the Act 3 continuation and the book’s full mastery.
6. Claim Danse Macabre by mastering the tome.The completed mastery path grants the ability to summon a small army of ghouls.

WalkthroughSpoilers

1. 01

   Search the cellar

   Enter the Apothecary’s cellar

   Begin beneath the Apothecary’s cellar in the Blighted Village and search the area for a route beyond the ordinary storage spaces. The Necromancy of Thay is hidden here, but it is protected by a secret laboratory rather than placed openly in the first room.

   Location: Apothecary’s cellar

   TipExplore the cellar carefully before committing to a route; the quest’s important discovery is concealed within the laboratory area.

2. 02

   Find a way through the laboratory

   Reach the secret laboratory

   Follow the concealed route into the secret laboratory, watching for trapped sections along the way. The laboratory is the approach to the tome, so rushing through it can cause trouble before the main decision even begins.

   Location: Secret laboratory

   Watch outTraps are part of the route and can make an otherwise successful search fail if they are ignored.

3. 03

   Bypass the Ornate Mirror

   Bypass the Ornate Mirror

   The Ornate Mirror blocks progress through the laboratory and must be bypassed to continue toward the book. Treat the mirror as a progression obstacle and inspect the surrounding area rather than assuming the tome is already within reach.

   Location: Secret laboratory

   TipDo not leave the laboratory after finding the mirror; the path to the tome continues beyond this obstacle.

4. 04

   Obtain the Necromancy of Thay

   Secure the Necromancy of Thay

   After navigating the laboratory and mirror, take the cursed tome that has been hidden beneath the Apothecary’s cellar. This is the central quest item and begins the separate question of whether it should be opened or destroyed.

   Location: Apothecary’s cellar

   Watch outPicking up the book is not the same as completing its storyline; later choices determine whether its power is unlocked, transferred, or destroyed.

   Missable
5. 05

   Find the Dark Amethyst

   Travel to the Whispering Depths

   The book’s lock requires the Dark Amethyst, so continue the search in the Whispering Depths rather than trying to force the tome open at the cellar. The amethyst is hidden in that area and serves as the key for the next stage.

   Location: Whispering Depths

   TipKeep the tome and its key together in your long-term quest planning, because the book’s major rewards depend on both items.

6. 06

   Unlock the Ancient Tome

   Insert the Dark Amethyst

   Use the Dark Amethyst with the Necromancy of Thay to unlock the ancient tome. This changes the quest from an exploration objective into a choice about reading a cursed book and accepting the danger attached to its contents.

   Location: Wherever the Necromancy of Thay is being handled

   Checkpoint
7. 07

   Decide the tome’s fate

   Choose a reader or an alternative

   Once unlocked, decide whether a character should read the book, whether it should be given to Gale or Astarion, or whether it should be destroyed with radiant damage. There is no need to treat every option as equivalent: reading pursues the tome’s rewards, while the other choices resolve or redirect the immediate danger.

   Watch outThis choice can affect access to the book’s later progression, so decide before using the tome in a way that commits to an outcome.

   Missable
8. 08

   Read the Necromancy of Thay

   Pass the book’s Wisdom saving throws

   Reading the Necromancy of Thay requires a series of increasingly difficult Wisdom saving throws. Continue only if the chosen reader can withstand the escalating checks; failure exposes the reader to curses, making this a deliberate risk rather than a free reward.

   Watch outFailing the saving throws can curse the reader. Stop treating the interaction as routine once the checks begin.

9. 09

   Claim the tome’s initial power

   Collect the book’s immediate benefits

   The tome can provide the Speak with Dead spell and the Forbidden Knowledge passive when its reading path is pursued. These are the immediate benefits associated with unlocking the book before its later Act 3 mastery stage.

   Checkpoint
10. 10

    Find the Tharchiate Codex

    Return to the storyline in Act 3

    The quest is not necessarily finished after the initial reading decision. In Act 3, continue the search through Sorcerous Sundries and its vault to locate the Tharchiate Codex, the item connected to fully mastering the Necromancy of Thay.

    Location: Sorcerous Sundries vault

    Missable
11. 11

    Master the tome

    Master the Necromancy of Thay

    Use the Act 3 progression involving the Tharchiate Codex to complete the tome’s dark potential. Mastery grants Danse Macabre, which allows the user to summon a small army of ghouls.

    Location: Sorcerous Sundries vault

    Watch outThis is the major continuation of the quest and should not be confused with the earlier reward from merely unlocking the book.

    Missable

Mission mechanicsSpoilers

The quest has two linked keys: physical access to the Necromancy of Thay and the Dark Amethyst needed to unlock it. The first is obtained by navigating the Apothecary’s cellar, secret laboratory, Ornate Mirror, and traps in the Blighted Village. The second is found separately in the Whispering Depths, so the quest rewards players who keep track of connected clues instead of treating the cellar discovery as a self-contained event.

The tome’s reading sequence is governed by increasingly difficult Wisdom saving throws. This creates a risk-and-reward structure: the reader may gain the Speak with Dead spell and the Forbidden Knowledge passive, but failed checks can expose that character to curses. The book can instead be given to Gale or Astarion, or destroyed with radiant damage, allowing the party to pursue a different resolution.

The quest’s progression is deliberately distributed across the campaign. The initial discovery and unlocking occur in Act 1, while full mastery is associated with the Tharchiate Codex in the Sorcerous Sundries vault during Act 3. A player who wants Danse Macabre should therefore preserve the quest’s continuity and remember that the first reward is not the end of the tome’s storyline.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequencesSpoilers

• Read the Necromancy of Thay

  The chosen reader faces increasingly difficult Wisdom saving throws. Successful progression can provide Speak with Dead and the Forbidden Knowledge passive, while failure can result in curses.

• Give the book to Gale

  The tome is transferred to a companion rather than being read through the player character’s own interaction. This changes who handles the cursed object and may alter which reward path the party pursues.

• Give the book to Astarion

  Astarion becomes the companion associated with the tome instead of the player character. This is an alternative to personally attempting the book’s saving throws.

• Destroy the book with radiant damage

  The destructive route removes the Necromancy of Thay instead of pursuing its rewards and later mastery.

• Continue to the Tharchiate Codex in Act 3

  The player can pursue full mastery of the tome and obtain Danse Macabre, a spell that summons a small army of ghouls.

Failure conditionsSpoilers

• Ignore or mishandle the cellar trapsThe route to the book passes through trapped areas in the secret laboratory. Failing to account for those hazards can disrupt the approach before the tome is secured.
• Fail the escalating Wisdom saving throwsThe reading sequence becomes increasingly difficult, and failed checks can expose the reader to curses. This is the principal mechanical risk of opening the book.
• Destroy the Necromancy of ThayUsing radiant damage to destroy the tome ends the destructive version of the item storyline and removes the route to its reading rewards.
• Give away the tome before pursuing the intended reading pathGiving the book to Gale or Astarion changes who handles it and may prevent the player from following the personal reading route they intended.
• Leave the Act 3 continuation unresolvedFinding the initial rewards does not provide the book’s full mastery. The Tharchiate Codex in the Sorcerous Sundries vault is required for the later Danse Macabre path.

Rewards and dropsSpoilers

• Speak with Dead
  An immediate reward associated with successfully pursuing the book’s reading path.
• Forbidden Knowledge
  A passive reward offered by the tome’s initial progression.
• Danse Macabre
  The Act 3 mastery reward obtained through the Tharchiate Codex storyline; it allows the user to summon a small army of ghouls.
• Necromancy of Thay
  The cursed tome itself is the central quest item and can be retained, transferred to Gale or Astarion, or destroyed with radiant damage.

Characters in this mission

• GaleOne of the companions who may be given the Necromancy of Thay.
• AstarionOne of the companions who may be given the Necromancy of Thay.

AftermathSpoilers

Trivia

• The Necromancy of Thay storyline is unusual in that its stages span Acts 1 through 3 rather than resolving entirely where the book is discovered.
• The quest links the Blighted Village, the Whispering Depths, and Sorcerous Sundries through one cursed item and its associated key and codex.
• The book’s progression offers both a utility-oriented initial reward, Speak with Dead, and a later combat-oriented reward, Danse Macabre.

Relationships