Tome of Torment The Tome of Torment was the most holy book of the Church of Ilmater , reputedly granted by the One Who Endures himself . It had a long and troubled history , being stolen and recovered numerous times and once the center of a holy war between rival temples to the Broken God , and ironically the focus of much suffering . Value . The " Tome of Torment " was the holiest of all the sacred books of the church of Ilmater and the faithful were desperate to keep it within their possession . When stolen , the Ilmatari made vigorous and probing searches all across Faerûn , no matter who they angered in the process . Anyone who was known to possess it was quickly harassed by a number of Ilmatari , who politely , firmly , and repeatedly made offers to buy or trade for the " Tome " . If the owner attempted to damage it , lock it away , or sell it to a non - believer , then the Ilmatari would attack with overwhelming magic al force . Although perhaps priceless , the " Tome " was sold for 20 , 000 gold pieces as stolen property , and a reward of 40 , 000 gp was offered by the church for its safe return . Description . Far from resembling a typical holy book , the " Tome " looked more like a book - shaped block of hair . It could be mistaken for a folded blanket or a bundle of horsehair intended for a weaver . The outer covers were actually a slipcase of black , matted horsehair stuck to ebony panels . Inside was a folded horsehair tunic — a hairshirt — with large shield - shaped horse - hide panels on front and back and small metal hooked barbs studding the inside . Powers . In order to gain access to the spells contained within the " Tome " , the hairshirt had to be worn continuously for a full day , despite the small cuts that the barbs inflicted . After this time , an index of spells appeared on the front panel of the hairshirt . To select a spell , one had to touch it with a finger dabbed with holy water or a tear or drop of blood from the owner of the finger . The selected spell then appeared on the back panel until another spell was selected or two days had passed , at which time both index and spell disappeared . As a result of the Spontaer ' s protections , the spells would only appear for a priest of Ilmater . The " Tome " was known to include the following spells : " accelerate healing " , " air walk " , " animate rock " , " atonement " , " barrier of retention " , " blade barrier " , " blast of pain " , " blessed warmth " , " breath of life " , " cairn " , " call upon faith " , " calm chaos " , " caltrops " , " champion ' s strength " , " chaotic combat " , " chaotic commands " , " chaotic sleep " , " choose future " , " cloak of bravery " , " command " , " continual light " , " create campsite " , " create food & water " , " create holy symbol " , " cure light wounds " , " cure serious wounds " , " disbelief " , " draw upon holy might " , " efficacious monster ward " , " embattlement " , " emotion control " , " endurance of Ilmater " , " exaction " , " faerie fire " , " fangs of retribution " , " favor of Ilmater " , " flame walk " , " focus " , " fortify " , " free action " , " frisky chest " , " glyph of warding " , " heal " , " healing hand " , " heat metal " , " helping hand " , " hesitation " , " hold person " , " holy word " , " Ilmater ' s fist " , " impeding permission " , " invisibility purge " , " know customs " , " light " , " line of protection " , " miscast magic " , " mystic transfer " , " nap " , " neutralize poison " , " probability control " , " produce fire " , " purify food & drink " , " random causality " , " rapport " , " regenerate " , " remove curse " , " remove fear " , " remove paralysis " , " repeat action " , " restoration " , " rigid thinking " , " sacred guardian " , " sanctify " , " seclusion " , " slow boon " , " slow poison " , " solipsism " , " spell immunity " , " spiritual wrath " , " stone tell " , " strength of one " , " telepathy " , " thief ' s lament " , " thought broadcast " , " unceasing vigilance of the holy sentinel " , " unearthly choir " , " water walk " , " weighty chest " , " whirlchain " , " and wyvern watch " . If the " Tome of Torment " was attacked in any way , then it would teleport to a random location , anywhere on the entire planet of Toril . History . Early years . In the form of a hair shirt , the " Tome " appeared on the altar of Ilmater in the church town of Carathryn in Tethyr in the Year of the Vigilant Familiar , 848 DR . The Ilmatari told the story that Ilmater himself had placed it there , but there remained some disagreement over who exactly had fashioned it or placed it on the altar . High Priest Ilnger Obskoth proclaimed it as " the hand of holy Ilmater made manifest among us " , and it swiftly became the most venerated sacred object in Carathryn . The " Tome " saw extensive use around the southern Sword Coast for some three centuries , despite several thefts by brigands and the sinking of Carathryn in the Year of the Shattered Chains , 1123 DR . Finally , in the Year of the Majesty , 1177 DR , a thief named Bredisker successfully stole the " Tome " and fled east to the Thornwood . Continually harassed and stalked by Ilmatari , a weary Bredisker sold the book to Lalaskra of Ormpetarr , a priestess of Loviatar and an enemy of the church . Enduring the pain , she wore the hairshirt at all times in order to receive the spells and was nicknamed " Leatherskin " as a result . She removed it only during Loviatan rituals , and on one such occasion in the Year of the Crimson Crag , 1211 DR , it was stolen by an unknown thief . Incensed , Lalaskra drove her Loviatan minions to search for the " Tome " across the southern Vilhon Reach lands for some ten years , without success . 13th century . By the mid – 14th century DR , it was theorized that the thief was the young sage Athorton of Nleeth . Athorton wrote extensively of the magic of the Ilmatari — magic known to few outsiders — and he may have acquired such knowledge via the " Tome " . As an old man , he became friends with Beromchess Ilthyn , a local priestess of Ilmater , and it was she who covertly took the " Tome " to the House of Holy Suffering in Mussum , following Athorton ' s death in the Year of the Shattered Altar , 1264 DR . At the House of Holy Suffering , the senior Sage - Priest of the church , known as the Spontaer , studied the " Tome of Torment " . The Spontaer prayed to Ilmater for nearly a year , and received visions of powerful magical protections that would render the " Tome " usable only by priests of Ilmater , and not just those willing to suffer its barbs like Lalaskra , and thereby make it less desirable to thieves . However , these protections would come at the cost of his life . The Spontaer explicitly requested that the " Tome of Torment " be delivered to the House of the Broken God in Keltar in Calimshan , the greatest temple of Ilmater , before he worked the magic on the " Tome " and sacrificed his own life . However , Shrymaun Beldaerth , leader of the House of Holy Suffering , refused to relinquish the " Tome " to the House of the Broken God . Archsufferer Bloirt Waelarn of the Keltar house declared all those of the " degenerate " Mussum house " heretics " and called for them to be cast out and treated as mentally ill . A few ambitious minor priests joined Waelarn and together they journeyed to the Mussum house , intending to " cleanse the filth " . The priests of Mussum recruited the Companions of the Noble Heart paladin order to their defense , and attacked Waelarn and his followers , who were labeled " false clerics " and " subverted by evil " . An angry Waelarn summoned three other knightly orders — the Holy Warriors of Suffering , the Knights of the Bleeding Shield , and the Order of the Golden Cup — to his side and vowed holy war against the " unclean ones of Mussum " and their allies . The war saw the violent clashes of Holy Hill Farm in 1266 DR and Bronsheir ' s Charge and Weeping Rock in 1267 DR . Finally , Lord Sir Jargus Holenhond of the Golden Cup called an end to the bloodshed between true believers , insisted that the " Tome of Torment " be transferred to Keltar as planned , and blamed Bloirt Waelarn for the senseless violence , determining that he should be removed from office and sent into hermitage on Falconsrise for the remainder of his years . The weary paladins accepted and carried out his judgment . Althea the Abased succeeded Waelarn as leader of the House of the Broken God , and , seeing the carnage wrought by the fight for ownership of the " Tome " , declared that no high - ranking member of the church was worthy of it . Althea said that Ilmater had given them the " Tome " for the " low and truly needy " priests to " further the will and work of Ilmater in the wilderlands and perilous places of all Toril " , and recruit non - believers to the faith of the Crying God . Althea selected Blaermon the Blessed , a knight of the Holy Warriors of Suffering , to take away the " Tome of Torment " and to those " wild places " and bestow it upon the first " needy and worthy " Ilmatari he met , someone who worked or fought for the benefit of the common people and their faith , not merely for wealth and adventure . In the Year of the Daystars , 1268 DR , Blaermon gave the " Tome " to Flaergon of Glister , who devoted his efforts to assisting miners and caravan - workers in the frozen north of the Moonsea . Aided by the " Tome " , Flaergon worked hard over three decades to build hostels and shelters , mark trails , and lead groups of young warriors and Ilmatari priests against creatures that prayed on these routes . Flaergon died of a fall in the Year of the Claw , 1299 DR . 14th century . Daern of Hawksroost , a devoted companion of Flaergon , took the " Tome of Torment " across all of Faerûn back to the House of the Broken God to return it to Althea the Abased . Daern ' s devotion so moved Althea that she named him an honorary Brother of the temple and the Ilmatari remembered him in the saying " long and strong as Daern ' s devotion " . Daern became Althea ' s personal bodyguard and carer , and when she finally passed on in the Year of the Gate , 1341 DR , he was given a new role as Guardian of the Tome , defending the artifact he ' d once traveled so far to deliver . Within a year , Daern was murdered one night by a semi - monstrous man — the returned Bloirt Waelarn — who stole the " Tome " and escaped , journeying toward Mussum . At Thorlor ' s Well near Sespech , Waelarn was finally confronted by Sir Guth of the Order of the Golden Cup , who challenged him to single combat before their god . Waelarn accepted , and promptly used a " cairn " spell from the " Tome " to bury Guth . He then dug Guth out with a pick , using an axe to chop off any limb that was revealed . Guth was soon killed and Waelarn left with the " Tome " , resuming his journey east . But the god Ilmater caused Sir Guth to rise from his grave as a zombie . Untiring and unrelenting and resisting all spell s hurled at him , Guth tracked the rogue priest across Sespech . Waelarn finally collapsed of exhaustion outside Elbulder and the zombie Guth strangled him as he slept . The deed done , Guth hid the " Tome of Torment " then constructed a funeral pyre to burn first Waelarn ' s corpse to ash and then himself , still obeying the will of Ilmater the Broken God . Shortly after , a young underpriest in Mussum named Kortolt Rushtyn received visions from Ilmater , leading him to find the " Tome of Torment " . Rather than take it back to Mussum or Keltar , Kortolt took it to Raven ' s Rack , an isolated shrine to the god west of Hlondeth . Here , Kortolt made use of the " Tome " to aid both believers and non - believers , and to preach about Ilmater . In the Year of the Boot , 1343 DR , Kortolt was killed by bandits , who attempted to sell the " Tome " in Hlondeth , only to be killed themselves by a mob angry at the death of the much - loved priest . The people of Hlondeth gave the " Tome " to the Graycloak ' s Wolves adventuring company , that they should deliver it to Master Sufferer Olbedan , a well - respected priest of Ilmater . However , Graycloak ' s Wolves were all killed by doppelganger s and leucrotta preying on travellers . The " Tome " was thought lost in the winter snows , but may have been discovered in the spring by a local woodcutter , a traveller , or a caravan guard , or even carried away by the doppelgangers . Either way , it eventually found its way to Crimmor in Amn , to a stall of exotic treasures managed by Beguld Thormon — also a doppelganger , as Ilmatari investigators later found . Shortly before Midsummer , Thormon sold the " Tome " for 20 , 000 gold pieces to a group of Thay an agents . For their own ends , this group dealt in a number of criminal enterprises : kidnapping , slavery , smuggling , and the fencing and transport of stolen property . The group based themselves in a house in Athkatla , which an Ilmatari strike - force assaulted one night in the autumn of 1343 DR . The impressive Ilmatari attack destroyed the house and ended with the Thayan band pursued through the streets and slain , amidst a number of stabbings and desperate rooftop jumps . Before the fall of winter at the close of the year , Enduring Servant Elisker Hagathan carried the " Tome of Torment " in triumph back to the House of the Broken God . There the Tome remained for nearly twenty years , during which time it was occasionally loaned to Ilmatari priests embarking on dangerous missions and monster culls with the Holy Warriors of Suffering . Finally , it was stolen again in the Year of the Helm , 1362 DR , and remained lost . Ilmater gave visions of the " Tome " to his faithful , showing it to be kept within a dark , stone - walled room somewhere in Faerûn and being studied by someone with hairy , muscular , male human hands . Recovering it became a mission for all followers of Ilmater , setting them on a vigorous search across the Realms , and their probing efforts provoked conflict with those who wished their privacy or had something else to hide . A 40 , 000 - gp reward was offered the return of the complete and undamaged " Tome of Torment " at either the House of the Broken God in Keltar or the House of Holy Suffering in Mussum . At least twice , fraudsters delivered fake " Tome " s to the House of the Broken God , and were punished for their trickery . The whereabouts of the " Tome of Torment " were still unknown by 1370 DR . Notable owners . The " Tome of Torment " was most often held by temples of Ilmater , such as at Holy High Carathryn , the House of Holy Suffering in Mussum , and the House of the Broken God in Keltar , or carried from place to place , but had a few notable owners outside the temples :