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Tome of the Beast Tamer

wondrous item (book), rare

This fur covered book shows you how to communicate with and train various creatures.

Beast Master

If you spend 24 hours over a period of 6 days or fewer studying the book’s contents and practicing its guidelines, you gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill if you don’t already have it.

Expert Beast Master

If you spend 48 hours over a period of 6 days or fewer studying the book’s contents and practicing its guidelines, you gain expertise in the Animal Handling skill, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the Animal Handling skill.

Dormant Tome

Once you have unlocked any of the tome's secrets, it then loses its magic at the end of the 6-day period, but regains it in a century. Only one creature can unlock the tome's secrets before it goes dormant.

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Lore

Deep within the Copperwood Library, nestled among the forgotten scrolls and whispered incantations, lay a humble tome—a relic of a simpler time. Its cover, worn and weathered, was crafted from the supple hide of a russet-brown bear, its fur coarse yet strangely comforting to the touch. The Tome of the Beast Tamer bore no flashy embellishments, no gilded edges; it was a book meant for those who sought communion with the wild, not for those who craved ostentation.

The author of this unassuming volume was Thalric the Kindhearted, a man whose heart beat in rhythm with the pulse of the forest. Thalric was no grand wizard or renowned sage; he was a simple woodsman, his hands calloused from years of tending to wounded animals and lost travelers. His eyes held the wisdom of someone who had listened to the rustling leaves and the distant howls of wolves, who had witnessed the birth of fawns and the death of ancient oaks.
Thalric’s fascination with beasts began in his youth. He would sit by the fire, his grandmother’s gnarled fingers weaving tales of forest guardians, whispering stags, and songbirds that carried messages between lovers. His grandmother, a woman with eyes like mossy pools, would stroke Thalric’s hair and say, “Child, the beasts are our kin. To understand them is to understand the very heartbeat of the land.”
And so, Thalric embarked on his lifelong quest. He followed the trails of foxes, learned the language of squirrels, and danced with badgers under moonlit skies. He observed the bond between druids and their animal companions, the gentle touch of healers on wounded hawks, and the silent pacts made by rangers with elusive lynxes. Thalric’s heart swelled with wonder as he realized that the beasts held secrets beyond mere survival—they held the keys to empathy, balance, and harmony.
But it was during a chance encounter with a wounded dire wolf in the heart of the Whispering Glen that Thalric’s purpose crystallized. The wolf’s eyes bore the weight of countless hunts, and its breath came in ragged gasps. Thalric tended to its wounds, and in return, the wolf shared visions of forgotten beast courts, where creatures convened to discuss matters of the wild. The wolf whispered secrets of animal intuition, kinship with the land, and the subtle art of calming enraged spirits.
Thalric returned to the Copperwood Library with the wolf’s wisdom etched into his soul. He penned the Tome of the Beast Tamer, its pages smelling of pine resin and moss. Thalric’s prose flowed like a babbling brook, and his illustrations depicted creatures not as mythical beings, but as fellow travelers on the winding path of existence—the curious eyes of a raccoon, the majestic antlers of a stag, and the playful antics of river otters.
As for Thalric himself, he disappeared into the depths of the forest, leaving behind only his tome and a single note: “To those who seek kinship with the beasts, may your footsteps be gentle and your heart open. Remember that every creature has a story, and every story is a thread in the tapestry of life.”
And so, the Tome of the Beast Tamer passed from generation to generation, its brown fur cover growing softer with each touch. Beast whisperers, herbalists, and curious wanderers alike sought its wisdom, hoping to glimpse the world through the eyes of a wounded fawn, hear the whispers of ancient oaks, and perhaps, just perhaps, find solace in the company of creatures.
And so, dear reader, if you chance upon the Tome of the Beast Tamer, know that Thalric’s legacy lives on. Open its pages, listen to the crackle of parchment, and let the magic of the beasts guide your spirit. For in the heart of every creature lies a tale waiting to be heard—a tale that may change the course of a single life or echo through the ages.
May your steps be gentle, and may the beasts reveal their secrets to you, as they did to Thalric the Kindhearted.

Tags:ability checkanimal handlingconsumableexpertiseloreno attunementproficiency