The Approachable East

The Approachable East was a travelogue written by Rian Forbeck, which outlined their travels throughout the Unapproachable East region of Faerûn.

Description
The book was printed on notably thin sheets of paper.

Volume 1
The adventure of The Approachable East began, as many of the best stories do, in a simple tavern somewhere in the Realms. It was there that the author Rian Forbeck met a fearsome Rashemi mercenary, who shared tales about his homeland of Rashemen. The mercenary then spoke of other lands he had traveled, such as the Moonshae Isles, the Silver Marches, and the Plains of Purple Dust. Struck by the fact he had never traveled farther away from home than Beregost, Rian began the chronicle of The Approachable East, and set out east along the River Chionthar towards Rashemen.

Volume 3
The third volume recounts a story recounted to the author by a band of Gur, with whom he spent some time on the road. Over a pot of stew, the Gur told Forbeck a legend of their people's origin. According to the Gur, their people are descended from a pair of rebellious young Wychlaran whom their elders had turned into songbirds as punishment for their defiance. The songbirds escaped, and were eventually shown mercy by a cleric of Selûne, who broke their curse in the name the moon goddess and returned them to their original human form. The Gur, the descendants of these two witches, remain faithful to Selûne's teachings and no longer practice the witchcraft of their ancestors, but are still gifted with visions of the future, and some elders even take the title "maiden" as a show of respect to their forebears. Forbeck complimented both the tale and the stew, but expressed some skepticism about the historical account, and resolved to investigate the truth of the matter further upon reaching Rashemen.

Volume 4
The fourth volume described the author's journey to Cormyr. In particular, Forbeck was impressed by the scale of the city of Suzail, the Purple Dragon Knights who patrolled its streets, and the fashion sense of the local nobility. The author expressed his admiration for the fine, exotic goods imported to the markets of Suzail from the lands around the Sea of Fallen Stars, including animal pelts, spices, silks and fruits. Forbeck was also taken with the Cormyrian reverence of cats, proclaiming the prohibition on anti-cat violence as a mark of true civilization.

Volume 6
The sixth volume of The Approachable East detailed the author's travels in the lands of Thesk and along the Golden Way. They were amazed by the amount and sheer variety of trade goods that went each way along the great trading road.

It continued with an anecdote where the author met a lone traveler who invited them to visit with the Council of Zulkirs in Thay. While the author wished to continue their dream of traveling to Rashemen, they could hardly pass up such a generous offer of hospitality.

Volume 7
The seventh volume of the book was short and written in an inexplicably laconic manner. The author extolled the virtues of Thay and its people, and exclaimed that visiting Rashemen and Kara-Tur were no longer of any interest to him. He implored the reader to visit Thay.

Notable Owners

 * Ilyn Toth, an exiled Red Wizard who lived a secret life as an apothecary and healer in Moonhaven, owned the 6 volume of the series.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Baldur's Gate III