Baldur's Gate 1 - Prologue Walkthrough
Baldur's Gate 1 begins in the town of Candlekeep just outside of the inn in town. Candlekeep is the town your character grew up in and serves essentially as this game's tutorial. Throughout this town there will be tons of "Tutors" which you can speak with to learn about the game's interface along with different mechanics within the game. You will also find a couple of side quests in this town which you can complete or skip - it's completely up to you.
Below is a list of all 6 side quests that you can find in Candlekeep along with a little bit of information about how you can complete each. If you're having trouble locating any of the NPCs involved in these quests keep in mind that you can hold down Tab and it will display the names of all NPCs in the area.
Dreppin's Cow: Dreppin in northern Candlekeep will ask you to obtain an Antidote from Hull for his cow. You can find Hull near the front gate of the keep, speak with him and he'll give you an additional side quest by the name of Hull's Sword. To complete both of these quests enter the Barracks in Candlekeep and loot the Antidote + Sword from the only unlocked chest.
Reevor's Storehouse: Outside of the storehouse in eastern Candlekeep you'll meet Reevor who will ask you to clear out all of the rats inside of the building. Zone in, defeat all of the rats then speak with Reevor to complete the quest.
Phlydia's Book: You can find Phlydia in the northwestern portion of Candlekeep; the book she asks you to find is to the east of her in some hay behind Dreppin. Hold down Tab and you'll have a much easier time locating the area that you can interact with for the quest.
An Errand for Fuller: Inside the Barracks you'll meet a man by the name of Fuller who asks you to run a quick errand for him. Fuller wants you to go to the Candlekeep Inn and purchase some Crossbow Bolts for him; you only need to make a single purchase of 20 Bolts. Return to him after you've done this to turn the quest in.
Hull's Sword: Speak with Hull at the front entrance to Candlekeep and he will ask you to retrieve his sword from a chest inside the Barracks. The Barracks are a building to the west of Hull and inside you'll find a couple of chests but only a single one will be unlocked. Inside is a Sword which you'll return to Hull and an Antidote which you will return to Dreppin.
Firebead's Scroll: Firebead Elvenhair can be found inside of the Candlekeep Inn; speak with him and he will ask you to retrieve his Identify Scroll from Tethtoril whose walking around in the garden outside of the library. The library is the giant building in the center of town. Talk to Tethtoril for the scroll then return to Firebead.
Tip: Speaking with Firebead a total of 30 times will reward the player with 300G
I'd recommend you complete some of these quests that way you will have a little bit extra gold for some shopping before we head out. During the first part of this game it's important to remember that all non-magical weapons will break after some use because of the iron problem in the Nashkel Mines. For this reason you may want to buy 1 or 2 extra weapons for yourself if you can manage it.
When you're ready to spend some of your gold head over to the Candlekeep Inn and speak with Winthrop the Innkeep inside. This is the primary vendor in Candlekeep and the guy you'll be purchasing your starter gear from. Depending on what class you've chosen the items you'll be buying will vary. If you can use a Helmet I strongly recommend you buy one here otherwise buy yourself a better weapon and a good chest piece.
Something to keep in mind is that at the start of Baldur's Gate 1 all of the non-magical weapons you buy will eventually turn into "Broken Weapon". For this reason I recommend you buy 2 weapons for yourself instead of just 1 if you have the extra money. Those of you who are lacking in money I recommend you stick with buying new armor since they are upgrades that will not break on you.
There are a couple more optional things for us to explore in Candlekeep, I'll let you decide how much you want to do and explore. Some of the buildings in town will have fights you can engage in and there are a few more NPCs throughout town who will teach you things about fighting and the game. When you're ready to advance the story forward and move onto Chapter 1 you'll want to speak with Gorion outside the library in the center of town.
Imoen will approach you before you reach Gorion and ask to join you on your quest. You won't be able to recruit her now but at the very start of the next chapter she will approach you to join your party. This is one of the staple companions who appears in both BG1 and BG2, she has a decent amount of dialogue and back story if that is your thing.
Gorion Outside Candlekeep Library