He is not aggro, so you can spell up at your leisure. He casts druid spells in combat which can hurt, so watch your hp. He also seems to blind frequently, which can be quite annoying when you are a first classer with no cure blind.
If you get too low, just flee south, rest up and go again.
Opening the wooden chest grants you the Mark of Centaurs and "the legendary grimoire of centaur history", which is extremely useful for a first class spellcaster.
You focus your powers of observation on the legendary grimoire of centaur history: Item 'the legendary grimoire of centaur history' is type spellbook, alignment 0, made of reinforced-leather (in (new) condition), has keywords 'thick grimoire centaur history legendary magical energy'. This item weighs 0 stones and 10 pebbles, and is valued at 102,500 gold. {Cat. 1} This level 20 item has the attributes: nodecay magic-resistant no-dispel bind-on-take kept uncpkable disappear-on-unmet-requirements Can hold up to 0 spells with a maximum of 0 complexity points. This spellbook has no spells scribed in it. *Your level must be less than or equal to 165 to use this item. *This item may be repaired 4 times. *This item is bound to SuperFirstClasser. The centaurs who first ventured out of the shadow of Mount Vesuvius settled what would originally become Vospire, and even though they had barely left their ancestral homes, put considerable towards compiling a history of their forebears and it became one of the canonical resources of the history of centaurs and their magical research. +++ the legendary grimoire of centaur has enough magical energy to scribe 10 more spells. +++ the legendary grimoire of centaur history will, when USEd by a first class with the name of a spell they receive from their current class, dig through the full history of the centaurs and scribe knowledge of that spell into itself. You focus your powers of observation on a centaur chieftain's sash of rank: Item 'a centaur chieftain's sash of rank' is type armor, alignment 200, made of reinforced-leather (in (new) condition), has keywords 'black leather sash centaur chieftains rank', equipped on the body. This item weighs 0 stones and 5 pebbles, and is valued at 107,525 gold. {Cat. 1} This level 49 item has the attributes: no-dispel Armor resistance is 7 pierce, 7 bash, 5 slash, and 3 exotic. Grants knowledge of 'acrobatics' at 25%. Grants knowledge of 'dodge' at 25%. Grants knowledge of 'parry' at 25%. Grants knowledge of 'shield block' at 25%. Affects damage by -6. *Your Mark of Centaurs must be equal to True to use this item. *Your race must be something other than fey to use this item. *Your race must be something other than sidhe to use this item. *This item may be repaired 4 times. A black leather sash has been well-oiled and preserved for years.