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Act two ofBaldur’s Gate 3takes place in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Here, you’ll find some of the darker quests in the game, quite literally. One of these quests is Punish The Wicked, which involves a man named He Who Was, and a dead woman named Madeline.
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Agreeing to help He Who Was will begin the quest, which involves fetching a ledger for him. You’ll need to head to the opposite end of the Shadow-Cursed Lands to find the ledger, which is tucked inside the floorboards of the Waning Moon. Depending on the outcome of your choices in this quest, you may get unique equipment or basic loot in the end.
Who Is He Who Was
He Who Was is a Shadar-Kaiwho serves the Raven Queen. As a servant of this Shadowfell deity, he collects memories of tragedies for her.
Due to the corruption of the Shadow Curse,he developed a delight in tormenting the victimshe collects memories from.
He is accompanied by awhite raven, who fights alongside him should he be engaged in battle.
Where Is He Who Was In The Shadow-Cursed Lands
He Who Was can be found preparing for his ritual in thenortheast corner of the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Theclosest portal to this location is the Last Light Inn. From the portal, you’ll need to cross the bridge andtake the path on the left. You need to keep making your way towards the northeast to make it to He Who Was.
When you make it to the spot, you’ll find He Who Was standing by his companion, a white raven. On the ground,you’ll see the body of Madeline lying on top of a ritual circle.
He Who Was will explain thathe needs your help in finding evidencethat can be used for Madeline’s judgment, whom he is accusing of murder. The evidence he wants you to look for isa ledger where Madeline has written about her crime. He’ll send you off to fetch it froma distillery called The Waning Moon.
If you haven’t discovered The Last Light Inn portal by this point, make sure to head there first before going to The Waning Moon.You’ll need to return to He Who Was after you get the ledger, and it would be more efficient to use The Last Light Inn portal on your journey back.
Where Is Madeline’s Ledger
Madeline’s ledger can be found in her old workplace,The Waning Moon. This distillery is located inthe west area of the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Theclosest portal to The Waning Moon is Moonrise Towers. From the Moonrise Towers portal, you need tohead west. The distillery is onlya short walk away.
When you enter The Waning Moon, you’ll seea bar deep in the far end. Behind the bar isThisobald Thorm, who will be serving you drinks, albeit menacingly. You’ll need toget past Thisobald Thorm to reach the location of Madeline’s ledger.
Once you’ve dealt with Thisobald Thorm,head to the area behind the bar. If you pass aPerception check, a loose floorboard will be revealed to you.Interact with the loose floorboardto find Madeline’s ledger hidden underneath.
What Happens When You Return The Ledger
Once you have Madeline’s ledger, you canmake your way back to He Who Was. Hand him the ledger when you meet him again. He can then begin the ritual, which involves having the late Madeline’s soul enter his body. Your task is tohand down judgment on Madeline while she’s possessing He Who Was.
This interesting turn of events will allow you to eithercondemn Madeline or forgive her. Of course, punishing Madeline will please He Who Was whileforgiving her will anger him and cause him to attack you.
There is another option where, in punishing Madeline,you will end up angering He Who Was for torturing his body.
Companions will also react differently depending on the choiceyou make here. You’ll have multiple opportunities to earn their approval or disapproval during the judgment period.
Theloot or reward you can receive at the end of the quest will also differbased on the outcome of your choices:
Ultimately, the choice is yours, andMadeline’s guilty conscience is in your hands.
