“Punish the Wicked” is a side quest in the second act of Baldur’s Gate 3. Here’s a full walkthrough on how to complete it.
After finding their way into the Shadow-Cursed Lands, initiating Act 2, and contacting the survivors at the Last Light Inn, the players have the option to explore the fields to the north-east of the Ruined Battlefields, at which point they’ll find a Shadar-kai (an offset of elves) who goes by the name of He Who Was. Chatting with He Who Was will unlock “Punish the Wicked,” a quest that asks you to sit in judgment on a potential murderer.
To start: The exact location of He Who Was is circled in yellow down below. Just exit the Last Light Inn and go left. Two pathways will eventually snake through to the Shadar-kai.
Note that you’re going to have to fight your way through an ambush before reaching He Who Was. The mob isn’t particularly difficult to deal with, but you may want to take a full rest before anyway.
Finding He Who Was, the player is confronted by the scene of a ritual. The justice-seeking elf is apparently summoning the spirit of a barmaid called Madeline, who he claims is guilty of murder. He Who Was initially tries to drive away the player and their party, but he can be persuaded to allow you to help solve the case. He asks you to find Madeline’s ledger, where she’s kept a record of all of her patrons.
In order to do that, you have to make your way south to The Waning Moon tavern, where Madeline once worked. As seen below, The Waning Moon is just past the Tollhouse, to the northwest of Moonrise Towers.
Retrieving Madeline’s ledger
Now this is where it gets tricky. Entering The Waning Moon will trigger a cutscene with its current inhabitant, Thisobald Thorm. In case you don’t know, Thisobald is one of the toughest boss fights in Act 2 and has his own side quest, so unless you’ve already taken care of him, you may have to fight him and his cronies before accessing Madeline’s ledger.
It’s also possible to avoid the fight if you pass several checks, so make sure to tread extra carefully around the abominable Thorm, and by that, we mean that you basically have to outdrink him.
Whether you kill Thorm or spare him, Madeline’s ledger can be found behind the bar under a loose plank. You have to pass a Perception check to find it.
Recover the ledger and make your way back to He Who Was. There, you can directly talk with Madeline, whereupon she’ll explain that she regrets her decision and wishes to make amends. You can listen to her case and make your decision. There are three ways this encounter can go:
- Make Madeline stab herself once like her victims
- Say that she’s a coward
- Forgive her
Successfully passing the check for any of these actions will complete the quest, and He Who Was will give you the Raven Gloves (a Rare item) as a reward. If you make Madeline stab herself twice, He Who Was will get angry and attack the party. He Who Was doesn’t drop any loot, however, so if you want to earn the gloves and get something out of this transaction, you’re going to have to keep your Dark Urges in check.
