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He Who Was
| He Who Was | |||||||||||||
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| Level 6 | |||||||||||||
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| Information | |||||||||||||
| Title | Shadar-Kai Gloom Weaver | ||||||||||||
| Race |  Shadar-Kai | ||||||||||||
| Stats | |||||||||||||
| Size | Medium | ||||||||||||
| Type | Humanoid | ||||||||||||
| Armour Class | 15 | ||||||||||||
| Hit points | 76 | ||||||||||||
| Movement speed | 9 m (30 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (150 lb) | ||||||||||||
| Initiative | +4 | ||||||||||||
| Ability scores | |||||||||||||
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| Proficiency bonus | +3 | ||||||||||||
| Saving throws |
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| Resistances | |||||||||||||
| Immune | Necrotic | ||||||||||||
| Features | |||||||||||||
 | Automatically attack an enemy moving out of your reach. | ||||||||||||
 | Can attack creatures in the dark without disadvantage, up to a range of 12 m (40 ft). | ||||||||||||
 | Immune to Sleep and advantage against being Charmed. | ||||||||||||
 | Can make an additional free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack. | ||||||||||||
 | After taking damage this character may turn invisible. | ||||||||||||
| “ | The murdered lie silent. The raven asks - will you be their voice? |
„ |
| — He Who Was quotes the Raven |
He Who Was is a shadar-kai NPC found in the Ruined Battlefield at X: 128 Y: 110 who gives the quest Punish the Wicked. He has a Raven companion.
Story
As a shadar-kai, He Who Was is a servant of the Raven Queen. Shadar-kai were formerly elves before being trapped in the Shadowfell and transformed. The Raven Queen, who is obsessed with collecting memories and essences (typically of loss and grief), sends the shadar-kai to retrieve mementos of tragic events, whether they are physical tokens, memories, or the souls of the dead. They are guided in doing so by ravens; He Who Was's raven companion is one such bird.
Shadar-kai are typically as cold and emotionless as their queen, but for an unknown reason (possibly the effects of the shadow curse) He Who Was has become petty and cruel, taking pleasure in tormenting people while gathering their memories. Ambient dialogue between He Who Was and his raven companion implies that he is no longer following the orders he has been given, which the raven is displeased with.
He Who Was has a ritual circle set up to use Speak with Dead on a corpse of a woman called Madeline. He initially tells the party to clear off, but his white raven suggests they might be able to help. He explains that the dead woman was a murderer. He asks the party to find Madeline's Ledger at the tavern she worked in and bring it back so that the murderer may be brought to justice and her victims given peace.
If the party gives the ledger over to He Who Was, he is able to channel the spirit of Madeline through his body. The party can ask Madeline about the details of what happened, and then decide what punishment she deserves.
If the party makes Madeline stab herself once, or shame her for being a coward, He Who Was is satisfied (this will cause Oath of the Ancients and Oath of Devotion Paladins to break their oath). If the party attempts to forgive her, or make her stab herself a second time, he becomes enraged and attacks the party. Each stabbing inflicts 5 damage which persists into combat.
Related quests
Notable loot
Raven Gloves - quest reward if Madeline is stabbed or called a coward
Gallery
The ritual circle with the Raven Queen's symbol
Ingame Model
