He Who Was

He Who Was is a Shadar-kai in the Ruined Battlefield at X: 129 Y: 106. He gives the quest Punish the Wicked and has a  Raven companion.

“

The murdered lie silent. The raven asks - will you be their voice?

„

— He Who Was quotes the Raven

Overview

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. In doing so, they are guided by ravens; the raven companion of He Who Was is one such bird.

Shadar-kai are typically as cold and emotionless as their queen, but for reasons unknown (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 orders given by the Raven Queen, which the raven is displeased with.

Involvement

He Who Was is at a ritual circle he set up to  commune with a corpse of the dwarven woman  Madeline. Approaching him starts ⁠Punish the Wicked. He initially tells the party to clear off, but the white raven suggests they might be able to help. He explains the dead woman was a murderer, and 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 give the ledger to He Who Was, he is able to channel the spirit of Madeline through his body. The party can then ask Madeline about the details of what happened, and decide what punishment – if any – she deserves.

If the interacting party member makes Madeline stab herself once, or shames her for being a coward, He Who Was is satisfied. This causes Paladins with an Oath of the Ancients, Oath of the Crown, or Oath of Devotion to break their oath. ⁠No Rest for the Wicked is granted for party members with the  Acolyte background.

Otherwise, if interacting party member passes the  Persuasion checks to forgive her, or makes her stab herself a second time, He Who Was becomes enraged and attacks the party, granting the ⁠Let Sleeping Dogs Lie inspiration to  Acolyte party members. Forgiving her breaks the oath of Vengeance Paladins. Each stabbing inflicts 5 damage, which persists into combat. Failing the  Persuasion check on the forgiveness option also satisfies He Who Was, without breaking any Paladin oath.^[verify]

He Who Was is not marked with on the map and there is no dialogue to open trading interface when talking to him, but he has more useful items for sale than other NPCs.

Combat

Attacks and actions

 Bane ( + )

Up to 3 creatures receive a -1d4 penalty to Attack rolls and Saving throws.

 CHA Save

 Range: 9 m (30 ft)

 Confusion ( + )

Befuddle a group of creatures, causing them to attack at random, wander around aimlessly, and occasionally skip turns in the stupor.

 WIS Save

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Darkness ( + )

Create a cloud of magical darkness that  Heavily Obscures and inflicts  Blind to creatures within. Creatures cannot make ranged attacks into or out of it.

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Fear ( + )

Hostile targets drop everything and become  Fearful: they have  Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.

If the target ends their turn where they can't see you, they can make another  Saving throw to shake off their fear.

 WIS Save

 Range: Self

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Spear

Damage: 1~6

1d6⁠Piercing

Make a melee attack with your equipped weapon.

 Melee: 1.5 m (5 ft)

 Rush Attack ()   –  Spear

Damage: 5~8

1d4 + 4⁠Piercing

Charge forward and attack the first enemy in your way, possibly pushing them  Off Balance.

 STR Save

 Range: 9 m (30 ft)

 Recharge: Short rest

 Shadow Spear ()   –  Spear

Damage: 5~54

1d6⁠Piercing

+ 4d12⁠Necrotic

Deal an additional 4d12⁠⁠Necrotic with your equipped melee weapon.

 Range: Normal weapon range

Loot

• Leather Armour
• Raven Gloves
• Return at Once
• Spear

Related literature

• Madeline's Ledger
• Return at Once

Related quests

• ⁠Punish the Wicked

Gallery

• 
  The ritual circle with the Raven Queen's symbol
• 
  Cinematic