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Investigate the Murders
Investigate the Murders is a subquest of the quest 
Get Orin's Netherstone in Act Three of Baldur's Gate 3.
Objectives[edit | edit source]
Walkthrough[edit | edit source]
A Bhaalist Plot[edit | edit source]
According to 
Enver Gortash, 
Orin the Red can be found by following the murders in the city, starting with the latest reported murder at the Open Hand Temple. Completing Solve the Open Hand Temple Murders provides more information on 
Father Lorgan, the latest victim of the Bhaalist plot, as well as information on the killer behind the murders. In this case, Inspector 
Valeria, who is charged with investigating, is met in Sharess' Caress and, in turn, refers the party to her assistant, 
Devella Fountainhead, once they have shown her sufficient proof of Bhaal's involvement.
The party can also come across information on the murders by going up the stairs in the Elfsong Tavern and encountering the murder scene of Duke 
Belynne Stelmane. Upstairs, the party can meet Gauntlet Devella Fountainhead, who is investigating the murders in town and believes they are part of a Bhaalist conspiracy. The party can tell her they are adventurers and convince her they can help by passing an ability check:
- Let me help you - I trained under Camber Fosrick, the world's greatest investigative mind. (DC 15)
- Do you need some help? I've dealt with much worse than this. (DC 15)
- Use the crime scene to describe how Stelmane was killed. Show her you can help solve this. (DC 15)
- I've seen my share of dead bodies. Maybe I can be of help? (DC 10)
- I have seen death and cruelty in all its forms. Perhaps I could be of service? (DC 10)
- I am no stranger to hunting down vicious killers - be they man or beast. Perhaps I could help? (DC 10)
- I am sworn to help any law officer. Say the word. (DC 10
)
If Devella believes they can help, she gives them a 
Map of Murder, which points to another crime scene.
Speaking with any of the deceased victims, or speaking with the rat in Rainforest's Home, reveals they were killed by a dwarf in red. Using 
Speak with Dead on 
Ffion Goldgrind's corpse in Fraygo's Flophouse reveals that her son, 
Dolor, is the killer, and that he killed her after she found out he was a serial killer.
The Murder List[edit | edit source]
Fraygo's Flophouse is across the way from Sharess' Caress. After going up the stairs of the Flophouse, a ladder at X: -12 Y: 87 can be taken up to the top floor. On this floor, a red wardrobe can be found at X: -17 Y: 82.
There are multiple ways to get into the secret room on the uppermost floor of the Flophouse:
- Passing a
DC 25 Sleight of Hand check - Using the spell
Knock - Completing Solve the Open Hand Temple Murders and obtaining the
Flowery Key
On the table to the right of the room's entrance is a 
Bloodstained Parchment. It contains a list of murder victims and can be picked up to be presented to Valeria or Devella as hard evidence of a Bhaalist plot.
Another copy of the Bloodstained Parchment can be found inside Peartree House or in Rainforest's Home.
Save the Victims[edit | edit source]
Once the Bhaal murder list has been found, the party can utilise it to track down the victims who have not yet been killed in order to seek out the murderer.
Living Victims:
Cora Highberry at X: 22 Y: -38: The Wine Festival southwest of the Elfsong Tavern.
Figaro Pennygood at X: -182 Y: -31: Inside Facemaker's Boutique.
Chef Roveer at X: 64 Y: 8: In the kitchen of the Elfsong Tavern.
Nesha Leesha at X: -153 Y: -90: Outside of the Blushing Mermaid.
Deceased Victims:
- Father Lorgan at X: -57 Y: -22: In the infirmary of the Open Hand Temple.
- Duke Belynne Stelmane at X: 73 Y: -19: Second floor of the Elfsong Tavern.
Alexander Rainforest at X: -95 Y: -114: Near the bed on the top floor of Rainforest's Home.
Franc Peartree at X: 42 Y: -96: On the ground in Peartree's Home.
Chef Roveer[edit | edit source]
Roveer is in the kitchen of Elfsong Tavern. He immediately insists the party take care of rats in the cellar, as part of Roveer's Storehouse and does not listen to the party otherwise. After killing the rats, the party can return and warn him of the murder plot.
Nesha Leesha[edit | edit source]
Nesha Leesha wanders the outer decks near the Blushing Mermaid's entrance. The party can warn her that she is a target for murder, but Nesha initially takes it as a joke, thinking no one would want to murder her. With a successful DC 15 Persuasion check, she can be convinced that her life is in danger, after which she walks off to take care of her tab at the bar.
Cora Highberry[edit | edit source]
Cora Highberry is at a table at the wine festival southwest of Elfsong Tavern. Speaking to her, she tells the party she is about to taste some of "Master Meztli's" wine. A successful passive DC 18 Medicine check reveals that the wine smells sickly sweet, with an acrid note on the periphery, indicating poison.
Afterwards, the player character is presented with several dialogue options.
Choosing the following options results in Cora being poisoned and killed. The first two result in the player character also being poisoned.
- I would love a glass, Master Meztli.
- Bottoms up!
- I'm afraid I must decline, but I hope you enjoy your wine.
Choosing any of the following options results in the killer being revealed:
- Poison... Beauteous... Sickly... Delicate.
- This fiend has sullied good wine with poison!
- Oh, poisoned wine? Now, that's a classic.
- Get back! This cowardly worm is trying to poison you!
- I've smelled many a wine in my time, and this one's foul. Poisonous.
- Cora Highberry, your life is in danger. A serial killer is after you.
- I think it's only polite that we let Master Meztli drink first, or should I say... Dolor?
- Kill the poisoner. One death is as good as another.
- Attack the poisoner.
Revealing "Metzli" as the serial killer infuriates him, as his "perfect crime" is interrupted. He retreats, revealing multiple doppelgangers to keep the party busy, while using the 
Spaceshunt Boots to teleport himself away. One of the corpses contains a 
Tombstone Shop Key necessary for later in the quest.
Alternatively, Dolor's 
Dimension Door can be 
Counterspelled, meaning the party can kill him during his initial appearance and avoid fighting him at Facemaker's Boutique; if the party try to kill him here, after being Counterspelled, he likely throws a potion to paralyse a party member, followed by a modified sneak attack which does not require advantage. In addition, he always drinks an invisibility potion for a second escape attempt. If he survives to his next turn, he casts Dimension Door again, at level 5.
Figaro Pennygood[edit | edit source]
If Dolor is able to flee from the wine festival, he can be found at Facemaker's Boutique, where his final target, Figaro Pennygood, is located. Figaro and Gauntlet Devella can be found in the back room, 
Paralysed, while Dolor prepares to murder them. Upon finding Dolor, the party is presented with a variety of options.
If the party sneak into a better position, Dolor is able to kill Figaro:
- Keep to the shadows while the dwarf is distracted. (DC 15)
- Step softly in the nearby shadows, avoiding the dwarf's gaze. (DC 15)
Alternatively, the party can announce themselves (or fail the stealth roll) to immediately save Figaro's life:
- Stop right there!
- Back off. That's my kill. (if aware of the murder list)
- 'Transcend'? This brutality is a mockery of the word.
- A paralysed victim and creepy monologue? Could you get any more cliche?
- I respect paralysing your target - makes the kill easier. But a monologue? Really?
- Enough of games. Enough hiding. You face me here and now.
- You talk too much. Come - meet your end, beast.
- A beast on the hunt is one thing - but there's only end for one gone rabid.
- I loathe cowards. Come - death is too good for the likes of you.
- You might have blades, but I am magic incarnate. You are no match for me.
During the battle, Dolor targets Devella first, making it imperative to heal or cast 
Sanctuary on her. Entering through the right (southmost) double door can also put the party in a better position to save Devella. After the fight, Devella thanks the party and suggests searching Dolor's body for clues on what he intended to do next.
Killing Dolor grants the party a bag of his victims' hands, as well as a 
Torn and Bloody Page with a poem from the Dirge of the Unholy Assassin. Reading the page provides a passphrase, 'Sicarius,' and a location, Candulhallow's Tombstones.
Murder the Victims[edit | edit source]
Instead of saving the victims, the party can choose to murder the remaining victims themselves and cut their hands off as proof. While Dolor is busy with Cora Highberry, the party can target Figaro Pennygood. They can also take out Nesha Leesha and Roveer, either by announcing they have come to kill them or by using subterfuge (i.e. utilising 
Greater Invisibility or 
Darkness). If announcing the intent to kill the targets, they become hostile and are joined by friendly characters.
After the first murder victim is killed, or after killing Valeria, Devella Fountainhead, or a Flaming Fist officer, 
Olfaith Olumssdottir approaches the party (giving them the Bloodstained Parchment, if they have not already found it) and instructs them to kill another target on the list (or two, if a Flaming Fist officer was killed, since their names are not listed on the parchment and thus do not count towards the total). Once two victims from the murder list have been killed, he appears again and directs the party to Candulhallow's Tombstones and gives them the secret passphrase – 'Sicarius.'
Candulhallow's Tombstones[edit | edit source]
Candulhallow's Tombstones, at X: 74 Y: 25, is northeast of Elfsong Tavern. Its door can be opened with the Tombstone Shop Key, lockpicked, or broken down. The party must move into the back office and remove the 
Butterfly on Skull painting at X: 87 Y: 15 to find a button. Pressing the button reveals a secret door. The only way to get past this door is to know the passphrase, Sicarius.
Within the basement is a sign which reads "Flaming Fists this Way." This area is heavily trapped with grease barrels which alight upon approaching them. Instead, the party is advised to remain on the brick path on the right and enter the door to the Murder Tribunal's antechamber at X: -1302 Y: 519.
Infiltrate the Murder Tribunal[edit | edit source]
The party must enter the Murder Tribunal Antechamber and speak with 
That Which Guards. The entity provides a riddle, "Present me well from gifts thine own, or I shall rend thy flesh from bone." Choose "I killed to be here - and took the victim's hand as proof" to proceed forward. The party can use the 
Hand Bag from Dolor, a hand taken from any victim they have killed, or the hand of Gortash to gain entry. Choosing any other option results in a fight with the guards, and the Murder Tribunal becomes hostile as well.
Dolor rare encounter[edit | edit source]
If Figaro Pennygood was murdered by the party before being attacked at his boutique by Dolor and his assassins, and Dolor is still alive following his assassination attempt against Cora Highberry at the wine festival, he then shows up at the Tribunal's entrance, demanding entry. It does not matter if he kills Cora or not, or even if his Hand Bag containing the hands of his previous kills has been pickpocketed. He is denied by the Guardians because only one contender can gain entry, and there are two who seek to become Unholy Assassins.
Dolor recognises the player character if they met during the events at the wine festival and accuses them of not being as faithful to Bhaal as he is. If they did not meet or the player character was disguised, his dialogue is different. In any case, That Which Guards demands a duel between the two contenders and Dolor happily obliges. The party has three options:
- They can fight Dolor to the death.
- Tell Dolor to go ahead, which causes the Guardians to turn against the party since they are intruders and not contenders after all.
- Pass a DC 25 Persuasion check to convince Dolor to destroy the Tribunal, as it does not serve Bhaal, since they seek to pit two perfect killers against each other.
If the first option is chosen, That Which Guards is satisfied and unlocks the doors to the Tribunal without further questions. If the third option is chosen and the check is passed, Dolor agrees, stating that Bhaal is not a god of decrees and doctrines, and combat is initiated as he turns on the Tribunal Guardians. After they are defeated, Dolor unlocks the doors and attacks 
Sarevok Anchev and the three Echoes. However, he is immediately killed as Sarevok uses 
Power Word Kill on Dolor. Sarevok is not hostile to the party as he is unaware of what exactly transpired outside the Tribunal doors. If the party join Dolor by attacking Sarevok, then it is possible to prevent Dolor's death either by taking out Sarevok before his turn or by casting 
Silence, preventing him from uttering the Power Word. However, if the Murder Tribunal is defeated and Dolor survives, he immediately becomes hostile and must also be defeated.
Facing the Tribunal[edit | edit source]
If the party choose not to fight their way through, Sarevok Anchev can be met face-to-face, along with the 
Echo of Amelyssan, 
Echo of Sendai, and 
Echo of Illasera. The party can ask various questions about Sarevok and how he is still alive, his ties to Orin, and information about what the Murder Tribunal is.
Sarevok proclaims that there is no better mirror in which to see the true nature of a killer than his victim. Thus, he summons the image of one of the murder victims. The spectre cannot speak, as the murderer stole their voice; the party must speak for them. Sarevok asks how the pitiful creature was slain.
If the party did not kill the victim, they can make a 
Deception check to lie and claim they did:
- First, I ended its sorry existence. Then I cut the hand from its corpse. (DC 20)
- Slowly and painfully. I savoured every scream. (DC 20)
- With a smile on my face, and pleasure in my heart. (DC 20)
If the soul was actually slain by the party, then no Deception check is needed.
For the Dark Urge, if they have not acquired the 
Slayer form, the DC is reduced to 10, and they have the option to pass a DC 15 Intimidation check to skip the scene altogether.
If the Dark Urge has the Slayer form, Sarevok does not ask them about the murders, which he believes are far beneath their skills. Instead, he informs them about their past and how they perfectly embodied Bhaal's essence compared to anyone else, including his granddaughter, Orin. He then asks the Dark Urge if they seek revenge on Orin; in fact, he encourages them to do so. Sarevok is confident the Dark Urge will prevail and defeat Orin and, after they do, asks them to return to him. He then proceeds to open the door to the abattoir without the need for any checks.
Alternative Minsc/Jaheira scene[edit | edit source]
A different scene instead plays if either or both 
Minsc and 
Jaheira are in the party when facing the Murder Tribunal. Sarevok instantly recognises his former adversaries and declares them traitors. The player character can respond by stating they are sacrifices offered up to Bhaal, which causes combat to break out between the rest of the party and them. Alternatively, the player character can say that Minsc and Jaheira answer to them, and make an Intimidation or Performance check to make them kneel before the Tribunal. If the player character is the Dark Urge and has acquired the Slayer form, Minsc and Jaheira can be forced to kneel without a check. Forcing Minsc and Jaheira to kneel satisfies Sarevok enough to allow the Tribunal to continue, and both Minsc and Jaheira can be baptised as unholy assassins.
The party also gain an option to initiate combat by asking Minsc and Jaheira whether they would like to kill Sarevok again; they defer to the player character, saying that they do not need to repeat the experience. If only Jaheira or Minsc or both are present when interacting with the Murder Tribunal, there are no dialogue options nor checks: Sarevok and the Echoes become hostile after the dialogue.
Quest Rewards[edit | edit source]
Amulet of Bhaal
Map to Bhaal Temple
Sarevok's Horned Helmet, if Sarevok is killed.
Sword of Chaos
Inspiration[edit | edit source]
Culling the Imitator (
Haunted One background) - for killing Dolor- Soured Taste (
Guild Artisan background) - for discovering the poison in the wine at the Highberry's Wine Festival - Truth Shines Through (
Folk Hero background) - for successfully warning Cora Highberry - Wine Connoisseur (
Noble background) - for successfully warning Cora Highberry
Companion approval[edit | edit source]
In the confrontation at Figaro's shop:
- Ordering Dolor to stop (either the first option or any class option)
-1 
-1 
+1 
+1 
+1 
+1 
+1 
+1 
+1 - Telling Dolor to back off of the kill -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 +1 +1 +1
- Offering to investigate the tribunal +1 +1 +1 +1 +1
- Sacrificing Devella Fountainhead -1
+1 +1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 +1
Notes[edit | edit source]
- This quest intertwines heavily with Impress the Murder Tribunal, which is completed at the same time as this quest.
- Several of the murder sites also contain body parts for Find Dribbles the Clown.
- Warning Roveer or Nesha does not appear to make a difference; Dolor only targets Cora and Figaro.
- A part of this quest is time-sensitive. If long resting after entering the Lower City and then getting close to the Wine Festival but refraining from interacting with anyone, Cora is murdered the next day.
Bugs[edit | edit source]
- If Olfaith shows up by murdering Valeria or Devella Fountainhead instead of a target on the murder list, he does not reappear when two targets from the list have been murdered.
- Olfaith can show up even if this quest has been completed, including if the party has slain the entire murder tribunal or Orin.
- If Dolor is alive but the exact conditions listed here are not satisfied, then he does not initially show up at the Murder Tribunal, but appears only after the player character becomes an Unholy Assassin of Bhaal. He is seen arguing with the Guardians, but he cannot be interacted with.
- If a party member interacts with Dolor and Cora Highberry at the wine festival and successfully passes the Medicine check to warn Cora that the wine is poisoned, the party may be incorrectly granted the Crossing's Namesake inspiration if a character with the
Sage background is in the active party. This bug also seems to prevent the party from being able to cast Counterspell to stop Dolor from escaping. - If the party save Cora by defeating Dolor and then take a long rest before talking to Devella, she disappears from the game. The party then cannot witness any cutscenes with her, update her on their progress in the Basilisk Gate Barracks, or collect her reward for completing the quest.