Investigate the Murders

Investigate the Murders is a sub-quest of the Quest in Act Three of Baldur's Gate 3.
==Objectives==
== Walkthrough ==
=== A Bhaalist Plot ===
According to , can be found by following the murders in the city, starting with the latest reported murder at the Open Hand Temple. Completing provides more information on , the latest victim of the Bhaalist plot, as well as information on the killer behind the murders. In this case, Inspector is met in Sharess Caress, who is charged with investigating, and in turn refers the party to 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 . Upstairs, the party meets 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 use Perception, Investigation, or Insight to convince Devella they can be of use. If Devella believes they can help, she gives a that points to another crime scene.
Speaking to any of the deceased victims, or speaking with the rats in Rainforest's home, reveals that they were killed by a dwarf in red. Using on corpse in Fraygo's Flophouse reveals his name is , that he is her son, and that he killed her after she found out he was a serial killer.
=== The Murder List ===
Fraygo's Flophouse is across the way from Sharess' Caress. After going up the stairs of the Flophouse, a ladder at can be taken up to the top floor. On this floor, a red wardrobe can be found at . 
There are multiple ways to get into the secret room on the uppermost floor of the Flophouse:
* Passing a lockpicking check of 25
* Using the spell 
* Completing and obtaining the .
On the table to the right of the room's entrance is a . This parchment contains a list of murder victims and can be picked up to present to Valeria or Devella as hard evidence of a Bhaalist plot. 
Another Bloodstained Parchment can be found inside Peartree House.
=== Save the Victims ===
Once the Bhaal murder list has been found, the party can utilize it to track down the victims who have not yet been killed in order to seek out the murderer.
Living Victims:
* at : The Wine Festival southwest of the Elfsong Tavern.
* at : Inside Facemaker's Boutique.
* at : In the kitchen of the Elfsong Tavern.
* at : Outside of the Blushing Mermaid.
Deceased Victims:
* at : In the infirmary of the Open Hand Temple.
* at : Second floor of the Elfsong Tavern.
* at : Near the bed on the top floor of Rainforest's Home.
* at : On the ground in Peartree's Home.
==== Chef Roveer ====
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 ====
Nesha Leesha wanders the outer decks near the [[Blushing Mermaid]|Blushing Mermaid]'s] entrance. The party can warn her she is a target for murder, but Nesha initially takes it as a joke. She does not think anyone would want to murder her. With a successful , she can be convinced her life is in danger, after which she walks off to take care of her tab at the bar.
==== Cora Highberry ====
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 medicine check reveals the wine smells sickly sweet, with an acrid note on the periphery, indicating poison. Then there are the following dialogue options:
Choosing the following options results in Cora being poisoned and killed. The first two result in the player character also being poisoned.
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* 
Choosing any of the following options results in the killer being revealed:
* 
* 
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* 
* 
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* 
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 to teleport himself away. One of the corpses contains a necessary for later on in the quest. Successfully warning Cora Highberry earns the Inspirational Event Wine Connoisseur (Noble background). 
However, his can be , meaning the party can kill him at his initial appearance and avoid the fight at Facemaker's Boutique, if trying to kill him here after the Counterspell he likely throws a potion to paralyze party member followed by a modified sneak attack that does not require advantage. In addition, he always drinks an invisibility potion for a second escape attempt. If surviving to his next turn he casts Dimension Door again at level 5.
==== Figaro Pennygood ====
Only if fleeing from the wine festival can Dolor be found: where his final target Figaro Pennygood is, at Facemaker's Boutique, near the Baldur's Gate waypoint. Figaro and Gauntlet Devella can be found in the back room, paralyzed, while Dolor prepares to murder them. If the party chooses the option to sneak into a better position, Dolor is able to kill Figaro, while announcing themselves immediately saves Figaro's life. During the battle, Dolor targets Devella first, making it imperative to heal (or cast 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 with a poem from the Dirge of the Unholy Assassin. Reading the page provides a passphrase, 'Sicarius,' and a location, Candulhallow's Tombstones. Successfully killing Dolor awards the Inspirational Event Culling the Imitator (Haunted One background).
=== Murder the Victims ===
In contrast to saving the victims, the party can choose to murder the remaining victims for themselves and claim their hands as trophies. While Dolor is busy with Cora Highberry, the party can target Figaro Pennygood. The party can also take out Nesha Leesha and Roveer, either by announcing they have come to kill them or by using subterfuge (i.e. utilizing or ). If announcing the intend to kill the targets, they become hostile and are joined by friendly characters. 
After the first kill, or after killing Devella, {CharLink|Olfaith Olumssdottir}} approaches the party, congratulates them and asks them to kill another target on the list. Once this is done, he directs the party to Canduhallow's Tombstones and gives them the secret passphrase - 'Sicarius.'
=== Candulhallow's Tombstones ===
Candulhallow's Tombstones at is northeast of Elfsong Tavern. Its entrance can either be lockpicked, broken (normal attack), or a key used if the party killed Dolor. Move into the back office room and remove the Butterfly on Skull painting at 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, there is immediately a sign that says "Flaming Fists this Way." This area is heavily trapped with grease barrels that alight if entering that way. Instead, the party should remain on the brick path on the right and enter the door to the Murder Tribunal's antechamber at .
=== Infiltrate the Murder Tribunal ===
The party must enter the Murder Tribunal Antechamber and speak with . 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, the hands taken from any victims they chose to kill, 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.
Choosing to go the murder route and not pursue Dolor results in him being at the tribunal and arguing with That Which Guards. That Which Guards proclaims only one murderer can go forth into the Tribunal. The party can tell Dolor to either go ahead, persuade him to fight against the tribunal, or fight him to the death.
If choosing not to fight their way through, 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 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 its voice. Thus, the party must speak for it. 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:
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Dark urge characters get an easier (DC 10) check:
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If the party actually did kill the victim, no Deception check is required.
Selecting any one of these additional options results in Sarevok and his echoes immediately becoming hostile:
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After convincing or telling Sarevok how the victim died, he leads the party to the Dread Lord's Abattoir, for the next challenge. Inside the abattoir is the hollyphant investigator, . The party must choose to either kill Valeria to become a holy assassin of Bhaal or slay Sarevok.
An additional scene plays if either or is in the party during the tribunal. Sarevok instantly recognizes them and declares them traitors. The party can respond by stating they are sacrifices offered up to Bhaal and kill them, or go through Intimidation or Performance checks to have Jaheira / Minsc kneel before the Tribunal. Doing the latter satisfies Sarevok enough to allow the Tribunal to continue and both Minsc and Jaheira can be baptised as unholy assassins. Refusing to do so, results in Sarevok and the echos becoming hostile.
== Quest Rewards ==
*
*
*, if Sarevok is killed.
*
== Companion approval==
In the confrontation at Figaro's shop:
* Ordering Meztli to stop (either the first option or any class option) 
* Telling Meztli to back off of the kill 
* Offering to investigate the tribunal 
* Sacrificing Devella Fountainhead|Gauntlet Devella Fountainhead 
==Notes==
*This quest intertwines heavily with , which is completed at the same time as this quest.
*Several of the murder sites also contain body parts for .
*Warning Roveer and 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 ==
* If interacting with and at the wine festival and successfully passing 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 party. This bug also seems to prevent the party from being able to cast to stop dolor from escaping.
Category:Quests
Category:Main Quest
Category:Time-Sensitive Quests