Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic

Balthazar seeks to retrieve a relic for Ketheric Thorm.

Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic is a sub-quest of  Infiltrate Moonrise Towers in Act Two of Baldur's Gate 3. It can be started by speaking with Thisobald Thorm in The Waning Moon, by speaking to Disciple Z'rell in Moonrise Towers, or by reading Balthazar's diary in his chambers in Moonrise Towers.

Objectives

Objectives and journal entries may vary pending story decisions and outcomes.

Search Balthazar's chambers.

• Minthara told us that the necromancer Balthazar might know more about Ketheric's invulnerability. She suspects the answers we seek lie in Balthazar's chambers on the upper floor.

Investigate the Thorm Mausoleum.

• Disciple Z'rell instructed us to assist General Thorm's advisor, Balthazar, in recovering a powerful relic from the Thorm's family mausoleum.
• The Brewer revealed that 'her cage' is located in the Thorm Mausoleum. It's unclear who this woman is, but Ketheric must have caged her for a reason.
• We found Balthazar's diary and learned that he went to the Thorm Mausoleum to find a relic called the 'Nightsong'. It seems to be the key to Ketheric's invulnerability.
• A mysterious voice in the Mausoleum warned us to leave. If we wish to find Balthazar, we should press on.

Follow the secret passage.

• We uncovered a secret passage in the Thorm Mausoleum. The relic must be further inside.

Find Balthazar.

• We uncovered a secret passage in the Thorm Mausoleum. Balthazar must be inside.
• We encountered a group of patrolling skeletons who likely serve Balthazar. They mentioned the temple's shadowy defenders.
• We encountered Balthazar's undead servants. They have barricaded themselves in a room as they prepare to defend their master.

Talk to Balthazar.

• We defeated the temple's shadowy defenders and found the missing Balthazar.

Find a path to the relic.

• We found Balthazar. He's asked us to clear the path to the relic - by any means necessary.
• We encountered Balthazar - General Ketheric Thorm's advisor. He's been tasked with finding a powerful relic. He asked us to clear the path - by any means necessary.
• We defeated Balthazar, but the relic is still at large. We should search for it.

Complete the Gauntlet of Shar.

• To enter the temple's Inner Sanctum, we must complete the Gauntlet of Shar - trials made for her elite soldiers, the Dark Justiciars.
• We found an Umbral Gem. More are needed to unlock the temple's Inner Sanctum.
• We acquired another Umbral Gem from one of Shar's trials.
• We acquired a new Umbral Gem from Shar's trials.
• We acquired an Umbral gem from the lair of the orthon.
• We inserted an Umbral Gem into the altar. This activated a platform that will allow us to travel deeper into the temple.
• We found an altar in front of a locked door. There are three slots for Umbral Gems. We'll need to find more if we want to enter the temple's Inner Sanctum.

Place Umbral Gemstone in Altar

• We have enough Umbral Gems. We should insert them into the altar.

Open the door to the Inner Sanctum.

• We've collected enough Umbral Gems. Now to gain access to the Inner Sanctum.
• We inserted an Umbral Gem into the altar. This activated a platform that will allow us to travel deeper into the temple.

Find the relic.

• The path to the Inner Sanctum is open. The relic lies just ahead.

Reach the relic.

• Balthazar followed us into the Shadowfell. He intends to claim the relic. We should hurry after him.
• We entered the Shadowfell, the heart of the relic.

Defeat Balthazar.

• We found the 'relic' - a woman named Nightsong. Balthazar wanted to bring her to Ketheric. We turned on the necromancer instead.

Decide Nightsong's fate.

• The relic is a woman called Nightsong who was trapped in the Shadowfell by Ketheric and Balthazar. Her fate is in our hands.

Report to Moonrise.

• We helped Balthazar capture the Nightsong. He was pleased. We should return to Moonrise.

Report to Disciple Z'rell.

• We helped Balthazar return Nightsong to Moonrise Towers. Disciple Z'rell would be happy to hear this.
• Disciple Z'rell was pleased we assisted Balthazar and brought Nightsong to Moonrise.

Report to Ketheric Thorm.

• We helped Balthazar return Nightsong to Moonrise Towers. Ketheric Thorm would be happy to hear this.
• After capturing the Nightsong alongside Balthazar, we reported our success to Ketheric Thorm.

Quest Complete

• We killed Nightsong, making Ketheric Thorm vulnerable.
• We freed Nightsong and she flew across the shadow-cursed lands to Moonrise Towers, where she intends to face Ketheric Thorm.

Walkthrough

Moonrise Towers

After entering Moonrise Towers, the party is urged to go to the audience chamber. Enter it, and Ketheric is on a throne while one of his minions, Disciple Z'rell, is interrogating some goblins. Fezzerk is one of the goblins from the Blighted Village and he pleads for his life. The party can attempt to plead their case with Ketheric, but he refuses to believe they have any worth and orders the new True Souls to handle it. He leaves for his quarters and Z'rell tells the party to do whatever they want with them. The goblins can be killed, or set free. The party also has the option to try attacking Thorm, but he simply walks away and tells Z'rell to deal with it, and the whole area becomes hostile.

After dealing with the goblins, Z'rell must be reported to. She's up the stairs behind the throne in the audience chamber. Speak to her, and she telepathically connects with the party to see how the goblins died. Next, she tries to figure out if the party is loyal to the Absolute. The party can attempt to distract her with romantic thoughts of their love interest (Persuasion DC 14), fill their mind with fake love for the Absolute (Deception DC 14), distract her with their hunger for power, or use a special dialogue for Monks, Rogues, or Fighters.

If successful, Z'rell gives the party a new task - track down Balthazar, a servant of Thorm's who the cult has lost contact with. He was last seen at the Thorm Mausoleum. Z'rell gives the party a key to his room and instructs them to take a Moonlantern and touch nothing else. However, the party can access a secret area in his room in order to start  Balthazar's Experiment.

Alternative Ways to Acquire the Quest

There are two other ways to start the quest beyond speaking to Z'rell. The party can either pickpocket the key to Balthazar's room or loot it from Z'rell's corpse. Entering his room, Balthazar's Diary reveals his activities. If Minthara is a member of the party, she also encourages the party to search Balthazar's room to find answers on the relic.

If the party drinks with Thisobald Thorm in the Waning Moon, they can learn a little bit more about Thorm's secrets. After drinking three times with him, Thisobald starts ranting. "I - I know you. I knew, I know, I am knowing. You want father's personal mysterious - (secret) - secret. No, not, never! Father said, ordered, commanded. Don't say it, don't say it! The cage. Her cage. Talk and... perish, die, buried. Buried in Thorm tomb. Father told me." This grants a hint as to Thorm's relic.

The Relic

Pursuing Balthazar leads the party to Grand Mausoleum. The Grand Mausoleum is north of the House of Healing. Enter the Mausoleum after being accosted by Raphael and there is a small puzzle to proceed forward. There are three paintings with buttons underneath them, press them in the following order to open the way: Moonrise Towers, Grief, General. Move north using the traversal gem to enter the Gauntlet of Shar.

Gauntlet of Shar

Main article: Gauntlet of Shar

Once inside the Gauntlet of Shar, his minions can be encountered but it will trigger combat with Dark Justiciars.

Meeting Balthazar

After the combat encounter, Balthazar can be located in a room behind a big circular door. He will introduce himself as a servant of Ketheric Thorm and that he is there to retrieve the Nightsong. He will press the party into helping him since they are there and he might as well make use of them.

If the party read Research Notes (Balthazar) and knows the secret of the Nightsong, the party can reveal that they know and Balthazar will ask why he shouldn't just kill them right away:

• I had Z'rell's permission - that good enough for you? (if sent there by Z'rell)
• [DECEPTION] I received permission. Take it up with your peers at Moonrise, if you have an issue. (DC 14)
• [INTIMIDATION] You're hiding from shadows - literally. Don't make threats you can't back up. (DC 14)
• [BARBARIAN] [INTIMIDATION] Because I'll rip your tongue out, shove it down your throat, then stomp on your 'creations' until they are dirt beneath my feet. (DC 14 )
• [DRUID] [INTIMIDATION] Touch me, and I'll strike you down with all of nature's fang and fury. Go ahead - try me. (DC 14 )
• [PERSUASION] It's simple - you need me. Don't pretend otherwise. (DC 14)
• [CLERIC] [PERSUASION] I wield the divine. I can use it to assist you, or send you screaming to the Fugue Plane. Your choice. (DC 14 )
• [PALADIN] [PERSUASION] Do it - unleash your creations. But they will not protect you from me - or my righteous fury. (DC 14 )
• [BARD] [PERSUASION] Sir, I am a jack-of-all-trades and a master of many. Our meeting was not by chance - you need me. (DC 14 )
• [MONK] [PERSUASION] You are a ship without a sail, necromancer. You need allies - you need me. (DC 14 )
• [SORCERER] [PERSUASION] Because I am magical powerhouse. You need me, and you know it. (DC 14 )
• [WIZARD] [PERSUASION] I outmatch you in both brains and magic - you need me. (DC 14 )

Otherwise, the party can then ask why the Nightsong is so important:

• [PERSUASION] I need more to go on. Why is this relic so important? What does it do? (DC 14)
• [ROGUE] [PERSUASION] Jobs like this always go smoother when I know exactly what I'm looking for. (DC 14 )
• [FIGHTER] [PERSUASION] A scout is little good if they don't know what to look for. What does this relic do? (DC 14 )
• [WIZARD] [PERSUASION] What are the properties of this relic, magical or otherwise? So I can be of better assistance, of course. (DC 14 )
• [WARLOCK] [PERSUASION] I'm not the type to make a deal without the details. What exactly am I looking for? (DC 14 )

If passed, Balthazar will reveal that Ketheric Thorm's relic is the Nightsong, and the source of his invulnerability and that he must protect it to protect him. The party can then opt to ask for help:

• [PERSUASION] You have resources to spare - give me something to aid my search. (DC 14)
• [PERSUASION] For jobs like this it's good form to provide your operatives some extra resources. (DC 14)

Passing this check will reward the party with the Summon Golem Bell to summon Flesh.

A combat encounter will always trigger on conclusion of this conversation, where Dark Justiciar Avengers attack both the undead servants and the party. Once this combat resolves, the party may have the opportunity to speak to Balthazar further and learn more about the relic he is searching for. There is also the option to simply attack and kill Balthazar at any time after this encounter. It is also possible to fully avoid contact with Balthazar and his servants until entering the Shadowfell.

Shar's trials

The party must then overcome each of Shar's trials and collect the Umbral Gems to gain access to the Shadowfell. They may also find and either ally with or kill Balthazar.

Shadowfell

WARNING: Entering Shadowfell locks the party out of many side quests, and pushes the party to the end of Act Two!

If Balthazar was not killed, he arrives in the Shadowfell immediately after the party, thanking them for their service in completing the trials. He floats ahead and tells the party to come with him to witness greatness. Once the party leaps to the heart of the Shadowfell, they learn the Nightsong is not an object, but an aasimar woman named Dame Aylin who has been held captive by Thorm using the power of Balthazar to share her immortal life with him:

• Wait - the Nightsong is a person?
• What are you going to do to her?
• I can't let you take her
• My companion has her own plans for this one. Stand down. (if Shadowheart is present)  +5
• [OATHBREAKER] You cannot bind a person to the needs of another. Free her. Now.
• [PALADIN] She is a person - not a thing to be used. On my oath, she will be freed.
• [MINTHARA] Impressive work, Balthazar, but you are not needed anymore. The Nightsong is our sacrifice.
• [WIZARD] The Nightsong's a person? Balthazar, this is an affront to the Weave itself.
• [ROGUE] If I'd known you were hunting a person, I'd have charged for my services.

After this, the party can deal with Balthazar:

• If she's the reason Ketheric Thorm is invulnerable, you're not taking her. Leave, or you're a dead man.  +1  +1  +1  +1  +1
• Go on, then. Take the Nightsong to Ketheric. Get it over with.  -5  -1  -1  -1
• [BERSERKER] ROAR AT THE NECROMANCER.
• [BARBARIAN] I agree - no more questions. More blood. YOURS.
• [SHADOWHEART] [EVIL CLERIC] You are the one who interferes - in Lady Shar's bidding. For that, you must die.
• [EVIL CLERIC] I care not for the holy creature - but you tricked me, necromancer. For that: you die.
• The Nightsong is angel-born. It deserves freedom.  +1  +1  +1  +1  +1
• [CLERIC OF SELÛNE] [GOOD CLERIC] The Moonmaiden's light dances around this one... You will harm her no more, necromancer.  +1  +1  +1  +1  +1
• [GOOD CLERIC] You will torture this angel-born no longer, necromancer.  +1  +1  +1  +1  +1
• Attack him.  +1  +1  +1  +1  +1

Once Balthazar is dealt with, the party can then decide to free Aylin.

If Shadowheart is in the party, she can kill the Nightsong and become the Dark Justiciar she always dreamed she'd be, or she can be convinced to spare her.

If Shadowheart is not brought along, then she immediately confronts the party for denying her the destiny she'd always dreamed of. She leaves the party. Additionally, the Nightsong can only be killed by Shadowheart - otherwise, attempting to do so does nothing but annoy Dame Aylin.

If the Nightsong is freed, she thanks the party. If Shadowheart spared her, then she throws the Spear of Night into the abyss of the Shadowfell. However, Dame Aylin grants her a new weapon as thanks - the Moonlight Glaive. Then, Aylin flies off to face Thorm. After leaving the Shadowfell, Lady Shar subjects Shadowheart to unimaginable torment before sending her back to the mortal realm, and Shadowheart loses her favour. After completing  Defeat Ketheric Thorm, upon speaking to Dame Aylin in camp, Shadowheart will be rewarded with Selûne's Spear of Night.

If Shadowheart kills the Nightsong, she becomes the Dark Justiciar and gains Shar's Spear of Evening. However, the party loses a valuable ally in the Nightsong. There is a major consequence for Last Light Inn due to Shadowheart's actions. Isobel is overwhelmed and unable to sustain her protection magic over the Inn, causing all within to fall to the shadow curse. Shadowheart refers to this as cleansing the resistance to Lady Shar's will. Additionally, unlike instances where Isobel is kidnapped in  Resolve the Abduction, Jaheira is nowhere to be found and does not aid the party in the Last Light Inn fight.

Shadowheart has a secondary approval system, influencing the choices in  Find the Nightsong and Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic. For more information, see Nightsong Points.

Confronting Ketheric

The final meeting with Ketheric can go very differently depending on if the party aided him or sabotaged him. However, it always results in fighting against Ketheric. If the party released the Nightsong, they're prompted to go to Moonrise Towers and assault it, resulting in a showdown with Thorm at the top of the tower. If the party allowed Balthazar to kidnap the Nightsong, they report back to Z'rell and are either charged with a new mission,  Capture Isobel the Selûnite Cleric, or sent to the top of the tower to receive judgment from the Absolute.