To start this quest you need to reach the actual ruins. These are located directly east of the Roadside Cliffs waypoint (and north of the Overgrown Ruins waypoint). Simply follow the brick road to reach them.
Find a way into the ruins
As you get close to these ruins you'll see several NPCs here. Save your game and approach them for a scene. During the scene there are several Check options:
| Check Type | Difficulty To Clear | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persuasion | 10 | Leave without fighting | Fight the group |
| Deception | 12 | Leave without fighting | Fight the group |
| Intimidation | 10 | Leave without fighting | Fight the group |
Some classes, such as Warlocks, have an additional check which doesn't require a roll and forces them to leave.
If you choose the option to look around or fail a check, you fight. The fight itself isn't difficult. Gimbleblock and Taman will hold your party off while Quelenna and Warryn attack from the back with magic and arrows respectively. Defeat Gimbleblock and Taman first, then chase down Quelenna and Warryn.
However you resolve the situation, head north down the passage. Save your game and interact with the door. You have a few checks you can use:
| Check Type | Difficulty To Clear | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | 10 | Door opens | Door remains locked |
| Deception | 10 | Door opens | Door remains locked |
If you try to force your way in or say Gimbleblock ran away, you must pick the lock on the door. Using Deception or Performance to open the door gives Astarion an Inspiration Point, provided you didn't fight the bandits earlier.
Investigate the ruins
Head inside now where you face a single bandit Andorn. Defeat them, then loot the body for a Bandit's Key before searching the room.
Head through the southern door afterwards (use the lever next to the door to open it up) for some enemies to appear. The trick with this fight is to position aggressively with your tank (Lae'zal or your main character) near the door. Exploit the door choke point with things like Grease and fire spells while the rest of your party plays defensively.
Use walls and the high ground to your advantage and let enemies come to them. If you happen to have a turn near the start, hit the barrels in the back to create a large explosion. This can take out multiple enemies.
After the fight enter the hallway to find three rooms and a door leading south. There's nothing worthwhile in the northwestern or the eastern rooms, and the southwestern door is locked. It can't be opened normally, and can be destroyed manually. The door is Sturdy which makes it resistant to physical attacks. Spells such as Fire Bolt from Gale can help bring it down.
If destroying it is too difficult, head south through the door and go across the statue room. If your Perception is sufficient, you'll notice a skull switch on the wall behind the statue. Hit it to open the Sturdy door. There's also some chests here you can loot.
Entering the Dank Crypt
Return to the previous hallway, go through the Sturdy door and head through the next door. This will take us to the Dank Crypt area.
As you enter, look around for several chests you can loot. We also have a path going north, and another one going south. Head south first and try to have characters with high Perception.
Head into the room and you'll most likely spot the traps around the room. These are gas traps so be very careful. Check the screenshot below for their locations, but notice that these may change from playthrough to playthrough. Your team will roll various Perception checks as you move forward which reveal the traps.
Go ahead and loot the place clean BUT don't touch the sarcophagus in the center. Loot the other sarcophagus first, especially the northwestern one for a Soul Coin.
The southern door is locked and it leads back to the locked door you saw when you regained control. You can ignore it (don't use a lockpick as it'll be a waste right now) but instead we'll want to check out the central sarcophagus. BEFORE you do, note that opening it will fill the entire room with grease and fire shoots out of the walls. Survival is unlikely and you should prepare for it
Make sure your party is outside of the room, save your game and loot the sarcophagus from the northern side. This lets you grab the The Watcher's Guide item, as well as the Engraved Key.
As soon as you grab the item and the traps trigger, the game will switch over to Turn Based Mode. This allows you to move around in dangerous areas (like these traps) without getting instantly killed.
With only one character here, simply move back towards the rest of your party members and leave Turn Based Mode. The room will be cut off but you weren't entering it again anyway.
Head back to the entrance and head north, using the Engraved Key to enter a larger (and darker) room. There are no enemies right now, but there are dead bodies all over the place. Loot them if you like head east to find a tunnel. If you follow it, you'll find an underground river and a ladder. This ladder takes you back outside, to a side path next to where we found the first NPCs. Activate it using a nearby lever.
Instead of going down the tunnel, check the southwestern room to find more sarcophagi. One of them has another Soul Coin.
You can find the Book of Dead Gods which lights up when you approach.It's locked but it has some checks you can pass:
| Check Type | Difficulty To Clear | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcana | 15 | Open the lock | Nothing happens |
| Strength | 15 | Open the lock | Nothing happens |
| Charisma | 10 | Open the lock | Nothing happens |
Once the book is opened:
| Check Type | Difficulty To Clear | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | 10 | Learn about various gods | Nothing happens |
Passing the Religion check gives an Inspiration Point for Gale and Shadowheart, along with any Acolyte/Sage characters. Shadowheart approves of reading the book.
Return to the main room and go north down the stairs. You'll see there are two paths going north on the left and right sides. Head down the left side and look for a button on the wall that will open a hidden door. This also makes the undead in the area rise.
Exploit any characters with Darkvision by keeping them in the shadows and attacking from a distance. Others should be more aggressive. Shadowheart's Resistance spell move will prove useful, particularly on your tank.
Open the sarcophagus
Post-battle, enter the room next to the button you pushed and pilfer it to acquire The Amulet of Lost Voices. Open the sarcophagus as well to summon Withers, who has a question for you. Your answers are:
- No one life is worth more than any other. We are all equal.
- That depends on a person's deeds.
- Life's only value is as currency. Doesn't matter to me otherwise.
- Each life is of infinite value and merits sacrificing everythign for.
- The only life that matters is mine.
- Depends on the mortal.
All answers will satisfy Withers and make it known you'll meet in the future. You can't attack Withers; all options lead to non-combat situations.
The quest concludes after Withers leaves. Before you leave, make sure to ACTUALLY loot the sarcophagus where Withers came out from. There's a Soul Coin inside.
Withers will show up at your camp and offer to revive any fallen party members. He can also change or reset your class, even summon hirelings for you. These services cost money, but it's helpful to have another option.
