The Wake Up Art Cullagh quest in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be started once you reach the Last Light Inn, which can be found in the Shadowlands (aka Shadow-Cursed Lands) during Act 2 of the main story. Once you reach the inn, go to the northernmost room on the first floor to find Art Cullagh on a bed, with Fist J’ehlar sitting next to him. To wake up Art Cullagh you’ll need to find his Battered Lute in the 
House of Healing, where you’ll encounter a disturbing scene with the Shar follower known as Malus Thorm. You need to kill him to obtain the Battered Lute and bring it back to Art Cullagh to wake him. On this page we’ll take you through all the details of how to do it in different ways, including how to obtain the Non-invasive Procedure achievement.
Confronting Malus Thorm in the House of Healing, Baldur’s Gate 3.
Where to Find Art Cullagh at the Last Light Inn¶
The Last Light Inn is one of the first places that you’re likely to encounter in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. It’s located just northwest from the Shadowed Battlefield, which is where you’ll find yourself when you first enter the area. You can follow the paths northwest until you find it, or interact with NPCs known as Harpers that you find along the way, who will mark its exact location on your map. When you reach the inn for the first time, there will be a few interactions with new faces that you’ll need to go through before you’re able to explore it freely.
Fist J’ehlar Dialogue Choices¶
Once you’re inside the inn, all you need to do is enter the northernmost room on the first floor. Here you’ll find Art Cullagh on a bed, accompanied by an NPC named Fist J’ehlar. She will tell you something about how Art Cullagh came to be at the Last Light Inn, but of his current condition, seemingly dissociated from himself, she knows nothing. You can ask a few questions and select dialogue options related to your specific religion or profession, but the only useful information you’ll be able to extract here is from the Worn Letter that you’ll receive from Fist J’ehlar.
You may need to ask Fist J’ehlar whether she’s searched Art Cullagh for any clues before you get the letter, but you can also examine him for signs that he’s a musician. Based on the combination of evidence provided and discerned, you determine that he was investigating the nearby House of Healing by orders from Grand Duke Eltan.
Location of the House of Healing in the Shadowlands¶
Now that you know where to begin your investigation, you need to reach the House of Healing. This can be found to the southwest of the Last Light Inn, as shown on the map below. If you’ve already ventured that way, you may have access to the 
Moonrise Towers waypoint, which you can use to fast travel to an area just south of the House of Healing. Otherwise, you’ll need to take the road south from the Last Light Inn, and follow it as it bends westward towards Moonrise Towers, before heading northwest after crossing the main bridge just before the Tollhouse.
(1 of 2) Art Cullagh can be found on this bed in the northernmost part of the Last Light Inn.
Art Cullagh can be found on this bed in the northernmost part of the Last Light Inn. (left), You’ll find the House of Healing to the southwest of the Last Light Inn, or north of Moonrise Towers. (right)
There are a few Cursed Harpers in the area to the southeast of the House of Healing, so make sure you’re well rested before venturing there. You may also be in for a tough fight once you enter the House of Healing (depending on the dialogue options you choose), so it’s a good idea to take a Long Rest before entering.
How to Get the Battered Lute From Malus Thorm¶
When you first enter the House of Healing, you’ll be greeted by a zombie-like creature known as Sister Sinda. She will ask you to wait in line before you can be seen by the doctor (aka Malus Thorm), but waiting won’t do you much good here. You’ll need to select one of the options which relates to you seeing him now, and that will lead to a number of dialogue choices with roll checks, which you’ll need to pass to convince Sister Sinda that you’re sick enough to be seen by the doctor immediately.
After passing the checks with Sister Sinda, you can head north through the House of Healing to the Double Oak Doors in the center at the back. Open these and go down the stairs to begin a cutscene, during which you’re introduced to Malus Thorm and his… somewhat questionable healing methods. The scene is something out of a nightmare, and you may wish to leave at this point, but if you want to complete this quest you can’t. Malus Thorm has the Battered Lute, and you need to take it from him one way or another.
Should You Attack Malus Thorm at the House of Healing?¶
It won’t be long before Malus Thorm notices your presence, and he’ll ask you to step forward. At this point you’ll have a number of dialogue options to go through, based on what you think of the procedure he was performing during the cutscene. Alternatively, you can choose to attack immediately. If you don’t feel ready, we strongly discourage attacking at this point, unless you’re confident in your combat abilities and you’re dedicated to that option for roleplaying purposes. This is because the battle with Malus Thorm and the Sisters can be a tough one if you’re not prepared.
Malus Thorm Dialogue Choices¶
There are other ways to defeat Malus Thorm outside of combat, but you’ll need to pass some roll checks to pursue them. The first set of choices relate to pointing out that either the Sisters aren’t ready, their implements are too blunt, or that the subject of his procedures should be engaging in the process willingly, which doesn’t seem to be the case here. You’ll then essentially have two different choices from here, which will have different outcomes noted in the table below.
| Choice | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Convince Malus Thorm that the Sisters should perform on him instead | The Sisters will kill Malus Thorm and remain neutral towards you |
| Suggest that the Sisters hone their skills on each other | The Sisters will kill each other, leaving only Malus Thorm alive |
If you opt for the first choice in the table above, you will be able to loot the Battered Lute from Malus Thorm after the scene, then immediately return to the Last Light Inn without having to fight the Sisters. The second option will require you to pass another roll check to convince Malus Thorm to kill himself, thereby defeating both him and the Sisters without any actual fighting. If you fail the roll check, you’ll need to defeat Malus Thorm by himself, which is much easier without the Sisters being there to help him. You can escape this encounter without needing to fight anything at all if you wish, but you will still get the Battered Lute after looting it from Malus Thorm’s body.
How to Get the Non-invasive Procedure Achievement¶
If you’d rather fight Malus Thorm and his Sisters, you’ll be rewarded for it with an increased amount of XP, but also the opportunity to unlock the Non-invasive Procedure achievement. To do this, you need to make sure that Malus Thorm isn’t able to perform surgery on you in combat, which occurs when he is able to execute a charged surgical attack with the help of his Sisters. You’ll notice that he chooses one of the Sisters during combat to become the “Surgeon’s Chosen”, which prompts the chosen one to bring him a surgical implement that he will use in an attack on his next turn.
In order for Malus Thorm to be able to execute a charged surgical strike, two conditions must be met: you need to be within his attack range, and the Sister who he cast “Surgeon’s Chosen” on must be alive. So, the easiest ways to avoid being hit by a surgical strike are by running out of his attack range, or killing the chosen Sister before his turn comes around.
(1 of 4) You’ll notice Malus Thorm request an implement from a particular Sister.
The above method is entirely doable, but along the way you’ll need to sacrifice some attacks as you attempt to stay out of Thorm’s attack range. This can make the fight more difficult, especially while the Sisters are hitting you with damaging attacks such as Mind Screech, which is an AoE (Area of Effect) attack that they will use almost every turn.
The far easier method for obtaining the Non-invasive Procedure achievement is by ensuring that the Sisters kill themselves using the option described in the table above. With them out of the way, Malus Thorm can’t perform surgical strikes, and you can choose to fight him alone.
Give the Battered Lute to Art Cullagh at the Last Light Inn¶
However you choose to deal with Malus Thorm and his Sisters, once you’ve looted the Battered Lute from his corpse all you need to do is take it back to Art Cullagh at the Last Light Inn. When you try to speak with him once you have the lute, you’ll have the option to play it, which will wake him up.
Tell Halsin About Art Cullagh¶
After going through the brief dialogue scene with Art Cullagh once he’s awake, you’ll need to visit your camp and tell Halsin about all that has happened. Halsin will suggest that he’ll go to Art Cullagh immediately, and you can meet him there to complete the quest in one final scene.
More Baldur’s Gate 3 Guides¶
If you’re looking for more guides related to Baldur’s Gate 3, be sure to check the links below!
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