Avowed Quest Guide: Recovering the Reliquary of Saint Waidwen Without Nasty Surprises

In a world where gods can be as temperamental as a cat in a thunderstorm, the Living Lands of Avowed rarely forgive a slight—yet sometimes the faithful demand mercy over righteous fury. That’s exactly the curveball thrown at players who wander into the Naku Tedek Grounds, a solemn cliff-side graveyard southwest of Fior mes Iverno. Here, a Luminous priest named Alfons begs not for destruction, but for the safe return of a stolen relic. The catch? He doesn’t want a single hair on the thief’s head harmed. For seasoned explorers used to solving problems with an axe, this request is a proper head-scratcher.

Rolling up to the shrine, the Envoy meets Alfons in full panic mode. His first words are practically a surrender: “Take whatever you want, just don’t smash the place up.” Realising you’re not another bandit, he spills the beans. A knife-wielding thug had paid him a visit, and while the old priest dodged the worst, the bandit made off with the reliquary of Saint Waidwen. Alfons sketches a rough direction—west—and pleads for a bloodless resolution. Why the pacifist route? In his eyes, even a robber deserves a chance at redemption, and a rampaging Godlike envoy might push the poor fool into doing something daft, like breaking the relic or starting a fight he can’t win. It’s a rare slice of nuance in a game where most conflicts end with a fiery explosion.

The trail leads straight into the Delemgan Glade, a stretch of wilderness where the flora has decided it doesn’t like you. Delemgan Tempests and grumpy Xaurips patrol the ruins, making stealth a sweaty affair. If you’ve already unlocked the Delemgan Glade Beacon, a quick teleport cuts the journey down to a heartbeat; otherwise, it’s a hike northwest from the shrine. Pushing past the living vines and stabbing lizards, players duck into a crumbling stone structure that smells of damp regret. A chest with armour materials and a Common Wand sits proudly in one corner, but the real prize lies opposite it—a gaping hole in the floor. Taking the plunge, you land in a damp underbelly where mushrooms grow the size of brollies.

There, beneath the fungal canopy, the story takes a grim twist. The thief is already dead, his body sprawled beside a journal and the stolen reliquary. No dramatic showdown, no persuasion checks—just a corpse and a uncomfortable silence. Reading the Thief’s Journal adds a layer of tragic irony: his motivations weren’t pure greed, but a desperate crisis of faith. He questioned the very deity the reliquary honoured and stole it hoping to find proof one way or the other. Spoiler alert: the Living Lands don’t hand out theological answers on a silver platter. Pocketing the relic, you can’t help but feel a twinge of pity.

Back at Naku Tedek Grounds, Alfons’s relief sours into confusion when he hears the bandit didn’t survive. The Envoy must now navigate a delicate conversation—do you tell him the thief died questioning his gods, or spin it as divine retribution? Then comes the bigger choice: what to do with the reliquary itself? Alfons offers two options: burn it because it’s been tainted by the theft and the thief’s doubt, or keep it in the shrine as a symbol of enduring faith despite human frailty. There’s no skill check here, just a moral fork that speaks volumes about the Envoy’s character. Whichever path you take, Alfons hands over a reward—items, coin, and a dollop of XP—but the real treasure is the philosophical bruise the quest leaves on your conscience.

This side quest, available relatively early, might seem like a simple fetch errand, but it encapsulates what makes Avowed’s writing tick. It rejects the tired “kill ten rats” formula and instead plops a moral quandary in your lap without a flashing minimap indicator. Do you honour the priest’s wishes and respect the dead bandit’s doubts, or do you rationalise the harsh outcome as a lesson from the heavens? Observing community chatter, players who normally blaze through dialogue are actually pausing to scroll through the journal entries. It’s a stark reminder that in the Living Lands, even the smallest relic can carry the weight of a god’s silence—and sometimes that’s heavier than any divine wrath.

For completionists, note that the Delemgan Glade can be a tough neighborhood if you wander in under-leveled. Stock up on healing poultices and consider freeing a Delemgan ally nearby before entering the ruins; it won’t pacify every foe, but it can tip the scales. Also, don’t forget to have Skyrim-like sticky fingers: the ruins hold crafting materials that can give your early-game gear a decent boost. The quest is a textbook example of how Avowed rewards curiosity over brute force, so keep your ears open and your weapons holstered—at least until the plants really start asking for it.