The Whispering Hillock

[Mogo]

Hey guys, in ''the whispering hillock'' mission, is there any way to save anna, baron, the town and the kids?

i mean to save all of them?

thanks

[Gvyomar]

No, the town no. But you can save Anna , Baron and the kids*.

*The town is destroyed because they adore Crones.
You must meet tke Spirit before go to Crones first time.
When you go to Spirit, free Her.

Then, with form of Black Beauty, She help kids, but Crones not punish Anna nor nothing cause Geralt didn´t firm a pact witth Crones to help them to later try to trick them.

Imho this is the best option. I hate those Crones.

[Kirihum]

Originally posted by Heimarmene εἱμαρμένη:

No, the town no. But you can save Anna , Baron and the kids*.

*The town is destroyed because they adore Crones.
You must meet tke Spirit before go to Crones first time.
When you go to Spirit, free Her.

Then, with form of Black Beauty, She help kids, but Crones not punish Anna nor nothing cause Geralt didn´t firm a pact witth Crones to help them to later try to trick them.

Imho this is the best option. I hate those Crones.

Actually the spirit does not save the children this way, you just let it out to terrorize the world for no reason.
There is no "good" option here sadly, either you sacrifice the kids or you sacrifice Anna and a lot of innocent people.

[Thermal Lance]

Originally posted by Kirihum:

Originally posted by Heimarmene εἱμαρμένη:

No, the town no. But you can save Anna , Baron and the kids*.

*The town is destroyed because they adore Crones.
You must meet tke Spirit before go to Crones first time.
When you go to Spirit, free Her.

Then, with form of Black Beauty, She help kids, but Crones not punish Anna nor nothing cause Geralt didn´t firm a pact witth Crones to help them to later try to trick them.

Imho this is the best option. I hate those Crones.

Actually the spirit does not save the children this way, you just let it out to terrorize the world for no reason.
There is no "good" option here sadly, either you sacrifice the kids or you sacrifice Anna and a lot of innocent people.

Well.. these people kinda asked for it by playing the Crones' game. The only victim is Anna. I think saving the childs is worth it. To me it is trading one life for many. Anna dies but at least she dies free instead of living completely insane.

[Gvyomar]

The Spirit save the kids. She takes them off Crones and go with little ones far to avoid Crones can eat them or damage. So, yes, the Spirit fulfills its part.

And I don´t think that Spirit terrorize world. That is what Crones say. I don´t believe such s*** sacks. The Spirit punish the villagers because they obey Crones, nothing more.

I think this Spirit is like a notion of Nature or at least a force that is in good terms with Nature,*

About decisions, I didn't say there were good options. I said that imho is the best option; because bring less damage (you save Anna, Baron and kids and in this way you can bother more to creatures that wanted eat Ciri.

Like I mention, 3 options:

1) Crones orders: Spirit die, kids die, Anna is safe but with great mental trauma; baron is safe and seek atonement helping Anna. Villagers are safe.
2) You meet Crones, and then you free Spirit: Anna die, kids are safe, town destroyed, Baron die.
3) You meet Spirit before meet Crones: Anna is safe like option 1, kids too, and Baron too, like option1. Villagers are punish by Spirit (they are destroyed like in option 2)

Again, third option the best imo.

*"A mare, wild and free... in meadow´s pasture caught ... dark as bottomless well...black as the depths of night... Such a beast, no other...[...] The beast and I shall be as one... As when I lived... We shall be a gale... Nothing to stop us."

EDIT: Fixed error with option 1 and 3 , I forget add about condition of Anna sorry!

[Atcera]

Originally posted by Kirihum:

Originally posted by Heimarmene εἱμαρμένη:

No, the town no. But you can save Anna , Baron and the kids*.

*The town is destroyed because they adore Crones.
You must meet tke Spirit before go to Crones first time.
When you go to Spirit, free Her.

Then, with form of Black Beauty, She help kids, but Crones not punish Anna nor nothing cause Geralt didn´t firm a pact witth Crones to help them to later try to trick them.

Imho this is the best option. I hate those Crones.

Actually the spirit does not save the children this way, you just let it out to terrorize the world for no reason.
There is no "good" option here sadly, either you sacrifice the kids or you sacrifice Anna and a lot of innocent people.

"Innocent"? Need i remind you these people willingly give children to the crones, they don't speak about it but since acient times people have done this to their own children or orphans-sending them to into forests,which ultimately ends in their demise, evil witches or not-The spirit can save the children, let the heathens die, you know what happens later in the story, they're just doing all this for drugs

[Gvyomar]

Agree with @Atcera95. The loyalty to Crones has a price.

[Gvyomar]

That book I don´t know who wrote...Nobody say ingame about author about such tale. Maybe people loyal to Crones when Spirit was imprisoned?
Too much infamy that Spirit in Velen.

But if Her revenge mood is against people like the village that is destroyed, perfect. No problem.

[Vashra]

As an aside, there is a book in the game, "She who knows," which appears to tell the story of how the tree spirit is actually the worst of the crones, and was imprisoned because she was outta control even by their standards. Might take that into account before making a decision.

The devs didn't really write the script to cover for people who might push hard to save everyone. Ostensibly your choice is save the children, or save Anna. No "and" ... just "or." It seems like they wanted to do so, since the Whispering Hillock can appear *either* as part of the main quest *or* as a secondary quest. But if you take it on as a secondary quest, it leaves you wondering a little bit how things concluded.

If it's a part of your main quest line (meaning you are locked into having talked with the Crones before you ever found the tree spirit):

If you free the tree spirit [she kills the folks in Downwarren who were allied with the Crones. Not entirely sure why she doesn't go after anyone else in Velen (since even people as far as White Orchard mention their "cutting" ceremonies and apparently have pacts going with the Crones...but whatever. Anna is freed from the Crones but still dies, the Baron hangs himself in grief/guilt.[/spoiler] This is the only version where you get confirmation that the children are saved, because you see them later in the city orphanage.

If you stay solid on the pact with the Crones to destroy the tree spirit Anna and the Baron survive and head off to a life elsewhere, the children are....eaten? by the Crones (never seen again at any rate).

----

If you do the whole Whispering Hillock quest *before* talking to the Crones and getting the dagger from them, and you free the tree spirit, then you *still* get the conversation with her where she promises to save the children. HOWEVER, the children do NOT show up in the city orphanage later...so maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. Do you trust her? ;)

The consensus on the Internet is that since the dialogue plays out just like as if you sided to save the children, the tree spirit is true to her word and saves them, and it's just shoddy scripting that they don't show up later. When you then go on with the Crones, they do not punish Anna, so she and the Baron live too. There appears to be no way to save the folks in Downwarren. If you free the tree spirit at all, at any time, they snuff it.

[Gvyomar]

Originally posted by Vashra:

As an aside, there is a book in the game, "She who knows," which appears to tell the story of how the tree spirit is actually the worst of the crones, and was imprisoned because she was outta control even by their standards. Might take that into account before making a decision.

The Spirit wasn´t a Crone. Crones are 3 (due to myths, legends, about three sisters like Norns, Moiras, the crones of Hamlet, etc).
The Spirit was, I don´t know, or leader time ago, or mother, or supervisor, no idea. The tapestry with that eye over the tree sisters make me think that at some point supervised everything, and Crones were like lieutenants or similar, but Crones they wanted to usurp power.

EDIT:

Originally posted by Zorgirap:

The way i see it, it is just as same as the life Skelligers lead with all the pillaging, murdering, slave trading... do they also deserve to die in your opinion?

In case I say the villagers and insist with Geralt (a witcher, specialist in this themes of monsters) that the Crones are manipulative creatures that are deceive them, but they insist in their error (like the leader of town, when Geralt warns him of the plot and the lies), then yes, I prefer end to their lifes and not perpetuate their rituals every moment.
They are stupid, but they can´t escape from that situation.

[Thermal Lance]

Originally posted by Zorgirap:

I don't think any of the villagers know the actual truth about the crones and their rituals. To me they seem like a bunch of dumb and superstitious people who really believe that three beautiful ladies in the woods care for them and bring their children and youth to the promised lands where they live happily ever after.

With that being said i don't think they all deserve to die just for being dumb, and by this time their pact with the ladies of the woods is set into tradition as they have no doubt been doing this for years. Also you have to take into account that living in the marshes is not an easy thing and those magical acorns really mean a lot. The way i see it, it is just as same as the life Skelligers lead with all the pillaging, murdering, slave trading... do they also deserve to die in your opinion?

Where the kids come from? Yeah, that's right. Those folks offer them as willing sacrifice. Like that lil girl said when her father "Abandoned her there on the start of the trail" and that "it's one less mouth to feed."

Not exact quote but if you did those quest youll know what I mean. These folks KNOW kids never get out of there alive. They simply don't care as long as THEIR hide is not on the line. Perhaps they don't all deserve to die but there sure is a bunch that does.

[Scheneighnay]

Originally posted by Thermal Lance™:

Originally posted by Zorgirap:

I don't think any of the villagers know the actual truth about the crones and their rituals. To me they seem like a bunch of dumb and superstitious people who really believe that three beautiful ladies in the woods care for them and bring their children and youth to the promised lands where they live happily ever after.

With that being said i don't think they all deserve to die just for being dumb, and by this time their pact with the ladies of the woods is set into tradition as they have no doubt been doing this for years. Also you have to take into account that living in the marshes is not an easy thing and those magical acorns really mean a lot. The way i see it, it is just as same as the life Skelligers lead with all the pillaging, murdering, slave trading... do they also deserve to die in your opinion?

Where the kids come from? Yeah, that's right. Those folks offer them as willing sacrifice. Like that lil girl said when her father "Abandoned her there on the start of the trail" and that "it's one less mouth to feed."

Not exact quote but if you did those quest youll know what I mean. These folks KNOW kids never get out of there alive. They simply don't care as long as THEIR hide is not on the line. Perhaps they don't all deserve to die but there sure is a bunch that does.

When you talk to more later, (around the time you do the thing before you get the guy while interrupting an orgy), they legitimately believe that the crones do so much more good than harm that the kids would still die without them.

So I wouldn't say that they're selfish so much as misled.

[Thermal Lance]

Originally posted by Scheneighnay:

Originally posted by Thermal Lance™:

Where the kids come from? Yeah, that's right. Those folks offer them as willing sacrifice. Like that lil girl said when her father "Abandoned her there on the start of the trail" and that "it's one less mouth to feed."

Not exact quote but if you did those quest youll know what I mean. These folks KNOW kids never get out of there alive. They simply don't care as long as THEIR hide is not on the line. Perhaps they don't all deserve to die but there sure is a bunch that does.

When you talk to more later, (around the time you do the thing before you get the guy while interrupting an orgy), they legitimately believe that the crones do so much more good than harm that the kids would still die without them.

So I wouldn't say that they're selfish so much as misled.

A lot of people do horrible things when they are misled. Dosen't mean by any stretch of the imagination that it cleanse them of their responsabilities.

[Gvyomar]

Originally posted by Scheneighnay:

So I wouldn't say that they're selfish so much as misled.

I disagree, some banter NPCs and dialogues during campaign you can see ingame show greed and selfsish attitude, even downplay tone.
I remember two woman discuss. And one: "I send my child to woods. Now I have more food :)"
And other woman: "Alone, are you mad? What mother are you are?!"
And the mother: "You know how this works :)"

Misleading no excuse all.

EDIT: And this situation is usual, many villagers are like beasts.

@Bush-Dog: The story of Anna and her family is very touching, damn, good quest :(

[grodenb]

And don't forget about the magic acorns.

[Scheneighnay]

Originally posted by grodenb:

And don't forget about the magic acorns.

You can tell that village is blessed, because when I came back later after that, the village was full of foglets that the villagers weren't even acknowledging, except to cheer whenever I started fighting one.