A Rock and a Hard Place (Entre le marteau et l'enclume)

[yuyu]

Quest: Between the hammer and the anvil

"Hello, I’m looking for the most favorable outcome for this quest. I don’t want to help Mathieu and Fritz, but I don’t want them to die either. So I’ve decided to simply refuse to join them (it’s a dialogue option). Does he still die if I hold out, or does the quest get blocked and I’ll never be able to finish it?"


Bonjour, je cherche le meilleur résultat pour cette quête. Je ne veux pas aider Mathieu et Fritz, mais je ne veux pas qu'ils meurent non plus. J'ai donc décidé de simplement refuser de les rejoindre (c'est une option de dialogue). Est-ce qu'il meurt quand même si je tiens bon, ou la quête est-elle bloquée et je ne pourrai jamais la terminer ?

[Cadaver747]

Not sure about the "Between the hammer and the anvil" quest, in English version of the game it's called "A Rock and a Hard Place" (given by Matthew) and it's related to another quest "Gallows Brothers" (given by Andrew, the Innkeeper at Gallows Inn).

That quest is very buggy and it's in your best interest to have a save right before you initiated it.

In my case when I refused and did nothing, nothing happened even after 10 days, where the whole operation should start after 5 days.

It's hard to tell what is the best outcome. I, for one role played Henry how I felt was proper for him to act, Matt and Fritz are his friends and they are ok with thieving and stealing, and beating other people occasionally. So I decided to help them to get rich, even though I could have just gift them 10% of my money and it would have covered all their best expectations.

Anyway IF you decided to help your friends and you do NOT want them to get in trouble, like I did - there are 2 ways.

1. Accept the offer, do the investigation, make preparations for less guards - after that meet them, tell them that it's going to happen in 5 days, and accept the offer to wait with them for 5 days till the operation begins

IF you do not wait with them - the quest might bug out, so the friends will not initiate the dialog with you.
If everything works as it meant to be, Matthew will ask if you want to do it the normal way or the stealthy way - choose the stealthy way, steal the money and run away without any bloodshed.

Alternatively you can steal the money from the chest in castle, go to the Matthew and Fritz and tell them that it's done and give (or not) them their share. This method will always work if something bug out, unless you waited out 5 days or more of course.

2. Same as above BUT a bit better in my opinion
Talk to Andrew, the Innkeeper, tell them about the operation - this will start the linked quest "Gallows Brothers", then tell Matt about Andrew's plan

Do the same, with or without any differences (you may tell Robar that a robbery might happen).

IF you wait with Matt and Frtiz for 5 days immediately the quest should work as intended, however if you refuse to wait with them it most likely be broken - the indication of the bug out quest will be removal the quest marker where Matt and Fritz are lying in wait.

Alternatively, like before you can just steal the money from the castle chest and tell them. This will work if with bug out quest.

After that place the evidence into Andrew's Inn cellar and tell Robar that you know who is the culprit.
Beware though, if for some reason you haven't completed all the quests from Andrew, you'll lost that opportunity once and for all, so complete those first.

For me, it's the best outcome. My friends are alive and happy. Andrew, the lying bastard snitch (the quest with Adam's lost Cross was the last nail) is done for good. No one will ever think about my friends, and those poor stone cutters will get their money eventually, since guards failed to deliver the payment, hence Talmberg still owes them.

[Tenchuu Khan]

Has no effect really, just get them hanged, best outcome - no ♥♥♥♥

[yuyu]

Originally posted by Cadaver747:

Not sure about the "Between the hammer and the anvil" quest, in English version of the game it's called "A Rock and a Hard Place" (given by Matthew) and it's related to another quest "Gallows Brothers" (given by Andrew, the Innkeeper at Gallows Inn).

That quest is very buggy and it's in your best interest to have a save right before you initiated it.

In my case when I refused and did nothing, nothing happened even after 10 days, where the whole operation should start after 5 days.

It's hard to tell what is the best outcome. I, for one role played Henry how I felt was proper for him to act, Matt and Fritz are his friends and they are ok with thieving and stealing, and beating other people occasionally. So I decided to help them to get rich, even though I could have just gift them 10% of my money and it would have covered all their best expectations.

Anyway IF you decided to help your friends and you do NOT want them to get in trouble, like I did - there are 2 ways.

1. Accept the offer, do the investigation, make preparations for less guards - after that meet them, tell them that it's going to happen in 5 days, and accept the offer to wait with them for 5 days till the operation begins

IF you do not wait with them - the quest might bug out, so the friends will not initiate the dialog with you.
If everything works as it meant to be, Matthew will ask if you want to do it the normal way or the stealthy way - choose the stealthy way, steal the money and run away without any bloodshed.

Alternatively you can steal the money from the chest in castle, go to the Matthew and Fritz and tell them that it's done and give (or not) them their share. This method will always work if something bug out, unless you waited out 5 days or more of course.

2. Same as above BUT a bit better in my opinion
Talk to Andrew, the Innkeeper, tell them about the operation - this will start the linked quest "Gallows Brothers", then tell Matt about Andrew's plan

Do the same, with or without any differences (you may tell Robar that a robbery might happen).

IF you wait with Matt and Frtiz for 5 days immediately the quest should work as intended, however if you refuse to wait with them it most likely be broken - the indication of the bug out quest will be removal the quest marker where Matt and Fritz are lying in wait.

Alternatively, like before you can just steal the money from the castle chest and tell them. This will work if with bug out quest.

After that place the evidence into Andrew's Inn cellar and tell Robar that you know who is the culprit.
Beware though, if for some reason you haven't completed all the quests from Andrew, you'll lost that opportunity once and for all, so complete those first.

For me, it's the best outcome. My friends are alive and happy. Andrew, the lying bastard snitch (the quest with Adam's lost Cross was the last nail) is done for good. No one will ever think about my friends, and those poor stone cutters will get their money eventually, since guards failed to deliver the payment, hence Talmberg still owes them.

thx I think I'll just rob the castle directly, without bloodshed, but I would have liked to refuse the quest and have them take care of it, I don't think that's possible
and yes you're right in the English version of the game it's called "A Rock and a Hard Place"

[yuyu]

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Has no effect really, just get them hanged, best outcome - no ♥♥♥♥

Yes, but they are still childhood friends, so of course I don't want them to die but I don't want to help them either.

[Aethrys]

Completing the quest allows you to invite them to pribyslavitz, fyi

[Pönnukaka]

Originally posted by yuyu:

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Has no effect really, just get them hanged, best outcome - no ♥♥♥♥

Yes, but they are still childhood friends, so of course I don't want them to die but I don't want to help them either.

Unless you are doing some sort of 'pacifist run', just do this quest like this:
- Pass charisma and speech with Robard
- Kill at least one person in the city on popular road, so you get optional as well
- Poison the horses
- Go meet the boys near the quarry, wear your thief items (0 noise, lowest visibility) but don't call them to help
- Go by yourself and steal the gold without being seen, give boys the gold
- Next day go to the Inn and recruit them to Pribyslavitz
Finish the game and they shouldn't die

[Aethrys]

Originally posted by Pönnukaka:

Originally posted by yuyu:

Yes, but they are still childhood friends, so of course I don't want them to die but I don't want to help them either.

Unless you are doing some sort of 'pacifist run', just do this quest like this:
- Pass charisma and speech with Robard
- Kill at least one person in the city on popular road, so you get optional as well
- Poison the horses
- Go meet the boys near the quarry, wear your thief items (0 noise, lowest visibility) but don't call them to help
- Go by yourself and steal the gold without being seen, give boys the gold
- Next day go to the Inn and recruit them to Pribyslavitz
Finish the game and they shouldn't die :kcdhorse:

What is the advantage of doing this instead of just taking it from Talmberg before it gets delivered to the quarry?

[Tenchuu Khan]

Originally posted by yuyu:

Originally posted by Tenchuu Khan:

Has no effect really, just get them hanged, best outcome - no ♥♥♥♥

Yes, but they are still childhood friends, so of course I don't want them to die but I don't want to help them either.

Yea, but they are also complete morons and had it coming.

Especially during the Pribyslavitz DLC they really pissed me off so I had them hanged in one of my playthroughs :D

The Cuman dressup quest was fun though hah

[peon]

I can kinda understand matthew and fritz.

They are lazy, but they did watch their village get burned to the ground and their fellow friends/neighbors get slaughtered. I can kinda understand why they felt disillusioned and wanted to rob nobility.

The whole quest was just bad though, its one of the few quests ive ever done where its basically lose lose no matter what you do.