Hircine's Favor

[Vidarr]

Hey guys,

so I am currently going through 'Ill Met By Moonlight' on my latest character - a Nord Warrior/hunter who I RP as a member of the Skaal (follows all of their traditions, worships the All-Maker, etc.)

Now I find myself in a tough situation.
As you know, there are obviously the 2 potential outcomes for this quest:
- Killing the werewolf Sinding or
- Defending Sinding and killing the other hunters

Here's my problem:
Initially, it makes the most sense to me as a Skaal, to kill Sinding (essentially a 'child of Hircine')
I also personally prefer the idea of Savior's Hide as a reward vs. Hircine's Ring - seeing as my Skaal (despite going through the Companions questline - I know) abhors lycanthropy - as it is an abomination of nature.
HOWEVER, if I kill Sinding - it is very heavily implied (particularly in my journal) that I have done this deed to earn the favor of 'Lord Hircine' - and I am not exactly cool with that.

HOWEVER STILL, if I choose to help Sinding, I end up with a potential murderer still alive and a ring that is of absolutely no use to me.

Do note that this largely has to do with RPing. However, if anyone has any experience with which option potentially results in more bugs, feel free to let me know.

Other than that, I'm just trying to figure out how I can justify my character making such a decision. The key point here is that I am a skaal, so please keep that in mind
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rimfaxe96]

Well, about the part about the "potential murderer" - once you let him live he won't bother civilization anymore. I heard that sometimes you can see him feed on bandit corpses, and I don't see how killing bandits is bad, but to be honest I'd rather not have a "Is it right to murder murderers?"-moral-discussing starting.

Personally, I let him live. 'Cause screw the Daedra.

 

[Vidarr]

I get what you're saying, but I'm speaking more purely from an RP perspective.
The fact is that he murdered a little girl (albeit supposedly uncontrollably), and is a werewolf.

From a technical standpoint however, I have heard of a few glitches both if you spare him or kill him.
for instance, even if you spare him and he says he'll never go anywhere near civilization again, you can find him wandering around Honningbrew Meadery - and the guards don't even care. Or following Vilkas and whoever around in the wilderness - completely random.

Do remember that I am looking at this purely from an RP perspective (skaal nord). That is the key.
It's also worth noting that even if you do subvert Hircine's intial will and decide to spare Sinding, it ends up working in Hircine's favor anyways - although less so depending on how you look at it.

 

[Vidarr]

Does anyone else have any opinions regarding this?
I'm just looking for help in terms of how to justify such choices for my specific character.
Maybe I can summarize a bit better:

As a nord who follows the ways of the skaal, would it make more sense for me to:
a) kill the werewolf and receive a reward I could use - despite this action being seen as sort of a 'service to Hircine'
or
b) help the werewolf and receive a useless reward - although doing so in a vague subversion of Hircine's initial will.

I try to think back to the Skaal from Bloodmoon specifically, and picture what they would do (considering that they were obviously involved with the bloodmoon prophecy as well).

Anyways, any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[shadowkitty]

If you spare the werewolf then you have to kill all the hunters. IMO that doesn't sit well with me. Why spare one (who killed an innocent girl), and then turn around and kill some hunters that are just doing what they do? I'd kill the wolf, even though it does mean you are doing what a daedra asked you to do, something which my character tries to avoid. But one death is better than many. Is it not?

 

[MjolnirV]

From a RP stand point you should kill the werewolf. What's worse than a werewolf that Hircine controls? A rogue werewolf who cannot control his powers. You should take the lesser of two evils and fight the battle you know you can win. Killing a werewolf is far easier than taking on a Daedric Prince. and you could RP some sort of cleansing ritual you will have to perform to rid yourself of Hircine's "stench"

 

[Vidarr]

Thanks shadowkitty and MjolnirV.
You guys make some really good points.

I think you're definitely right, I'll have to kill Sinding. I thought about it some more simply from a moral perspective, and I came to pretty much the same conclusion.
And I think it definitely makes more sense from the Skaal perspective.

I'll just have to be satisfied with knowing that I'm not doing it for hircine, despite him seeing it that way.
And I like that "cleansing ritual" idea MjolnirV.

 

[Liger]

Role play wise: Just do not do the quest, plain and simple

On a side note though, after doing this Hircine quest why would not Hircine grant you Werewolf powers it you wanted them??

Same with Molac Baul (Sorry spelling) granting you vampire powers.

I KNOW how you get the vamp and WW normal, but would it not be kool if you COULD get these forms other ways(Vampire and Were-wolf)

 

[Vidarr]

Role play wise: Just do not do the quest, plain and simple

On a side note though, after doing this Hircine quest why would not Hircine grant you Werewolf powers it you wanted them??

Same with Molac Baul (Sorry spelling) granting you vampire powers.

I KNOW how you get the vamp and WW normal, but would it not be kool if you COULD get these forms other ways(Vampire and Were-wolf)

Yeah, interesting idea. I think the main issue with the werewolf thing is that with Skyrim they kind of muddled up perspective on it.
What I mean is that it is slightly harder to see it as a curse (although I still do).
And since it is so heavily tied to The Companions questline, I think they'd want to avoid you gaining the ability in other ways - otherwise the Companions questline would become even more defunct.

But I agree it would be cool. I'd actually prefer if it was made more clear about the lycanthropy being a curse of Hircine - I still maintain that Bloodmoon handled werewolves the best so far, at the very least from a lore perspective.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I usually kill Sindiq if I'm not a were and keep him alive if I am (the ring, of course), but I have to agree that, if you have such a confilct, just skip the quest. The reward isn't that great and you can always go back to Bloated Man at any time and get all kinds of stuff without all the moral ambiguity.

As someone else noted, it always confused me that there are the Companion were's and then there are the rogue were's. We're all were's in the thrall of Hircine, after all, so why do we always attack each other? Wouldn't you think the Companions would be like were royalty to the rogues? Maybe they would even want to join us. Just a thought.

 

[seeker23]

so why dont you kill both Sindig and the hunters? I did. Not sure how it would be rp wise. First finish the quest by killing the hunters, then after you receive the reward from hircine you kill sindig. You kill the hunt and avenge the girl.

 

[Vidarr]

so why dont you kill both Sindig and the hunters? I did. Not sure how it would be rp wise. First finish the quest by killing the hunters, then after you receive the reward from hircine you kill sindig. You kill the hunt and avenge the girl.

I'm afraid my character is not a back-stabber. He doesn't make promises and then betray their trust.
I think RP wise, it makes the most sense to simply kill him straight up.
I have no need for the Ring of Hircine, but I can make use of Savior's Hide.
And I have no real reason to kill the hunters.
As I said before, I try to think back to Bloodmoon to put it in perspective.
The Neravarine and the skaal were put in a very similar situation, and to me, the clearest choice is destroying Hircine's creation.

I do wish that it wouldn't appear so much like I'm doing it in favor of Hircine, but that's where the RPing comes in. I'll just have to be content with being the only one who knows that I did it for very different reasons.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

so why dont you kill both Sindig and the hunters? I did. Not sure how it would be rp wise. First finish the quest by killing the hunters, then after you receive the reward from hircine you kill sindig. You kill the hunt and avenge the girl.

I'm afraid my character is not a back-stabber. He doesn't make promises and then betray their trust.
I think RP wise, it makes the most sense to simply kill him straight up.
I have no need for the Ring of Hircine, but I can make use of Savior's Hide.
And I have no real reason to kill the hunters.
As I said before, I try to think back to Bloodmoon to put it in perspective.
The Neravarine and the skaal were put in a very similar situation, and to me, the clearest choice is destroying Hircine's creation.

I do wish that it wouldn't appear so much like I'm doing it in favor of Hircine, but that's where the RPing comes in. I'll just have to be content with being the only one who knows that I did it for very different reasons.

I never truly believed that Hircine was pleased when I killed the hunters and saved Sindiq. "Turned the hunt on it's head", whatever. If you were truly some godlike being, it would not have mattered. I screwed with your instructions. Sindiq stole from Hircine - that should be enough motivation to end it there. Besides, what have the hunters done but worshipped Hircine (which really doesn't piss off anyone but the Vigilan of Stendarr). I suppose they're on the more innocent side and just doing their god's bidding.

 

[Manmangler]

I didnt like save chidlren killer, I didnt like help daedras bloodlusting hunters. So I tricked all and get Three rewards.
- Cursed ring
- Savior Hide
- Ring of Hiricrine

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I didnt like save chidlren killer, I didnt like help daedras bloodlusting hunters. So I tricked all and get Three rewards.
- Cursed ring
- Savior Hide
- Ring of Hiricrine

Mods? I don't think that's possible on console. Also: Why would you want the cursed ring? It's a pain, of course it comes off the first time you change. I'd give it to someone (maybe that obnoxious, power mad dark elf of the companions?)

 

[Vidarr]

I didnt like save chidlren killer, I didnt like help daedras bloodlusting hunters. So I tricked all and get Three rewards.
- Cursed ring
- Savior Hide
- Ring of Hiricrine

Mods? I don't think that's possible on console. Also: Why would you want the cursed ring? It's a pain, of course it comes off the first time you change. I'd give it to someone (maybe that obnoxious, power mad dark elf of the companions?)

Exactly. I don't think it makes any sense to have the ****ty version of the Ring of Hircine as well (and it shouldn't be possible w/out mods or something).

The way I see it, although I am no fan of the daedra, the fact is that they exist - and sometimes the best thing one can do is go along with it. At least, that's how I'm RPing it.

The Skaal are certainly not worshippers of Hircine, but they get dragged into his Wild Hunt during the Bloodmoon Prophecy and go along with it.

 

[Manmangler]

No need to MOD, it is possible (Like getting Rueful Axe and Mask, Which is tricky, I gave up fron fifth try)

Save before try this, How I made it list
1-Kill hunters
2-Talk siddling
3-Put cursed ring in chest (In that cave)
4-Return and kill siddling
5-Take saviors hide
6-Exit cave to get reward for saving
7-return to take cursed ring

Alternative to do list is (From Internet)
-Kill hunters
-Talk siddling
-Put cursed ring in chest (In that cave)
-Exit cave to get reward for saving
-Return and kill siddling
-Take saviors hide
-return to take cursed ring

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I didnt like save chidlren killer, I didnt like help daedras bloodlusting hunters. So I tricked all and get Three rewards.
- Cursed ring
- Savior Hide
- Ring of Hiricrine

Mods? I don't think that's possible on console. Also: Why would you want the cursed ring? It's a pain, of course it comes off the first time you change. I'd give it to someone (maybe that obnoxious, power mad dark elf of the companions?)

 

[Manmangler]

Why I take cursed ring
Because I can, no other reason

 

[Pete]

Any character that avoids this quest, IMHO is missing out on the basic quandary of playing the game and the decisions that must be made when dealing with Deadric Lords. To keep things straight I tend to remain loyal to one Deadric Lord. I then use the others as best I can to improve MY situation with that Lord.

Thus - my vampire characters always kill Sinding. Can't have any competition.