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The Whispering Hillock is one of the main quests in The Witcher 3 taking place in Velen. This guide covers a full walkthrough of the quest as well as the consequences for choosing to save or kill the tree spirit.

The Whispering Hillock Walkthrough

The quest is embedded within Ladies of the Wood. The quest can also be done before the event of “Ladies of the Wood” if you so happen to discover the tree first. It involves an evil spirit inside a tree (which might not be so evil after all depending on your point of view). Go inside the cave and dive beneath the roots. Pop back up and walk deeper into the cave. The source of the voice is revealed as a creepy tree spirit.

This quest contains an Important Choice:

You may either trust the spirit and free it or kill it. If you choose to free it, two possible scenarios will play out (see below).

The backstory to this quest relating to the Whispering Hillock and the Crones can be read in the in-game book "Ladies of The Wood".

Whispering Hillock Choices and Consequences

Saving the Tree Spirit - If you want to save the tree, you’ll need a woman’s remains, a raven’s feather, and a black wild horse. It may sound like a lot but you already have a raven feather from the nest with Johnny, and both the woman's remains and the horse is easy to find. Just leave the cave and follow your marker to find the woman's remains. From there, follow the marker to an open field where you will encounter a pack of wild horses. Slowly approach them and use the Axii sign to tame one of the horses. Ride the horse back to the tree spirit to free the spirit.

If you do this AFTER starting the main quest “Ladies of the Wood”, the tree will free the children at Crookback Bog, which will upset the Crones and spell danger for Gran.

If you do this BEFORE starting “Ladies of the Wood”, the tree will not have made the promise of saving the children. But the tree spirit will be freed and Gran WON'T be in danger. Regardless, the tree will exact revenge on the village of Downwarren.
Note: If this quest is done AFTER starting “Ladies of the Wood” it will have a negative impact when it comes to finding Anna, the Bloody Baron's wife. If the quest is done BEFORE “Ladies of the Wood” Anna won't be in the same kind of danger.

Killing the Tree Spirit - If you choose to kill the tree, the tree will put up a shield and summon three endreagas that attack. Kill the giant bugs and then wail on the tree spirit. It will put its defence back up. Repeat one more time to kill the tree spirit. The Crones will be satisfied, which is good for Gran and the village of Downwarren, but not for the children.
Note: This decision will affect the outcome when it comes to finding the Bloody Baron's wife, Anna, in a positive way.

Your choice on this quest will have an impact in the side quest Return to Crookback Bog which will determine the fate of Baron and his wife, the orphans of Crookback Bog, and the nearby village of Downwarren. With this quest done, you may continue with "Ladies of the Wood."

The Whispering Hillock Complete

PS: If you want to save both Gran (and in turn the Bloody Baron) and the Whispering Hillock, you must do this quest first before starting the quest Ladies of the Wood.