The Witcher 3 Whispering Hillock is a quest at the old oak in Velen, where you decide what happens to the spirit trapped in the roots. That’s exactly what it’s called in your journal. People often call it the spirit in the tree, because under the oak you find a heart grown into the roots. Your choice to kill or free the spirit carries over into Ladies of the Wood, the orphans at Újezd, Downwarren and the fate of Anna. The wider story of the Bloody Baron is in the Bloody Baron storyline.
Where to find the quest
The quest kicks off at the old oak near Downwarren. During Ladies of the Wood, the villagers who are looking for whatever is killing people send you there. You can also get to the oak earlier, on your own. Then the Whispering Hillock shows up as a side quest, and later it gets tied into the storyline with the Crones anyway.
At the oak, wolves attack you first. On the western side, by the roots, a werewolf is on guard, and at the cave entrance is a Place of Power. A voice from under the tree warns you to leave. Once you take down the werewolf, you enter the cave under the roots.
Under the oak
Inside, head for the magical bindings and the organic heart in the roots. That’s the spirit the Crones are holding in the tree. In the dialogue you learn that the sisters trapped it and that the orphans in the marshes are in danger. You can say you’ll help it, or that you don’t trust it. As long as you haven’t destroyed the heart, you can still change your mind and take the ritual route.
Kill or free
This is the core of the quest. You have two paths and two consequences.
You kill the spirit
You destroy the heart in the roots. In the cave, the Endregai workers show up, and you have to deal with them. You do what the Crones want. The spirit can’t save the orphans anymore, and the sisters eat them. Downwarren stays standing. Anna survives, but she’s on the brink. The Bloody Baron finds her, takes her to a healer, and leaves Velen.
You free the spirit
You need three things, and then the ritual at the heart:
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Raven feathers from the nest north of the hillock.
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Remains from the grave at the edge of the marshes (at the headstone, often with a Drowner).
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The black horse, which you lead with Axii to the oak and into the cave.
After the ritual, the spirit leaves the tree and turns into a black horse with red eyes. It really does save the orphans from the marshes. It burns Downwarren down, and the villagers die. For that, the Crones curse Anna into a Drowner.
| Choice | Orphans | Downwarren | Anna | Bloody Baron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill the spirit | Die | Stands | Alive (on the edge) | Survives, leaves with Anna |
| Free the spirit | Live | Plundered | Drowner, always dies | Always hangs himself |
The orphans and Downwarren
The orphanage near Újezd is where Anna raised children from villages destroyed by the war. After you kill the spirit, you find only traces in the shack, not children. After you free the spirit, the orphans live, and later they end up with Marabela in Novigrad.
Downwarren pays the price for the second path. The village survives if you kill the spirit. If you free it, you find Downwarren burned and full of corpses. The spirit keeps its promise about the orphans. It keeps its vow of revenge on the villagers too.
Conclusion
Whispering Hillock is a short quest with a long shadow. Killing the spirit means Anna and the Bloody Baron survive, at the cost of the orphans. Freeing the spirit means living children and a burned-down Downwarren, plus the deaths of Anna and the Bloody Baron. The family’s epilogue is in the Bloody Baron endings. You’ll find more guides on the Witcher 3 hub.