Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In the Crookback Bog quest line, the Crones (also called the Ladies of the Wood) eat the orphans only on the branch where Geralt kills the Whispering Hillock spirit. If he frees the spirit, the children are saved from the Crones, but Downwarren is attacked and Anna is punished. The choice is therefore conditional, not an event that happens in every playthrough. The two outcomes are summarized in this Crookback Bog quest FAQ and this overview of freeing the Whispering Hillock.
Warning: The rest of this guide discusses the consequences of the Whispering Hillock decision and the fate of the Crookback Bog orphans.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What does “the Crones” mean in this question?
Here, “the Crones” refers to the three supernatural antagonists known in the game as the Ladies of the Wood. The question is not about a general folklore tradition or an unrelated fantasy story; it points to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and the quest events around Crookback Bog.
The orphans are part of the moral dilemma surrounding the spirit called the Whispering Hillock. Geralt’s decision about that spirit determines which group bears the most immediate cost. The choice is deliberately constructed so that rescuing one set of characters does not produce a consequence-free resolution for everyone else.
Popular on Amazon
- 【90 Degree Full Function USB C Adapter】Supports the latest USB4 standard for up to 40Gbps of bandwidth, 8K video support, and up to 240W Fast charging; Support USB PD 3.1 Extended Power Range (EPR) including 140W, 180W and 240W. Your productivity is easily doubled. *Warm Tip: For the best fit, please make sure the USB-C port is fully exposed; thick or bulky cases may affect compatibility.
- 【Reliable Quality】Made from high-quality, scratch-resistant aluminum alloy, delicate metal frame. get excellent wear resistance and heat dissipation. Non-Slip Design for easier insertion and removal.
- 【Small and portable】Ultra thin size, ultra compact design, a petite physique that matches the minimalist design of your modern laptops. Coming with a slim figure that won't block the port next to the one it's plugged into.
- 【Compatibility】Widely work with most usb c, thunderbolt 4/3 devices. Compatibilit for ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Switch, MacBook Pro, Quest 3 VR headset, Surface Book 2, iPhone 18/17/16/15, Samsung Galaxy S23/S22/S21, Note 20/10, Google Pixel, ChromeBook, etc.
- 【Excellence Customer Support】If you experience any issues or cable failure, simply reach out to our dedicated customer service team. We provide a prompt response within 18 hours, providing you with the necessary technical support to resolve any concerns.
Do the Crones eat the orphans?
Yes, if Geralt kills the Whispering Hillock spirit. In that branch, the Crookback Bog orphans are sacrificed to the Crones, and the quest summaries describe the Crones as eating them. If Geralt frees the spirit instead, the children are saved from the Crones.
That wording matters. “The Crones eat the orphans” is an accurate description of one quest outcome, but it is not an unconditional description of every save file. The game’s result depends on the branch chosen at the Whispering Hillock. A player who remembers the children surviving may have taken the opposite branch from a player who remembers their sacrifice.
The available references are secondary gaming FAQ pages rather than official documentation from CD Projekt Red. They consistently identify the branch and its consequence, but they do not provide an official script quotation or a statistical breakdown. It is most precise to present the claim as the summarized narrative outcome: the children are sacrificed to the Crones, who are said to eat them.
What happens if you kill the Whispering Hillock spirit?
Killing the spirit produces the outcome most directly associated with the question: the orphans are handed over to the Crones and sacrificed. The summaries of the quest treat this as the cost of choosing to destroy the spirit rather than release it.
The important point is not merely that a non-player character disappears. The decision determines whether the children receive protection from the Crones. Once the kill-the-spirit branch is selected, the children’s fate is presented as a sacrifice, not as a later optional encounter that can be undone through ordinary dialogue.
Also popular on Amazon
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
The same summaries connect the attack on Downwarren and Anna’s punishment with the alternative, spirit-freeing branch. They do not provide a complete, independent accounting of every villager’s fate in the kill branch, so it is safer not to turn the contrast into a claim that every other character is guaranteed a perfect outcome. The supported conclusion is narrower and stronger: killing the spirit condemns the orphans to the Crones.
Recommended Free Tools
What happens if you free the Whispering Hillock?
Freeing the spirit saves the orphans from being eaten by the Crones, but it triggers the other major consequences summarized for this quest. Downwarren is attacked, and Anna is punished.
That makes the decision a trade-off rather than a simple “good” or “bad” button. The children survive the Crones, yet the village and Anna pay a price. The quest’s tension comes from having to decide which harm Geralt is willing to accept when the available branches do not protect everyone at once.
The sources describe the village attack and Anna’s punishment as consequences of releasing the spirit. They do not supply a full account of every possible quest-order variation or of all later effects on other characters. If you are comparing a particular playthrough, use the branch itself—the decision to free or kill the spirit—as the key reference point, rather than assuming that every remembered detail belongs to the same sequence.
How do the two branches compare?
The table below isolates the outcomes directly supported by the quest summaries. It avoids filling in details that the available references do not establish.
Also popular on Amazon
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
- Double Up on Efficiency: The two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C port support a fast 5Gbps data rate, significantly boosting your transfer speeds and improving productivity.
- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
| Whispering Hillock decision | Orphans | Downwarren | Anna | What the sources support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kill the spirit | Sacrificed to the Crones; summaries say the Crones eat them | The cited summaries associate the village attack with the other branch; they do not give a fuller independent outcome here | The cited summaries associate punishment with the other branch; they do not give a fuller independent outcome here | The orphans’ sacrifice is the defining consequence |
| Free the spirit | Saved from the Crones | Attacked | Punished | The children are saved, but the village and Anna suffer |
In short, killing the spirit prioritizes the branch in which Downwarren and Anna avoid the consequences specifically tied to freeing it, while sacrificing the orphans. Freeing it protects the children from the Crones, while causing the attack and punishment described above. Because the references are summaries, the table deliberately does not claim more than they establish.
Why is the answer conditional instead of simply yes or no?
The question compresses a branching quest into a single sentence. In The Witcher 3, the Crones’ treatment of the orphans is controlled by Geralt’s choice concerning the Whispering Hillock. That means the correct answer has two parts: identify the game and identify the branch.
This is also why different players can give apparently contradictory answers without either player misremembering the premise. A player who killed the spirit encountered the sacrifice outcome; a player who freed it encountered the rescue outcome and the associated attack on Downwarren and punishment of Anna. Both memories can be accurate because they come from different paths through the quest.
When discussing the scene with someone who has not finished the quest, say “yes, on the kill-the-spirit branch” rather than “yes, the Crones always eat them.” That wording preserves the spoiler while avoiding a false universal claim.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11What should you consider before choosing a branch?
If you are making the decision yourself, the supported choice framework is straightforward: decide whether saving the orphans from the Crones outweighs the attack on Downwarren and Anna’s punishment in the freeing branch, or whether you prefer to kill the spirit while accepting the orphans’ sacrifice.
Also popular on Amazon
- Portable and powerful USB-C HUB: BENFEI USB Type-C HUB, with super-soft and knot-free silicone woven design cable, meets most mobile office needs. Compact, lightweight, stylish, and powerful portable USB C Hub equipped with 1 x HDMI port, 1 x 100W charging, and 3 x USB ports. 18-month warranty, 24-hour response, to ensure you feel at ease when using our product.
- Design centered on comfort and reliability: Thanks to BENFEI's end-to-end in-house cable production capability, in-house PCBA and assembly capability, using the industry's most advanced silicone woven design and process, 20cm cable in length, no knots, super-soft, the HUB is easy to use in all scenarios: laptop, tablet, stand etc. Super-soft, 25000+ life cycles, to meet your daily carrying and office needs.
- 100W Charging: Support up to 90W USB C pass-through charging via Type-C port to keep your laptop powered. 10W is reserved for other interface operations. No data and video function on the Type-C port.
- 4K HDMI Display: The HDMI port supports media display at resolutions up to 4K 30Hz, keeping every incredible moment detailed and ultra vivid. Please note that the C port of the Host device needs to support video output.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Transfer files and from your laptop at speeds up to 10 Gbps with USB A 3.2 port. Extra 2 USB A 2.0 ports are perfectly for your keyboards and mouse.
- Identify the immediate priority. If the children’s survival is your overriding concern, the summarized outcome points to freeing the spirit.
- Account for the collateral cost. Freeing it is not a clean rescue; the sources tie that branch to an attack on Downwarren and punishment of Anna.
- Read the choice as a role-playing decision. There is no source-supported branch in which the children, the village and Anna all avoid the stated consequences.
- Keep your branch in mind when discussing spoilers. Saying only “the Crones eat the orphans” strips away the condition that explains why another player may have seen them survive.
These are narrative priorities, not a recommendation that one branch is objectively correct. The quest is designed to make the player weigh victims against one another, and the available summaries do not identify a universally best ending.
Is the game showing an on-screen meal?
The evidence available for this answer does not describe a detailed, official cutscene or quote in which the Crones explicitly state the line “we ate the orphans.” The secondary summaries use the language that the children are sacrificed to the Crones and that the Crones would eat them.
Therefore, the careful formulation is that the kill-the-spirit branch gives the orphans to the Crones as a sacrifice, with the quest outcome summarized as the Crones eating them. Readers looking for a literal scene should distinguish between the narrative result reported by the FAQs and a separately documented visual moment. No official game-documentation link or named quotation was identified for that finer point.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →What are the most common misunderstandings?
- “The Crones eat the orphans in every playthrough.” Not according to the branch summaries. The children are saved from the Crones when the Whispering Hillock is freed.
- “Freeing the spirit is a consequence-free rescue.” The freeing branch is also associated with an attack on Downwarren and punishment of Anna.
- “The question is about the Crones from folklore.” In this context it is a Witcher 3 quest question about the Ladies of the Wood in Crookback Bog.
- “Every account of the quest covers all later outcomes.” The available FAQs identify the central branch consequences but do not provide a complete official treatment of every quest-order edge case or every effect on the Bloody Baron storyline.
- “A player who says the children survived must be wrong.” Survival is consistent with the free-the-spirit branch, so the apparent disagreement may simply reflect different choices.
How can you verify which outcome your playthrough used?
You can determine the relevant outcome by reconstructing one decision rather than trying to remember every conversation in Crookback Bog.
- Locate the Whispering Hillock decision in your quest history or save sequence. The decisive question is whether Geralt killed or freed the spirit.
- Match the decision to the child outcome. Kill corresponds to the sacrifice-to-the-Crones summary; free corresponds to the children being saved from them.
- Check the associated consequences. The free branch is the one tied in the summaries to the attack on Downwarren and Anna’s punishment.
- Describe the result with the branch attached. This prevents a spoiler discussion from turning a conditional outcome into a blanket claim about every version of the quest.
This method is especially useful when reading guides written from different quest orders. The sources reviewed for this article identify the central choice clearly, but they do not establish every possible interaction caused by unusual sequencing, so branch identification is more reliable than trying to infer the result from one isolated line of dialogue.
Also popular on Amazon
- 【Read before You Buy】 Note: This adapter is USB 2.0 version and cannot transmit HDM, VGA, or other video signals. Nevertheless, they are fully capable of charging devices,duplicating files, and can be seamlessly integrated with USB-C earphones, wireless network adapters, and SD card adapters.
- 【Easy to Use and Safe】Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques, we've made these adapters sufficiently compact so that they can remain inserted in your device without noticeable protrusion or inconvenience. This means you don't have to constantly plug and unplug them, reducing the likelihood of wear and misalignment, and making them more convenient to carry around.
- 【Reliable Quality】Engineered for enhanced durability, durable aluminum alloy shell material,get excellent wear resistance and heat dissipation,the male USB C and female USB connectors & the male USB and female USB C connectors are designed to be plugged and unplugged up to 20000 times. Provides data transfer, device charging, memory space expansion, and additional computer peripherals.
- 【Think more for you】Do you need to connect a USB-C-enabled device to an odd device that only has USB-A ports? Then these USB-A male to USB-C female adapters are made for you.Simply insert the adapter into the USB-A port on the device, and you can instantly connect your USB-C device to the device that originally didn't have the correct connection port.
- 【Trusted xiwxi Quality and Service】As a responsible brand seller, you will receive xiwxi's 12-month Quality assurance and lifetime friendly customer service, you're not just buying a product,you're investing in peace of mind with all-round quality and exceptional customer service.
What does the available evidence actually establish?
The two referenced pages are secondary FAQ aggregators. They are useful for identifying the intended game, naming the Crones or Ladies of the Wood, and summarizing the two major outcomes, but they are not official CD Projekt Red quest documentation.
They support five practical conclusions: the question concerns The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt; the Crones are the antagonists in the Crookback Bog dilemma; killing the Whispering Hillock leads to the orphans being sacrificed and described as eaten; freeing it saves the children from the Crones; and freeing it is accompanied by an attack on Downwarren and punishment of Anna.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
They do not support a percentage, a named developer quotation, a definitive account of every Bloody Baron or quest-order variation, or a claim that a particular console, PC edition or release changes the outcome. Those details should not be added merely to make the answer sound more complete.
So, what is the final answer?
Yes—but only on the branch where Geralt kills the Whispering Hillock spirit. The orphans are sacrificed to the Crones, and the quest summaries say the Crones eat them. Freeing the spirit saves the children from that fate, while leading to an attack on Downwarren and punishment of Anna. The most accurate spoiler-friendly answer is therefore: the Crones eat the orphans in the kill-the-spirit branch, not in every playthrough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “the Crones” question about a real-world myth?
No. In this context it refers to the Crones, or Ladies of the Wood, in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and their Crookback Bog quest. A folklore answer would be addressing a different subject.
Does the game’s wording explicitly say, “We ate the orphans”?
The available references are secondary summaries, not an official script transcript. They describe the children as sacrificed to the Crones and summarize the result as the Crones eating them, so that is the safest wording rather than an invented quotation.
Can two players reach different answers about the orphans?
Yes. Their answers can differ because the Whispering Hillock decision branches the quest. Killing the spirit produces the sacrifice outcome; freeing it saves the children from the Crones but brings the other reported consequences.
Do the cited sources settle every Bloody Baron or quest-order variation?
No. They establish the central orphan, Downwarren and Anna outcomes, but they do not provide a complete official account of every sequencing edge case or later storyline effect. Treat those broader claims separately from the core branch result.
