Skyrim:Ill Met By Moonlight

Quick Walkthrough
#(Optional) Speak to Mathies, the father of the slain child in Falkreath.
#Talk to Sinding in Falkreath Jail.
#Hunt down the White Stag.
#Accept Hircine's challenge.
#Face Sinding inside Bloated Man's Grotto and make a choice.
#Speak with Hircine.

Detailed Walkthrough
Falkreath
thumb|right|The burial of Lavinia
A plethora of battles have taken place in Falkreath Hold throughout the eras, and the bloodshed has taken its toll on the small hold capital of Falkreath. The town has the questionable honor of hosting the largest graveyard in all of Skyrim, and the few resident merchants and innkeepers have named their shops or taverns in honor of the numerous deceased warriors. But while the ongoing civil war keeps its distance for the time being, Falkreath still experiences its share of death, as evidenced by a visit to the graveyard. On your first visit you will find town priest, Runil, busy saying the last rites for little Lavinia, the only daughter of local farmers Mathies and Indara Caerellia: "The god Arkay was once like us, bound to winding mortality. But he willingly gave up this existence that we might better understand the vagaries of life and death. It is through the ebb and flow of this cosmic tide that we find renewal and, in the end, peace. May the spirit of Lavinia and all those who have left this world and its suffering know the beloved serenity of Aetherius... and may we one day rejoin them in eternity." After the sad ceremony the three will go their separate ways.

Sinding
Locate the grieving father, Mathies, who can usually be found working his crops behind Corpselight Farm. When asked about his tragedy he will tell you that his nine-year-old, Lavinia, was ripped apart by a laborer named Sinding, now rotting in jail for his deed. The quest will begin and Mathies' last words will be: "What could drive a man to do something like this?"

In Falkreath, the jail is built in the basement of Falkreath Barracks. Sinding, the alleged killer, sits in the northeastern cell waiting for his death sentence. When you get close he will approach the bars and you can ask him directly if he killed the little girl: ''"Believe me, it wasn't anything I ever intended to do. I just... lost control. I tried to tell them, but none of them believe me. It's all on account of this blasted ring."''

The Ring of Hircine
thumb|right|Skyrim:Sinding|Sinding escapes
Sinding will then show you the Ring of Hircine and reveal that he is secretly a werewolf who stole the ring from the Daedric Prince of the Hunt in an attempt to control his transformations. In retaliation, Hircine cursed the ring and Sinding's plan backfired; he transformed at the worst possible time, in front of the little girl who never stood a chance. However, Sinding has a plan: ''"I've been looking for a way to appease Hircine. There is a certain beast in these lands. Large, majestic. It's said that Hircine will commune with whoever slays it. I tracked it into these woods, but then had my... accident with the child. I want to beg his forgiveness. Give him back the ring. But while I'm stuck in here, the beast wanders free." You can now offer to bring the ring to Hircine, and Sinding will gladly accept: "Oh my. You would do this for me? Here, take it. I don't want anything to do with this wretched thing anymore. Seek out the beast. He wanders these woods. Bring him down and... well, the Lord of the Hunt should smile on you. I wish you luck, but should leave here while I still have my skin. Should our paths cross again, I will remember your kindness. Farewell." Without the Ring of Hircine, Sinding will then transform right in front of you and claw his way to the ceiling of the cell where he disappears. When you are ready to leave, the patrolling guard may approach you and notice: "You... you were talking to that murderous savage. And then he escaped. What are you hiding?"
 

Hunting the White Stag
thumb|left|The Skyrim:White Stag|White Stag
thumb|right|The Skyrim:Aspect of Hircine|Aspect of Hircine appears
The great beast turns out to be a unique deer named White Stag and can be found in an unmarked clearing east of Falkreath, usually drinking water from a small pond. If you are spotted, the stag will usually howl, then set off at a running pace up the mountain. Do your best to catch up with it, or make effective use of your long-range weapons to hit it. Once you've killed it, the Aspect of Hircine will emerge from the dead stag, talking to you: "I am the spirit of the hunt, just one glimpse of the glorious stalker that your kind calls Hircine." Naturally, as a Daedric Prince, Hircine will have a few extra tricks up his sleeve and will not simply take the ring you offer. Instead he will ask a favor: "I may consider it. But you must first do a service for my glory. The one who stole it has fled to what he thinks is his sanctuary. Just as a bear climbs a tree to escape the hunt, but only ends up trapping himself. Seek out this rogue shifter. Tear the skin from his body, and make it an offering to me." At this point, you can accept or decline, but it will make little difference; you are to travel to Bloated Man's Grotto, or someone else will do it for you.

Bloated Man's Grotto
Bloated Man's Grotto is a small cave between Falkreath and Morthal, normally inhabited by bears and spriggans. When you arrive during the quest, however, you will find that the Great Hunt is underway and the Bloodmoon dominates the sky. You will encounter the remains of a small hunting party, with three of the members, Batum gra-Bar, Ma'tasarr and Hoddreid, already dead. A fourth member, J'Kier, is still alive, but fatally wounded. When you approach him, he will say: "The prey is strong. Stronger than the hunters. But more will come. Bring him down, for the glories of Lord Hircine." The wounded Khajiit will then drop dead. Loot the corpses and a locked chest behind the camp. There is also a chest in the small 'lake' where the waterfall is. After looting the chests, follow the northern path until Sinding appears on a rock above. He will be confused as to why you are there to hunt him down: ''"I can't stop you if that's what you want to do. Hircine is too powerful. But if you spare me, I can be a powerful ally to you. And I would promise to never return to civilized life. I know now that I can't live among people."'' He will then wait for your response, and your decision will not only affect the reward, it may also affect your achievements.
 
 
 
Multiple Rewards
 

Notes
This quest depicts a Great Hunt, a type of sporting event often associated with Hircine. A Great Hunt also occurs in Battlespire, Bloodmoon, and ESO.
As you can't enchant Resist Magic on any armor, Savior's Hide is a valuable piece of armor for someone who wants to achieve the maximum level of magical resistance. 
 
It is possible to find Sinding wandering Skyrim if you should choose to let him live. He will not attack you, but cannot be interacted with in any way.
After completing the quest and leaving the Grotto, the dead hunters will disappear, along with the loot that is on them. If you need to make more than one trip, make sure to loot everyone before leaving and place the items inside the chest.
If you exit the dialogue with Sinding after meeting him in the Grotto, or allow it to time out, it counts as having chosen to kill Sinding.
Be very careful if you choose to help Sinding kill the hunters, as accidentally striking Sinding three times will cause him to turn against you.  Similarly if you are in werewolf form and use the Howl of Fear three times, it will turn him hostile.
This quest will completely alter Bloated Man's Grotto, but it will reset to its non-quest form one in-game month after the death of Sinding if you don't enter it during that time. It's recommended to visit Bloated Man's Grotto before doing this quest if you want to loot Bolar's Oathblade without killing Sinding.
 If you chose to save Sinding, the grotto can be reverted to its non-quest form by opening the console and entering the codes   and  .
Entering Bloated Man's Grotto during the quest will adjust the in-game time to 11pm, unless you enter the location between 7pm and 2am.
When siding against Sinding, it is possible to save the hunters through various means, such as rushing Sinding with the Slow Time shout. The hunters themselves have only generic greetings and will make their way to the grotto exit once Hircine has given you the reward and disappear from the game.
The cursed ring gives lycanthropes a 1 in 10 chance of transforming every hour they are outdoors. Transformations won't happen indoors, nor in Bloated Man's Grotto itself (which otherwise counts as outdoors).

Bugs
 
 
 Use the console command   (make sure you have nothing targeted) to disable collision, enabling you to float towards the White Stag to kill it. Upon returning to a valid location use the same command to enable collision and resume normal gameplay.
 
 It may be possible to complete the quest normally by moving him outside of the cell using   console command and then exiting the barracks immediately.
 
 
Leaving and entering the jail a second time usually fixes this.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Exit from the grotto and reenter; now the conversation should be unlocked.
 
 
 
 

Quest Stages