Didn't know which forum to post this in:

Is this true? Is there no way to get around that?

If you've already finished the Ill Met by Moonlight quest by allowing Sinding to live, the Oathblade will never return to the grotto. If you're playing on PC, you can place the Oathblade in your inventory by consoling player.additem c1989 1.

Thanks. I thought it might come to that.
Now I just have to have a good roleplay reason for obtaining them this way. Think I'll say that Sinding found them and gave them to me as a thank you, unless anyone has a better fitting idea?

If you add it to your inventory while you're in the grotto, can't you roleplay that it was never displaced, and you found it where you normally would have? Although your idea is just fine, too!

Well, not really because now the Grotto is forever stuck in its Ill Met by Moonlight version. Which to me is weird because I thought that it was turned to a bit of Hiricine's realm for the Hunt. Afterwards I would have thought that it would revert back but if Sinding is alive and living there, it apparently never does.

No, I'm just saying pretend that the sword was there all along, and add it to your inventory while you're still in the Grotto as if you'd just picked it up there.

Yeah, I thought about that, but then why would it be in Hircine's realm?

Is this true? Is there no way to get around that?
Wait. I let him live... initially. But I didn't like that I got only the ring as a reward. So I went back in and killed him. Luckily, Hircine ended up giving me his hide too! Since I killed him will it reset?

It would be best to grab the sword before you activate Hircine's quest.