Hmmm... I've come across the quest "The House of Horrors", and - without spoiling anything, it definitely lives up to its name. In fact, I'm yet to complete it, due to the ending contradicting the ethos I've assigned my character. Well, it's more an extension of my personal morality into the game, but tweaked a bit, so... fair do's, I guess. I digress though - as I was saying, the ending is truly horrific, and puts you very much between the proverbial rock and the hard place. However (Yes, I know this is slipping into Mod territory, but the topic itself doesn't really fit in the mod subsection, so here was the best place for it) I'm aware that Mods are available that allow you to have an alternate ending, that means you don't have to partake in the morally compromising... acts... that it requires of you. However, that creates a real life moral dilemma - is that cheating? Am I working my way around a dilemma specifically put there to pose such a challenge, and then wimping out of a decision? Or am I just allowing for my play-through not to be tainted? Do I use the mod - or just go through with it, but dispose of the reward and have my character do "penance", as it were? I can't decide which is worse - so I decided to turn to fellow Skyrim players to pose the question to you: Do you break past the dilemma and spare the troubling nature of the ending, or do you go through with it, as the game intended - and live with the consequences - despite the act going both against personal and character morals? Amoral but moral... or Moral yet amoral? Which is preferred?

You don't HAVE to do the quest, especially if you feel like you have to break character to complete it

I know... but then of course I have it clogging up my inventory. I've already got to the point where I free him, and I can't afford to go back before that... but being the way that I am, I can't stand seeing an unfinished quest sitting there... beckoning me... mocking me. Also, with that, I'd know that he's possibly still stuck in that trap... whimpering and afraid. So even doing that has... well - negative connotations. So thus, the quest - and the question - remain.

The third option. If your character can't come through it with a clean conscience, then they don't come through it with a clean conscience. My Ashlander once shot the wrong person and walked barefoot to the Shrine of Azura to burn her bow.

Using the Weapon to aid the People of Skyrim is penance. The Weapon has been used by Heroes to vanquish Evil Mages and Foul Necromancers through the Millenia.

There is in fact a fourth option I could consider - I know I said I can't really afford to go back before I free'd him, but I could actually go just before... and while "rescuing" him, have him be overcome by one of the Forsworn, and have the quest fail? It would be hard making it work in a way where I don't just lead him to his death, but it could be a way of sparing him and me the worst fate. I think I may wait to see what others have to say on the matter, though...

Kill the Boethiah cultist, it will end the quest and get it out of your quest log.

I know this because I did it on my Vampire Hunter playthrough. Obviously a VH wouldn't pass up the chance to rid a house of Daedra worship.. So that's how I justified starting the quest.

I don't think I'd be able to do that... After I've finished the main Quest, my character is planning on settling down and starting a family... In the peaceful Lakeside Manor. From his POV, I don't think he'd be able to look into his adopted children's eyes with earnest, harbouring such a bloodstained conscience. Well... maybe the penance would clear that, but the scars would never fade.

However, I must concede that it would add another layer of depth to the character, as it were.

It doesn't matter, you did murder that vigilant who went inside with you.

Your hands are already stained.

Either use the mace for "good," or discard it.

If you had to ask this question, then I take it you aren't the one to "cheat." Accept the inevitable that is the power of Bal. Let it sculpt your character instead of "meta-gaming it."

The option to free Logrolf should have been shipped with the game anyway.

So yeah, there's no harm in downloading the mod.

Once he attacks you, it's not murder, it's self defense.

The House of Horrors quest bothered me too. I've only done it with my first character and I didn't feel right afterward. Since then, I just roll with it and make it part of my character's story...for better or worse.

Yeah, only not really because he's under Molag Bal's mind control. Sure, you can say 'ah, but he's weaker than me, I didn't succumb' but... well... you do sort of actually do what Molag Bal wants, right? Maybe Tyrannus is also seeing you attacking him first...

I actually find that bit more conflict-y than the later bit, because, well, my good/helpful characters would definitely want to go and help the Vigilant guy (assuming they aren't daedra-worshipping Dunmer, I suppose) but I know full well how it ends and it's pretty hard to basically have my nice, helpful, well-meaning, honourable Dragonborn walk into what I know is a trap which will compromise them. Once they're past that point, they would generally NOT be interested in finishing Molag Bal's dirty work.

I tend to wuss out by having them walk on the other side of the stream because he looks a bit creepy...

Penance seems like a reasonable solution....I'm still trying to figure out, RP wise, why a good character would do what Molag Bal asks to begin with(free the trapped guy who he obviously wants to punish)

A moment of weakness (well, okay, a day or so)... Hating Boethiah and her Cultists even more (perhaps having already been up to Boethiah's shrine and being asked to do Something Unforgiveable...)