Cherchez la Femme is a side quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It begins at the end of either Hare Hunt or Sheep in Wolf's Clothing, if you tell Hanekin Hare that you believe his story of betrayal and want to help him seek justice.
You'll need a lockpick to unlock the Very Easy door of the hunting lodge.
Synopsis[]
- I promised Hanekin Hare I'd help him. This aristocrat, outlaw and poacher hasn't had the last word yet. I don't know what he has in mind, but I expect the Master Huntsman and his wife will play leading roles in his plan.
Objective[]
- Meet Hanekin Hare by the mine gallery.
- Abduct Margaret, whatever it takes.
- Bring Margaret to the mine gallery.
- Abduct Margaret, whatever it takes.
- Make Nicholas sign the document.
- Bring the document to Hanekin Hare.
Walkthrough[]
Once you find him, whether through Hare Hunt or Sheep in Wolf's Clothing, and if you agree to hear him out, Hare will explain what really happened fifteen years ago. He and Nicholas both loved Margaret, but he did not realize at the time that she truly loved Nicholas, although her father would have forced her to marry Hare for his respected position and noble name.
Hare's hideout in the abandoned mine gallery.
Hare's family, the house of Zaluzh, had lost all their money at the hands of the Lords of Leipa. When Henry of Leipa passed through Talmberg, one of his guardsmen mocked Hare about it, starting a public argument. When the guard turned up dead the next morning in a ditch with his neck broken, Nicholas saw an opportunity to be rid of his rival.
He bribed some villagers to say they saw Hare fighting with the guard, when in reality, Hare was with Margaret, although she denied it, even knowing it would mean destroying his alibi. Hare was thrown into prison, but Sir Divish himself helped him escape. Now, fifteen years later, Hare is back - not for revenge, to clear his name, and restore honour to his family.
He asks you to meet him again at his hideout, north-east of Talmberg, where he explains his plan. He has had a scribe write up a confessional document which he needs Nicholas to sign. Hare's plan is simple - he'll distract Nicholas by blowing the horn (which you either stole in Sheep in Wolf's Clothing, or Hanekin ... "liberated" it himself).
Henry listens to Hanekin Hare's scheme
Meanwhile, you kidnap Margaret (which sounds pretty drastic), and force Nicholas to sign the confession. Then, he'll have to flee the county to avoid being charged with perjury.
The two of you agree to wait the next morning at dawn - Hanekin will set off from his hideout shortly after the fourth hour, walk to the nearby road and blow the horn at exactly 5, luring Nicholas out of the lodge.
The Hard Way[]
It's not really necessary to wait, however - you can just barge in and grab Margaret at any time. If you do decide to go with the snatch-and-grab approach, the hunting lodge is now guarded and locked, so sneak past the guard into the house where Margaret is, or wait for her to make a trip for water to nearby river and ambush her out of sight of any witnesses. Knock her out and carry her body through the forest to Hanekin Hare's hideout. Don't get caught by the guard though, or you'll have a hard time convincing him to let you go.
Kidnapping Margaret
Guard's Stats[]
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|---|---|---|
| 20 | 17 | 5 |
This is definitely the more difficult approach, as well as needlessly time consuming.
The Easy Way[]
Instead, try convincing Margaret to come with you willingly. Gain access to the lodge, preferably just after 5 a.m. when the Hare's horn-blowing will draw Nicholas away- just avoid or stealth knockout the single guard, and pick the Very Easy door lock. Then cajole, threaten or intimidate Margaret into coming with you. Question her further, if you like, but she doesn't know who actually killed the guard so many years ago, and is adamant that lying about where Hare was that night was the only way she could get out of obeying her father's order to marry him. Clearly, she does truly love Nicholas - enough to condemn an innocent man to die in order to be with him.
Intimidate Margaret into coming with you
Margaret's Stats[]
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|---|---|---|
| 10 | 11 | 5 |
You'll immediately find yourself back at Hare's hideout, where he will ask if you're alright before continuing with the plan. Travel back to the lodge, where Nicholas is frantically searching for his wife. Speak to him and give him the document. He won't be pleased at the proposal, so try talking (or knocking) some sense into him.
Nicholas is furious to hear Margaret has been kidnapped.
Nicholas' Stats[]
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|---|---|---|
| 7-10 | 0-1 | 3-15 |
To save his wife, the huntsman agrees to sign the testimony. Then, he goes to the clearing and releases Margaret, and the two of them leave the county forever.
Once you have the confession, head over to where Hanekin is waiting at the nearby camp. It is the same camp that was once occupied by the two Cumans who attacked Hans Capon during The Prey. The two of you will travel to Talmberg to meet with Lord Divish and present him with Nicholas' testimony. Divish is pleased that he can formally clear his old friend's name.
Hare and Henry meet with Sir Divish
Hare agrees to join the service of Sir Vincent rather than stay in an area where he is a known poacher, although Divish is chagrined when he realizes that there is no one to take over Nicholas' role as Master Huntsman. Hare is quick to nominate Henry for the esteemed role. You can turn down the honour, but if you accept, you will unlock Henry the Master Huntsman, unlock the Hunting perk Gamekeeper Rules the Woods, and gain a new home where you can sleep.
Notes[]
- Killing Margaret, Hare or Nicholas will automatically fail the quest.
- If the last stage overlaps with Rattay Tournament day, despite the handover of confession happening in early morning, you will automatically fail to show up to Tournament and forfeit bet money and fail as Sir Capon paige.
- If Nicholas doesn't leave his house at 5 a.m., try 8 a.m.
- 'Cherchez la Femme' translates to 'find the woman'.
- Even if you complete this quest, deny being the huntsman and start the quest Skin afterwards, both Brada (the tanner of Talmberg) and Henry have the same lines despite Master Huntsman (Nicolas) being gone.
- The huntsman equipment your are given can be found in the upper level of the huntsman lodge, the chest contains:
- Weapons: Hazel hunting bow, Master huntsman's sword, 40 Ordinary arrows, and 2 Piercing arrows. Armour: Brown hood(squared riff Variant), Coif, Green tunic (47/40 Vis/Con variant), Hunter's gloves, Hunting boots, Pointed green hat, and Tight olive hose. The chest also contains 1 Cobweb.