You can refuse Simun's demand to kill Volund. In the documented route, refusal makes Simun attack; helping him makes Volund and his bodyguard your opponents. The quest concludes through either branch, so paying the debt does not require accepting the murder request.
Check whether this debt exists
This quest follows the bargain with Simun during Stranger in a Strange Land. Find him outside the New Port Inn in Kaer Trolde, then meet him at the hut west of Blandare. A run without the earlier bargain should not assume the same invitation exists.
Before looking for a bug, check completed and active quests and the character's prison history. A different save may have used a different escape route. Do not change your current story state merely to reproduce a walkthrough's prerequisite.
Save before confronting Volund
| Choice | Fight to expect |
|---|---|
| Refuse Simun | Simun turns hostile; Geralt is on Volund's side. |
| Assist Simun | Geralt and Simun fight Volund and his bodyguard. |
Let the encounter conclude and check the journal afterward. A refusal can be a completed resolution rather than a failed promise that demands another victim.
When the encounter does not match
Capture the quest title, current objective, map location and preceding dialogue. Distinguish a missing prerequisite from an encounter that triggered but failed to advance. Keep the decision save if you want to compare both branches.
The historical walkthrough does not establish a current cousin-revenge chain or a guaranteed additional reward. No unsupported item, dialogue or quest-fact command is recommended. For another Skellige decision where the requested sacrifice is not the only option, compare the Woodland Spirit branches.
Sources and version limits
- GameBanshee: An Unpaid Debt — Historical 1.31 GOTY walkthrough; not a verified Remastered 5.x playtest.
Sources checked October 5, 2026. We have not tested this route on your save or hardware. Follow the stated platform and version limits; reported workarounds are not guaranteed repairs.