The Wisdom of the Elders

Red Dead Redemption 2 Stranger missionThe Wisdom of the Elders
Given by	Obediah Hinton
Location	Butcher Creek
Rewards	$50 Pollution Evidence Honor Gain

The Wisdom of the Elders is a five-part Stranger side-mission in Red Dead Redemption 2. This quest becomes available during Chapter 5.

Story

The Wisdom of the Elders I

The player finds a distressed man named Lemuel, laying beside a bridge. The man can only say the words 'Butchers crick'. The protagonist assumes he means Butcher Creek, and takes him there.

There, the player meets a man named Obediah Hinton. Obediah thanks the protagonist for returning his friend. In a sudden outburst, Lemuel attacks the player, and the protagonist is forced to subdue him.

Obediah informs the player that Lemuel is not well, before introducing himself. The protagonist asks for money, but Obediah claims that their community does not have much money, and that they can only afford to pay him with friendship and love.

The Wisdom of the Elders II

The player revisits Obediah during the night, between midnight and the morning (12:00 AM to 6:00 AM). When the player knocks on his door, Obediah seems to react in frightened manner. He warns the protagonist to leave for his own safety. The player does not know what he is talking about, and Obediah explains that there are "demons," who are coming to attack the village. The player is then forced to eliminate the wild dogs in the village.

After slaughtering the creatures, the player tells them to get inside their home and Obediah states that a man told him that the demons will come in many forms and protection would come in many forms. The player tells him that it is just sick dogs that got poisoned by an unknown substance and to shoot any sick animals. Obediah tells the player that they can not doubt the man, who told them that evil has plagued the village. A "shaman" appears and claims that he can save them. The shaman tells Obediah and the others that the curse has changed and some dark charms in the woods have to be destroyed. The player asks the man if the charms were to be destroyed the curse would be lifted. The shaman tells him that the woods are plagued with demons and it is impossible to destroy them with the protection of demons. The man tells Obediah and the others that the player is telling them lies that there is no such curse. The player will have to destroy 13 charms in the woods.

The Wisdom of the Elders III

The player is told to destroy thirteen unlucky charms in a nearby forest.

The Wisdom of the Elders IV

Obediah will be sitting outside with the shaman. The player tells him that he has destroyed the charms and the shaman is in disbelief. Obediah is overjoyed that the player has destroyed the charms. The shaman interrupts and claims that the player has made the curse worse than before. The player recalls that the man stated that the curse would be lifted if the charms were to be destroyed. Obediah seems to be confused by this. The player tells Obediah that the shaman is clearly hiding something from them and the shaman will tell Obediah that the player is telling him lies and that he has the gift into seeing demons. The player threatens the shaman and the man runs off. Obediah recalls of an abandoned mine and the shaman told him and others not to go there.

The Wisdom of the Elders V

The player investigates the mine, only to find that a poisonous substance is leaking in the abandoned mine into the water, and collects a sample of the substance. The player hears someone and the person sets off some dynamite in the attempt to kill them. The player eventually escapes and heads back to the village, where they see the shaman with villagers. The shaman wants Obediah to sign some papers to lift the curse. Obediah decides to read aloud the papers before signing. It is revealed that the shaman works for the Roanoke Fuel Company, who wants the villagers to sell their land. The shaman is surprised that Obediah is literate and tells him to stop reading the document. The player decides to confront the shaman and Obediah is surprised that they survived. They claim that the shaman purposely tried to kill them when investigating the mines. The player pulls out the sample of the poisonous substance and tells Obediah and others that they were poisoned. Obediah and others still doubt the player's claims and the player decides to ask the shaman to tell him what this substance is.

The shaman claims that the substance is nothing, but the player decides to shove the substance down his throat. The shaman then admits is poison and claims that the company was digging and discovered that there was only arsenic and lead inside the mine. The shaman also admits that he put on this scheme to convince the villagers to leave. This increases Obediah's and the others' paranoia and they start to believe that higher spirits have cursed the village through a mining company. They believe that they must appease the spirits. Obediah tells the player to leave and take the money, and their Honor is raised as a reward.

Missable Items in the Mission

• Liability Agreement

Video Walkthrough

Red Dead Redemption 2 Stranger Mission - The Wisdom of the Elders

Trivia

• The charms that must be destroyed are thirteen, a number associated with bad luck, thus reinforcing the cursed theme.

Trophies/Achievements

Completing this Stranger mission strand is associated with these trophies/achievements:

	EXTREME PERSONALITY 10 gamerscore Bronze bronze Reach maximum or minimum Honor level.

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	WESTERN STRANGER 30 gamerscore Bronze bronze Complete 10 Stranger mission strands.

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	BEST IN THE WEST 100 gamerscore Gold gold Attain 100% Completion.