So, you’re trekking through the Jerall Mountains. The wind is howling, your stamina bar is flickering, and honestly, you’re just trying to find a decent place to sell all those heavy iron war axes weighing you down. Then it happens. You stumble into the middle of a literal border dispute that feels way more personal than it should for a game released in 2006.
We’re talking about The Great Divide Oblivion quest.
It’s one of those weird, tucked-away gems in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that perfectly captures why people still play this game twenty years later. It isn't about saving the world from Mehrunes Dagon or closing some fiery gate. It’s about two brothers, a whole lot of pettiness, and a village literally split down the middle by a grudge. If you’ve ever had a neighbor leave their trash on your lawn, you’ll relate.
What is the Great Divide Oblivion Quest Actually About?
Basically, you wander into a settlement called Split. The name isn't a metaphor. It’s literal. The town is located right on the border between the Great Forest and the Heartlands, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that every single person in the village has a double.
There’s a "Dementia" version and a "Manic" version of every resident. This is Shivering Isles 101, but seeing it play out in a tiny hamlet is jarring.
You meet a guy named H'Rormir. Well, you meet two of him. One is a bubbly, over-the-top optimist, and the other is a walking cloud of misery. They hate each other. They can’t stand looking at their "other half." They want the other side gone. Forever.
The Grudge That Built a Village
Most players stumble onto this because they’re exploring the Shivering Isles DLC. It’s located far to the north of Bliss and Crucible. You can’t miss it once you’re in the neighborhood because the architecture is a chaotic mess of contrasting styles. One half looks like a vibrant, mushroom-inspired dream; the other looks like a gothic nightmare.
The quest is sparked by a magical mishap. Long ago, a wizard tried to "fix" the residents’ personalities, but instead, he literally cleaved them in two. Now, you have a village of doubles who are biologically identical but temperamentally opposites.
It’s a mess.
You’re forced to choose. Do you side with the Manics? Or do you help the Demented? There is no middle ground here. You have to kill.
Why This Quest Is a Writing Masterclass (and a Mechanical Headache)
There’s a reason people search for The Great Divide Oblivion so often. It’s buggy. Like, " Bethesda-in-the-mid-2000s" buggy. If you kill the wrong double, or if a stray fireball hits the "right" person, the quest logic can absolutely crumble.
But beyond the code, the writing is brilliant. It forces the player to confront the duality of Sheogorath’s realm on a micro-scale. You aren't dealing with gods; you’re dealing with a guy who just wants his annoying, cheerful double to stop whistling.
Picking Your Side
Choosing who to support changes the reward, though not drastically. If you side with the Manics, you’re usually getting a reward that reflects that "high-energy" vibe. Side with Dementia, and it’s a bit more somber.
Honestly? Most people just pick based on which NPC annoyed them less during the initial conversation.
The mechanics are simple:
- Talk to both H'Rormirs.
- Accept the quest from one (this flags the "enemy" doubles for death).
- Go house to house and "retire" the clones.
- Try not to get caught by the Golden Saints or Dark Seducers who patrol the area.
It’s essentially a sanctioned hit job.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid a Broken Save
If you’re playing this on a modern PC or through backward compatibility on a console, you need to be careful. The Great Divide is notorious for NPCs wandering off.
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Sometimes, a Manic double will decide to take a stroll into the wilderness. If a Hunger or a Scalon eats them before you get there, the quest script might not trigger correctly. You’ll be left standing in the rain with a quest marker pointing to a pile of monster dung.
Pro tip: Do this quest in one sitting. Don't fast travel away halfway through. The game's AI "Radiant" system is ambitious, but it struggles with tracking twenty identical NPCs across a cell border.
The "Wrong Version" Glitch
There’s a specific bug where the game forgets which version is which. You might kill a Demented citizen only for the game to tell you that you’ve failed because you killed the Manic one.
Save often.
Seriously.
Save before you enter every single house in Split.
Is There a "Good" Ending?
Nope.
That’s the beauty of the Shivering Isles. There is no moral high ground in The Great Divide Oblivion. You are either an agent of manic energy or an agent of depressive stagnation. By "solving" the problem, you are effectively committing a small-scale genocide of half a village's population.
It’s dark. It’s weird. It’s quintessential Oblivion.
The "winner" gets the whole village to themselves, but the emptiness is palpable afterward. The village feels dead because, well, you killed half of it. You get some gold, maybe a leveled charm, but you mostly get the haunting realization that you just settled a neighborly dispute with a claymore.
Steps to Master The Great Divide
If you’re heading to Split right now, follow these steps to ensure you actually get your reward and don't end up with a permanent quest item stuck in your inventory.
- Identify the Leader: Locate both versions of H'Rormir. They are usually near the center of town or in their respective houses (which are often right next to each other).
- Commit Early: Don't try to play both sides. Pick a side and stick to it. Mixing up your targets is the fastest way to trigger a bounty or break the script.
- Check the Houses at Night: It’s much easier to find the doubles when they are sleeping. It avoids the "wandering NPC" bug where they get lost in the forest.
- Use Stealth: Even though you have "permission" from one side, the guards (Saints/Seducers) don't always care. If they see you swinging a mace at a civilian, they will intervene.
- Confirm the Kills: Make sure the quest log updates after every individual death. If it doesn't, reload immediately.
The Great Divide isn't just a quest; it’s a reminder that Oblivion was at its best when it was being absolutely absurd. It takes a simple concept—clones—and turns it into a stressful, glitchy, hilarious, and ultimately grim reflection of the world Sheogorath built.
Go to Split. Pick a side. Just make sure you have a backup save from five minutes prior.