Quest target has yielded. Should I kill him anyway?

My lord has sent me to kill a Jaguarman - I spent a little while wandering around the hamlet where he was last seen, only to find out that he's ruling over it as lord.

So, I did what any sensible person would do, and stabbed him. A lot. His hearthperson/guard doesn't seem to mind, but now that he's on the floor and bleeding, he's surrendered, and the game has asked if I'm really sure I want to attack someone who's yielded.

What are the consequences of killing or sparing him? Will killing him anger his hamlet? Will sparing him anger my lord?

Solution 1:

Speaking from play experience, I haven't had any negative consequences for killing someone who's yielded. Sometimes I've taken the opportunity to demand they recognise me as ruler, and then dramatically executed them for refusing.

You won't get penalised for failing a quest; in fact I don't believe you can even fail it. It will just remain as a quest. You won't be able to go back and report your completion, however.

I've also noticed that if you demand that someone yield once they've already yielded, they may well refuse and the game puts you back into a combat situation.

Ultimately it's up to you; do you want to spare the enemy of your lord for no reason other than he has given up because you stabbed him already? Personally, I'd take the opportunity for a dramatic finish.