Is there anyway to get inside without killing everyone? I just want to talk.

If you talk to any of the monks outside of the abbey (this works both if you go to the right or if you go the central entrance), you can manage to convince them you're the Tidebringer*. Once you do that, you get full access to the Abbey. However, depending on your choices inside the abbey, you'll still have to fight at least some people, and you definitely will have some blood on your hands by the end of the questline. A 100% pacifist/no deaths path simply isn't available.

 

* The option I used required Lore 6. There is also a Resolve option that I never tried.

Edited March 6, 20169 yr by WorstUsernameEver

I think there's an intelligence option w the Tidebringer lie as well, since my PC this play through has super low resolve but high Int.

 

There will still be groups of monks you have to fight, but you won't be storming the entire abbey.