Oblivion:Caught in the Hunt

Quick Walkthrough
# Learn of Ursanne's missing husband.
# Confront her about this, and she will direct you to the loanshark, Kurdan.
# Kurdan tells you to go to an island in Niben Bay.
# When you arrive and speak to Aleron, he informs you it is all a game.
# Defeat the pursuing hunters, and make it out of the dungeon.
# Defeat Kurdan, take his key, and get off the island.
# Return to Ursanne with the news, and receive your reward.

Detailed Walkthrough
A Missing Husband
A rumor floating around Bravil will tell you that Ursanne Loche's husband Aleron has disappeared. You will need to find Ursanne in order to pursue the matter further. Ursanne will tell you that her husband has racked up a significant debt by gambling. Now, an Orc loan shark named Kurdan gro-Dragol has taken him captive. Speak with Kurdan in The Lonely Suitor Lodge. As long as his disposition with you is 60 or higher, he will tell you that in order to release Ursanne's husband, you must travel to Fort Grief to retrieve an axe. If you agree to go, he will tell you that he has prepared a boat for you to use.

Fort Grief
The boat is found at the bottom of the wooden steps leading down to the river flowing through Bravil. Step into the boat and activate it to be transported to the island. Using any other sort of transportation (fast travel or swimming) can lead to several bugs. The switch for the gate into Fort Grief is just to the right of the locked gate, on the ground. Inside you will find Aleron, who informs you that he was tricked into coming to look for the axe as well, but it's really a game where you are hunted to the death. At this point, the gate behind you locks and the only way out is to complete the quest, as you may not fast travel while near the fort. Wander through the booby-trapped dungeon collecting the keys from the hunters as you kill them. Once you get back outside, you will see Kurdan killing Aleron.

Duel with Kurdan
Walk up to Kurdan, and he will explain that he can't let you leave the island alive. Fight and kill Kurdan and his archer friend, Ra'jhera the Keeneye. If you attack Kurdan before talking to him, the archer will not spawn, and as you attacked first this counts for entry into the Dark Brotherhood. Search Kurdan's body for a key. Go back inside the Hunter's Run and use the key on the first gate on your left. This gives you access to a lever which will open up the main exit gate on the outside. Before you leave, be sure to take the two bottles of Shadowbanish Wine that are on the top of the fort to use in a different quest.

Return to Bravil
Return to Bravil and speak to Ursanne Loche again to receive your reward, a copy of Biography of the Wolf Queen, which is a Speechcraft skill book.

Notes
The boat can be used to quickly transport all of the items you collected to Bravil. Manually carry everything to the boat and pick it up. Even though you are likely over encumbered, you will be able to use the boat to travel to Bravil.
Ursanne is not an essential character. If she dies, the quest will be broken at the point where you need to talk to her and the quest marker will point to the place where she died.
If you choose to kill Aleron outside of the Fort before collecting all of the keys, Kurdan will appear, allowing you to kill him for his key.
If you're having a difficult time defeating the hunters, run towards the hole which makes you fall into the pit of spikes. Jump over it and the hunter following you will keep falling in when they come back up the path to kill you.
It is possible to leave the island without killing Kurdan by pickpocketing the key. However, the dialogue will still mention Kurdan being killed.

Bugs
 
 
Prepare ahead of time by making sure that Aleron is on the lowest level of the ruins before you enter the Hunters Run.
The only option is to load from an earlier saved game. This game must be from before the last of Kurdan's three Hunters in the Hunters Run have been killed. Before killing the last hunter, be sure to head outside and push Aleron down to the lowest level of the ruins.
 You can use the Console to kill Aleron:
#In the console, type:  
#Type:   (This will kill Aleron Loche, and may fix the quest. If not, continue to step 3.)
#Type:   (This will take you out of cutscene mode, and allow you to attack Kurdan and complete the quest.
 
You will need to wait for the journal update where you're asked to search his body for the real key. After this update you can search the body, take the key and you will receive the next update.
 You can use the Console and type   in order to get the next journal entry.
 
 You can use the Console and type   (if the Nord hunter is missing) or   (if the Orc hunter is missing), and then   to cause the missing hunter to appear.
 
 
 If you fast traveled, since Aleron was never enabled, Kurdan will just stand there, activating the freeze bug. You can use the following Console commands to activate Aleron:
#  
#  
If Kurdan is dead, his body will reappear inside Fort Grief after you've killed the lone Orc hunter inside the ruins and retrieved that key. Ursanne will be aware that Aleron has died. However, she will not give you the skill book, and only remarks that she wants to be alone.
 
 
 
If you've killed Kurdan prematurely, you can become stuck inside the Fort this way, as Aleron won't be there, and fast-travel may still be disabled. The only way out then would be to enter the Hunter's Run as usual. Kurdan's body will subsequently be transported inside the fort as described above, and you can use the key on his body to open the gate from inside the fort as usual.
 
 

Journal Entries