Online:Freedom's Chains

Quick Walkthrough
# Talk to the guard in the cave.
# Talk to Arienne Kerbol in the village.
# Find Draven Leonciele.
# Investigate the village.
# Talk to Renoit Leonciele.
# Head to the initiation ritual.
# Find Draven.
# Return to Renoit.
# Choose who to help.
# Go to the hillside cave.
# Defeat the werewolf.

Detailed Walkthrough
To start the quest, you can talk to Renoit Leonciele who is waiting in the camp outside Kerbol's Hollow for word of his husband. He tells you that the mayor of Kerbol's Hollow, the village past the cave ahead, is reputed to be able to cure any disease. Renoit's husband, Draven, has fallen ill, and the couple came here to have him cured. Renoit wasn't allowed to stay with his husband in the village, and has been waiting outside for a week. He asks you to enter the village and check up on his husband. You'll need to talk to the guard by the cave's entrance before you enter, as the village isn't too keen on accepting unexpected visitors. The guard, Marcellyne Cine, is standing next to a friendly wolf. It won't be hard to convince her to let you in, but she will warn you that the woods surrounding the village are not safe.

Once you have entered the village, you will witness the mayor, Arienne Kerbol, telling a crowd of villagers about the soon-to-be new member of the village.
:Arienne Kerbol: "Rejoice! Soon we will have a new member of our family&mdash;Draven!"
:Arienne Kerbol: "Patience, friends. I will speak to each of you individually."
: 
:Arienne Kerbol: ''"I don't recognize you. Come, let us speak."''

At this, you can introduce yourself to Arienne and ask about Draven. She tells you that Draven will soon be inducted into the village. When you try to inquire further about what this induction implies, she refuses to elaborate. She does, however, tell you that those who are cured must stay in the village, for everyone's protection. She directs you to the guest house, where Draven is staying.

The Guest House is to the east of the town square. Draven will be inside, eating a meal. You can ask how he is and tell him that Renoit is worried about him. He assures you that he's fine, and refuses to elaborate on what he's being cured of.

After speaking with Draven, Renoit will run in, complaining that no one is telling him what's going on.

Investigating the Village
The robes you must disguise yourself with|thumb|right
Despite the comforting words from Draven, Renoit will be suspicious of the cure being offered, as everyone is evasive about the matter. He's worried because no one will tell him exactly what the cure is, why Draven can't leave town afterwards, and why they can't say what Draven has, even if they have a remedy for it. Renoit says Draven is desperate for a cure, and that he'll believe anything that anyone tells him about how to cure his ailment. Renoit asks you to have a look around and ask the villagers about their home. Maybe then, the truth will come to light. All he wants is something to ease his mind.

When you leave the Guest House, you will have to investigate the village for anything unusual. Try speaking to one of the villagers first. Liranaire is reading in front of the town hall, Nalimeh is kneeling beside the guest house, Tharag is repairing the railing on Kerbol's House and Nizran is working in front of the forge. Every villager will be reluctant to tell you anything useful. Nalimeh in particular points you towards the butcher for a bite to eat. There's an excessive amount of meat at the butcher's stall. You can investigate the meat cart in front of the stall.
: 

A book titled The Book of Reason can be found on the merchant's stall. The tome gives you more clues about the nature of the town. You can also find a set of hooded   in baskets behind Themond's House and beneath the clothesline at the market. There is a tree near the market that is particularly strange. When you investigate the tree near the merchants, you'll find more strange clues.
: 

All you need to do is investigate two of the clues and take one bundle of robes. Once you've done so, you can confront one of the four villagers mentioned above, who will finally point you somewhere helpful. They'll tell you to speak with a woman by the name of Helene Danise, who is in Kerbol's home, which is across the street from the guest house.

Helene Danise can be found downstairs in a cage. When you speak with her, it is clear that there is something very wrong with her. She's in agony, and yells at you to leave. She talks about a change, and being able to smell your blood. Kerbol promised she'd be able to help, but only after Helene calms down. She informs you that she's a werewolf, and that she can't control herself. Helene says Kerbol promised to save her, as she saved everyone else. With the implication that most people in the village are werewolves and Kerbol is "saving" them, you can return to Renoit with the news. He is standing outside the guest house, but things have been happening while you were gone.

The Ritual
Renoit will tell you that Draven was taken away by Kerbol and some other villagers to some sort of ritual site to complete Draven's initiation into the village. Renoit likens it to a cult. There's a winding path to the east of the town square. Kerbol and several others took Draven up that way. Take the robes you found and stop the ritual before Draven is bound to the village forever. Renoit begs you not to let them hurt his husband.

Following the dirt path heading eastward will lead you to a clearing where hooded figures are arranged in a circle around Draven and Arienne. As you approach you will be prompted to put on the   as a disguise. While this happens, you will also overhear Ariennne speaking to Draven:
:Arienne Kerbol: ''"There's no turning back now, Draven. You are a part of this village now."
:Arienne Kerbol: "Don't be alarmed. Soon the pain will subside."
: 
:Draven Leonciele: "No … stop! You're in my head!"
: 
:Arienne Kerbol: "Don't interrupt the ritual!"

At this point you must approach Draven and destroy his magic bindings to disrupt the ritual. Arienne Kerbol loses control of her spell, and Draven turns into a werewolf. Draven leaps up the cliff with great force and runs off into the woods.

You need to speak with Arienne Kerbol, who is understandably furious.
:"You! You've endangered us all with your meddling! Well? What have you got to say for yourself?"
:Draven's not sick. He's a werewolf, like Helene.
:"Yes. We all are, in fact. That's why he came to us. I can suppress the lycanthropic tendencies of the disease. The ritual you interrupted was to seal Draven's form. To protect him as well as the village. But now he's turned and we're all in danger."
:What happens now?
:"We must find him. The ritual might still work if we catch him in time to complete the binding. If not, then we must save the town, above all else."
:What can I do?
:"Go after him! I must tell everyone what's happened. Everyone who's left, that is. If he can't be subdued and forced to complete the ritual, he'll have to be killed. And that's on your head, not mine!"''

Head up the hill and find Draven. You'll come across a deer carcass. Examine it, and Draven will bound up the hill and attack you. Defeat Draven. When his health reaches 13%, he'll transform back into a human and fall unconscious. You must return to Renoit in the town square and explain what has happened.
:''"What's happened? Some of the people in town are acting strangely."
:The ritual failed. Draven's turn into a werewolf.
:"What? That was his disease all along? Why didn't he tell me? We have to go after him! He's probably frightened out of his mind! What was Kerbol thinking?"
:Kerbol was trying to seal his form. I had to subdue him.
:"Kerbol has a lot of explaining to do! Sealing his form? What does that even mean? Gods, I pray Draven's all right!"''

After speaking with Renoit, Arienne will come out of the Town Hall to address a crowd of worried citizens. She reassures them that everything is going to be fine. Arienne then instructs Renoit to bring Draven to the town hall, and you to come with her. Follow the mayor into the town hall and speak with her.

Learning the Truth and a Choice
Once inside the Town Hall, Arienne will explain the spell that has been subduing the villagers' werewolf forms is coming undone, and insists that Draven must complete the ritual. She believes Draven would react poorly to her if she asked him personally, but that you have a better chance of convincing him.
:"Some of the townsfolk have already turned back into their werewolf form. The spell is breaking faster than I thought. Draven must complete the ritual."
:Can he, even now?
:''"Yes. He's not the first to fail, but it's very rare. Those who don't complete the ritual usually die immediately, by their own hand or someone else's. Nevertheless, it's better than the alternative."
:Maybe you should convince him to continue it.
:"He may not see me as an ally, thanks to your interference. He may only remember how much pain I caused."
:I subdued him on the hillside ….
:"This is your fault, so you must fix it. The others from the ritual site will bring him in. Let's hope he doesn't remember your fight. Talk to Draven, but take what he says with a grain of salt."

With a dazed Draven also in the Town Hall, you have the opportunity to ask Draven about his experiences with the ritual. His answers only make things more complicated.
:"Where am I? It was like I fell asleep, but then there was this terrible pain …. I remember you. You're the one who helped my husband. Oh, Renoit! Are you all right? Did I hurt you?"
:Kerbol might still be able to finish your initiation.
:"I see the truth. Power calls me. No one can stop me. Kill! Eat! There is no fear, only hunger. No! I'm not a beast! I can control myself …. Renoit! Renoit, don't leave me!"
:Let Kerbol finish the ritual.
:"No! Don't let her! I don't want this anymore. I've seen what she does to the people in this village. She takes their minds. Puts them under her control! Being a werewolf is a curse, but I can't give up who I am!"
:How do you know this?
:"I felt it. She was in my head during the ritual, cutting away something inside, something important. I couldn't move! To think she did that to all those people! That's no cure!"''

At this point, you will have a choice which effects the rest of the quest. You can either side with Draven and break the spell's hold over him, or you can side with the village and maintain the spell.

Breaking the Spell
If you decided to side with Draven, you can follow an upset Renoit outside to explain the situation and to ask him if he knows anything which could help break the spell. 
:''"What will happen to Draven now? I don't understand any of this."
:Everyone in this town is a werewolf, including Kerbol.
:"Her too? That explains it. Kerbol has a spell over this entire town. These people are all mindless drones! If wer're to save Draven, we must break this spell for good. I think I know what to do."''
 

It should be noted that after siding with Draven and Renoit, you still have the option of reversing your choice by simply going to talk with Arienne. Nonetheless, after hearing Renoit's plan, he will become your follower, and you will need to lead him up the slopes, to the cave containing the Spell Focus. While escorting him, be aware that there are hostile werewolves around.

When you reach the Spell Focus, Renoit will notice it:
:Renoit Leonciele: "What is this?"
: 
:Renoit Leonciele: ''"This has got to be the source of the spell. Let's destroy it!"''

thumb|left|Stop Kerbol the Werewolf
At this point of the quest, this is the last place you can change your choice. Once the Talisman is destroyed you will have to deal with the inadvertent consequences.
:Renoit Leonciele: "Quiet … I think I hear something."

Ariennne will have taken Draven to the Shrine in a last ditch attempt at either completing the binding or killing him to fix the problem. With the talisman destroyed, Arienne will transform into a werewolf. You must kill her to save Draven.
 
Once Kerbol is dead, Draven transforms into a werewolf, then he and Renoit will flee. They can be found on the path below the shrine. 
:Renoit Leonciele: "Draven, wait!"
: thumb|right|Renoit and Draven.
:Renoit Leonciele: ''"We can't go through the town. Not after what's happened."

Renoit will sit on a nearby rock and Draven will settle beside him. You can then speak with Renoit.
:"I'm glad we put a stop to this madness. And look! Draven knows me. He knows both of us. That gives me hope."
:What will you two do now?
:"Draven needs to learn how to control his … power. I don't know where we'll go while he does. Somewhere far away from anyone else, where no one will question us. If this is the life we must lead together, I'll gladly run with him."''

The quest will end and you can leave the couple to ponder their future.

Saving the Village
thumb|left|Renoit is helpless to watch as the now feral Draven must be put down
If you decide to help Arienne Kerbol and the village, you will need to speak with her.
:''"The poor fool. He has already joined us in blood, if not in spirit. I guess there's nothing left to do, if his wish is to leave the ritual unfinished. He must be put down."
:You mean killed?
:"The spell which holds back the lycanthropy is weakening because of him. Unless he either finishes the rite or dies, we're all doomed to follow him. I can't let people of this village suffer for the whims of one man."
:Why not kill himself now?
:"The townsfolk ... they don't know the cost of their freedom. No, it's better to do it away from the town. Draven will revert to his werewolf form soon. We must lure him out of town. Renoit will be our bait. I pity the man, but it's our only recourse."
:Then I'll get Renoit.
:"I'm glad you understand our predicament. Don't hurt Renoit - he's already gone through so much already. Take him past the cave up the hill. With luck, Draven won't be far behind, and we can end this nightmare."''

Now you have to talk with Draven to convince him to follow you. At this point you have a chance to change your mind and help Renoit and Draven instead. If you decide to go through with Arienne's plan, you can lie to him or tell him straight up front that the ritual Kerbol started needs to end. He accepts this, and asks if there's anything he can do to help end his husband's suffering. Tell him that the two of you need to lure Draven away from the village, and he agrees without question.

Go past the western gate and through the cave. Head up to the altar, where you'll find Draven in werewolf form. Arienne instructs you to kill him. After you do so, Renoit will be devastated and flee. Talk to Arienne.
:''"Such a waste. I'd hoped Draven would listen to reason before it came to this."
:Was there really no other way?
:"If he'd remained alive, the spell over the whole town would have broken, leaving us all as he was - a mindless, slavering beast. I would not wish that fate on anyone."
:And the spell remains intact?
:"Yes. His death severed his connection with the town. I do hope Renoit makes it safely away, thought I doubt anyone would believe his wild tales if he chose to speak about us. Another legend to hand down, I suppose."''

Quest Stages