Daggerfall:Cure for Lycanthropy

Quick Walkthrough
# Receive a letter from a lycanthrope hunter.
# Travel to the town mentioned in the letter.
# Meet and speak to the priest(ess) there.
# Choose how you want to approach this quest.
# Be sure to follow the time limit.

Detailed Walkthrough
The Hunter's Ultimatum
If you are a lycanthrope, you will one day notice something odd:

:An unfamiliar object in your pack catches your eye. It is a letter, addressed to you in an elegant flowing script. How did that get there?

Check your inventory for the letter and read it:

:::::::::::(Date)
:''Dear (player's name),

:Or should I call you "(monster's name)," as you are
:known to the common folk of (region), who bar their
:doors against you in fear each night? Yes, I know
:who and what you are, and your days of terrorizing
:the Iliac Bay are numbered. I offer you a simple
:choice: renounce your lycanthropy, or be hunted
:down like the wild beast you are.
:Let no one say that (hunter's name) lacks
:compassion. I offer you one last chance to save
:yourself. Go to (priest(ess)'s name) of
:(temple) in (town) if you wish
:to live. (He/She) is wise in the ways of lycanthropy, and if
:anyone can help you, (he/she) can.
:I will wait (time limit) days before sending my hunters
:after you. Use the time wisely.
:::::(Hunter's name)

The Priest and the Lycanthrope
thumb|right|The priest
If you want to cure yourself of lycanthropy (and avoid being hunted), travel to the town named in the letter, find the temple, and speak to the priest(ess), who will say:

:"You must be (player's name). (Hunter's name) said you might be coming to see me, although (he/she) doubted that you would heed (his/her) warning. Sadly, most do not, already too befuddled by the Beast within to save themselves. Yes, the curse of lycanthropy can be lifted, although I hesitate to speak of it, as the cure may be worse than the disease. We must lower our voices. You may not be aware that lycanthropy is   hereditary condition, passed on in certain families, although it can lie dormant for generations before reappearing. This is why the great crusades against lycanthropes led by those like (hunter's name) are ultimately futile, unless the families who carry this bloodline are exterminated as well. You now understand why I am reluctant to share this knowledge. As you know, the bite of a werebeast can pass the infection on to a new victim. However, if you can pass the infection to a latent lycanthrope, the curse will be lifted from you due to the intensity of its blossoming in the victim. My studies have recently uncovered a family which I am sure carries the disease. If you still wish to proceed on this dark course, I can tell you where to find the last survivor of this ancient, cursed bloodline."

You are then asked: Do you wish to seek out a victim in order to cure your lycanthropy?

Your answer determines how you will approach the quest.
 

Finding the Cure
Approach I
The Alchemist
thumb|right|The alchemist
thumb|right|The blood of a beast (you)
If you answer "Yes", the priest(ess) answers:

:"Very well. I cannot blame you for wishing to live. I comfort myself with the thought that (father's name) is the last of a doomed family, best ended before the curse renews itself. Yes, he is the one. As far as I know, he still lives in (family town), the family home for generations. But first, you will need to see (alchemist's name) in (alchemist's town). (He/She) has assisted me in such matters before. The surest way to pass on the disease is for the victim to drink the blood of the lycanthrope. (Alchemist's name) will ask no questions and tell no tales at your strange request. May (random god) guide your steps."''

Travel to the alchemist's town, ask around to learn the location of his or her shop, and enter it. When you speak to the alchemist, you will hear:

:''"So, another visitor from (priest(ess)'s name). Yeah, I know what you want, but it ain't cheap. 1000 gold up front. Take it or leave it."

The alchemist requires 1000 gold coins, letters of credit will not do. If you have the gold, the alchemist draws some of your blood and gives it to you, adding: "Alright then, hold still a minute. There you go, didn't hurt a bit, right? Now get outta here before one of my respectable customers sees you."''

If you don't have the required gold, you will instead be sent away until you can come up with it: ''"Sorry pal, you haven't got enough cash. Move it before I call the guards."

With your blood in hand, the next step is to find the individual from the lycanthropic bloodline.
 

Locate the Last Latent Lycanthrope
thumb|right|A friend of the family
Travel to the town where the father of the family is said to live and ask for him in town. You will learn that he died some years ago, but he left behind a child. Asking for rumors might tell you where the child can now be found. You may also learn of a former friend of the father living in town. Seek out and speak to this friend, who tells you:

:"You're looking for (father's name)? I'm afraid that he died three years ago. Killed himself, actually, although very few know that part of it. I'm not sure what happened, but he became very moody, and began disappearing for days at a time. Left a note saying something about he couldn't live with himself, and didn't want (child's name) to find out the truth about it. I never figured out what it was all about. Yes, (child's name) was his only child. (He/She) was taken in by a family from (child's town) after (his/her) father's death. I'm afraid that's all I know."
 

The Orphaned Child
thumb|left|The child before...
thumb|right|...and after the transformation
Travel to this new town and locate the target residence by asking around. Once you know where to go, enter the house. Speak to the child while carrying the werewolf blood, and you will be asked:

:"Hello. Are you a doctor? I haven't been feeling very well today. Is that medicine you have there for me?"

You are then prompted: Do you give the blood to (child's name)?''

At this point, it is still possible to back out and leave the child be. If you choose "No," you can then return to the temple, speak to the priest(ess) again and embark upon Approach II (or simply abandon your search and face the hunter's wrath). 

If you choose "Yes," your portrait appears, showing your once again non-lycanthropic self. However, something terrible also happens:
 
:''As (child's name) drinks your blood, you feel your mind clear for the first time since you were afflicted with lycanthropy. But (child's name) cries out in agony as (he/she) changes form right before your eyes.''

With that, you are no longer afflicted. Unfortunately, the cure comes with a cost: in addition to awakening the child's inner wereboar, your Regional Reputation will drop by ten points. The shapeshifted youngster will immediately attack you in a mindless rage. You may fight or flee, it makes no difference as the quest is now complete. However, killing the wereboar will lower your Regional Reputation an additional twenty points. 
 

Approach II
A Long Shot
If you answer the priest(ess)'s question with "No" you will hear:

:"I understand. In fact, I am almost relieved that you shun this road to salvation. It shows that the Beast does not yet wholly dominate you. I would not offer false hope, but if you still wish to try to cure yourself ... Well, this is no more than a legend, but supposedly there is a coven somewhere which can cure lycanthropy. The best lead I can offer is an ancient text, "A History of the Daedric Sects." Unfortunately, the only existing copy disappeared in the sack of (book dungeon) over a century ago. Perhaps it remains hidden somewhere in the ruins there. If nothing else, the search might help you keep the Beast at bay, at least for a while. May (random god) guide your steps."

Finding Answers
thumb|right|The cure
Travel to the dungeon the priest(ess) mentioned to search for the legendary tome. Most of the book is lost to the ages, but eventually you will come across a scrap of paper. Pick it up and read it:

:This appears to be a page torn from a book:

:..."reputed to have the ability to raise the
:dead, although as yet the Conclave has not
:unearthed any evidence of this beyond the
:usual legends and anecdotes.

:By contrast, the existence of the Glenmoril
:Coven is firmly rooted in history. In fact, this
:coven is of such antiquity that its very origins
:have been lost. The Circle of Seven, as it is
:often called (the Glenmoril Coven regards thirteen
:as a newfangled corruption of the original seven
:Initiates plus six Acolytes -- one for each of the
:Circle except for the Mistress, who is considered
:above such apprenticeship duties). As usual,
:legend mixes with fact in the popular belief that
:the Glenmoril Coven possesses the cure for
:lycanthropy. Complete documentation of these legends
:may be found in the library of (map dungeon).

:The Iliac Bay region is also home to another of..."

This is apparently the text you were looking for, and it provides another lead. Travel to the new dungeon mentioned on the book's page, and search within to find a map, which reveals the location of the Glenmoril Coven in the Ilessan Hills.

Acquiring this information does not provide any immediate benefits. However, you now know the location of one of the fourteen Witch Covens in the Iliac Bay. To cure yourself of lycanthropy once and for all, you must travel to the Glenmoril Coven and obtain the quest A Special Mixture from the beldam. It might take a couple of tries to get this quest. Once you have the "Pure water" from that quest, use it and it will cure you of lycanthropy. This "potion" also works also for Vampirism.

Reputation Gain/Loss
The following actions will influence your Regional Reputation during this quest:



Enemies
Random dungeon monsters
One Wereboar if you give the child the werewolf's blood
30x One Knight every seventy nine in-game minutes (20% chance) after the quest's time limit has expired and the player hasn't used the child to get rid of lycanthropy

 

Notes
Contrary to logic, even if you are not a werewolf the alchemist will still draw werewolf's blood from you. In addition, the child transforms into a wereboar after drinking the same werewolf's blood.
If the quest time limit expires, you still have a time frame (ranging from seven to twenty eight days) during which you can cure yourself using the child or embark on the search for hints regarding the Glenmoril Coven. When this time frame expires, the quest is over and all quest-related people and objects (including the child, the book's page, and the map) will disappear.
If you cure yourself of lycanthropy using the child, the hunters will immediately leave you alone. However, if you use a Witch Coven to cure yourself, they will continue to chase you until their contingent is exhausted or until the quest is over. This behavior is caused by the quest's internal processing.
If you use the map which reveals the location of the Glenmoril Coven after the quest has ended, the game will freeze. Since you should already have used the map while the quest was running, you can throw it away as it is of no further use.

Additional Dialogue
If you ask an NPC about the lycanthrope hunter, you may hear:
''"(Hunter's name) searches out and destroys lycanthropes all across Tamriel."
"(Hunter's name) has devoted (his/her) life to hunting lycanthropes."
If the NPC knows more, they may say:
"They say that (hunter's name)'s own mother was killed by a werewolf. That's what drove (him/her) to (his/her) fanatical hatred of them."
"(Hunter's name) killed (his/her) own mother after she became a werewolf. Now that's what I call a true zealot!"
If you ask an NPC about the father, you may be told:
"(Father's name) ... the name sounds familiar, but I can't say that I know him."
"I think (father's name) died years ago. Or maybe moved away? I'm not sure."
"(Father's name) was the last of a once-powerful noble house in (family town). He died several years ago, I'm afraid."
"I think he was the one that died two or three years ago, leaving his only child an orphan.  But (local's name) over at (local's residence) would know more about that."
"(Father's name) hasn't lived in (family town) for years. I don't know what happened to him. But (local's name) was a friend of his, and might know more."
"(Father's name) moved away to (father's town) a long while back. Or was he the one who died so tragically?"
If the NPC knows more, they may tell you:
"(Father's name) died several years ago. His only child was adopted by a family from (child's town), I think. Ask around there for (child's name)."
"Were you a friend? I'm sorry to say he died about a year ago. His only child (child's name) was taken in by a family from (child's town)."
After you have accepted this quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Hunter's name) is coming to (region) to clean out the werebeast infection. Maybe then we'll be able to walk the streets at night again without fear."
After the quest ends, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Hunter's name) and (his/her) men killed a lot of loops in (region), but I'll be hanged if they got 'em all."
"(Hunter's name) should have left well enough alone. (His/Her) crusades just send the werecreatures into greater fury."
If you successfully complete the quest, NPCs may say when asked for any news:
"(Hunter's name) and (his/her) men killed a lot of loops in (region), but I'll be hanged if they got 'em all."
"(Hunter's name) should have left well enough alone. (His/Her) crusades just send the lycanthropes into greater fury."''

Quest Log