Online:Scars of the Past

Quick Walkthrough
#Gather diseased samples for Iokkas.
#Find an Arkay's Lash blossom for Iokkas, then drink a bit of the antidote.
#Enter Cicatrice Caverns and speak with Lara-Tan.
#Find Najirra, Pilazaz and Raebanji and administer  .
#Return to the entrance of the cave and talk to Iokkas.
#Kill the nereid.
#Speak with Iokkas back at his camp.

Detailed Walkthrough
When you come across Cicatrice, you will encounter an Argonian healer and alchemist named Iokkas. He is kneeling beside his injured companion, and tells you that the rest of his party is missing. They were exploring the caverns of Cicatrice, trying to find out what happened here long ago. Then they were attacked by undead cat-folk and set upon by a noxious mist. Three of his companions were driven further into the cave by the mists. Only Iokkas and Najirra made it out, with Iokkas having the advantage of Argonian poison resistance allowing him to escape less injured.

Iokkas tells you that he'd like to go looking for his friends, but to do that, he needs an antidote to be able to counteract the noxious mist. He needs blood and tissue samples from the Blighted undead in order to make one. Head on down the road to the nearby ruins, where many Blighted wander. Kill two Blighted creatures to receive a   and a  . Then loot the Diseased Corpse further within the ruins to salvage a  . When you have all three samples, return to Iokkas. When you arrive, you will find that you have walked in on a particularly heated argument.
:Najirra: "Then Najirra will go alone! She will not sit idle while her friends suffer!"
:Iokkas: ''"Please, don't be foolish! Najirra! Wait!"

Speak with Iokkas and give him the samples.
:"I am glad to see you unharmed. Were you able to gather the samples?"
:I gathered the samples. Where's Najirra going?
:"She fears for our companions' safety. I urged her to wait, for without an antidote she will quickly succumb to the fumes as well. But Najirra refused to listen. I must begin my research. However, I still require a blossom of Arkay's lash."
:Arkay's lash?
:"A cactus with a bright pink flower. It has great medicinal properties. Would you collect a blossom for me? The cactus can be found west of here, in a small glade atop a crag. In the meantime, I'll begin to study the samples you brought."
:I'll gather the blossom.
:"Thank you once more for your aid, traveler-friend. After I create an antidote, we can enter the oasis caverns and rescue my companions. Perhaps even find my egg-mother's research notes as well."''
thumb|right|Drink the antidote

Iokkas thanks you for the samples, then asks you to go get him an Arkay's Lash blossom at a glade west of his camp to help him finish the concoction. Head towards the site where the cactus blooms. When you reach the pond, you'll find an  ... and a nereid.

:Shavali the Befouled: "How dare you intrude upon my oasis? Leave this place! Now!"

She then disappears beneath the surface of the water. With the flower in hand, return to Iokkas with your findings.
:''"My antidote is nearly complete. All I need now is the Arkay's lash blossom. Were you able to get one?"
:I have the blossom, but I spotted a nereid in the glade. She demanded I leave.
:"A nereid? Most peculiar. I wonder if she's somehow connected to the oasis. Ah, but there is no time to speculate while my companions are still in danger. I must deliver this antidote to them. With luck, it will give them the strength to escape."
:I can deliver the antidote for you.
:"Thank you, traveler-friend! I feared to ask, but already you volunteer. Make sure to drink some of the antidote before entering the oasis caverns. And please, see if you can find my egg-mother's research notes."
:Your egg-mother's research notes?
:"My egg-mother attempted to develop a cure for the Knahaten Flu when it first struck Cicatrice. I am sure she kept meticulous notes about her progress.  Such research will be vital to learning what happened here."
:I'll keep an eye out for any research notes.'''

thumb|right|She's alive!
Iokkas mixes up the antidote, then instructs you to drink a little bit of it. Do as he says, then head towards Cicatrice Caverns to find Iokkas' friends. Not too far into the cave, you'll find Lara-Tan. She's a bit weak, but otherwise okay. Speak with her.
:"You must leave here, now. The very air is poisonous."
:Iokkas sent me. I have an antidote that will help.
:''"Iokkas? I knew he would not abandon us. You must hurry. My companions ran deeper into the caves. Let them know that I'll remain here, ready to tend to them."
:How are you feeling?
:"I will be all right. The fumes have weakened me, but not as much as the others. A blessing of my Argonian blood. I just need to rest a moment more."
:All right, I'll go rescue your companions.'''

Start your search by heading west. In the first large chamber, you'll find a very weak Najirra. Administer the antidote and continue forward. Iokkas' mother, Nikkusha, left behind her research notes in this cave. Iokkas had suspected this of course, but you will confirm it. Nikussha's first research note is close by. You'll find Pilazaz next, wheezing on the floor and in need of a dose of the antidote. Not too far from her is the second research note. Then you'll find Raebanji in critical condition in a pool of thick sludge. Give him a sip from the vial, then head west from his chamber to find Nikussha's final research note.

From the research notes, you learn that the entire population of Cicatrice sought refuge in this cavern. It is not the oasis that holds healing powers, but rather a nereid that lives in the central chamber. The Clanmother of Cicatrice, Abaasi, refused to allow anyone near the nereid, but Nikussha believed the creature was vital to the quest for a cure. Many were afflicted, and more were dying. In her haste to find a cure, Nikkusha tainted the healing waters of the oasis with sickness and death. The flu and the death it caused changed the nature of the oasis, and with it, the water spirit that resided within it. Her actions caused the appearance of the miasma, and with the corruption of the oasis, the undead began to lurch to life.

With Iokkas' companions immune to the miasma and the research notes in hand, you will return to the entrance of the cave to find Iokkas and his friends gathered there.
:Lara-Tan: ''"I swear, it's not the fumes. I heard someone in the central chamber."
:Iokkas: "It is all right, Lara-Tan. I believe you."''

thumb|right|Find Iokkas' friends
This "someone" that Lara-Tan heard in the central chamber must be the nereid from Nikkusha's notes. Speak with Iokkas about your findings.
:''"Thank you for saving my companions. Were you also able to find my egg-mother's research notes? They would be invaluable to learning what occurred here."
:I was able to find some of her notes.
:"Thank the Hist. I was worried her research would be lost forever. Hmm. She writes of a nereid who lives here. And … and how her research tainted the oasis. I see. This must be the root of all the despair we have encountered."
:How so?
:"The nereid once made this oasis a place of healing. But by filling these caverns with sickness and death, it drastically changed her. She must be the one who created these fumes and raised these corpses."
:What can be done?
:"I'm afraid that the nereid must be killed. She poses a threat to all who visit Cicatrice, and by raising the dead she has defiled many. Her death, Hist willing, will also allow this oasis to finally begin to heal."

thumb|right|Who might this be...?
With that out of the way, head north towards the Central Chamber and end this. Upon entering the chamber, you will find the nereid, Shavali the Befouled, hovering over what was once the oasis. Now a rank pool of sludge riddled with bones and corpses, Shavali was right to keep you from this place. She will attack as soon as she notices you, raising a Blighted Knight and Bloodcleaver to assist her.
:Shavali the Befouled: "No! I won't let anyone corrupt this oasis! Not again!"''

Defeat Shavali and return to Iokkas' camp outside the cavern. He will thank you and reward you for your help.
:"It does my heart good to see you unharmed. I trust the nereid suffers no longer?"
:'''Yes, I killed the nereid. Were your egg-mother's notes helpful?
:"In a way. I did learn what happened here. My egg-mother sought to create a cure for the plague. Instead, she corrupted the oasis with sickness and death. Everyone in Cicatrice died as a result of that corruption."
:She seems like she had good intentions.
:"But I did not journey to Cicatrice to seek her good intentions. There has been much animosity between the Khajiit and Argonian races because of the Knahaten Flu. My people are immune to the disease, so many believe we created it."
:What does that have to do with your egg-mother's research?
:"Through her research and sacrifice, I had hoped to bridge the gap between our people. Prove that Argonians are not the cold-blooded monsters so many see us as. But sharing what happened at Cicatrice may only strengthen the Khajiit's hatred."
:What will you do then?
:"I do not know. I must reflect on this. Still, I thank you for all that you've done. You saved my companions, found my egg-mother's research, and helped the oasis begin to heal. No small feats to accomplish, traveler-friend."''
 
 
Quest Stages