Oblivion:Vampire Cure

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OB-qico-General1.png
 A long quest to gain the cure for vampirism.
Quest Giver: Raminus Polus at the Arcane University
Location(s): Arcane University, Skingrad, Drakelowe, Redwater Slough
Reward: Cure Vampirism Potion which also gives immunity to Vampirism, gold (level-dependent)
ID: MS40
Prerequisites: Must be a Vampire
 
Melisande, a witch of Glenmoril

Quick Walkthrough[edit]

  1. Work your way through various referrals: from Raminus Polus, to Count Janus Hassildor of Skingrad to Melisande in Drakelowe.
  2. Retrieve five empty Grand Soul Gems to get Melisande to help you.
  3. Collect a long list of ingredients for the potion.
  4. Retrieve the potion, and take it back to Janus Hassildor for a reward.

Detailed Walkthrough[edit]

Getting Started[edit]

Before you can start this quest, you must be a full fledged vampire, not just have the disease porphyric hemophilia. At that point, "Cure for Vampirism" will show up as a conversation topic, in particular when talking with healers or with Vicente Valtieri. Asking about "Cure Vampirism" will lead to a referral to Raminus Polus at the Arcane University in the Imperial City. But in fact, Raminus doesn't know much, other than that Count Janus Hassildor of Skingrad is a vampire, and may have been doing some research on a cure. At Castle Skingrad, ask the Steward Hal-Liurz for an audience with the Count. Talking to Hassildor yields an interesting backstory on him and his wife and reveals that he will reward you for obtaining a Cure Vampirism potion for his sick wife. But he tells you of a rumor of an alleged witch of Glenmoril who lives somewhere near the Corbolo River (your map places a marker at Drakelowe.)

Melisande's Shopping Lists[edit]

The hidden room in Crayfish Steep

Travel to Drakelowe and you will find one inhabitant, Melisande, who will let on that she might be able to help you. But before even agreeing to help you, she requires five empty Grand Soul Gems. At this point in the quest, three empty Grand Soul Gems are placed in nearby dungeons. In each case, one empty Grand Soul Gem is in a previously non-existent area of the dungeon; the appearance of the area is triggered by this quest. The three nearby dungeons are:

Any other soul gems in the game may also be used for this quest, including stolen ones. One such gem may be found in a display case on the bottom floor of the Arcane Mages Guild Tower in Imperial City- if you are part of the guild, then taking the gem (along with the two filled gems that cannot be used in the quest), does not constitute an act of stealing. Most soul gems are found randomly. If you are at least level 11, there is small chance (<5%) of finding empty grand soul gems in some dungeon chests. If you are at least level 12, any of the Merchants who sell magical equipment may stock them. If you have the Wizard's Tower official download, Aurelinwae at the Mystic Emporium will often have the gems. Melisande herself stocks one Grand Soul Gem in her basement. See Grand Soul Gem for other guaranteed locations.

Once you provide Melisande with the soul gems, she will task you with finding a long list of ingredients necessary to make the potion. Several are regular alchemy ingredients: two shoots of Bloodgrass, six cloves of Garlic, and five leaves of Nightshade. Full details on where to find these ingredients are provided on the individual ingredient pages. Two are more difficult to obtain; the blood of an Argonian and the ashes of a powerful vampire.

  • Bloodgrass: This is the tall red grass you see in the Realms of Oblivion and at some Oblivion Gates. It can be bought in some alchemy shops as well, so it is easy to find. A bug may prevent the Bloodgrass from being presented to Melisande.
  • Garlic: Many homes have these lying around on the dinner table or stacked somewhere else. Almost every home in Skingrad has bunches of garlic hanging from a beam in the basement.
  • Nightshade: Nightshade is prolific throughout the West Weald. You can also find some at "The Main Ingredient" in the Imperial City Market District, the only alchemy shop guaranteed to have Nightshade in stock. The Arcane University has several growing there as well.
  • Blood of an Argonian: Melisande gives you a special Enchanted Dagger to use and collect the blood. You do not need to actually kill the Argonian, just stabbing your victim once with the dagger is sufficient. A complete list of all named Argonians in the game is available at Oblivion-Argonian. Luckily, there are some easier alternatives:
    • One Argonian (Er-Teeus) can be found at Peryite's shrine; if you have not completed Peryite's quest, he is frozen and there are no consequences to stabbing him.
    • Another possible location is Veyond Cave, which is inhabited by Argonian tribesmen who will attack you on sight.
    • Argonians serve as archers in Marauder bands.
    • The arena is a bounty free alternative, where the third and the sixteenth combatants are Argonians.
    • If you spared Scar-Tail in The Renegade Shadowscale quest - or have not completed that quest yet - he will still be standing around at Bogwater.
    • The Dark Brotherhood quest Purification requires you to kill everyone at Cheydinhal Sanctuary, including two Argonians, Ocheeva and Teinaava.
  • Ashes of a powerful vampire: This 'powerful' vampire's name is Hindaril. Ask the witch about it and she will mark his location in Redwater Slough on your map. Killing Hindaril will provide you with Ashes of Hindaril instead of regular Vampire Dust. His home is a nesting ground for vampires. Hindaril can be killed before starting the quest.

If you have installed the Wizard's Tower official download, bloodgrass and nightshade can be found in the tower's alchemy garden.

Once you deliver all these ingredients to Melisande, she'll tell you to return in 24 hours. You'll have to go somewhere else and come back, because if you linger inside the house at Drakelowe, Melisande considers it trespassing. See Notes, below, for tips on waiting to avoid Sun Damage.

At last: Potions![edit]

Chamber of the Lost

When you return, Melisande will have two potions ready. If Melisande's shack is empty when you return, she will be in her basement; just wait a short while and she will reappear near the fireplace, in front of the hidden trapdoor. If she doesn't appear, you might have to wait for a whole day. The Cure for Vampirism Potion, that appears under Potions in your inventory, is for you. The other one: Vampirism Cure Potion, will appear in the miscellaneous section of your inventory and needs to be taken to Skingrad for Count Hassildor.

At Castle Skingrad you again need to work through the Count's steward, Hal-Liurz. Mention the cure to her and she will lead you outside the Hall, to the entrance of the Chamber of the Lost: the Countess' secret chamber. Count Hassildor is waiting there, as is Melisande. Tell the Count that you have acquired the cure and he will take it. He will allow you to stay and watch provided that you keep quiet. Melisande wakes up the countess and the Count explains to her that she can end her suffering. The countess drinks the potion, is healed from vampirism and drops dead on the bed. The Count tells you to let him grieve for 24 hours, then return for your reward.

Again, you need to talk to Hal-Liurz to get to the Count. The dialogue "Reward" will cause him to give you a level-dependent amount of gold (see below).

Reward[edit]

Level Reward
1-4 250 Gold
5-9 500 Gold
10-14 1,000 Gold
15-19 2,500 Gold
20-24 5,000 Gold
25-29 7,500 Gold
30+ 10,000 Gold

Notes[edit]

  • The quest is referred to as "Till Death Do They Part" in the official patch notes.
  • The Vampire Cure quest is easily one of the longest quests in Oblivion. A much easier vampire cure, the Font of Renewal, is made available if you buy the Vile Lair official download.
  • If you are in the later stages of vampirism, be careful during the witch part of the quest. After she tells you to wait 24 hours for her to finish the potion you cannot wait under the protection of her roof because she will consider it trespassing and attack you. You have a couple of possibilities:
    • Make sure you start this quest in the early evening so you have enough time to complete everything in the safety of the dark.
    • If you arrive during the night, feed on her while she is sleeping. This will allow you to take no damage if you need to wait outside during the day.
    • The closest place to wait indoors is Squandered Mine, northeast of Drakelowe up the cliff.
    • If you have a high enough sneak ability, you can alternately hide in the house. Melisande will simply believe you to have left and leave the room. Since it is light outside you won't be able to leave, and as you are trespassing you can't sleep or wait, but it is an alternate way to pass the time safely.
    • If you have enough potions or healing, you can very quickly run down to the river and swim underwater all the way to Swampy Cave or even closer, the back entrance to Swampy Cave. Being underwater significantly reduces the sun damage you take.
  • Once cured, you cannot become a vampire again, except using the console.
  • Drakelowe is always a private area. Therefore, do not wait too long to begin the dialogue with her or she will change to combat mode and attack you. Trespassing does not affect the quest dialogues with her.
  • Unused dialogue suggests that at one point it would have been possible to complete this quest without the need to be a vampire. At the end of the quest Hassildor would have offered to make you a vampire:
"I can offer you money, of course, but given my condition, I am in a position to offer you something relatively unique. If you wish, you can become a vampire. It will be slightly painful, but far easier on you than... other methods. Which would you prefer?"
If you then chose the topic "Make me a vampire", he would continue:
"This is not a gift to be taken lightly. It may cause you harm in the long run, but at least you already know a way to rid yourself of it. Once you have the disease for several days, rest and let the effects take hold. And please, be careful. Good luck."
Finally, he would cast the "Vampire Reward Spell", which would infect you with Porphyric Hemophilia.
  • The Vampire Gift option cannot be accessed if you are cured during the quest, such as by the Purgeblood Salts. This is because the script checks for the Global Variable PCVampireto be 0, while a cured person's will be set to -1.
  • It is possible to enter the Chamber of the Lost before doing this quest by using high acrobatics or the floating paint brush glitch to jump over the castle wall and access the chamber door. Countess Hassildor will not respond if you try to wake her and her body cannot be looted if she is killed. If you want to leave simply exit the room and fast travel.

Bugs[edit]

  • If you manage to enter the basement during the 24 hours where Melisande is making the potion, the trapdoor will lock and you will be trapped.
  • You may not be able to start this quest if you were in the Mages Guild but have been suspended from the guild. If so, you will need to complete the required task and be reinstated in the guild before starting Vampire Cure. Specifically, speaking to Raminus Polus will not move the quest forward, but you can proceed to speak with Janus and the quest will continue normally.
  • If you started the quest, but then cured yourself with the Font of Renewal, then the quest characters will not speak to you about it until you have become a vampire again (which can only be done through the console).
  • If the Count only greets you with "I've said all there is to be said. Trouble me no more" and refuses to say anything else, the problem is that you have started but not completed the quest Ulterior Motives. You will need to finish Ulterior Motives (by talking to Raminus Polus) before Janus Hassildor will talk to you about any topics.
  • There's a rare problem that occurs if you stand in the way of the body of Rona Hassildor when Melisande is trying to resurrect her. If this happens, use a Spellmaking Altar to create a custom Restore Fatigue on Touch/Target and cast it on Rona; the quest should then proceed normally. PC users can also use the console command set MS40.endstate to 8 to get Melisande to try casting her spell again.
  • After giving the Count the cure, do not leave the Chamber Of The Lost until the scene has played out. Doing so will cause Rona to be awakened, but all 3 NPCs will then become permanently unresponsive. The workarounds directly above may be used to resolve this bug as well.
  • There have been problems with the witch not accepting Bloodgrass. The "Bloodgrass" topic will effectively disappear when you complete the main quest. You can solve it by reloading a previous save, or typing set MS40.cureready to 1 in the console. This will cause a new topic to appear and allows you to complete the quest properly.
  • Flag Germany.png There is a translation problem in the German version regarding the ingredients. In the dialogue with the witch, Nightshade leaves is directly translated into "Nachtschatten Blätter" whereas throughout the rest of the game it is correctly translated into "Tollkirsche". So don't try to look for an ingredient called "Nachtschatten Blätter", but instead for "Tollkirsche".
  • Flag France.png There is a similar translation problem in the French version where you are told to find some "Clous de girofle" (cloves - ingredients that do not exist in the game) while you must bring "Ail" (garlic) instead.
  • If you give Melisande the last ingredient and the order to brew the potion at 11 p.m., she might never return from the basement so you cannot get the potion from her. To solve this problem, either load a previous savegame and talk to her at a different time or type the following commands into the console and wait 24 hours:
    set MS40.currentday to GameDay
    set MS40.currenthour to GameHour
    set MS40.cureready to 3
    • This bug was silently patched in the master file Oblivion.esm installed by Shivering Isles, so should no longer occur if Shivering Isles is installed.
  • There is a glitch where Hal-Liurz, the Count's Steward, becomes stuck in the Chamber of the Lost. Every time you speak to her she will say "Please, wait here. I shall let the count know you are waiting for him" but will never go anywhere.
    • If you are on a PC, use the console to and type the following:
      player.moveto 0002EC35 (this will teleport you to Janus Hassildor)
      prid 0002EC2E (this will select Hal-Liurz)
      moveto player (this will teleport her to you)
      • If you do this, the entrance to the Chamber may not open, meaning the exit from the Chamber will lead you to a blank wall with no apparent way through. You can open the entrance by opening the console, clicking the offending wall, and using the disable command.
    • One possible way to finish the quest is to find the count, hit him, and have him chase you back to where Hal-Liurz is standing (without getting stopped by any guards along the way or by just resisting arrest if they stop you). Hal-Liurz should then go back to the Great Hall, although it may require similar forceful persuasion. You will need to pay the fine for assaulting the count and his steward, but then you can go to the Great Hall, wait for 24 hours, and the Count should show up to give you your reward - Alternatively, yielding to the count eliminates the fines and skips to the reward dialogue.
    • Another way to complete this quest is to break into the Castle Hall and speak to the Count by yourself.
  • It is possible that at the end of this quest you can wait more than 24 hours but the Count will still only say "Please, go" when you talk to him. To fix the problem, you need to make Hal-Liurz bring the Count to you (even if you're already standing next to the Count, Hal-Liurz has to act as intermediary for the quest to be updated). Sometimes just talking to Hal-Liurz is sufficient. Otherwise, you can use a Command Humanoid spell to force her to follow you to wherever the Count is standing, at which point talking to Hal-Liurz should work to complete the quest. Sometimes it is possible that neither one will realize that 24 hours has passed. This generally happens when both are in the same room. Just force the two to part (Command Humanoid or just attacking and causing one to follow you) fixes this. Alternatively, you can demoralize either Hal-Liurz or the Count in order to make them leave the area. [verification needed — Seems very plausible, but needs in-game confirmation.]
  • After the quest reward is received, it is possible to keep pressing the reward topic to receive the reward over and over again. It is possible to return to the count later and do this anytime, even after the quest is completed. There does not seem to be any limit to the amount of gold you can amass.
  • After drinking the potion to cure yourself, Vampirism may not be removed. Use any Cure Disease effect to finish removing it.
  • The items taken by Melisande can be subject to the Separate Stack Removal glitch.
  • After being cured from vampirism by the potion, you may still look like a vampire. A quick fix to this is type showracemenu in the console, and when the menu shows up you should look normal again.
  • If you visit Melisande again at her home after completion of the quest, you can still ask her about the Cure for Vampirism and she will say "Once I have all the ingredients I need, I'll fashion a cure for you. This is a delicate matter, and cannot be rushed.", as though you never brought her the ingredients. She will not say anything else even if you use the console to give yourself all the necessary ingredients.

PS3 GotY Vampirism Cure Notes[edit]

  • On PlayStation On the PS3 with Shivering Isles (SI) installed, you are unable to deliver the two Bloodgrasses to Melisande because the Bloodgrass topic disappears from or is greyed-out on her interaction list. If SI is not yet installed, consider completing the Vampire Cure quest before installing SI.

Workarounds:

  • Change language: While near Melisande but not interacting with her:
    1. Save the game.
    2. Quit the game to the PS3 system.
    3. Change the PS3 language to German (other languages may also work).
    4. Start the game from the last save.
    5. Interact with Melisande and select "Blutgras" (German for Bloodgrass) from the menu.
    6. Wait for the Blutgras interaction to complete to the menu.
    7. Exit the interaction.
    8. Save the game.
    9. Quit the game to the PS3 system.
    10. Change the PS3 language to English (or to your original language).
    11. Start the game from the last save.
    12. Continue with the game.
    • Very similar to the European Players workaround.
  • Play using an original disc: Obtain (e.g., through rental), an original Oblivion disc — the disc must not be the GOTY edition, or any other newer edition, such as the 5th anniversary edition. The Greatest Hits Edition can also be used. Use that disc to play through the completion of the quest. (If you have downloaded SI as an expansion from the Playstation Network, you can delete the Oblivion game data to "reset" your game to the pre-SI version; after completing these steps you can re-download the expansion from PSN at no cost). The Bloodgrass topic can then be chosen and your vampirism can be cured. Steps:
    1. Because your current save must be saved under a version of Oblivion without the Shivering Isles present, items specific to Shivering Isles may be lost. To prevent the loss of items if the Isles have already been entered, first place all Shivering Isles items into a safe container in Cyrodiil, not in the Isles. However, some key items such as the Key to Mania and the Key to Dementia cannot be removed from your inventory and you will lose them.
    2. Travel to Drakelowe with the required two shoots of Bloodgrass, enter and save. It would be advisable to note which save slot it is, as it may be required to revert to it should something go wrong.
    3. Completely exit Oblivion, remove the GotY disc from the PS3, and insert an original Oblivion disc.
    4. Launch Oblivion and load your current save in Drakelowe.
    5. Speak to Melisande and choose the Bloodgrass topic. She should now accept it.
    6. Save the game into a new save slot so that if something has gone wrong your previous save is still accessible.
    7. Completely exit Oblivion, remove the non-GotY disc from the PS3, and re-insert the GotY disc.
    8. Launch Oblivion, load your new save and continue. Retrieving any Shivering Isles items from their safe container at this point to ensure that they are still there would be advisable.
    • If your game freezes at step #4 (when you try to load the GotY save using the non-GotY/5th anniversary disc), it may help to put all items (not just SI items) from your inventory into a container. If your game still freezes on the load screen, then you will essentially be unable to cure your vampirism with this character.
    • Known side effects on Shivering Isles:
      • There will be little or no impact if this is performed before you have entered the Isles at all so it is preferable to get rid of vampirism as soon as possible if the Isles have not been entered yet.
      • If Shivering Isles quests are active, they may disappear or bugs may occur. Keep your pre-workaround savegame just in case.
      • Although Shivering Isles items may be kept with the workaround of storing them in Cyrodiil, spells, powers and abilities will almost certainly disappear. You will have to purchase any missing spells again. If the Main Quest has been completed, speak with Haskill and the two Greater Powers obtained at quest end should be restored.
      • Shivering Isles items kept in your inventory may not disappear if they have been enchanted by you.
      • Golden Saint and Dark Seducer guards may lose all of their conversation topics. Their arrest behavior will still occur normally. If the Main Quest has been completed, the Escorts should still have all of their dialogue topics.
      • If the Main Quest has been completed, the ownership of the Duke's/Duchess' Quarters may revert and you may be trespassing in them. Any items stored in them that were previously owned by you will similarly revert and will be considered stolen.
  • European Players: If you are playing on a European console using a European copy of the GotY edition, then the glitch can be cured without a copy of the non-GotY disc. The steps are:
    1. Upon reaching Melisande's house with the Bloodgrass, save and exit the game.
    2. Change the PS3 system settings to make the default language German (other languages may work).
    3. Reload the game. The game will now be in German, but the following steps are possible even if you do not understand German.
    4. Talk to Melisande and select the "Blutgras" topic ("Blutgras" is German for "Bloodgrass").
    5. After she has accepted the Bloodgrass, save and exit.
    6. Set the PS3 default language back to English in the system settings.
    7. Reload Oblivion and you can now finish the quest.
    • Known side effects on the Shivering Isles expansion:
      • As with the disc-swapping method there will be little or no impact if this is performed before you have ever entered the Shivering Isles, so it is preferable to cure vampirism before starting the expansion.
      • You will lose all Powers, spells and journal entries from the expansion. However, you can still keep the items; they don't even need to be placed into safe storage or removed from your inventory. Note that until you put the game back into its original language they will be listed as '<unknown item>' unless they have been enchanted.
      • Unlike the disc-swapping method, in this case the expansion seems to reset altogether. If you return to A Strange Door, the original events are replayed. The initial quests will also need to be repeated, although some bugs appear,
        • A Door in Niben Bay — When you go through the Strange Door you are not taken to the butterfly room. Instead, you are overlooking the Fringe. Once Haskill leaves the walls reappear briefly before flying away.
        • Final Resting - Placing the Ring of Happiness in any container then taking it out will finish the quest. Hirrus Clutumnus will not ask you to kill him.
        • Through the Fringe of Madness — Jayred Ice-Veins will not help you defeat the Gatekeeper a second time: he has kept the Bone Arrows from the first time, and therefore is not interested in getting more. However, the quest can still be completed without Jayred's help - either by killing the gatekeeper by yourself, or you can just run through a gate as you may already have the keys. The latter method may have consequences during Rebuilding the Gatekeeper.
        • A Better Mousetrap — This is where things get really broken. If you have previously played through this quest then the Focus Crystals will already be placed on each Judgment Nexus; they cannot be removed and the quest will not update. This means that the gate which blocks the way to the Resonator of Judgement will never open leaving you unable to progress any further with this quest.
        • Any other unfinished quests involving quest items cannot be finished. For example in 'A Better Mousetrap' (if you haven't entered the dungeon yet), you will already have the Attenuator of Judgement when you re-enter the isles, but Sheogorath will give you another. However the game is programmed to remove 'the' Attenuator, not 'an' Attenuator. As you will have two you cannot activate the Resonator. To prevent this, finish all SI quests involving quest items before switching language.
  • Australian Players: Follow the instructions for European players, instead changing the language to Español (Spanish). If loading screen freezes after changing the language, save the game outside Melisande's cottage and try again. Bloodgrass will now come up as "Sujo"; wait 24 hours then the potion to cure vampirism should be ready.

Journal Entries[edit]

Vampire Cure (MS40)
Stage Finishes Quest Journal Entry
5 I should travel to the Arcane University in the Imperial City and speak with Raminus Polus about the possibility of a cure for Vampirism.
10 I need to speak with Count Hassildor of Skingrad. I should find his Steward at Castle Skingrad.
20 Count Hassildor of Skingrad has asked me to find the cure for vampirism. I should look for a woman in the wilderness along the Corbolo River, east of the Imperial City and south of Cheydinhal.
30 I have found Melisande, who has offered to help me with a cure for vampirism. Once I have brought her five empty Grand Soul Gems, she will give me further instructions.
40 I have delivered the Soul Gems to Melisande. Now I must collect a series of ingredients for her, so that she can brew the potion to cure vampirism. She needs six cloves of garlic, five nightshade leaves, and two shoots of bloodgrass.
41 Melisande has given me a special dagger, with which I am to collect the blood of an Argonian. I should find an Argonian, stab him with the dagger, and return it to Melisande.
42 Melisande requires the ashes of a powerful vampire to complete her cure. I should search the area near the North Panther River for Hindaril, a vampire who was imprisoned in an underground cavern many years ago.
50 I have collected the ashes of Hindaril for Melisande. I should bring them to her at once.
60 Melisande's dagger is covered in Argonian blood. I should deliver it to her so that she can brew the potion.
70 Melisande has created a potion to cure vampirism. I have been given two doses; one for myself and one that I need to take to Castle Skingrad. I should travel there and speak with Hal-Liurz.
80 The Countess of Skingrad is dead. I need to speak with Hai-Liurz [sic] at Castle Skingrad after the Count has had time to grieve for his wife.
100 Yes☑ Count Hassildor thanked me for finding a cure for his wife.
Notes
  • Not all Journal Entries may appear in your journal; which entries appear and which entries do not depends on the manner in which the quest is done.
  • Stages are not always in order of progress. This is usually the case with quests that have multiple possible outcomes or quests where certain tasks may be done in random order.
  • If an entry is marked as "Finishes Quest" it means the quest disappears from the Active Quest list, but you may still receive new entries for that quest.
  • On PC It is possible to use the console to advance through the quest by entering setstage MS40 stage, where stage is the number of the stage you wish to complete. It is not possible to un-complete (i.e. go back) quest stages. See SetStage for more information.
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