Quest Information
	Starting Location: Various
	Starting NPC: Various
	Possible Reward(s): Cure for Vampirism Potion, Up to 5000 Gold

Did we miss anything during this quest? Is there something we didn't discover? Let us know!

Vampirism is both a boon and a curse in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. While it does grant you significant attribute and skills bonuses, it also requires that you drink human blood on a regular basis. If you aren't getting a daily dose of blood, you will begin to suffer damage from sunlight and will be forced to travel during the evening hours. If you go too long without blood, your character will die.

Therefore, should you become a vampire (after contracting Porphyric Hemophilia or via Vicente Valtieri's Darkness Eternal quest), you may find yourself wishing that you could return to the land of the living once the detrimental effects start to become annoying. If you speak with the healers within any of the city's chapels, you'll find that you have a dialogue choice to inquire about a cure for vampirism. You'll get the same dialogue choice if you're a member of the Dark Brotherhood and speak with Vicente after becoming a vampire. Regardless of who you inquire about a cure to, they'll send you to the Imperial City Arcane University to speak with Raminus Polus. Apparently the wizard has been researching such a cure and might be able to help guide you in the right direction.

Raminus isn't a whole lot of help, unfortunately. He does mention that a cure may be possible, but he only knows of one person that can confirm if such a cure exists for sure: Count Hassildor of Skingrad. Fast-travel to Skingrad and speak with Hassildor's steward, Hal-Liurz. Tell her you're here about a cure for vampirism and she will fetch the Count for you. After a considerable wait, Hassildor will approach you and tell you that he's been researching a possible cure for vampirism. The Count's wife, Rona, is also a vampire, and she has refused to embrace it. Refusing to feed, she has slipped into a coma and has not awoken ever since. Hassildor cannot risk bringing to much attention to himself or his condition, so he asks you to continue the research, promising a reward should you find one for his wife. Once you accept, he tells you that the witches of Glenmoril have been able to cure vampirism in the past, and he only knows of one such witch within Cyrodiil. This woman supposedly lives along the Corbolo River somewhere to the east of Imperial City and south of Cheydinhal.

The witch can be found at Drakelowe, a small would-be settlement just below the "T" in "The Reed River" on the overland map. Her home is on the northern side of the bridge spanning a small chasm on the east side of the river. Once inside, speak with Melisande and ask her about the cure. She inquires about why you think she would know about such a thing, but then admits that she does know "a thing or two" about it. However, her information isn't free, and she asks that you retrieve her five empty Grand Soul Gems before she'll tell you anymore about it. Finding the gems is somewhat difficult, though you can actually pick up the first one right here in the witch's home. Drop down the trapdoor hidden within Melisande's fireplace and proceed into the room at the end of the hallway. It's in here that you'll find a bowl of various soul gems, one of which turns out to be a Grand Soul Gem. Melisande has no idea where it came from, so go ahead and grab it. The other four can be obtained via purchase or theft at the eight Mages Guild divisions within Cyrodiil's cities. In fact, a total of five more gems can be nabbed from the display cases within the Chorrol Mages Guild alone.

Once you have all five gems, hand them over to Melisande and she will make good on her promise. She tells you that she can create a potion that will cure vampirism, but she needs a few ingredients first: six cloves of Garlic, two shoots of Bloodgrass, five leaves of Nightshade, the blood of an Argonian, and the ashes of a very powerful vampire. Garlic is used for cooking and can be found just about anywhere in Cyrodiil. If you don't have any, seek it out from various vendors or search the Imperial Legion mess hall in Imperial City to find several cloves. Bloodgrass grows on the planes of Oblivion, so enter any of the Oblivion portals across Cyrodiil to begin your search. Nightshade is much rarer, so the easiest way to acquire some is to first pay a visit to The Main Ingredient in the Imperial City Market district. You'll find four of the leaves ripe for the taking on a display table within the shop. Since you need five of the leaves, though, you'll also have to grab at least one of the leaves lying on a table on the second floor of the Chorrol Mages Guild. I also found a single leaf in the chest containing the Redwater Slough Key found while pursuing the vampire Hindaril, though this could have just been a random coincidence.

To obtain the Argonian blood, Melisande hands you an Enchanted Dagger that has been imbued with the magic necessary to extract the blood you need. Of course, you'll first have to stab an Argonian (though you don't have to kill him), which means you'll need to use a little discretion if you do this within city limits where a guard might take notice. I broke into the home of Weebam-Na in Leyawiin and was able to get the blood I needed in no time.

As for obtaining the vampire ash, Melisande tells you that this ingredient will be the most difficult to acquire. Luckily, though, she already has a vampire in mind that will provide the potent reagent. His name is Hindaril, and he has been imprisoned underground near the North Panther River. The location is called Redwater Slough, and you can reach it by following the river's north shore just above the "r" in "Panther" on the overland map.

Redwater Slough is fairly small, but is patrolled by various undead, including vampires. Your first priority is to locate the Redwater Slough Key. This key can be found in a chest at the back of the large room you emerge into after swimming through the cave's main underwater tunnel (take a right at the first 'T' to reach this area). Once you have the key, backtrack and take a left at the first 'T' to find a locked wooden door that opens easily with your newly obtained key. Continue through this new area until you reach Hindaril's torchlit room. When I approached him, he took off running through the tunnel I just emerged from, only to grab a weapon at the nearest coffin and return to me swinging. Once you've sent him to the void, search his corpse to find the Ashes of Hindaril.

Once you have all the ingredients, return to Melisande and hand them over to her one-by-one. When she has everything she needs, she asks that you come back in twenty-four hours so that she has enough time to brew the potion. Give her the time she needs, then speak with her again to learn that she actually had enough of the reagents to create two doses. She hands you both the Vampirism Cure Potion and the Cure for Vampirism potion, the former of which you'll want to bring back to Count Hassildor for your reward. Should you ever need another potion in the future, Melisande promises you that she can provide it. Good to know.

Return to Castle Skingrad and tell Hal-Liurz that you have the cure for vampirism. She will lead you out into the castle's courtyard and then open a secret door leading to the Chamber of the Lost. Move down the cavernous hallway to find Count Hassildor sitting on a chair next to his comatose wife. To your surprise, Melisande is there too. Apparently the Count needs her to revive Rona long enough so that she can drink the Vampirism Cure Potion. As soon as you hand the potion over to the Count, Melisande casts the revive spell and Janus has his wife drink the elixir. The concoction actually kills her, which must have been the "peace" the Count had wanted for her. It seems strange that drinking the cure yourself doesn't have the same effect.

Regardless, once she dies, the Count will ask that you give him twenty-four hours to tend to the affairs of his dead wife. Wait around for a day's time, then tell Hal-Liurz that you need an audience with the Count again. He's in much better spirits this time around and thanks your for rescuing Rona from the state she was in. He then hands over a considerable amount of Gold (the amount of which depends on your level) as a reward for your services, which is a nice bonus considering that you were also able to achieve the reward of curing your own affliction.