After which, in conversations with healers from the city chapels, a new topic appears - Cure for Vampirism. However, healers do not know for certain about cases of cure, so the hero receives general advice to talk at the Arcane University with the consul of the Mages Guild, Raminus Polus. As it turns out during the meeting, he also knows little - only that the Count of Skingrad, Janus Hassildor, is interested in finding a cure and has recently conducted research on this issue.

In the castle of Skingrad, you must first arrange an audience with the count by contacting Hal-Liurz in the count's hall, who, seeing the hero's painful condition, agrees to report his arrival to the count. At the first glance at the count who has descended into the hall, his red eyes and fangs are visible, from further conversation with him it becomes clear that he and his wife Rona have long turned into vampires, and Rona could not come to terms with this change and fell into lethargy , so the Count is looking for a cure for her and offers the hero a reward for his help in the search.

Melisande's request

From the story of Count Skingrad, the hero learns that the witches of Glenmoril once in the past knew how to create medicine, and the research carried out by the count showed that there are no such witches in all of Cyrodiil - they only managed to obtain information about a woman fitting the description of a witch who was seen near the Corbolo River (Corbolo). After talking with the Count, the goal marker on the world map (F4, second tab) points to the village of Drakelowe near The Reed River. In this village, the hero discovers Melisande, who agrees to prepare the medicine, but first demands that five empty great soul stones be brought to her. How to find them:

• There is one stone in the basement of Melisande's house, this basement can be accessed through the fireplace near her bed.
• Three more stones can be found relatively close to Melisande's house - to the west in the Nornal ruins on the Ageasel level, to the east in the Squandered Mine on the Wind Holes level, to the south in the Lobster Cave " (Crayfish Cave) on the Steep level (in each of these places you can find one stone until this quest is completed).
• There are two stones in the Arcane University - one in the Arch-Mage's Lobby, and another in the Mage Quarters, and there are also two more in the Mages Guild of Chorrol. .
• Regardless of the hero's level, the following merchants sell one stone at a time (or they can be stolen) - Calindil in the Mystic Emporium, in the Market District IC, in the branches of the Mages Guild - Alves Uvenim ) in Leyawiin, Angalmo in Chorrol, Ardaline in Bravil, Eilonwy in Cheydinhal, Felen Relas in Anvil, and Selena Orania in Bruma.
• Once the hero reaches level 12, such stones can be purchased from merchants of magic items and spells.
• A hero level 11 or higher has a chance (less than 5%) of finding empty Great Soul Gems in containers in many ruins, caves, or forts.

Search for ingredients

Once the hero delivers the five great soul stones to Melisande, she gives a list of ingredients needed to prepare the medicine:

• six cloves of Garlic - this ingredient can be found in multiples in the basements of many houses (especially the houses of Skingrad), and there are exactly six cloves in the Imperial Legion Offices and on the second floor of Weynon Priory ) .
• two shoots of Bloodgrass is a tall red herb native to the wastelands of Oblivion and is also sold in many alchemy shops.
• five leaves Nightshade - This plant is most commonly found in the West Weald, the leaves can also be purchased at many alchemy shops.
• blood of an Argonian - Melisande hands the hero an enchanted dagger (Enchanted Dagger), with which you just need to injure any Argonian (it is not necessary to kill), the blood remaining on the dagger will be enough to prepare the medicine. Argonians can be found in any city, but if you intend to harm any city dweller, you must be careful - the city guard keeps order around the clock, and if you have sufficient knowledge of illusion magic, you can use the Command Humanoid spell to wound the selected Argonian no penalty. There are also many Argonian archers in the forts and caves with marauders, and there is a Veyond Cave not far north of Bravil, entirely inhabited by a hostile Argonian tribe.
• the ashes of a powerful vampire - Hindaril, imprisoned many years ago in the Redwater Slough cave near the Panther River, fits this description. By killing him, the hero receives the last wanted ingredient - Ashes of Hindaril) (Hindaril can be found in the cave before starting this quest).

After delivering all the listed ingredients to Melisande, she asks the hero to give her time to prepare the medicine and return in 24 hours. However, you should not linger in her house, as Melisande will consider this an intrusion and become hostile.

The medicine is ready

Upon returning a day later, Melisande gives the hero two potions, one of them is a cure for vampirism, which can be taken at any time, just like any ordinary potion, the other is a potion of healing from vampirism (Vampirism Cure Potion), intended for Rhona Hassildor.

Having arrived at the castle of Skingrad with medicine for the Countess, you again need to contact Hal-Liurz, who, at the mention of the medicine, will lead the hero to the Chamber of the Lost. In this secret room of the castle there will be the Countess, who is in a lethargic sleep, Count Janus and, oddly enough, Melisande. After the medicine is given to the count, he will allow the hero to stay and watch further events, provided that he does not interfere with them completely. Melisande awakens the Countess for a short time and the Count tells her about the end of her suffering. The Countess takes the potion and dies. The Count asks the hero to return for the promised reward in 24 hours, during which he plans to resolve all the issues that have arisen. After 24 hours, you again need to call the Count through Hal-Liurz, this time he will give the hero a reward, the amount of which varies depending on the hero’s level:

• Level 1-4 - 250 gold;
• Level 5-9 - 500 gold;
• Level 10-14 - 1000 gold;
• level 15-19 - 2500 gold;
• level 20-24 - 5000 gold;
• level 25-29 - 7500 gold;
• Level 30+ - 10,000 gold;

Notes

After curing vampirism, you cannot become a vampire again honestly (without using console commands). If you install the official plugin “The Vile Lair”, then treatment is much faster and easier. After recovery, you can repeatedly become infected with Porphyric Hemophilia, which, like a common disease, will only add the negative effect of Drain Fatigue to the hero with a value of 5 pts.

This quest is known for many bugs that arise during its passage, although I personally managed to complete it generally normally, except for the sudden and inexplicable outburst of aggressiveness on the part of Melisande when meeting her for the first time. Some problems can be solved by activating the following quest stages with a console command:

setstage Quest_ID Stage

where Quest_ID - MS40, Stage - stage of the quest (see description of stages).

When setting quest stage 70 using the console, the medicine will not appear in the hero’s inventory by itself; it must be added by the console (the first for the hero, the second for the countess):

player.additem 000977E4 1
player.additem 0009812D 1

Quest Stages (MS40) and Journal Entries

Cure for vampirism:

• 5 “I need to visit the Magic University of the Imperial City in order to ask about the cure for vampirism of Raminus Polus.
• 10 - I need to talk with Count Gassildor from Skingrad, maybe I can get an audience with him if I contact his manager Hal-Liurz.
• 20 - Count Hassildor asked for my help in finding a cure for vampirism. He said that a woman living in the forests near the Corbolo River might know something about the medicine, she needs to be found.
• 30 - I managed to find Melisande, who agreed to prepare a cure for vampirism. But first, she asked me to bring her five empty great soul stones, only after that she would give me further instructions.
• 40 - Melisande received five empty great soul stones. To prepare a cure for vampirism, she needs six cloves of garlic, five nightshade leaves and two sprouts of bloody grass.
• 41 - Melisande gave me a special dagger with which you need to hit any Argonian, and the blood remaining on the dagger will be enough to prepare medicine. I need to find the Argonian, stab him with this dagger and return to Melisande.
• 42 - The last ingredient needed to prepare the medicine is the ashes of a powerful vampire. Melisande said that the remains of Hindaril, imprisoned in a deep cave near the Panther River many years ago, would be suitable.
• 50 “I managed to get the ashes of Hindaril, I need to deliver them to Melisande as soon as possible.”
• 60 - The enchanted dagger is covered in the blood of an Argonian, you must take it to Melisande.
• 70 - Melisande prepared a potion to cure a person from vampirism. She gave me two portions: one was for me, and the other was to be taken to Skingrad Castle. We need to go there and talk to Hal-Liurz.
• 80 - Countess Skingrad is dead. I should speak with Hal-Liurz at Skingrad Castle after the Count stops mourning his wife.
• 100 - Count Hassildor thanked me for my assistance in finding a cure for his wife.

Fans of The Elder Scrolls universe know that, starting with Morrowind, loot obtained in games is tied to level. This applies to both equipment and potions, various ingredients, including soul stones. Therefore, in order to find great soul stones in Oblivion, where the same system works, you should take into account some game nuances.

What are soul stones for?

Soul stones are solid crystal-like formations used to capture the souls of various creatures and subsequent use in improving objects and magically charging already improved ones. Capturing a soul into a stone is done using the School of Mysticism spell “Trap of Souls”, using the corresponding scroll, as well as using a weapon pierced with this spell.

There are plenty of stones in the game, the search for them is an integral part of the gameplay and does not cause any special problems, however, one of the varieties, capable of containing the souls of the largest and most powerful creatures, such as dremora and minotaur lords, is considered the most effective, accordingly, the search for great soul stones in "Oblivion" is more difficult than finding the younger stones.

How to find great soul stones?

Oblivion uses a level system for distributing trophies: it makes sense to look for the best stones only when the character reaches level 12, otherwise a large soul stone can only be obtained in battles (and only if you’re lucky).

If the required level is still far away, but the stones are needed now (usually players need these stones when completing the quest “A Cure for Vampirism”), they will have to run through Cyrodiil, visiting cities, caves, mines and the countryside.

You can start from the ruins of Nornal, where the player will come across three such stones. Not far from the ruins is the village of Drakelow, where the quest character Melissande lives. In the basement of her house you can get hold of one empty stone. At the same time, it’s worth going down into the mine, which is near the village - there is a crystal there too. Going south, to the mouth of the Kamyshovaya River, you need to find the entrance to the Triton Cave. After clearing the dungeon, the stone will be found among the trophies. It should be kept in mind that all these soul stones are generated only at one stage of the quest “A Cure for Vampirism”. At other times you will have to look in other locations.

Regardless of quests and level bindings, great soul stones in Oblivion can be found in the following places:

• Imperial City. On the territory of the University of Magic in the Wizards' Rooms and the Reception Room you can find two empty stones.
• From one of the merchants of the mystical Emporium, which is in the same Imperial City, you can purchase or steal one stone.
• Corrol. Among the items inside the Mages Guild are two more. Angalmo also sells magic items here - one stone is bought from him.
• The remaining stones can be obtained by simultaneously completing the quest “Joining the Mages Guild” and visiting the representative offices of this very guild in all cities: Leyawiin, Anvil, Bruma, Bravil and Cheydinhal.

Quest items

There are two more types of stones that the game perceives as great. This is the Tomato of Souls - an item found only in the Shivering Isles add-on and is unusable. And also the Azura Star, which the player receives after "Azura". The star is only suitable for white souls, but it does not disappear after use, being reusable.

Question: How to connect plugins or modifications?

Answer: Plugins, also known as mods, are thrown into the Oblivion\Data folder. Then run oblivion-launcher.exe and in the “Files” menu, check the box next to this plugin. Then we launch the game.

Question: How to charge soul stones?

Answer: First you need to have an empty soul stone in your pocket. When fighting with a monster (not a person), you need to use the Capture spell on it and kill it before the effect of the spell wears off. If the monster is too strong and the soul stone is too small, the stone will not charge.

Question: Where can I get Black Soul Gem?

Answer: A great black stone is obtained from an ordinary great stone in a special altar (those that are taken by necromancers on mage guild quests). We put a stone in the altar, wait for the full moon on the night (and on a certain night) so that a ray of light hits the altar, and cast the soul capture spell on the altar. We take out the black stone.

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Question: How to remove unnecessary spells from a spellbook?

Answer: Can't delete it at all. You can try looking for plugins.

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Question: What affects the weight of created potions?

Answer: The weight of the starting ingredients, the alchemy skill and the quality of the alchemical apparatus.

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Question: How to become a vampire?

Answer: You need to become infected with vampirism (Porphyric Hemophilia disease). Wait for three days to pass and sleep. You can get infected from contact with a vampire. Vampires can usually be found in various remote caves and abandoned forts. One of your mentors in the Dark Brotherhood will also suggest that you become infected with vampirism.

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Question: How to stop being a vampire?

Answer: In the later stages it is quite difficult to treat. First, go to any magician or priest and ask about vampirism. Find out from him that the Secret University of the Imperial City has its own board. We go to the magician at the University, who is on the board. He will send you to the Count of Skingrad. After talking with Count Dracula's Agronian assistant, you will soon meet him...

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Question: How to join the Dark Brotherhood?

Answer: You need to kill an innocent person and sleep. After this you will be contacted.

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Question: Is it possible to knock down an enemy in battle, and if so, how?

Answer: When the Swords or Bludgeon skill is developed to Expert, a special power attack when you move backwards can knock down an opponent.

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Question: Are there any secret moments in the game?

Answer: Certainly.

First secret: There are two people training near the Arena (not in the building). If you approach them and watch them sparring, you can get +5 to Hand-to-hand combat.

Second secret: In the Transcendental Temple of Blades, if you follow a similar training of two blades in the fresh air, you can get +2 Blades and +2 Blocking.

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Question: How to take screenshots in Oblivion?

Answer: We will need to change one parameter in oblivion.ini which is located in "My Documents/My Games/Oblivion/Oblivion.ini".

We open it using any text editor, for example, the same Notepad. We find the following item in the list:

bAllowScreenShot or using search (ctrl+F), if you don’t use search, then it’s in the Display section.

Change the value of this parameter to 1.

Now, during the game, by clicking on Print Screen, the game will tell us that a screenshot has been taken with that name. Screenshots are saved to the root folder of the game. And they have BMP permission, you need to remove the entire menu to make the screen more complete, to do this you need to press the tilde “~” (i.e. call the command line and type the simple abbreviation TM there)

If you use Antialiasing then you will have to use external programs to take screenshots. I recommend Fraps for these purposes.

1. Talk to Traven to receive your next quest.
2. Travel to the ruins of Silorn to meet the battle mages.
3. Learn about the strategy of battle mages and prepare for an ambush.
4. When the necromancers leave the ruins, attack them.
5. Catch up with Falcar and kill him.
6. Take the Colossal Black Soul Stone.
7. Return to Traven with the stone.

Preparing an ambush against necromancers

Notes

• Necromancers outside can be eliminated using invisibility. Then they will not raise the alarm, but this will not advance the quest. The entire scenario outside the ruins is designed to make you go underground in pursuit of Falcar. Unlocking the entrance to the ruins is a scripted event. It can only be opened in one of two ways.
  - Attract the attention of one of the necromancers patrolling outside. If you are spotted, Falkar will run away and the door will be opened.
  - Talk to Talfin. Once you have completed all three tasks, Falcar will emerge from the ruins a few seconds later.
• Make sure you have a master key or a spell that opens difficult locks before starting this quest. You will need this inside Silorn.
• Until the entire sequence of events involving entering the ruins is triggered, Falcar is not hostile. An attack on him would be considered murder. See bugs.
• Using invisibility and stealth, you can simply steal the soul stone from Falkar, thereby activating the next stage of the quest, which allows you to completely skip the battle and ruins.
• If you are kicked out of the Mages Guild during the quest, Hannibal Traven will still accept the Colossal Black Soul Stone. In addition, he will continue to give tasks after this, regardless of the crimes you have committed.

Bugs

• If you kill Falkar when he is not aggressive, it will be considered a kill and the Dark Brotherhood quest will begin. This can be circumvented by talking to him before attacking.
  - This bug was fixed by the "Unofficial Oblivion Patch".

Diary entries

Number stages	short circuit	Diary entry
10		I need to travel to the south of Cyrodiil and meet with a group of battle mages preparing to storm the ruins of Silorn.
20		I'm in Silorn. Talfin said we won't be able to enter the ruins themselves. I need to help the battle mages ambush the necromancers and wait for them to try to leave.
30		The necromancers of Silorn discovered me. Obviously, they will report everything to Falcar. I need to enter the ruins and find him.
30		Falkar fled to the ruins of Silorn. I need to find him.
90		I managed to get the Black Soul Stone. We must take it to Hannibal Traven at the University of Magic.
100		The Black Soul Stone was delivered to Hannibal Traven.

Notes

• Not all entries may appear in your quest journal; Which entries appear and which do not appear depends on how the job is performed.
• The stages are not always in order. This usually refers to quests that have multiple possible outcomes, or quests where certain tasks can be completed in a random order.
• A checkmark in the "KZ" (End of Task) column means that the task disappears from the list of active ones, but you can still get new records for it.
• You can use the console to advance the quest by entering the code setstage MG17Ambush stage, where stage is the number of the stage you want to complete. Please note that it is not possible to cancel (i.e. go back) stages of a quest. See SetStage for more information.

Locations: University of Magic, Black Fracture Cave
Previous quest:
Next quest:
Reward: Promotion to Magius rank
Good/Infamy: Good Fame +1
ID: MG11NecroMoon

Passage order

1. Talk to Raminus Polus. He wants you to talk to Tar-Mina about the Black Souls.
2. Talk to Tar-Mina, who can be found in the Mystic Archives. She advises finding a book called Necromancer's Moon.
3. Find the book in the lower room of the library on the small table. Give it to Tar-Mina.
4. Return the book to Raminus. He will tell you to talk to Bothiel.
5. Talk to Bothiel. She gives a "Hastily Scrawled Note" which you must return to Raminus.
6. Raminus asks to go to the Black Break cave to observe the ritual of creating Black Soul stones.
7. There are three ways to learn about the ritual:
   - Expectation: Just stay outside the cave until the ritual begins. This happens once a week at midnight (you will see a light on the altar). Just watch.
   - The battle: Enter the cave and find the Worm Anchorite. He will be the first person you meet in the cave, immediately to the left of the entrance. Kill him, then search the body to find a handwritten note explaining the ritual (you can also steal the note). Do not let the necromancer escape deeper into the cave, otherwise the battle will become much more difficult. If you have created a staff of paralysis (or you have a spell/scroll), then paralyze the necromancer first, which will greatly simplify the task.
   - Action: Use the soul trap on the altar yourself when the time is right. This will make you "see necromancers performing a ritual."
8. Once you learn about the ritual or receive the note, return to Raminus.

Anchorite at work

Notes

• The hastily scribbled note that directs you to the Black Rift lists three other locations: Fort Istirus, Fort Linchal, and Wendelbeck. All of these places have altars with black soul stones. All altars can be used to create Black Soul Stones, but the Black Rift is the only place where you can observe necromancers creating them.
• Ask Raminus about progression after this quest, as it is possible to proceed to the "" quest without actually advancing.

Bugs

• The Handwritten Note found on the Worm Anchorite is permanently marked as a quest item and therefore cannot be removed from your inventory after the quest.
  - [PC] This bug was fixed by the "Unofficial Oblivion Patch".
  - This can be resolved using the command console setquestobject 000C7631 0.
• During this quest, Bothiel can disappear endlessly into inaccessible areas.
  - [PC] This bug is fixed by unofficial DLC patches for Oblivion.
  - One solution is to remove the corresponding add-on; Within 24 hours, Bothiel should appear in the archmage's reception room. Complete Moon of the Necromancer, then reinstall the add-on.

Diary entries

Number stages	short circuit	Diary entry
10		I need to go to the Mystic Archives and talk to Tar-Mina.
20		Tar-Meena advised me to find a book called "The Necromancer's Moon". The book is located somewhere in the Arcane University's Mystic Archives.
30		"Necromancer's Moon" has been found. When I consult with Tar-Mina, I will need to take the book to Raminus Polus.
40		I need to find Bothiel at the Arcane University and talk to her about the "Shadow of the Phantom."
45		Bothiel gave me a note that Falcar dropped when he came to talk to her about the Ghost mentioned in the necromantic book. I need to show the note to Raminus Polus.
50		I need to find the Black Rift, south of Cheydinhal, before the next Shadow of the Wraith falls to the ground. You need to track when the “heavenly lights” mentioned in the necromantic book appear.
60		I have found evidence that necromancers are creating black soul stones both near the Black Break cave and in other “sanctuaries” throughout Cyrodiil. We must go to the University of Magic and notify Raminus Polus about this.
60		Before my eyes, necromancers created black soul stones near the Black Break cave. I need to tell Raminus Polus about this.
100		Now Raminus Polus knows about necromancers and black soul stones.

Notes

• Not all entries may appear in your quest journal; Which entries appear and which do not appear depends on how the job is performed.
• The stages are not always in order. This usually refers to quests that have multiple possible outcomes, or quests where certain tasks can be completed in a random order.
• A checkmark in the "KZ" (End of Task) column means that the task disappears from the list of active ones, but you can still get new records for it.
• You can use the console to advance the quest by entering the code setstage MG11NecroMoon stage, where stage is the number of the stage you want to complete. Please note that it is not possible to cancel (i.e. go back) stages of a quest. See SetStage for more information.