Bear Riders' Tales
Timo's Tail Tale
"I don't suppose you could help me with a small problem I'm having?" Timo asked the Hero of Kvatch. "It's all very embarrassing, really. I keep getting a strange urge to scratch behind my ear ... with my foot. Not to mention trying to lick places I can't reach. And it's changed the way I ... er... approach the girls."
"So when did it start?"
"It all started after I got bitten by that wolf. The wound healed quickly, but it itched for days, and then the urges started."
The Hero assured Timo that he'd do what he could, and went to talk to Pala, whom he'd noticed in the bar.
"He has been acting a bit differently recently." Pala agreed. "It's not all 'missionary' any more, and he's learned to use his tongue."
"Not so sure about all the sniffing and howling, though." she continued, looking a bit disgusted at that thought.
Gudrun had much the same to say. "Now that you mention it, he has developed a few new tricks recently. I like the variety, so I'm not complaining. But you say he's doing other wolf-like things? That's not so good. Maybe that friend at the University can look it up for you."
That was a good idea. The friend she was referring to was Tar-Meena, the librarian at the Mystic Archives. Her research on the spell books was, in part, responsible for the Riders' Lodge being built, so Gudrun regarded her as a friend of the Riders, even though she'd never met her herself.
Tar-Meena recognized the symptoms right away. "An Argonian woman I knew had the same problem. Lesser Lycanthropy."
"You're probably aware of Hircine's Curse, or Greater Lycanthropy. It's a disease that actually turns you into a wolf, or other predator," she remarked. "You get to be a hunter and hunted at the same time, so it fits Hircine's idea of sport."
She frowned as she continued. "Lesser Lycanthropy is Sheogorath's doing. You only think you're a wolf or dog, and make an idiot of yourself. Beewos caught it. I don't know if you've met her, but it drove her insane before it could be cured."
"So there is a cure?"
"Yes, it's not all that hard to cure it, if you can do it in time. You should talk to Bothiel and Julienne Fanis about it. I gather there are ingredients to gather and something about a full moon is involved."
Julienne knew about Lesser Lycanthropy. "You'll need to talk with Bothiel about timing, but I can tell you the ingredients you'll need. The main one is Nightshade, and we have that growing right here, but all the others are meat. Any three of Beef, Boar, Ham, Mutton, Rat or Venison. And Daedra hearts are another option, if you can find them."
Bothiel was also familiar with it. "Did you talk to Julienne about ingredients already? That's only half the cure. The rest is determined by the phases of the moons. Go gather the ingredients while I check my charts. Everything must be done at the right time!"
As Julienne said, there was Nightshade growing right outside the door of the Lustratorium, but the meat would have to be found further afield. The Taverns in the city would probably have some of those, and Boar and Deer roamed the island outside. It didn't take long to gather what was needed. While Julienne busied herself with the alchemy, he went to consult Bothiel again.
"Everything appears to be linked to the lunar cycle, but it's not too complicated. A full moon will make the symptoms worse, and that's exactly the time the potion won't work." she explained
"I wonder if that's what happened with Beewos"
"Possibly, but more likely she just waited too long before looking for a cure. If Timo just avoids a full moon, he'll be fine! Julienne should have the potion ready as soon as you get back to her."
Julienne had indeed completed the potion. She warned that Timo might not be himself when the moons were full, and it was important not to let him take it then. Perhaps letting someone else administer it was the prudent approach?
Gudrun took the bottle. "So I need to make sure it's not a full moon when Timo takes this? I can do that."
She walked outside and looked up at the sky. With two moons to deal with, she didn't expect to remember their phases. Unfortunately it was cloudy, and she couldn't see them. "That won't last" she said, hopefully. "As soon as it clears, we'll know if its safe".
It was several days later that he passed through Bruma again. long enough for Timo to have taken the cure.
"Well, it appears to be cured. When I want to scratch behind my ear, I use my hand now." Timo told him. "But somehow the women smell different, better actually. I suppose I learned a few things from my inner dog!"
Over Timo's shoulder, he could see Gudrun and Ystrel nodding vigorously in agreement. Then they dissolved into laughter that Timo didn't quite understand. "What did I say?"