Not far from the ship was an actual house. Well, more like a hut, half sunk into the soil. Funnily enough, the door of the hut led us into a small cave.
The occupant inside was an elven mage. "Can it be? After so long? By Selune's blade, I am saved!"
"...Do wolfweres know about Selune?" Imoen wondered aloud, wary.
Hrm, kind of doubtful.
We asked the mage to explain his predicament.
"Forgive me, I have not had guests for several centuries. I am Dradeel, mage and recent convert to the Church of Selune. I was the guide for Badlruan's brave adventures to Anchorome and beyond. That was long ago. I have lived here for countless years, alone except for the occasional skirmishes with the diseased ones. They haven't attacked for some time. They fear me, it seems, but the younger ones refuse to learn the lessons of their fathers. Periodically, I believe it to be every generation or so, they will attack and learn the lessons that those who came before have already learned. I no longer have a taste for battle, but they are abominations not fit for this world. I suspect that they can even be cured of the condition. I write my theories in the diary that I keep. It seems to help me remain balanced amongst this horror."
"Do you mean to say that you sailed with Balduran? My employer would be very interested to meet you. He would like to know what happened," Jaheira explained.
I doubt Mendas really cared. Whatever, it's good for the party to know more about the Balduran. Especially Jaheira since she's in BG3. I kind of regret not having Minsc with us now.
"We sailed to far Anchorome, two hundred strong. We returned with half of our brethren dead on the Golden Land's shores. But Balduran was ever the successful adventurer. He wrested a king's ransom in treasure from the Cursed Lord of Anchorome before we were forced back to the ship and expelled from their shores. The Cursed Lord's power haunts me still. Those monstrosities out there are the product of our travails in Anchorome . 'Twas a bitter wind that carried us homeward and we reveled not in our newfound wealth. We came upon this island quite by accident and stopped to renew our dwindling supply of fresh water. I led the landing party while Balduran set the remaining crew to repairing the sails and fishing for fresh food. My party was hardly out of earshot of the ship when the curse struck. The blood still stains my robes…"
"Excuse me for interrupting, but your robes seem to be perfectly clean to me."
Dradeel shook his head. "No, I can feel it. It covers me…"
He paused, seemed to zone out. No, he really had zoned out. Was it trauma or...
"Uh, okay… you were saying?" Jaheira bade hm continue.
"They changed, of course. It was so sudden. We were speaking about what we intended to do when we arrived home. Galan died first, his throat torn open by one of the changed men. I couldn't tell who killed him, of course, since they were unrecognizable in their changed forms."
So the curse of lycanthrophy came from the Cursed Lord of Anchorome. Well, knowing this doesn't help us much.
Dradeel continued his story. "I reached for the want that I carried in my robes, but the abominations moved too quickly. Of the ten sailors in my party, seven were lycanthropes. We had no chance. Two of them leaped at me even while the others feasted on the bodies of my other sailors. I cast lightning with my wand and killed one of the shapeshifters. The other wolf hit me with great force. I was thrown back against a tree and I knew no more."
Dradeel closed his yes and sighed. "I awoke in the dark, several hours later. At first, I believed I was dead, but when I tried to rise, the pain in my head dispelled that myth. There was blood everywhere. So much blood. The body of the lycanthrope I had killed lay several feet away, draped over Galan's ravaged corpse. I retched at the sight of my friend, so cruelly killed.
I cast one of the few spells I had, invisibility, wagering that if a lycanthrope caught scent of me, they would believe that they were smelling nothing more than a corpse. I crawled painfully back to the beach. The ship was half sunk in the surf, a huge hole in her side, as if a giant had punched through her in a rage. There was a smoldering fire on the deck and in that sickly light I could see the bodies of the ship's crew, gutted and hung in the rigging like so much meat. Sickened and in despair, I crawled back into the woods.
Dawn arrived and I came upon this ancient village. This hut was sunk in the sandy soil, and I crawled inside to hide and barred the way behind me with my final spell. After a short and fretful sleep I managed to find where the hut had broken through into this cave. To this point, I have survived on this freshwater stream and a peculiar sightless fish that lives in the calm pools below.
In these three hundred years I have found some favor with Selune. She has granted me a few spells and wards to better protect my precarious home. I haven't left these caves for many years as I haven't the power to defend myself long. Mayhaps you could remedy that."
And there it was, after ALL that exposition, the request for aid. We didn't really see a reason to turn the mage down.
"Truly, I am in your debt. The lycanthropes' lair is in Balduran's ship. My spellbook lies within. With it, I am a a powerful mage. Without it, I am the pauper that stands before you. These few wards I cast are gifts of pity from Selune. I have turned to the goddess in my fear and solitude. Perhaps my lengthy imprisonment is but a penance so that I might become worthy of the goddess. I digress. With my spellboook retrieved, I may be able to discover a way off of the island. I f yougo to destroy the lycanthropes' lair, I would ask that you find my book."
"Where might this book be found in the ship?"
"My spellbook is in a chest in my cabin. The cabin is next to Badluran's on the level just below the decks. Please hurry back with it. This amulet is all that I can offer you as protection against the lycanthropes. Should you need to rest, I hope that my humble abode will serve you well."
The Wolfsbane Charm that he gave us granted the wearer bonus +2 Thac0 and damage vs lycanthropes. Excellent for our needs.
Dradeel's hut, uh, cave had a number of interesting items: Belladonna flowers, Staff Mace +2, Holy Cloak (for Delainy, what was it doing here?), and "The Recipes and Ruminations of One Dradeel of Tethir"
The recipe book was filled with recipes of Dradeel's creation (most of which were awful, especially the Belladonna Bun-cake), but also included his notes on how to dispel the lycanthropy plague:
"Curative Ingredients for the Dispelling of Lycanthropy
Mother's family recipe
Notes: Mother's topical salve is a rather large failure. Research further with the following in mind: The creatures on this isle are unusual beyond their splitting into two factions. Theirs is an odd curse, one that defies the traditional remedies (such as the unfortunately dangerous muffins previous), though one is not without hope. The exotic origin of the original stock suggest a unique enchantment, not unlike that of the more widely known vampiric afflictions. The casual bite might be averted using such things as the belladonna flower, but an intentional infection could actually require the extermination of the leader of the clan. This is merely conjecture of course, as I have been unable to examine said leader. Despite my strange immunity, his is a strength that could still inflict a measure of serious damage upon my physical form. He and I have spoken on occasion, though his tolerance of me is no more resilient than mine is of him.
Further notes to myself: Future offerings of peace to either of the wolven clans should not take the form of muffins of any sort. "
"So it looks like belladonna isn't going to be enough to cure this form of lycanthropy. Only the death of the leader would suffice," I concluded. "Also, we have more confirmation that both factions are lycanthropes of some sort," I said eyeing Jaheira again.
Jaheira still refused to look at me.