Non-Magical Ravenloft Lycanthropy Cure

CURING LYCANTHROPY IN RAVENLOFT

RING AROUND THE WEREWOLF

First of all, capture the beast by beating it down with ash clubs, and bind it with leather taken from virgin ewes, butchered under the noonday sun. Make three slashes in it's forehead to render it powerless and bind it to it's beastial shape, and confine the beast in a shed whose walls are made of ash.

Wait until the day before the new moon, feeding the beast the flesh of cattle butchered past thier prime. Although expensive and tedious, this must be done to save the soul of the man who is trapped within the shell of the beast.

Gather together at least 5 virgins of marriagable age, over half of whom must be having thier monthlies, and take them to the top of a hill where a stout ash stake has been hammered into the ground. They must fast the first night, and at dawn, urinate into a bucket. They must then eat a meal of fish and cheese, drinking only cold spring water. The urine must be mixed with wolvesbane and hemlock.

The beast must be shaved and brought to the top of the hill and chained to the ash post with chains and manacles made of cold forged iron. Once chained, the maids must strip naked and don garlands of wolvesbane and hemlock, and must dance beneath the dark sky in circle as 10 men build eight bonfires of ash and oak. Each woman must hold a switch made of willow vines, looped over into a U, with the bent end tied with a sprig of flowering wolvesbane. As they dance, the women must strike the beast with their wands, making sure they do not draw blood, only one women per circling, and never any woman before all have taken their turn. If the blood of the beast is drawn, the night is wasted.

Every fifth circling, the wands must be dipped into the mixture in the bucket, and the women must chant while they circle:

'Man refuse the beast 'Beast leave this man 'Rejoin your family 'Return to your pack 'Return your home 'Return to the wild 'Break this bond 'Refuse this joining 'Spirit of Evil depart 'Eyes of darkness turn away 'One becomes two 'And go your seperate ways

When dawn breaks, the women must rest, being shaded by deerskin and branches of oak, and new willow strips must be gathered by children dressed in gay colors wearing hats festooned with wildflowers. The women must drink spring water and eat fish and bread. As the sun sets, they must urinate again into the bucket, and the wolvesbane and hemlock remixed.

This procedure must be repeated through the new moon. On the night after the new moon, when the first sliver of the moon crests, the wolf may tear away from the man, and attempt to flee. He must be allowed to, for if he is caged, he will die, and if he dies or is killed, his spirit will mix with all of the maidens, causing their children to be born werebeasts. The man may live, and if he does, he will forever be shunned by wolves and dogs, and hated by cats.

Game Mechanics

Base chance is:

• 35% for a true lycanthrope
• 65% for an infencted being
• -5% for every night it is cloudy
• +10% for a ring around the old or slivered moon
• -4% for every woman of evil alignment
• -2% for every woman of chaotic alignment
• -1% for every woman of nuetral alignment
• -25% for every non-virgin woman
• -5% for each clothed woman
• -30% if the lycanthrope is tortured before the ceremony
• -10% if the chant is misdone for each verse misquoted
• -20% if any or all of the woman are clothed
• +5% if the men are of good alignment
• 50% chance of the being dying when the beast seperates

If anything is left out, the ritual will fail. All who participate in the ritual have a 22% chance of failing a Ravenloft Powers check. If the victim dies, all automatically fail that check.

Yes, it's tough and complicated, but curing something as powerfull as lycanthropy should not be easy. If the players manage to pull it off, they deserve something specail. Of course, if the victim was a true lycanthrope who did not volunteer, they've earned themselves an eternal enemy.