“Laudanum” is a side quest in The Outskirts region of Valor Mortis. An old lady who claims to run a sick house for unwell children asks you to bring her a bottle of laudanum to ease their pain, but the children locked inside tell a very different story.
To complete the quest you need to find the bottle of laudanum in Barnaby's house and bring it back to her. Along the way you can choose to poison it, which changes how the quest ends and what you get. Poisoning it gets you the Potent Concoction Amber, and leaving it untouched gets you a Mythic Catalyst Clot (2,000 Catalysts). Either way, completing the quest unlocks the “A Bitter Cure” Trophy/Achievement.
This guide walks you through every step, including the optional poison and both endings.
Starting the Quest
The “Laudanum” side quest can be started by talking to the Old Lady through the door of her house in The Outskirts, just before the shortcut bridge back to the "Island of Whispers" Lantern.
She will ask you to bring her a bottle of laudanum for the sick children, and tells you that a local drunk called Barnaby had a whole stash of it.
The Poison (Optional) Missable
Before you pick up the laudanum, go around to the back of the house and talk to the children through the door. They will tell you that the old lady keeps all the laudanum for herself and is leaving them to die, and ask you to slip some rat poison into her bottle.
Choose "Agree." to get the Poison-Filled Bottle. When you pick up the laudanum afterwards it will automatically be mixed with the poison.
This step is required if you want the Potent Concoction Amber. It has a max rank of 3 and there are only 3 in the game, so you need this one to fully upgrade it.
Getting the Laudanum
The Bottle of Laudanum can be found in Barnaby's house, directly beside the "Market Square" Lantern.
In the building with the shortcut ladder beside the Lantern, go up the ladder, into the door on the left and drop down the hole in the floor to find the Bottle of Laudanum.
Returning to the Old Lady
Take the bottle back to the Old Lady and give it to her through the door.
After giving her the bottle you will have to rest at any Lantern. When you return to the house, the door will be open.
- If you DIDN'T poison the bottle, the old lady and the children are dead. Interact with her body on the bed to complete the side quest.
- If you DID poison the bottle, the old lady is dead and the children have escaped. Go upstairs and read the Sick Child's Diary on the floor to complete the side quest and get the Potent Concoction Amber.
Quest Rewards
Completing “Laudanum” rewards you with:
- Potent Concoction Amber if you poisoned the laudanum (using a Ferrofluid Flask restores Nephtoglobin as well as Health)
- Mythic Catalyst Clot (2,000 Catalysts) if you didn't
- “A Bitter Cure” Trophy/Achievement (You get this Trophy no matter what option you choose).
