There are quite a few questlines that can be accessed in the early game that can be hugely beneficial to the player. Mainly because they offer access to legendary items, and The Beast of Balaur is one such quest.
Found in the unassuming town of Parlita, you'll want to talk to a local resident worried about a missing person. This will send you up Mount Balaur in search of Iancu.
How To Start This Quest
As mentioned, you'll want to head to Parlita, a small village just southeast of the Military Camp where you'll find Mert. Once here, you'll want to head into a house on the north side of town marked on the map above, where you'll find Ciprian in a state of worry.
Important: You'll want to start this quest at night, as this is the only way to get all the legendary loot hidden in the cave you'll need to explore.
Talk to him and ask about Mount Balaur, and you can then offer to go search for him. This will mark the map with a rough location of Iancu's whereabouts.
Entering The Cave
After you arrive at Mount Balaur, you'll come to find that there are tracks leading into a cave nearby. Follow these using focus mode, and then enter the cave, where you'll find the titular Beast of Balaur.
This is a boss version of a hellhound, but is honestly pretty laughably easy to take down, as there is only one enemy and it behaves much like a basic wolf. So, you should have no trouble killing it.
Once you have slain the Beast, you'll notice an altar where you'll find a note to Iancu, confirming the bones are his, and that he is no longer among the living. However, it's not time to head back to Parlita just yet.
Note: If committing to the three time notch cost to loot the corpse would push you into the daytime, avoid doing this until you follow the steps below.
Finding The Secret Legendary Loot
If you enter focus mode and look around the cave, you may notice a platform above. You'll want to use Shadowstep to phase up there, and then, as you enter deeper, you'll find a secret lair.
This just so happens to be the cave where Brencis plotted his uprising, and you'll find various trinkets belonging to him, along with notes from Isbrand. However, the real standout items are the Phial of Brencis Blood, and Gladius.
Gladius is a legendary weapon which is staggeringly powerful against humans, offering a great option for a night build that uses a sword instead of claws.
Then Brencis Blood can be consumed to up your corruption stat significantly. It also unlocks the Mesmerize Vampire Ability. This essentially allows you to take control of enemies and have them fight for you.
After this, you can return to Parlita and Ciprian to complete the quest, where you will gain a small payment of Denarius, and 250XP for completing the quest.
