Main story #7Level 9
Quest giver Gurcant
in Middle La Noscea
Gurcant sends you to Rhotwyda
in the orchard, sure she knows where blackloam is found. Neither of them tells you where it comes from. His idle line says he has fifty years of farming behind him.
Plants the first threads: the tattooed men spying on the farm and Sevrin
's betrayal lead to the Serpent Reavers.
seeks fertile soil to improve the yields of his newly plowed fields. is knowledgeable about blackloam. Seek her in the orchard and ask her about this special soil. knows where blackloam may be found, she refuses to do the obtaining herself. In her stead, gather three bushels of blackloam from the lair of aurochs known as the Cookpot.
at Tiller's Rest. is overjoyed upon seeing the blackloam, but becomes coy when you express your curiosity at the soil's origins. Hopefully it is nothing to soil oneself over.Next in the play order: Plowshares to Swords. Pfrewahl has sworn to Staelwyrn
that he fights no more, so he sends you to get the tools back.
The lines worth a second look, in the order you hear them, and what each one means.
Well, surely you figured it out on your own from the cloying stench! It comes from the aurochs' lair, of all places!
Nobody says what blackloam really is. Pfrewahl's jokes about its 'cloying stench' and the aurochs' lair say it for them. The journal ends on a toilet pun.
The Cookpot is a patch of land with a strange wall of stone around it. That is why the locals started calling it the Cookpot.
The dialogue only hints at it. The blackloam item's own description says it plainly: 'Quite literally a steaming sack of shite.'
Gurcant's idle line goes: 'Fifty years of farming have taught me the songs of the soil and the words of the wind'. And now the men come in from the sea to hear them.
Further Afield was the quest from Gurcant that used to lead into this one. Patch 5.3 removed it while cutting down the A Realm Reborn main story quests.
The title is a pun on 'lawn maintenance', which means taking care of a lawn. Loam is rich farm soil. It is exactly what Gurcant wants for his fields.
Who they are, and what they do in this quest.
Gurcant worries about his newly plowed fields: the crops are growing too slowly. He wishes he had blackloam, a rich soil.
Gurcant sends you to Rhotwyda in the orchard, sure she knows where blackloam is found. Neither of them tells you where it comes from. His idle line says he has fifty years of farming behind him.
Pfrewahl works the land at Tiller's Rest, where the dirt is so poor that even the weeds wither and die.
Pfrewahl is overjoyed by the blackloam. He has not seen any in ages and expects a fine harvest. Laughing, he tells you it comes from the aurochs' lair, and its stench says the rest. He thanks you.
The game was written in Japanese and rewritten, not just translated, for each language. Here is what the other versions say, next to the English.
| Japanese | 芳しき陸の勇者 ‘The Fragrant Hero of the Land’ |
|---|---|
| French | Les mains dedans ‘Hands In It’ |
| German | Naturdünger ‘Natural Fertiliser’ |
That Gurcant's got a head of cabbage if he thinks I'm fetchin' him any blackloam!
Aaah, tu veux dire de l'humus frais !
‘Aaah, you mean fresh humus!’
English: Gurcant has a head of cabbage; French: she mocks Gurcant's lisp, «humuch» for «humus».
That Gurcant's got a head of cabbage if he thinks I'm fetchin' him any blackloam!
Ja, die können wir gut gebrauchen.
‘Yes, we can certainly use it.’
それは気の毒に……まあ、あなたが気にしないなら、こっちは大歓迎よ。
‘That's a pity for you...’
English: Gurcant has a head of cabbage if he thinks she'll fetch any; German: they can certainly use the soil.
English: Gurcant has a head of cabbage if he thinks she'll fetch any; Japanese: she pities you for being asked.
That Gurcant's got a head of cabbage if he thinks I'm fetchin' him any blackloam!
Tu en as de la veine de te coltiner ce travail, toi.
‘Aren't you the lucky one, getting saddled with that job.’
French has her mock your "luck" in getting the job; English has her refuse to fetch it herself.
That Gurcant's got a head of cabbage if he thinks I'm fetchin' him any blackloam!
Wenn du dir nicht zu fein dafür bist, deine Hände schmutzig zu machen, nur zu!
‘If you're not too refined to get your hands dirty, go right ahead!’
German has her welcome your help if you don't mind dirty hands; no refusal or cabbage insult.
...Oh, don't tell me Gurcant and Rhotwyda neglected to mention where blackloam comes from.
Wer könnte es ihnen auch übel nehmen?
‘Who could hold it against them, really?’
English: Gurcant and Rhotwyda never said where blackloam comes from; German: who could blame them, given the strong stench.
Well, surely you figured it out on your own from the cloying stench! It comes from the aurochs' lair, of all places!
このずっしり湿り気を帯びた塊、そして、ねっとり粘り着くような臭気……そう、これはオーロックスの……
‘This heavy, damp lump, and this sticky, clinging stench... yes, this is the aurochs'...’
Ceci dit, ce n'est pas difficile à deviner. Cette consistance légèrement humide... cette puanteur tenace... Oui, tu as bien compris, c'est de la bouse d'aurochs !
‘That said, it's not hard to guess. This slightly damp texture... this stubborn stench... Yes, you got it right, it's aurochs dung!’
Aber die weiche Konsistenz und die nährreichen Inhaltsstoffe sind einfach perfekt. Es geht doch nichts über Auerochsendu... äh ...
‘But the soft texture and the rich nutrients are just perfect. Nothing beats aurochs du-... er...’
Pfrewahl stops just before he names the soil, while the English says where it comes from. He thanks you for your self-sacrifice, not just your efforts.
Pfrewahl says it outright, where the English only hints at it.
Pfrewahl breaks off in the middle of Auerochsendung, 'aurochs dung', when the word is all but said.
Well, surely you figured it out on your own from the cloying stench! It comes from the aurochs' lair, of all places!
Es geht doch nichts über Auerochsendu... äh ...
‘Nothing beats aurochs du... er ...’
English says it comes from the aurochs' lair; German breaks off mid-word, nearly saying aurochs dung.
Ahem, well, why dwell on who misled whom about what? What matters is that your efforts have brought us the blackloam, and we can expect a bountiful harvest as a result. Thank you!
とにかく、あんたの自己犠牲の精神に感謝するよ！
‘Anyway, thank you for your spirit of self-sacrifice!’
Ahem, well, why dwell on who misled whom about what? What matters is that your efforts have brought us the blackloam, and we can expect a bountiful harvest as a result. Thank you!
Ignorant lebt es sich häufig besser.
‘The ignorant often live better.’
いや、世の中には、知らない方が幸せなこともある。
‘No, in this world there are things it's happier not to know.’
English: why dwell on who misled whom; German: ignorance often makes for a better life.
English: why dwell on who misled whom; Japanese: some things are better left unknown.
Highlighted words have a note: click one to open it under the line.
Blast! At this rate, the crops will never be ready for harvest.
If only we had blackloam... Just a bit could send our stalks soaring!
I'll bet Rhotwyda knows where you might find some. Perhaps you might pay her a visit in the orchard?
Aaah, tu veux dire de l'humus frais !
‘Aaah, you mean fresh humus!’
English: Gurcant has a head of cabbage; French: she mocks Gurcant's lisp, «humuch» for «humus».
Ja, die können wir gut gebrauchen.
‘Yes, we can certainly use it.’
Japaneseそれは気の毒に……まあ、あなたが気にしないなら、こっちは大歓迎よ。
‘That's a pity for you...’
English: Gurcant has a head of cabbage if he thinks she'll fetch any; German: they can certainly use the soil.
English: Gurcant has a head of cabbage if he thinks she'll fetch any; Japanese: she pities you for being asked.
Tu en as de la veine de te coltiner ce travail, toi.
‘Aren't you the lucky one, getting saddled with that job.’
French has her mock your "luck" in getting the job; English has her refuse to fetch it herself.
Wenn du dir nicht zu fein dafür bist, deine Hände schmutzig zu machen, nur zu!
‘If you're not too refined to get your hands dirty, go right ahead!’
German has her welcome your help if you don't mind dirty hands; no refusal or cabbage insult.
But if you dare to pinch some from the Cookpot, then be my guest. Just mind you don't get trampled upon by the aurochs that dwell there.
Once you've three bushels' worth, take the blackloam to Pfrewahl at Tiller's Rest. He'll know what to do.
Argh, even the weeds wither and die in this desolate dirt.
But a bit of this blackloam ought to change all that! I haven't seen any in ages. Gathering blackloam's not for the weak of will...nor the weak of stomach, eh? Hahaha!
...Oh, don't tell me Gurcant and Rhotwyda neglected to mention where blackloam comes from.
Wer könnte es ihnen auch übel nehmen?
‘Who could hold it against them, really?’
English: Gurcant and Rhotwyda never said where blackloam comes from; German: who could blame them, given the strong stench.
Well, surely you figured it out on your own from the cloying stench! It comes from the aurochs' lair, of all places!
Nobody says what blackloam really is. Pfrewahl's jokes about its 'cloying stench' and the aurochs' lair say it for them. The journal ends on a toilet pun.
このずっしり湿り気を帯びた塊、そして、ねっとり粘り着くような臭気……そう、これはオーロックスの……
‘This heavy, damp lump, and this sticky, clinging stench... yes, this is the aurochs'...’
FrenchCeci dit, ce n'est pas difficile à deviner. Cette consistance légèrement humide... cette puanteur tenace... Oui, tu as bien compris, c'est de la bouse d'aurochs !
‘That said, it's not hard to guess. This slightly damp texture... this stubborn stench... Yes, you got it right, it's aurochs dung!’
GermanAber die weiche Konsistenz und die nährreichen Inhaltsstoffe sind einfach perfekt. Es geht doch nichts über Auerochsendu... äh ...
‘But the soft texture and the rich nutrients are just perfect. Nothing beats aurochs du-... er...’
Pfrewahl stops just before he names the soil, while the English says where it comes from. He thanks you for your self-sacrifice, not just your efforts.
Pfrewahl says it outright, where the English only hints at it.
Pfrewahl breaks off in the middle of Auerochsendung, 'aurochs dung', when the word is all but said.
Es geht doch nichts über Auerochsendu... äh ...
‘Nothing beats aurochs du... er ...’
English says it comes from the aurochs' lair; German breaks off mid-word, nearly saying aurochs dung.
Ahem, well, why dwell on who misled whom about what? What matters is that your efforts have brought us the blackloam, and we can expect a bountiful harvest as a result. Thank you!
とにかく、あんたの自己犠牲の精神に感謝するよ！
‘Anyway, thank you for your spirit of self-sacrifice!’
Ignorant lebt es sich häufig besser.
‘The ignorant often live better.’
Japaneseいや、世の中には、知らない方が幸せなこともある。
‘No, in this world there are things it's happier not to know.’
English: why dwell on who misled whom; German: ignorance often makes for a better life.
English: why dwell on who misled whom; Japanese: some things are better left unknown.