Quest Explained Wiki

Main story #4Level 5

Lurkers in the Grotto

Quest giver Staelwyrn in Middle La Noscea

Summary and analysis

SummaryAnalysis

Staelwyrn worries his ex-pirate farmhands may be tempted back to piracy. He agrees the knife points to pirates. He vouches for Y'shtola, who often studies aether (magic energy) near Summerford. He thanks you. His name means 'Still Snake' in old Roegadyn.

Summerford Farms and the traitor Sevrin

Plants the first threads: the tattooed men spying on the farm and Sevrin's betrayal lead to the Serpent Reavers.

Pirates and the AdmiralThe Arcanist’s art

What happens, step by step

  1. Staelwyrn, the owner of Summerford Farms, has a task for a competent adventurer.
  2. The farmhands report that a gang of savage-looking men with tattooed faces has been loitering in the vicinity of the farm, watching. The farmhands believe the unwelcome visitors to be the rumored kidnappers, and the resulting atmosphere of unease has taken a considerable toll on the farm's productivity. Make your way to Seasong Grotto, and investigate the area reported to be the tattooed thugs' den.
  3. At Seasong Grotto, your encounter with a woman bearing a strange contraption is suddenly interrupted by the charge of an enraged goobbue.
  4. After discovering a seafarer's knife lodged in the defeated creature's back, the woman seems convinced that the perpetrators of the kidnappings are pirates. Return to Summerford Farms and present your findings to Staelwyrn.
  5. Staelwyrn assures you that the lady you encountered at the grotto is unconnected with the abductions, and concurs with her theory concerning the likely involvement of pirates. After thanking you for your part in the investigation, the farmer bids you to continue helping those in need for the good of Limsa Lominsa.
Where it leads

Next in the play order: Yarzon, Yarzoff. Ostfyr is pained that travelers reach his gates hurt by yarzons at the Rogue River, but needs every man to hold the garrison.

Key lines explained

The lines worth a second look, in the order you hear them, and what each one means.

Accepting the quest

Y'shtolaCultured Conjurer: Thus reads the Sailors' Requiem carved into yonder stone.
Remember this

The 'Cultured Conjurer' with the strange machine is Y'shtola. Y'shtola comes back at steps 9, 19, 21 and 28. Note how she reacts when you mention a 'towering crystal'.

More about this quest

LoreBeast tribes and primals

The voice in your vision is Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal. The world is named after her. Her call to claim the Crystals of Light is the heart of the story.

Easter egg

Staelwyrn gives you this quest. The name Staelwyrn comes from the old Roegadyn language, where it means 'Still Snake'.

Final Fantasy nod

The crazed goobbue you fight is a monster from an older Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XI. It was brought into this game with the same look.

In-game text

The knife's item text says: 'from cutting rope to removing barnacles, from gutting fish to gutting boarders'. The last job is on people, not fish. Boarders are enemies who climb onto a ship.

Patch change

Patch 5.3 removed Further Afield, a quest from Gurcant that this one used to unlock. That was part of the cuts to the A Realm Reborn main story quests.

Characters

Who they are, and what they do in this quest.

Staelwyrn

Staelwyrn needs a capable adventurer: tattooed strangers are spying on his farmhands, who fear they are the rumored kidnappers.

Staelwyrn worries his ex-pirate farmhands may be tempted back to piracy. He agrees the knife points to pirates. He vouches for Y'shtola, who often studies aether (magic energy) near Summerford. He thanks you. His name means 'Still Snake' in old Roegadyn.

Y'shtola

You meet a woman called only the 'Cultured Conjurer' at Seasong Grotto. She carries a strange contraption and reads the sailors' prayer carved in stone there.

Her name is Y'shtola; she studies aether and hunts the kidnappers too. After you beat an enraged goobbue together, she finds a sailor's knife in it and suspects pirates. Your talk of a towering crystal surprises her. Staelwyrn vouches for her.

Other languages

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シーソング石窟に潜む者
‘Those Lurking in Seasong Grotto’
FrenchCoup de poignard dans le dos
‘A Dagger Stab in the Back’
GermanBis es mich im Tod umfängt
‘Until It Embraces Me in Death’
English, Staelwyrn

Ah, your name. That aura of confidence tells me you've not been idle since last we met.

French

Tu m'as l'air de t'habituer à nos vergers, malgré tous les problèmes qui peuvent s'y produire.

‘You look like you're getting used to our orchards, despite all the problems that can happen there.’

English says your confidence shows you have kept busy; French says you are getting used to the orchards despite problems.

English, Y'shtola

???: I am the waves that bear. I am the winds that guide.

German

Ich bin der Wind, der Gischt auf alle Wellen schlägt.

‘I am the wind that beats spray onto all the waves.’

English says the winds that guide; German says the wind that beats spray onto all the waves.

English, Staelwyrn

Needless to say, they're beside 'emselves with worry, and their work's sufferin' for it─which is the very last thing I need when my old crewmen are still gettin' used to their new jobs. 'Tis a struggle to get 'em to leave the farmhouse of a mornin'.

German

Jetzt muss ich mich nicht nur mit den Faulpelzen unter meinen Arbeitern herumschlagen, sondern auch noch mit den aktiven Freibeutern, die die Fleißigeren verängstigen.

‘Now I have to deal not only with the lazybones among my workers, but also with the active freebooters who frighten the more diligent ones.’

English says the farmhands are beside themselves with worry; German speaks of active freebooters frightening the diligent workers.

English, Staelwyrn

I suggest you begin by havin' a look around Seasong Grotto. If reports are to be believed, our unwelcome visitors have occupied the place.

German

Am besten siehst du dich mal bei der Klagegrotte um.

‘You'd best have a look around the Grotto of Lament.’

Klage means 'lament' or 'wailing', a name that suits the sailors' requiem carved there.

English, Y'shtola

???: I am the evening stars. I am the morning sky. I am born of the sea. And there shall I die.

German

Das Morgenrot, dem Meer geboren, bis es mich im Tod umfängt.

‘The dawn, born of the sea, until it embraces me in death.’

The title is the last line of the sailors' requiem that Y'shtola recites.

English, Y'shtola

???: I am the evening stars. I am the morning sky. I am born of the sea. And there shall I die.

French

Je suis l'étoile qui brille dans la nuit, Je suis le calme blanc du matin.

‘I am the star that shines in the night, I am the dead calm of the morning.’

French verse speaks of the morning's dead calm, a windless sea, instead of the morning sky.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Thus reads the Sailors' Requiem carved into yonder stone.

Japanese

神秘的な幻術士: その碑石に刻まれた、船乗りたちの鎮魂歌よ。

‘Speaker Mysterious Conjurer: It is the sailors' requiem carved into that stone.’

This is the name shown over Y'shtola's lines in this quest.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Thus reads the Sailors' Requiem carved into yonder stone.

French

C'est le chant marin qui est inscrit sur cette pierre.

‘It is the sea song that is inscribed on this stone.’

English names it the Sailors' Requiem; French calls it simply the sea song, with no requiem.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Such words well describe the manner in which the citizens of Limsa Lominsa live their lives.

French

Miqo'te mystérieuse: Naître dans la mer, et mourir en elle... Cette philosophie de vie correspond bien aux Limséens, tu ne trouves pas ?

‘Speaker Mysterious Miqo'te: To be born in the sea, and to die in it... This way of life suits the Limsans well, don't you think?’

German

Mysteriöse Druidin: Für das Meer geboren und wieder zu ihm zurückgekehrt. Das ist das Leben in den Augen der Limser.

‘Speaker Mysterious Druid: Born for the sea and returned to it again. That is life in the eyes of the Limsans.’

Only English makes her 'cultured', while French and German keep 'mysterious', as in 'mysterious Miqo'te'. No published reason was found.

English, Staelwyrn

...Hm? You met someone else at the grotto? A woman with a strange contraption...? Ah...Y'shtola!

Japanese

……珍妙な機械を持った女性を見ただと?その者なら「ヤ・シュトラ」とかいう賢人だろう。

‘You saw a woman with an odd machine? That must be the sage called Y'shtola.’

Staelwyrn and the journal call her a 賢人 (kenjin). The English gives her no rank, only her name and aether studies.

English, Staelwyrn

She's been in Limsa Lominsa for a good while now. Her studies of the aether often bring her out to Summerford, so her presence at the grotto is hardly unusual.

French

Je connais bien cette Limséenne, je la vois souvent inspecter le sol des environs.

‘I know this woman of Limsa well, I often see her inspecting the ground around here.’

French calls her a Limsan, a local; English says only that she has stayed in Limsa a while.

English, Staelwyrn

She's an odd-lookin' lass, I grant you, but she's not the kind to associate with kidnappers. You may take my word for that.

German

Ein bisschen unnahbar ist sie schon, aber glaub mir, entführen würde sie garantiert niemanden.

‘A bit aloof she is, admittedly, but believe me, she would certainly never kidnap anyone.’

English calls her odd-looking; German calls her a bit aloof.

English, Staelwyrn

Where trust should be lackin' is in those yeomen of mine who have yet to wholly relinquish their pirate pasts. The temptation to return to the free and easy life of a buccaneer may prove too strong to resist.

German

Was man von dem Piratenpack nicht annehmen kann.

‘Which one cannot assume of the pirate rabble.’

English distrusts his own workers with pirate pasts; German distrusts the pirate rabble instead.

English, Staelwyrn

You have my thanks, your name. If it weren't for the efforts of stalwart adventurers like yourself, this farm would be in a far worse state than it is.

German

Die Sommerfurt-Höfe stehen dir immer offen.

‘Summerford Farms are always open to you.’

English says the farm would be worse off without adventurers; German says Summerford Farms are always open to you.

English, Staelwyrn

Just you keep on lendin' your talents to those in need, eh? Help bring Limsa the brighter future she deserves.

French

Continue à œuvrer au service des autres, et que les Douze te gardent !

‘Keep working in the service of others, and may the Twelve keep you!’

English asks you to help bring Limsa a brighter future; French wishes that the Twelve keep you.

English, Staelwyrn

Just you keep on lendin' your talents to those in need, eh? Help bring Limsa the brighter future she deserves.

German

Vertrau nur auf deine Fähigkeiten, denn du hast es in dir.

‘Just trust in your abilities, for you have it in you.’

English asks you to keep helping those in need; German tells you to trust your abilities.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: It is both a litany against misfortune for those out on the waves...

French

Miqo'te mystérieuse: Ce chant est une prière à Llymlaen. Les marins arrivés à bon port invoquent sa protection pour leur prochaine traversée.

‘Speaker Mysterious Miqo'te: This song is a prayer to Llymlaen. Sailors who reach port safely ask for her protection on their next crossing.’

The English never names who is prayed to.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: ...and a prayer that the souls of those who perish on land might find their way back to the sea.

German

Und für diejenigen, die ein Leben an Land gewählt haben, dass ihre Seelen dereinst zum Meer zurückfinden mögen.

‘And for those who have chosen a life on land, that their souls may one day find their way back to the sea.’

German prays for those who chose to live ashore, not those who die on land.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Something about you... Your gait, perhaps? Well, no matter.

Japanese

神秘的な幻術士: 後ろ姿が昔の知り合いのように思えて……。すごく懐かしい感じがしたものだから。

‘Mysterious Conjurer: Seen from behind, you looked like someone I knew long ago... It just brought back so many memories.’

French

De dos, j'ai cru reconnaître une vieille connaissance...

‘From behind, I thought I recognised an old acquaintance...’

German

Von hinten hast du jemandem ganz ähnlich gesehen ...

‘From behind you looked very much like someone ...’

Japanese

神秘的な幻術士: 後ろ姿が昔の知り合いのように思えて……。

‘From behind you seemed like an old acquaintance to me...’

Y'shtola explains her mistake, where the English only hints at it.

French says you looked like an old acquaintance from behind; English only wonders about your gait.

German says you resembled someone from behind; English wonders if it was your gait.

Japanese says your back looked like an old acquaintance's; English only wonders about your gait.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Something about you... Your gait, perhaps? Well, no matter.

French

Je me suis soudainement sentie nostalgique...

‘I suddenly felt nostalgic...’

Japanese

すごく懐かしい感じがしたものだから。

‘It gave me a very nostalgic feeling, you see.’

English brushes it off with no matter; French says she suddenly felt nostalgic.

Japanese has her admit strong nostalgia; English has her dismiss the feeling.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: What brings you to this sacred place of seafarers, if I may ask?

German

Seelen ertrunkener Seeleute?

‘Souls of drowned sailors?’

English politely asks what brings you to this sacred place; German quips: looking for drowned sailors' souls?

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I thought myself on the trail of the kidnappers, but it would seem I have missed my mark.

French

Alors, toi aussi, tu traques ces fameux ravisseurs ?

‘So, you too are tracking these notorious kidnappers?’

English says she thought she was on the kidnappers' trail; French asks whether you too are tracking them.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Nor is it a coincidence that the two of us should come here in search of those responsible for the disappearances only to be attacked.

French

On a clairement cherché à nous attirer ici, l'apparition de ce monstre confirme mes doutes.

‘Someone clearly sought to lure us here; the appearance of this monster confirms my doubts.’

French states outright that you were both lured there; English only says it is no coincidence.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I have seen knives of this kind before─they are most commonly used for the cutting of rope.

German

Das benutzen Schiffer, wenn sie Seile herstellen.

‘Boatmen use it when they make ropes.’

English says such knives are used for cutting rope; German says for making ropes.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I beg your pardon? A “towering crystal”? I'm sure I don't─ Oh.

German

Dir geht's wohl doch noch nicht so gut.

‘You're evidently still not doing so well after all.’

English trails off into a sudden realization; German concludes you are still unwell.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Well, well... This has been a day of unexpected revelations.

French

Je crois que j'ai pêché un gros poisson... Hmm ? Oh, ne t'inquiète pas, je parle toute seule.

‘I think I've caught a big fish... Hm? Oh, don't worry, I'm talking to myself.’

German

Mysteriöse Druidin: Oder ... kann es sein, dass ich hier genau der/dem Richtigen begegnet bin ...?

‘Speaker Mysterious Druid: Or... could it be that I have met exactly the right person here...?’

Y'shtola chuckles this when you mention a giant crystal. A big fish is slang for an important catch.

At the same moment, Y'shtola wonders if she has met that person here.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Well, well... This has been a day of unexpected revelations.

French

Je crois que j'ai pêché un gros poisson...

‘Heh heh heh! I think I've caught a big fish...’

German

Oder ... kann es sein, dass ich hier genau der/dem Richtigen begegnet bin ...?

‘Or ... can it be that I have met exactly the right person here ...?’

French uses a fishing image: she has landed a big catch, meaning you.

German has her wonder aloud whether you are the very person she needed to find.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: The days ahead promise little rest, I fear...

French

Je crains que le pire ne soit à venir...

‘I fear that the worst is yet to come...’

French predicts the worst is still ahead; English only expects busy days.

English, Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: May our paths cross again under the light of the Crystal.

French

D'ici là, prends soin de toi.

‘Until then, take care of yourself.’

English hopes to meet again under the light of the Crystal; French drops the Crystal and says take care.

Full dialogue

Read all 57 lines, with the notes

Highlighted words have a note: click one to open it under the line.

Accepting the quest

Staelwyrn

Ah, your name. That aura of confidence tells me you've not been idle since last we met.

Staelwyrn

I hope I've read you aright, for I've a task that requires the attention of a capable adventurer. Might that adventurer be you?

Staelwyrn

Good to hear. Then I shall lay before you the sorry tale.

Y'shtola

???: I am the waves that bear. I am the winds that guide.

Staelwyrn

You will have heard rumors of the abductions. Aye, citizens have been disappearin' from every corner of Limsa Lominsa, as if plucked from the face of Hydaelyn, boots and all, by an unseen hand.

Staelwyrn

And what's this got to do with Summerford Farms, you might ask. Well, that remains to be seen, but it seems a collection of right unsavory fellows with azure-tattooed faces has been creepin' up to the edges of the fields and spyin' on my yeomen.

Staelwyrn

Now, I doubt anyone would enjoy bein' scrutinized by such savages at the best of times, but the farmhands are convinced that they're the kidnappers of rumor, come for their hides.

Staelwyrn

Needless to say, they're beside 'emselves with worry, and their work's sufferin' for it─which is the very last thing I need when my old crewmen are still gettin' used to their new jobs. 'Tis a struggle to get 'em to leave the farmhouse of a mornin'.

Staelwyrn

That is, as they say, where you come in. Would you be willin' to investigate these tattooed thugs for me?

Staelwyrn

Good lass/lad. The sooner we get to the bottom of this, the sooner this place will start to resemble a workin' farm again.

Staelwyrn

I suggest you begin by havin' a look around Seasong Grotto. If reports are to be believed, our unwelcome visitors have occupied the place.

Staelwyrn

Be careful, though, your name─I couldn't say for sure what manner of miscreants we're dealin' with here. If they are the kidnappers...well, just be on your guard, all right?

Y'shtola

???: I am the evening stars. I am the morning sky. I am born of the sea. And there shall I die.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Thus reads the Sailors' Requiem carved into yonder stone.

Staelwyrn

your name! Right glad am I to see you safely returned!

At the Grotto

Solo Duty

Post-instance cutscene

Finishing the quest

Staelwyrn

My lads were all gabbin' about hearin' what sounded like all seven hells breakin' loose near the grotto, and I feared I'd sent you to your death.

Staelwyrn

If you were in the middle of that commotion, I hope it yielded somethin' of interest. I'd hate to think you'd risked your life for naught.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Such words well describe the manner in which the citizens of Limsa Lominsa live their lives.

Staelwyrn

Hmmm... A blade pulled from the back of a creature you slew at the cave, eh?

Staelwyrn

Aye, I'd agree that such a knife would be part of any seafarin' man's kit.

Staelwyrn

I'm startin' to think that these ruffians are pirates, come to lure my farmhands back to a life of plunder. Chances are, they didn't take kindly to your appearance on their doorstep, and set a maddened goobbue on you.

Staelwyrn

Aye, the pirates have been addin' to their numbers of late. I'd best warn the lads and lasses in my employ to be on guard against their schemes.

Staelwyrn

...Hm? You met someone else at the grotto? A woman with a strange contraption...? Ah...Y'shtola!

Staelwyrn

She's been in Limsa Lominsa for a good while now. Her studies of the aether often bring her out to Summerford, so her presence at the grotto is hardly unusual.

Staelwyrn

She's an odd-lookin' lass, I grant you, but she's not the kind to associate with kidnappers. You may take my word for that.

Staelwyrn

Where trust should be lackin' is in those yeomen of mine who have yet to wholly relinquish their pirate pasts. The temptation to return to the free and easy life of a buccaneer may prove too strong to resist.

Staelwyrn

You have my thanks, your name. If it weren't for the efforts of stalwart adventurers like yourself, this farm would be in a far worse state than it is.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: It is both a litany against misfortune for those out on the waves...

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: ...and a prayer that the souls of those who perish on land might find their way back to the sea.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: We meet again.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Or do we? My apologies, I fear I have mistaken you for another.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Something about you... Your gait, perhaps? Well, no matter.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: What brings you to this sacred place of seafarers, if I may ask?

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Ah, you are the adventurer I've seen around Summerford Farms.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I thought myself on the trail of the kidnappers, but it would seem I have missed my mark.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: ...Or perhaps not.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: As I suspected, the aetheric disturbance here is no natural occurrence.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Nor is it a coincidence that the two of us should come here in search of those responsible for the disappearances only to be attacked.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: But who stands to benefit from the keeping of this secret?

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Such thoughts must wait. Let us attend to the task at hand, unpleasant though it be.

Y'shtola

...

Hear... Feel... Think...

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Awake again, are we?

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Aha. The poor creature's fury was kindled with cruel forethought.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: See this blade? I found it in the goobbue's back.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I have seen knives of this kind before─they are most commonly used for the cutting of rope.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: It would appear our culprits are seafaring men of some persuasion...piratical being the most probable.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: In any event, you seem much recovered from your sudden...affliction.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I confess, I was rather taken aback when you collapsed at the very moment of our victory. Mayhap a surfeit of aether...?

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I beg your pardon? A “towering crystal”? I'm sure I don't─ Oh.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: Well, well... This has been a day of unexpected revelations.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: I must continue my investigation.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: In the meantime, I suggest you deliver this knife to your patron, along with a warning concerning the pirates' probable involvement in this murky business.

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: The days ahead promise little rest, I fear...

Y'shtola

Cultured Conjurer: May our paths cross again under the light of the Crystal.

Defeat the frenzied creatures!

Where it sits in the play order, on Quest Order Wiki