The Chronicles of Latcarf - Missions & Quests

Stock and Awe

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:18:52 -0700

After getting out and stretching my legs a bit (boy have I been lazy) I felt like I really needed to do something worthwhile; something that might make a difference somehow. After finding the odd cavernous maws and going "back to the beginning" I'd been thinking alot about the Great Crystal War and decided that I may very well be able to influence its outcome. It was then I decided to head back to the San d'Oria of past to see what I could do.

I talked to Rasdinice who offered me some ways to help out the campaign. One of the easiest ways seemed for me to help with procurement of goods. Rasdinice sent me over to the Quartermaster who asked me to get an ash log from East Ronfaure. This was no problem for me of course, as I had done my share of logging during my early Woodworking days. I found a friendly Goblin is San d'Oria who was willing to sell me some hatchets and I went out in search of some ash logs.

After felling a few mid-sized timbers, I found what the Quartermaster was looking for and returned it to him. Rasdinice thanked me for my help and paid my 480 Allied Notes. I had a few Campaign Ops credits left from when I first started getting involved in the Allied Campaign and so I decided to use them to do a few more procurement runs.

I was hoping I could possibly get a medal out of my effort but it seems I need to wait a while for my performance review. Since I'd done about all I could do there, I decided to head back through the Cavernous Maw. The lumberjack work had piqued my interest in the crafts again. Since I anticipated more tree chopping in the future, I decided I'd better learn a little Smithing so I could make my own hatchets next time.

After a little work, I found myself halfway toward the Smithing rank of Initiate and decided to take a rest. On the way back to my Mog House I noticed the full moon out and, of course, I was already heading out for some fishing.

Like a Shining Subligar/Leggings

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:41:20 -0600

I think I've gotten all the knowledge a new ninja can handle.

I met Heiji and Heizo both in Norg. They are Tenshodo members who concern themselves with training mostly in the legs and lower body. Like many of the pirates I've met in Norg, they both had some quests for me to fulfill before they'd teach me anything. Heiji wanted ten rusty subligar and Heizo wanted ten rusty leggings. Fortunately, I've fished up more than my fair share of both of those pieces of armor, and I just happened to have a bunch cluttering up the storage in my Mog House. What a relief it was to finally get rid of those.

After I'd handed over the armor, Heiji handed me a scroll of Kurayami: Ichi - a ninja blinding technique, and Heizo handed me a scroll of Dokumori: Ichi - a ninja poisoning technique. Unfortunately for me, I am much too new to understand the knowledge written on those two scrolls, so I'll be holding on to them a while before I can actually use them.

Now that I've gained so much knowledge, I'll need to learn how to use it. It sounds like it's about time to do a little ninjitsu training!

Stop Your Whining

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 13:22:00 -0600

I met Washu in a little bar in Norg and she asked me for my help. It seems she'd run out of some the pirates' favorite drink - Opo-Opo Brew. She asked me if I could fetch her a barrel full from a tree in Yhoator Jungle. She gave pretty good directions to Yhoator but, having been there numerous times, I certainly didn't need them.

I teleported myself to the Yhoator Gate Crystal and took a chocobo in search of the the tree. It wasn't long before I'd found one and was able to fill Washu's barrel to to brim with fresh, nature made, Opo-Opo brew. The stuff smelled strong but rich and earthy. I couldn't help myself and had to take a couple gulps out of curiosity. I've got to tell you, that chocobo ride was just a bit more fun on the way back than it was on the way out!

Washu was grateful for my help (and I'm glad she didn't catch a whiff of my breath). She mentioned that the pirates really didn't have a very good appreciation for the brew and would probably drink it all down that night. I'm sure they'd feel sorry the next morning if they did! She thanked me for my effort and she rewarded me with a scroll of Hojo: Ichi which is a very interesting ninjitsu technique whereby the user can render his enemy slow in attacking. I'm keeping the scroll tucked away in my Mog House until I am a little more adept at ninjitsu and can learn it properly.

Washu's scroll was nice as a reward but I gotta say, I would have been just as happy taking that barrel of Opo-Opo brew home with me instead.

The Secret of the Damp Scroll

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:09:29 -0600

I'd been fishing in the Sea Serpent Grotto one time and happened to fish up a damp scroll. I wasn't sure what it was, as the writing had all but worn off, but I thought it might be valuable so I kept it with me. While in Norg, I met this Tarutaru charcter, Shivivi, who told me about a new ninjitsu technique the Tenshodo had created. She noticed the damp scroll in my gear and mentioned that they used to write their techniques in an ink that couldn't be seen until it was dipped in the water of a certain hot springs. In this way, they could more easily keep their knowledge secret.

She told me that if I were to take this scroll and dip it into the water in the hot springs at Horlais Peak, I would be able to read it and learn the technique they had created.

I decided I might as well take the scroll to the hot spring. I wasn't ethusiastic about the long walk ahead of me, as to get to Horlais Peak, I'd be going through Ghelsba Outpost to Yughott Grotto and then through Fort Ghelsba. Unfortunately, you can't ride a chocobo through that route so hiking is the only way. So I sucked it up and I made the trek anyway. Once I found the hot springs, sure enough, after dipping the scroll in the water, I was able to read Jubaku: Ichi - a paralyzation technique. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use the knowledge until I am much more adept at ninjitsu. At least I can read the scroll.

Ninja Scroll

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:48:00 -0600

Learning the ways of the ninja takes great patience to say the least. I've spent so much time running around Norg in an effort to learn secrets of ninjitsu from the Tenshodo that live there. Much of the knowledge of ninjitsu "magic" is written on scrolls and the pirates of Norg have had me running all sorts of errands to get access to these scrolls.

It's Not Your Vault
After I asked his help in learning the way of the ninja, a pirate by the name of Keal asked me to enter one of the Tenshodo vaults that had been taken over by the Sahagins (Sahagin are a race of aquatic creatures who reside in the Sea Serpent Grotto, the caves where Norg is located). Keal said there is an iron box there which I should bring back to him. The vault is somewhat deep in the caves of the Sea Serpent Grotto but getting there was not much of a problem when I used my white magic "sneak" spell to make my movement silent.

Once I'd returned the box to Keal, he handed me a a scroll of Tonko: Ichi - the ninjitsu of invisibility!

Continue reading "Ninja Scroll"

Past Reflections

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:53:00 -0600

On my way out of Upper Jeuno, I saw Luto Mewrilah (who had introduced me to Tsuim). I stopped to chat with her. She asked me if I was going to Windurst and asked Tsuim and I to do her a favor and find a book from the library that might help her repair the broken mirror I gave her. Of course, Tsuim couldn't fathom why in the world Luto would want to fix the mirror but I understood the potential value that mirror had. As a collector, so did Luto.

Luto described the rare metal the mirror is made of and asked us to get every last bit of information we could that might help her. It seemed like this was going to be much more involved than a simple errand to Windurst in search of a book!

Continue reading "Past Reflections"

Chocobo on the Loose!

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:29:00 -0600

I was in Upper Jeuno today and stopped by to talk to Brutus, an old acquaintance. He noticed me looking at one of his chocobos (I've long dreamt of owning my own) and proceeded to tell some history about them. It seems La Theine was once covered in wild chocobos. As many times as I've been through La Theine Plateau, I've never known that. I have noticed however, when riding a chocobo through La Theine, it always seems like the bird's a but more peppy - almost happy to be there. I guess this explains why.

Anyway, Brutus went off to feed another of his chocobos and the one I'd originally been looking at seemed to be longing for an escape from the stable. My training as a Beastmaster gives me much insight into what animals are thinking. Feeling kinda of sorry for the big bird, I decided to sneak it out of town while Brutus wasn't watching. Given his past treatment of one of his chocobos, I figured I wasn't totally wrong in doing it. When Brutus returned from feeding, he quickly noticed the chocobo missing. Brutus figured the chocobo must have understood us when we spoke about the wild chocobos in La Theine. He quickly grew concerned for the bird's safety as it was raised in a stable and probably very ill prepared to be in the wild alone. I hadn't thought about that when I let it go.

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Fall at Promyvion Dem

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:22:00 -0600

I've neglected my writing for quite sometime but that's because I had alot of thinking to do. A single event caused me to question everything I've done and everything I will do. Here's how it all started....

I learned about something called the emptiness and a place called Promyvion while speaking with an Alchemist in the Duke of Jeuno's house. (I won't get into why I was in the Duke of Jeuno's house ). The Alchemist was rather cryptic about it all so I asked Sparkkplug and a few other adventurers if they had seen the "emptiness" or heard of a place called: Promyvion. Sparkkplug knew of it and explained that conquering three Promyvions could grant me access to Lufaise Meadows! It has been my hope for a while that I could find a way into Lufaise Meadows for some good fishing someday! So, acting on the news, I decided to try and get a group together for a journey to one of the Promyvions.

Drupa, Dimitri, Sparkkplug and a few others formed up an alliance to see if we could get through Promyvion Dem first. We were certainly well prepared for Promyvion Dem. Sparkkplug and Bobwtfps acted as both our guides and escorts through the lower levels until we could find our way to the final destination.

We met at the shattered telepoint at the Crag of Dem. We all entered the Hall of Transference from there. After examining one of the ancient apparatuses in the hall, we opened a cermet door and were all transferred to Promyvion Dem.

The place was quite a sight! After looking around for a few moments I instantly understood what the Alchemist meant by "emptiness." Emptiness was all around us. It enveloped us and confounded our every sense. This was a very scary place.

With the help of of Sparkkplug and Bobwtfps, our small alliance was able to fight our way through to our final destination - the chamber of the Promyvion boss. We broke ranks and formed into a party to challenge the boss. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us, this truly was our final destination.
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Scattered Into Shadow

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 22:53:13 -0600

I was standing there fishing in Port San d'Oria when Sparkkplug ran up to me and handed me a linkpearl for the linkshell "OrganizedChaos." I took the pearl and equipped it. After saying hello to all the linkshell members, I asked Sparkkplug what he was doing. It turns out that he, the linkshell owner Bobwtfps and Bob's wife SillySally were about to embark on a journey to Fei'Yin.

Once, when I was talking to Brutus in Upper Jeuno, he told me I should pay some respects to the fallen Beastmasters that had come before me. He gave my three aquaflora flowers (the same flowers that glow so brilliantly all over Windurst) to place in some pools deep within Fei'Yin. Since Sparkkplug, Bobwtfps and SillySally were all headed there (and as level 75 jobs), I asked if I could tag along.

Sally cast Teleport-Vahzl on us and we were transported to the frigid cold of the dead-land Xarcabard. From there, we ran through Beaucedine Glacier (near a fun fishing spot of mine), and into Fei'Yin.
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No Strings Attached

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:59:00 -0600

My luck in finding Ghatsad's prototype Automaton, while looking for the Corsairs of the Seagull Phratrie totally made up for the depression I had about my failed attempt the first time. I decided it was time to pay Ghatsad a visit again!

When I arrived at the Automaton shop Ghatsad was very surprised that I'd found his old Automaton. He promised me that he would fix it right up and return it to me in working order. Ghatsad said it would take at least a day, so I returned to my Mog House for some much needed rest.

As I laid in bed I kept thinking how happy Iruki-Waraki would be when I showed up with the Automaton for him. I wondered if he'd show me some secrets of the Puppetmaster. I'd been very intrigued in Bastok when I saw Shamarhaan manipulating his Automaton. As I faded into a calm sleep, visions of Automatons danced around me in a mechanical ballet.
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Luck of the Draw

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:20:00 -0600

After my failed attempt at finding Ghatsad's Automaton I was feeling a bit down and decided I needed a little break. In Aht Urhgan Whitegate, I stopped into the Shararat Teahouse and struck up a conversation with Ratihb. In the midst of our chat, some action errrupted nearby. It seems there is a group of Corsairs (pirates bascially) called the Seagull Phratrie that are the scourge of the Empire of Aht Urhgan. After their scuffle with one of the townspeople, they were gone in a puff of smoke before anyone could catch them.

I got some important information about the group from one of the city's guards and I decided to pursue this Seagull Phratrie on my own. It was off to Nashmau again and so I boarded the ferry at Port Ephramad.

Unfortuantely, I needed to go to Arrapago Reef again which meant I had to travel through Caedarva Mire again. This was where I was knocked out so badly last time - it wasn't going to be a fun trip, I imagined. I realized it must be my destiny to get to that reef and now was as good a time as ever to try to get there again.

In Nashmau I became a White Mage again and made sure I had sneak and invisible spells cast on me at all times. This time around, I would make a special effort to keep my eyes open for those nasty Imps. Twice shy, I stepped out of Nashmau and into the Caedarva Mire. I'd make it this time. I had no choice in the matter.
Continue reading "Luck of the Draw"

Some Strings Attached

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:23:00 -0600

While I was in Bastok Markets recently, I saw a guy near the fountain with a strange looking thing dancing near him. The guy's name was Shamarhaan and he explained that the werid looking thing was called an "Automaton." I expressed interest in the Automaton and he said controlling one was very hard and to do it required training. He continued, explaining that he was from the Far East - the Aht Urhgan Empire and that was where Automaton technology originated. I decided it was time I make a return trip to Aht Urhgan Whitegate. What better excuse to go than to find out more about these interesting Automatons?

After wandering about in town for a few days (the large number of adventurers and the maze like buildings seem to mezmerize me when I'm there), I met a Tarutaru named Iruki-Waraki. He certainly knew all about Automatons. He explained that to be a true Puppetmaster (that's the name given to masters of Automaton control), one needed to own an Automaton. Iruki-Waraki confided in me that he'd lost his and asked if I could help in finding another for him. I remembered seeing an Automaton shop while walking around, so I accepted his request and went there to see what I could find.
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An Empty Vessel

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 22:45:22 -0600

I met a interesting man by the name of Waoud while wandering the streets of Aht Urhgan. He said he was a diviner and explained how he could tell my future. He began to ask me a series of very strange questions.

I answered his queries without much thought and it seemed that he didn't like my answers! He didn't really tell me my fortune at all but still charged me 1000 gil! Being a bit annoyed I slept the night in my rented Mog House determined to get my gil back the next day.
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Heir to the Holy Crest

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 16:12:00 -0600

After getting off the airship at Port San d'Oria yesterday I took a short-cut through Cargo Room A on the way to the Auction House. I happened to stop to ask an Elvaan by the name of Arminibit there how things have been in the Kingdom lately. I caught him in the middle of a conversation with another Elvaan named Ceraulian. They were discussing a break out in Bostaunieux Oubliette (the Kingdom's prison) that had recently happened.

From their conversation I gathered that there was a Beastmaster and the famous Dragoon Cyranuce M. Cutauleon jailed together. Cyranuce had been overcome by the power of his dragon and went crazy. It seems that the beastmaster managed to call a huge beast which bashed in the wall and helped him to escape. Unfortunately, Cyranuce was crushed and killed by a slab of the falling rubble.

I decided to check the authenticity of the story (a certain class of Elvaan sometimes stretch the truth a bit when they're gossiping) by visiting Bostaunieux Oubliette. A long time ago I'd helped out an Elvaan named Novalmauge down there. I thought maybe he'd be able to confirm the story I'd just heard.

Continue reading "Heir to the Holy Crest"

Bushido Blade

nospam@example.com (Latcarf) — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:58:00 -0600

While I was in Norg picking up a dagger for a gentleman in Bastok, I happened to speak with a man named Jaucribaix. As I must have looked inquisitive, he told me alot about the ways of the Samurai. A Samurai's spirit is in his sword and making a good sword isn't just a matter of putting together some steel and wood. To make a new Katana, you must put effort into finding the best materials - or so it seemed.

In this case, the best materials were a sacred branch and some bomb steel. To learn how to acquire those items, Jaucribaix said, I must talk to his assistants. So I did. Aeka (one of Jaucribaix's assistants) gave me a piece of oriental steel. This was a special kind of steel not found on the Quon continent. It's made with unique oriental methods that create an unusually strong metal. She also told me that it needed to be forged into an even stronger steel by feeding it to a bomb in the Konschtat Highlands.

Next I spoke to Ranemaud (another of Jaucribaix's assistants). He gave me a sacred sprig and told me I'd need to cut a sacred branch off of a huge tree in the Sanctuary of Zi'Tah. It its place I was supposed to implant the sprig. It seemed I had some work ahead of me if I wanted to gather the materials for Jaucribaix to make a katana.

Continue reading "Bushido Blade"