Out of the Shadows

Quest giver: Maelstrom Secretariat
Location: Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X:12.6, Y:12.5)
Quest line: Endwalker Role Quests
Level: 89

Requirements: Melee DPS
Experience: 508,200
Gil: 1,000
Previous quest: A Mother's Suffering
Next quest: To Calmer Seas
Patch: 6.0

“

The secretariat's resigned expression speaks volumes.

— In-game description

Rewards

1 Coconut Cod Chowder

Walkthrough

The Aftcastle is the closest Aetheryte in Limsa to the Maelstrom Secretariat to accept the quest.

When asked who we think would be best for the role of a ranged attack, you can choose Merlwyb or Lorens. Choose Lorens to get his approval. He believes though the admiral is the best marksman available, she isn't right for this particular role.

Steps

Speak with Wheiskaet in Costa del Sol.
Whistle at the forked road in Bloodshore.
Speak with Lorens.
Speak with Wheiskaet.
Speak with the secretariat at Maelstrom Command.

Journal

The secretariat's resigned expression speaks volumes.

You arrive at Maelstrom Command only to be greeted by a linkpearl call from Wheiskaet. The Company's first mate would have you join him in Costal del Sol to discuss a possible new development in your mission to take down the blasphemy. The secretariat states that she will inform the Admiral of your absence, and so you depart for eastern La Noscea.

At Costa del Sol, Wheiskaet explains that while he and his companions are at a loss as to how to effectively counter the blasphemy's devastating attack, he knows of someone who might fare better: A former member of the Company known for his keen eye in assessing the enemy. Sharing with you the signal used in days past to summon the man, Wheiskaet sends you to Bloodshore in the hopes that his erstwhile companion will show.

Lorens, the former Company sharpshooter spoken so highly of by Wheiskaet, reveals himself in response to your whistling. Very much a lone wolf, he nevertheless agrees to join your cause out of curiosity and concern for his old friends. You get the impression that he has a somewhat complex relationship with Merlwyb as well, and he invites you to join him near Hidden Falls so that he might elaborate.

As you look out over the sea together, Lorens shares with you a tragic episode from his and Merlwyb's past: the tale of how she was forced to kill her own father, the famed pirate captain Bloefhis. In fighting to save his daughter and her companions from Leviathan's wrath, the captain and a good number of his crew were tempered by the primal. The nature of their condition did not become apparent until they vanished, only to reappear as the Serpent Reavers a while later, a band of pirates wholly devoted to the Lord of the Whorl. Merlwyb subsequently tracked her father to an isle where she found him, a broken shell of the man he once was, and defeated him in a duel to the death as Lorens stood witness.

The reckless and aggressive manner in which Merlwyb threw herself against her father's minions left an enduring impression on Lorens, who vowed to henceforth support her from a distance as he had in the chaos of that day. With a promise to assist you in a similar fashion when it comes time to confront the blasphemy, he takes his leave and returns to the shadows.

Wheiskaet is heartened by the news that Lorens will be joining you, believing him the trump card you and the Company of Heroes need to turn the tide of battle when next you face your formidable foe. Confident that you have taken great strides towards achieving success in your mission, you set out to return to Limsa and report the good news.

Back at Maelstrom Command, the secretariat is pleased to hear that Lorens-- whose name she seems to vaguely recall -- will be joining the fight against the blasphemy. Thanking you for your efforts, she encourages you to rest up until the beast is found. The hour of your final confrontation is nigh.
- ※The next role quest will be available from the Maelstrom secretariat upon reaching level 90 in any melee DPS class.

Dialogue

Maelstrom Secretariat: Ah, [Playername]. I wish I had better news for you, but the blasphemy continues to elude us.
Wheiskaet: (Via Linkpearl) Can you hear me, Commander? This is Wheiskaet. I have an idea how we might take down the blasphemy. Meet me in Costa del Sol as soon as you are able. 
Maelstrom Secretariat: Well, that sounds promising! I'll tell the Admiral you'll be away for a bit. Gosspeed, and stay safe out there.

Wheiskaet: Apologies for having you come all this way, WoL. Ever since our encounter with the blasphemy, I've been wracking my brain to find a way of dealing with its debilitating attack. Sadly, I've come up empty-handed-- and my companions fare no better. That's when I started thinking: If only our finest was still with us. He always had a knack for noticing what the rest of us missed. His eyes were so sharp, he could spot a foe's weakness with a single glance. It's thanks to him that we were able to slay both Leviathan and Titan...and live to tell the tale. The rub is... well, he's a bit eccentric. And yes, I know you could say that about all the Company members. But unlike us, he prefers to work from the shadows. Truth be told, I've not seen him since the day we disbanded. I doubt he'd help his old comrades, even if we asked. But an order from the Company's acting commander would be a different story. In our heyday, we had a way of reaching him. Whistle at the forked road, and sooner or later, he'd show himself. Didn't matter when-- winter or summer, in broad sunlight or the dead of night. He'd always be watching from afar. With any luck, he still is now... ... But I've rambled on enough. Go on, now. This may be our best-- and only-- hope.

???: Here I was, enjoyin' my retirement... <sigh> Why'd you have to go and bloody whistle...
Lorens: Call me Lorens. I'm the Company's resident sharpshooter...'least I was in my day. No need to tell me who you are. I've been watchin' you for quite some time. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just...curious how my former mates are farin'. Not as curious as folks were about me, though. First Wheiskaet, then ol' Mistbeard himself. Ha! As if those codgers could ever catch me! Lorens: And now  Eorzea's storied 'ero summons me forth. No need to say why─yer going to ask me to help you take down the blasphemy.
Lorens: (If you appeal to the Company of Heroes values) ...Heh. Never could refuse whenever someone trotted out those 'ackneyed words. / (If you order him) Bahaha! You drive a hard bargain. I like that. Who am I to refuse an order from the Company's actin' commander?
Lorens: So tell me, Actin' Commander, what specific duty would ye task me with? I trust ye do have a plan... So ye need a way to neutralize the beast's most potent attack. I can tell ye like getting up close and personal with yer foes. So ye'll be needin' support from a distance. Who do ye suppose might be best suited to that role?
Lorens: (If you suggest the Admiral) A reasonable answer...but wrong. / (If you suggest Lorens) Damn right. My eyes are among the keenest in the realm, as ye've doubtless heard from Wheiskaet.
Lorens: In pure marksmanship, none in Limsa are the Admiral's equal. Yet Merlwyb is ill-suited for a supportin' role. Not for lack of skill, o' course, but rather... Come to think of it, there's something ye should know. Follow me.

Lorens: Quite the view, wouldn't ye say? I often come here to admire the sea. If ye would, indulge me for a moment and I'll spin ye a yarn. Just try not to doze off. Back in piracy's golden age, the League o' Lost Bastards ruled the Rhotano. I was one of them, as was Merlwyb. We were led by none other than her old man, Bloefhis Bloefhisyn, the most feared captain on the 'igh seas. Feared by his enemies, that is. Stern and unforgivin' though he was, he took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. Aye, he was like a father to me. To us all. Till that fateful day... Was in the year 1562 of the Sixth Astral Era. Lominsan merchantmen were strugglin' with nigh-constant raids by the Sahagin. 'Round this time Bloefhis had yielded the day-to-day leadership of the Bastards to Merlwyb, his pride and joy. She was still growin' into the role, though, and everyone knew the old captain was still callin' the shots. Ol' Bloefhis had a noble streak, he did. Ordered us to defend the traders from the fishbacks. Merlwyb led the effort, and we fought day after day to keep the seas safe. The fightin' was fierce, but we always came out of it in one piece...until we didn't. Until after a skirmish, a Sahagin survivor, with his last breath, summoned forth the Lord o' the Whorl. The great beast toppled our masts and cracked the keel like an egg. We clambered aboard the merchantman as our own ship sank. Naught to do but wait for the end. But then comes Bloefhis and his bleedin' flotilla out of nowhere to pull us out o' the fire. And he did. But the League of Lost Bastards would never be the same again. For even though we'd escaped with our lives, we soon discovered that Captain Bloefhis, our iron-willed, unwaverin' leader, had fallen under Leviathan's thrall. 'Course, in those days, we didn't know much about drownin' or temperin'. Didn't know what to make of our captain as he grew more 'aggard by the day, his words devolvin' into crazed ramblin'. Then, one day, he vanishes...takin' off with 'alf of our men. Not long after, a band of pirates callin' themselves the Serpent Reavers began takin' prizes in the Indigo Deep alongside the Sahagin. At their helm was none other than Captain Bloefhis, who'd cast his lot with the fishbacks. Merlwyb knew what had to be done─and to her credit, she didn't shirk from the deed. She acted quickly, sneakin' off under cover o' night with a skeleton crew without so much as tellin' me. 'Course, that didn't stop me from stowin' myself in the cargo hold and joinin' her on the voyage. She was none too 'appy to see me at first─wanted to leave me out of it, she said. But seein' as I made myself known when she was strugglin' to fend off a horde o' Reavers and fishbacks, it wasn't hard to win her over. Her twin muskets fellin' one after the next─as my sharpshootin' kept her safe from afar─we cut a path to the center of the isle. It was there we found Bloefhis─or rather the miserable wretch he'd been reduced to. All bones, with skin shriveled and a tangled mat o' white hair, eyes bulging from his 'ead like a fish as he prayed to the Lord o' the Whorl... Merlwyb challenged him to a duel, and a dim memory must have flickered in his drowned mind, for he accepted. And so, with only me there to witness it, Merlwyb ended her father's life. The League o' Lost Bastards would've lived up to its name if it weren't for Merlwyb. She assumed full command and restored us to our former glory. Not long after, she triumphed in the Trident and was named Chief Admiral of Limsa Lominsa. I often think back upon that day. Seein' her charge into battle, muskets blazin'... Might seem reckless to some, but that's how Captain Bloefhis taught her, and she knows no other way. That's why I made it my job to support her from the shadows─and it's a role in which I'll 'appily serve again. I owe that much to her old man. My only doubt was whether you, my friend, were worthy o' commandin' me. But watchin' ye from afar has answered that question. Aye, tell Wheiskaet and the rest o' my no-good companions that Lorens stands with them.

Wheiskaet: Did Lorens show himself? Haha! Now there's a surprise! I had some hope your words might reach him, but never did I imagine he would agree so readily... Ah...just one thing, [Forename]. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention Lorens's involvement to the Company─Landenel in particular. They'll find out soon enough regardless. At any rate, this gives us new hope in our battle against the blasphemy. All that remains is to set the snare and lure the beast into our clutches. Our scouts are on the lookout for the creature as we speak. If the latest reports are to be believed, we are drawing ever closer. And with that, I'd best get back to it. Can I trust you to report these latest developments to the Maelstrom? Then till we meet again, Commander.

Maelstrom Secretariat: The search for the blasphemy continues, though I understand you've been carrying out an entirely different investigation. A marksman by the name of Lorens, eh? The Admiral will be pleased. Of course, we won't have much call for his skills until the blasphemy is found. Rest well and prepare yourself as necessary in the meantime. "Lorens"... Why does that ring a bell?