Sands of Despair

Sands of Despair

Quest giver

Lalah Jinjahl

Location

Idyllshire (X:6.1, Y:5.8)

Job

Sage

Level

73

Experience

 220,320

Gil

 2,678

Previous quest

Sage's Focus

Next quest

A Poisoned Gift

Patch

6.0

Links

EDB GT

“

Lalah Jinjahl is eager to share tidings from the Sharlayan motherland.

— In-game description

Steps

• Speak with Lalah Jinjahl at Black Brush Station.
• Speak with Lalah Jinjahl.
• Defeat the Lost Hope antling.
• Rescue Faldrinet.
• Speak with Lalah Jinjahl.
• Speak with Lalah Jinjahl again.
• Speak with Lalah Jinjahl once again.
• Speak with Lalah Jinjahl in Idyllshire.

Journal

• Lalah Jinjahl is eager to share tidings from the Sharlayan motherland.

• In eager tones, Lalah informs you that the analysis of the mystery plant is complete. It has been determined to be muscmaloi, a variety of herb that possesses potent aether-fortifying properties, owing to which its cultivation is outlawed. Having been thwarted from obtaining it at the arboretum, the fugitives will likely seek other means of procurement, and Lalah has identified an apothecary at Lost Hope as a source for the herb. On your way to find this individual, you next make for Black Brush Station in central Thanalan.

• No sooner do you arrive at Black Brush Station than you meet with a distressed woman who fits the description of the apothecary. She breathlessly explains that three strangers have suddenly set upon a customer of hers, and you and Lalah rush to Lost Hope and the man's aid.

• True to your suspicions, the strangers are your fugitives─but who should the customer at their mercy be but Faldrinet. You force your way between the healer and his assailants, and a standoff ensues. After a tense exchange, Loifa uses his power to enhance an antling, but provoked to anger by Faldrinet, Mahaud and Ancel suddenly fall to their knees in pain. Though it is not immediately clear what is happening to them, your priority is to deal with the fell beast, which Faldrinet has lured away.

• You catch up to the beast and put it down before it can cause harm. The deed done, you turn to assist Faldrinet.

• Thanks to your ministrations, Faldrinet is soon back on his feet, and together you return to the scene of the confrontation with Loifa.

• You find Mahaud and Ancel still suffering from their mysterious ailment. Observing their symptoms prompts Lalah to recall rumors of a forbidden procedure said to have been conducted by a Sharlayan healer years ago─rumors that were summarily dismissed by the Forum. Nevertheless, the fugitives' plight gives her cause to wonder...but Loifa offers no confirmation and simply mocks her naivety. Again they make to teleport away, but ere they do so, the apothecary hesitantly steps forward, having recognized Mahaud and Ancel as her children...

• The confrontation thus concluded, the apothecary recounts her tale. Mahaud and Ancel are her adopted children, she explains, and when they were both gravely ill, a Sharlayan healer by the name of Guildivain appeared and offered to cure them. The man took them away, and she had not seen them for years...until they seemingly came for Faldrinet.

• After Faldrinet takes his leave, the apothecary reveals that it was him rather than the fugitives who sought to purchase her muscmaloi. She also tells you about a merchant in Aleport from whom Faldrinet procures rare alchemical ingredients. The plot duly thickened, Lalah suggests returning to Idyllshire to ponder recent revelations.

• Lalah confesses her confusion at recent developments, which seems to contradict her assumptions. The rumors of a renegade sage conducting depraved experiments are of particular concern, for the nature of the fugitives suggests there may be a kernel of truth to them─yet the Forum was nevertheless adamant in their denial. While she attempts to make sense of everything, you resolve to spend your time fruitfully by further honing your skills.
  • ※The next sage quest will be available from Lalah Jinjahl upon reaching level 75.

Dialogue

Accepting the quest

Lalah Jinjahl: Wonderful timing, [Forename]! Remember that mystery plant I sent to Sharlayan for analysis? I received the results not long ago.
Lalah Jinjahl: It was muscmaloi, a herb that possesses potent aether-fortifying properties. Owing to its effect, its cultivation was outlawed some years ago.
Lalah Jinjahl: 'Tis most certainly why the fugitives came to Eorzea. Unable to obtain the herb in Sharlayan, they decided to procure it from the arboretum.
Lalah Jinjahl: They likely intend to use it in conjunction with the soul crystal to further enhance themselves. Though their motives are still a mystery, the fact remains that they have already caused harm and will continue to do so until they are brought to justice.
Lalah Jinjahl: Now, as they failed to obtain muscmaloi here, they will need to look elsewhere. And I'm pleased to say that my informer has helped me to identify an apothecary who deals in the herb─and whom I suspect our quarry will seek out.
Lalah Jinjahl: This individual is a resident of Lost Hope in central Thanalan, and that is where we shall next take ourselves.
Lalah Jinjahl: Mark my words, they won't escape this time! I'll suffer them to misuse the sage's noble art no longer, and much less with that soul crystal!
Lalah Jinjahl: ...Ahem. If we are to catch the fugitives, we had best hurry. That said, we should take a moment to regroup and prepare at Black Brush Station before heading on to Lost Hope.

Speak with Lalah Jinjahl at Black Brush Station

Lalah Jinjahl: Good gods, such a dry and dusty place this is... What I wouldn't give for a bath right now...
Lalah Jinjahl: Uwaaah! H-How long have you been here!?
Lalah Jinjahl: ...I-I mean, 'tis well you are here. Ahem. I've already replenished my supplies, so if you are ready, we may begin looking for the apothecary at once. A Hyuran woman whose facial tattoo should mark her out...
Lalah Jinjahl: The fugitives are like to be searching for her too. We must find her before they─ ...Hm?
Lalah Jinjahl: That woman yonder fits the description...but something appears to be amiss. Let us investigate.

Cutscene

Tattooed Apothecary: Help me! Please!

Lalah Jinjahl: What ails you, madam?

Tattooed Apothecary: I was dealing with a customer when a group of bandits attacked us! I managed to flee, but he's still at their mercy!

Lalah Jinjahl: Worry not, we'll help you. Pray lead the way!

Tattooed Apothecary: Thank you!

Lalah Jinjahl: It could only be them!

(Optional)
Tattooed Apothecary: They're over there...

Speak with Lalah Jinjahl

Lalah Jinjahl: It's indeed them... But wait─is that Master Faldrinet!?

Cutscene

Lalah Jinjahl: It's over, villains!
Lalah Jinjahl: Lay down your arms, or else...

Loifa: Or else...what?

Lalah Jinjahl: Answer me one thing.
Lalah Jinjahl: What is this all for? Why go to such lengths and forsake everything you had to obtain power? And why wield such power against good, well-meaning souls?

Loifa: Good? Well-meaning?
Loifa: You know nothing about us! Nothing! You're just fools who believe everything you've been fed!
Loifa: I'm beginning to regret sparing you.
Loifa: Do you feel it? The weight of the “sacred duty.” To strive for the betterment of mankind and stand as a beacon of hope...
Loifa: ...To play with people's lives. Do you feel it? The weight of the sin?

Faldrinet: You would speak of sin?
Faldrinet: To do naught when a life might be saved─that is the greatest sin. Every day, unfortunate souls die without reason. At fate's whim. 'Tis the sage's duty to fight this injustice by whatever means he may.
Faldrinet: If you understand this, then it is not too late for you. You may yet make something of your lives.

Loifa: Shut your mouth!
Loifa: If you're determined to protect that wretch, then I will consider you complicit!

Tattooed Apothecary: Wait... I know you...

Faldrinet: Rather too close to the settlement for comfort. I fear for the civilians.
Faldrinet: They wouldn't stand a chance against such a fiend...as they would well know.

Ancel: You...you bastaaard!

Loifa: No! Don't let him provoke you!

Ancel: Ugh... Unnngh...

Loifa: Stay with me! Listen to my voice!

Faldrinet: We must lure the beast elsewhere and tend to it. [Forename]─would you mind assisting me?

Lalah Jinjahl: Go! I have the situation here in hand!

Optional Dialogue, at where the confrontation and last dialog exchange was...

Lalah Jinjahl: Deal with the beast! Don't worry about me!

Tattooed Apothecary: No...it's not possible...

Rescue Faldrinet

Faldrinet: Whew, thank you, my friend...and well fought! I daresay you're a born sage. Fascinating...
Faldrinet: But come, we should return to the others. The villains may not remain stricken for long.

Optional Dialogue

Tattooed Apothecary: Will they be all right...?

Faldrinet: Oh dear, it seems they are still under the weather.

Speak with Lalah Jinjahl (Cutscene)

Lalah Jinjahl: Their condition is unchanged. We should probably take advantage of this and apprehend them...
Lalah Jinjahl: But this symptom...

Mahaud: Ungh... Arrrgh!

Loifa: Hold on. I'm getting us out of here.

Ancel: <pant> We're fine, Loifa...

Loifa: No, you're not, and you know it!

Lalah Jinjahl: It's the enhancement, isn't it? I know something of the procedure. Of its potency...and the harm it causes.
Lalah Jinjahl: There's a limit to the amount of corporeal aether a living being can harbor. As we grow up, it waxes; as we grow old, it wanes.
Lalah Jinjahl: A gradual, gentle process, if allowed to function in the natural fashion...
Lalah Jinjahl: But complications may arise when one forcibly fortifies that aether─as a rogue “healer” was rumored to have been doing with live subjects some years ago.
Lalah Jinjahl: The man used an unproven procedure on countless souls─a forbidden procedure, known only to a select few sages.

Loifa: ...

Lalah Jinjahl: And though he succeeded in a few instances, those subjects suffered from debilitating side effects... But those rumors were denounced by the Forum as baseless. And yet...

Loifa: Hmph. You'll believe anything they tell you, won't you? Naive fools...

Lalah Jinjahl: ...What!?

Loifa: Can you stand?

Tattooed Apothecary: Wait. Please.
Tattooed Apothecary: It's really you, isn't it? Mahaud... Ancel...
Tattooed Apothecary: Yes. Yes, it is... My children... Oh, how you've grown...
Tattooed Apothecary: <sob> Thank the Twelve you're alive...

Optional Dialogue

Tattooed Apothecary: Mahaud... Ancel...

Faldrinet: 'Tis plain they are confused. I pity them.

Speak with Lalah Jinjahl again

Lalah Jinjahl: I had the perfect chance to apprehend the fugitives. To complete my mission. But I couldn't...

Cutscene

Lalah Jinjahl: It seems you know them─the ones called Mahaud and Ancel.

Tattooed Apothecary: Of course. They're my adopted children.
Tattooed Apothecary: They were orphaned at a young age, and I took them in and raised them as my own. Though none of us were related by blood, we became as close a family as any.
Tattooed Apothecary: Ours was a quiet, comfortable life. But then one day Mahaud fell sick. She had a raging fever, and grew weaker with every passing moment... Aetherspurn, the illness is called.

Lalah Jinjahl: I've read about it─a rare disease wherein the body becomes unable to draw aether from food. There is no known cure, only palliative care.

Tattooed Apothecary: Our troubles didn't end there. Even as we were struggling to look after Mahaud, a fell beast attacked our settlement...
Tattooed Apothecary: Ancel tried to protect his sister and was badly hurt. The chirurgeon said that he would be bedridden for the rest of his days.
Tattooed Apothecary: I didn't know what to do. Without the coin to care for them, I... My mind went to dark places. I began thinking of how I might spare them the pain. Spare us all.
Tattooed Apothecary: It was in that state that he found me. A kindly traveler.

Lalah Jinjahl: ...A healer?

Tattooed Apothecary: Yes. He offered to help Mahaud and Ancel and refused what little payment I tried to give. But he also said that their condition demanded special care and facilities. It would take years, many years. Desperate as I was, I accepted without hesitation. And so he left with my children...
Tattooed Apothecary: It was hard not knowing what became of them. Wondering if I had made the right choice. But I clung to the hope that one day we would be reunited...and we were! We were... Oh, to finally see them again is...I haven't the words for it. And it matters not that they've changed.

Lalah Jinjahl: The healer... What was his name?

Tattooed Apothecary: Guildivain, he called himself. A healer of some renown in his native Sharlayan, I believe.

Faldrinet: A truly touching tale! Where there is life, there is hope─would you not agree?
Faldrinet: Now then, if I am no longer needed here, I shall return to making my rounds.
Faldrinet: Till next time, my aspiring sage.

(Optional)
Tattooed Apothecary: I didn't have the chance to speak with Mahaud and Ancel properly, but whatever they've gotten involved with, I hope they will be all right...

Speak with Lalah Jinjahl once again

Lalah Jinjahl: I believe the danger is passed, but for good measure, I will ask the Immortal Flames to keep an eye on the area.

Tattooed Apothecary: We're in your debt.

Lalah Jinjahl: Now, if you do not mind telling me, was this your first time meeting Master Faldrinet?

Tattooed Apothecary: Oh, no. He's a regular of mine, introduced by an acquaintance. And when he comes, he always takes a moment to treat those who are unwell.
Tattooed Apothecary: To have so many kindly healers, Sharlayan must be a wonderful place indeed.

Lalah Jinjahl: ...And who is this acquaintance of yours, if I may ask?

Tattooed Apothecary: A merchant in Aleport. Master Faldrinet buys alchemical ingredients from him─rare items sourced directly from Thavnair.

Lalah Jinjahl: I see... Out of curiosity, what did Master Faldrinet buy from you this time?

Tattooed Apothecary: Oh, just the usual─a few sprigs of muscmaloi. He was actually the one who told me where to get the herb. Says it's used to treat certain serious illnesses.
Tattooed Apothecary: Well, if you'll excuse me, I must be returning to my stall. I don't know when, but I know my children will return, and I must work hard if I'm to give us better lives.

Lalah Jinjahl: ...
Lalah Jinjahl: Let us return to Idyllshire for now. Recent events have given me much to ponder...

Speak with Lalah Jinjahl in Idyllshire

Lalah Jinjahl: [Forename]... Ashamed though I am to admit this, I'm no longer certain of the truth...
Lalah Jinjahl: It wasn't Loifa and his accomplices who sought muscmaloi, but Master Faldrinet.
Lalah Jinjahl: No, what the fugitives want is Master Faldrinet himself.
Lalah Jinjahl: Clearly they bear a grievance against him...
Lalah Jinjahl: If those despicable rumors were true, and one of ours was actually... But the Forum was adamant in their denial, and they surely wouldn't...
Lalah Jinjahl: Ahhh, my mind is running amok... Forgive me, but I need a moment to rein in my thoughts.