The Man from Ul'dah

The Man from Ul'dah

Quest giver

Alphinaud

Location

Kugane (X:8.7, Y:10.1)

Quest line

Stormblood Main Scenario Quests

Level

61

Experience

 101,000

Gil

 688

Previous quest

Not without Incident

Next quest

Where the Streets Are Paved with Koban

Patch

4.0

---

Main Scenario Progress: 410 / 953 (43%)

   

Stormblood Progress: 31 / 162 (19.1%)

   

“

Despite traveling halfway around the world, Alphinaud is in no mood to take in the sights.

— In-game description

Steps

• Speak with Hancock.

• Follow Hancock.

Journal

• Despite traveling halfway around the world, Alphinaud is in no mood to take in the sights.

Dialogue

(Optional)
Carvallain: Myriad delights await you, should you elect to explore and experience—assuming you are sufficiently open–minded, that is. I, alas cannot afford to linger...

Accepting the Quest (Cutscene)

Alphinaud: Glad though I am to have arrived, I would remind you all that we are far from home, with limited resources at our disposal... 

Alisaie: Duly noted, Brother. I shall take care not to enjoy myself. In any event, Doma is our final destination, and our first order of business should be to secure passage there. 

Alphinaud: Captain Carvallain, I realize you pledged only to take us as far as Kugane, and I have no desire to change the terms of our agreement. I should, however, be interested to know how you would go about reaching Othard, were you in our position. 

Carvallain: At the risk of stating the obvious...you are in a port. Surely there is a kind and generous soul who will aid you for the right price? You cannot be the first travelers seeking passage to Doma. 

Alphinaud: ...The captain makes a good point. 'Tis like that Yugiri and Gosetsu were forced to come here for the selfsame reasons we were. They must have found a way to Othard—assuming they are not still in the city. 
Alphinaud: Hmm... Ere we seek passage, mayhap we should first seek our friends. 

Tataru: Leave it to me, Alphinaud! Making friendly inquiries is my specialty. Lest you forget, I got plenty of practice in Ishgard! 
Tataru: Captain Carvallain, could you direct us to the nearest tavern? 

Carvallain: Desperate for a drink, are we? You may find one in that large building just beyond the pier. 
Carvallain: Whether your journeys have come to an end or are about to begin, the Shiokaze Hostelry is an ideal place to rest, relax, and reflect. Or so they say. 
Carvallain: And with that, my dear Scions, I bid you farewell. As soon as we have replenished our supplies, we must away. Ours was ever a fast-moving business. 

Alisaie: The "spice trade," you mean? 

Carvallain: But of course. Surely you did not think I traveled halfway around the world and delivered you to your destination solely out of the kindness of my heart? 

Alphinaud: Perish the thought. Thank you, Captain, and may the Navigator watch over and keep you. 
Alphinaud: Right, then. To the hostelry? 

Tataru: After you! 

Cutscene

Alphinaud: By the Twelve...I thought Ishgard remarkable, but this... 
We are certainly not in Eorzea anymore. 

Tataru: Hee hee hee! A tavern is a tavern, Alphinaud, here or anywhere else! 
Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to do what I do best! 

???: Oh! A thousand pardons, my lady. 
???: The Scions of the Seventh Dawn, I presume? I hope your voyage was not too trying? 

Alisaie: ...And you are? 

Hancock: Ah, yes, of course! Forgive me. Hancock, of the East Aldenard Trading Company, at your service. On behalf of Chairman Lolorito, I bid you welcome to Kugane, and invite you to take refreshments at our local offices. 

Alphinaud: Lolorito? I was aware his interests extended beyond the borders of Eorzea, but not so far as Kugane. 
Alphinaud: Regardless, I am disinclined to accept the hospitality of grinning merchants—especially those who serve a master with whom we have such a difficult relationship. 

Hancock: My, such naked suspicion! 
Hancock: I do hope that business with the Crystal Braves did not rob you of all faith in your fellow man. Or do you really think the chairman is plotting to drag you into another one of his grand schemes? 

Alphinaud: I beg your pardon!? 
If you are trying to win my trust, you are failing quite spectacularly. 

Hancock: Oh dear, have I offended you? 
Hancock: Once again, I must apologize. Too much time in the Far East, you see. One is compelled to talk in circles around everything here, and one finds oneself longing for the invigoratingly candid speech of the Ul'dahn markets...though I see now that this is neither the time nor the place to indulge said longing. 
Hancock: ...Might I suggest that we continue this conversation at the company offices? Too many eyes and ears here, you understand. 'Twould be decidedly reckless to say any more. 

Alphinaud: If I may favor you with the invigorating candor you apparently crave—it would be decidedly reckless to follow a man I neither know nor trust. Give me one good reason why we should accept Lord Lolorito's invitation. 

Hancock: Now, there's the young diplomat I was told to expect! Very well, then, I shall explain. You understand that you are come to a most reclusive and secretive nation, yes? One whose borders are closed to foreign trade save at this single port? 
Hancock: Then it should come as no surprise that a great many parties have vested interests here. Merchants like myself are a given, of course, but for everyone of us, you may be certain there is also an agent of a foreign government. 
Hancock: Many notable nations and empires have embassies here, you know—including of course, the Garlean Empire, with whom you have such a...difficult relationship. 

Alisaie: To paraphrase, Kugane is teeming with imperial spies, one or several of whom could now be listening to our every word. 

Hancock: Something to that effect, yes. Beneath this veneer of bustling trade, a war for supremacy is being waged between world powers. One might say we were standing on the front lines...just not in public. 

Alisaie: I still have my doubts, but he may have a point. 
I say we accept his invitation—for now. 

Optional

Lyse: So there are imperial spies everywhere? Great. Just great...

Alisaie: (I daresay Alphinaud has met his match.)

Alphinaud: Forgive me. The mere mention of the East Aldenard Trading Company is enough to...<mumble><mumble> I am fine. Truly. You need not worry.

Tataru: (I don't trust him one bit...and neither should you!)

Speaking with Hancock

Hancock: And you must be [Forename] [Surname]! Slayer of Gods...Rider of Dragons...Savior of Ishgard...Stealer of Pants—if some of the more puzzling rumors are to be believed. 
Hancock: I knew it! May I say what an honor and a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance, my lady/lord. I just know you and I are going to get along famously! 
Hancock: Now then, without further ado, allow me to escort you to the company offices. 
Hancock: This being your first visit to our fair city, I shall make an effort to point out various landmarks along the way. If you would be so good as to follow me! 

Optional

Lyse: Even the aetherytes look different here...

Alisaie: I note that our would–be host has elected to dress in the local fashion.

Tataru: <sniff><sniff> I say, what is that I smell wafting from yonder teahouse? Could it be— Yes, could it just possibly be the scent of whispered secrets waiting to be overheard?

Alphinaud: I do not like the cut of that man's jib. Not one bit.

Following Hancock

Hancock: Everyone! If I could have your attention, please. You are now standing in Tenkonto. 
Hancock: Loosely translated, the name means "spire of drifting souls," which—as some of you may have deduced—makes reference to the aetheryte which stands over yonder. 

Alphinaud: Hmm... The design is markedly different from those of Sharlayan, yet I trust its function is identical? 

Hancock: A diplomat and a scholar! Will wonders never cease. 
Hancock: Far Eastern aetheryte technologies have a long and storied tradition, I assure you. This particular example was constructed by the Onishishu, a collective of skilled craftsmen, who guard their ancestral techniques with the utmost secrecy. 
Hancock: In short, you will find it no less reliable than its western counterparts. Attune, if you like.