Causes and Costs

Causes and Costs

Quest giver

Alphinaud

Location

Coerthas Western Highlands (X:32, Y:37)

Quest line

Dragonsong Main Scenario Quests

Level

60

Experience

 5,000

Gil

 1,200

Previous quest

For Those We Can Yet Save

Next quest

The Man Within

Patch

3.2

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Main Scenario Progress: 354 / 960 (36.9%)

   

Heavensward Progress: 113 / 138 (81.9%)

   

“

Alphinaud knows at last what he must do.

— In-game description

Rewards

Choose one of the following options:

• 1   Hellfire Armor of Fending Coffer (IL 240)
• 1   Slipstream Armor of Maiming Coffer (IL 240)
• 1   Hellfire Armor of Striking Coffer (IL 240)
• 1   Torrent Attire of Scouting Coffer (IL 240)
• 3   Allagan Gold Piece

Unlocks

•   Battle Stance
•   First Gear

Steps

• Wait for Alphinaud in the intercessory in Camp Dragonhead.
• Speak with Alphinaud.
• Speak with Alphinaud outside Fortemps Manor.

Journal

• Alphinaud restates that there are things he wishes to say to you -- not to the Warrior of Light, or a fellow Scion, but to you, [Player], his friend. He proposes that you travel to Camp Dragonhead, to the intercessory Lord Haurchefant set aside for you long ago, that you might converse in private.

• To fight and die for a noble cause is a notion many find romantic, and Alphinaud was no exception. Are not truth, justice, and freedom worth fighting for, after all? Yet having borne witness to the costs of pursuing these many causes, having seen at what price each victory is bought, Alphinaud has had enough. Even if Ser Aymeric and all of Ishgard are willing to sacrifice Estinien to slay Nidhogg, he is not. Though he may fail, Alphinaud is resolved to try to save the dragoon. Touched by your young friend's conviction, you find yourself thinking back to those you have lost. Moenbryda, Wilred, Lord Haurchefant, Ysayle, Minfilia... and one who may yet be saved.

• Alphinaud thanks you for allowing him to unburden himself. Though he knows that not all the Scions may agree with his chosen course at first, he has faith that they can be won over in due time. For the present, he would return to Fortemps Manor and, with Tataru's aid, turn his thoughts to more uplifting subjects.

• Ever the optimist, Tataru seems positive about your prospects, still believing that Yda, Papalymo, and even Minfilia might one day rejoin the Scions. Reminded of the Antecedent's plight, Alphinaud ponders what could have motivated her to go to such lengths to deliver so curious a message. Though it may be some time before the whole truth is known to you, he seems content to wait and turn his mind to solving the problems of the present. The Scions always find a way.

Dialogue

Accepting the Quest

Alphinaud: When I said I wished to speak with you after the conference, I confess I envisaged rather happier circumstances. If anything, however, this latest tragedy makes the need more pressing. There are things I must say. 
Alphinaud: Not to the Warrior of Light, or even my fellow Scion, but...to you, [Forename]. My friend. 
Alphinaud: But not here, no... 
Alphinaud: Ah, but of course. The intercessory in Camp Dragonhead is still open to us. Let us go there. 

Waiting for Alphinaud in the intercessory in Camp Dragonhead (Cutscene)

Alphinaud: Forgive me. That took longer than expected. 
Alphinaud: ...You seem puzzled. Oh, these? I thought something warming might not go amiss. 
Alphinaud: It was not all that long ago that we sat here, you and I. In our very own "Falling Snows," as Lord Haurchefant called it. 
Alphinaud: I still struggle to believe he has gone. And Ysayle too... I had such hopes for her... 
Alphinaud: Master Matoya asked me what it was all for. Why we fight...and why we die. 
Alphinaud: Were I still commander of the Braves, I would doubtless have replied "For the future of Eorzea," but I am not that man. Not anymore. 
Alphinaud: I needed a new answer. One that I could live with. And when I saw Estinien at the ceremony, I knew at last what it was. 
Alphinaud: I do not want to be a man who sacrifices his friends and family for a cause. I want to fight for Estinien—and I want to save him. 
Alphinaud: When Nidhogg leads the Horde into battle, Ser Aymeric and his forces will do what they believe must be done. 
Alphinaud: That is their choice to make. Yet even if Ser Aymeric is willing to forsake Estinien, I am not. 
Alphinaud: We must fight for him, for his is our friend and ally. We may struggle, we may fail, but we must try. 

< What will you say? >
< We will find a way to save him. >
<...To aid those in need. >
< ... >

< We will find a way to save him. >
Alphinaud: We will. I know we will.  

< ...To aid those in need. >
Alphinaud: Lord Haurchefant would be proud. I knew you would understand! Together, we will surely find a way.

("...")
Alphinaud: Forgive me. I say these things to you in full knowledge of the fact that you have never yet given up on a friend. We will find a way. I know we will.

Speaking with Alphinaud

Alphinaud: Thank you, [Forename]. It is unfair of me to unburden myself in this manner, time after time, but I am glad that you permit me nonetheless. You are my true friend and ally. 
Alphinaud: Though not all our fellow Scions will support our stance on Estinien, I have faith that we will win them over in due course. Such is the infectious power of hope. 
Alphinaud: Right. That is quite enough solemn introspection for one day. I think we would both benefit from some time in the company of Tataru. She stays for us at Fortemps Manor. Let us not keep her waiting any longer. 

Optional Dialogue

Tataru: (Well! Alphinaud certainly seems to be in better spirits. Do we have you to thank for this?)

Lucia: Well met, [Forename]. Would that we could have spoken before leaving Falcon's Nest, but the situation demanded that Ser Aymeric return to the city at once. 
Lucia: Niddhogg has made his intentions clear. One way or another, the coming battle will mark the end of the war.

Gibrillont: ...Never heard of a peace conference ending with a mob chanting for someone's death. Gods help us if we hold a third.

House Fortemps Steward: When the heralds announced the results of the grand melee, Honoroit rushed outside, eager to greet his master at the city gates. So eager, in fact, that he nearly did so barefoot.
House Fortemps Steward: <sigh> For all his experience, he is yet a boy. A loyal one, though, with the potential to rise high in this household...if he can learn to refrain from the occasional observation.

House Fortemps Manservant: Ah, Mistress/Master [Surname]. You should know that Lord Edmont is most grateful for all you have done for Lord Emmanellain.
House Fortemps Manservant: He believes you to have been a most sobering influence on the young lord—though whether or not it will last remains to be seen. I believe he is already out and about with Honoroit...

Rothe: And just like that, everythin' we've worked so hard to build is in danger of bein' torn down. But that's the way of the world, isn't it? If they succeed, then we'll just have to build it back up again, harder and stronger.

Redwald: No wonder he did not interfere with our preparations. It was Nidhogg's plan from the beginning to use this occasion to deliver his proclamation—to deprive us of hope and leave us with naught but despair.
Redwald: But we will not be so easily cowed. when the time comes, the golden bell will sound, and every man and woman of House Durendaire will hearken to its call!

Tourcenet: Even now, their voices echo in my ears. I do not think I shall ever forget it.
Tourcenet: I had hoped that I might soon put up my sword, but now...

Emerissel: I do wonder what became of that girl, though. Could've sworn I saw her shed a tear during Ser Aymeric's speech...

Noirterel: In times like these, it's especially important for a cook to keep his people well fed.
Noirterel: My brother down in Whitebrim, now there's a cook who could feed a garrison for weeks with popotoes and mudpuppy tails and still have them in high spirits. But I'm no slouch myself!

Ingaret: First the protest, now Nidhogg!? I never imagined that a remote posting could know so much tragedy in such a short time.

Maelie: I heard the white dragon got hurt durin' the conference! It's not bad, is it?
Maelie: We haven't got much medicine here, and I don't know if it'd be any good for a dragon anyway, but... there's got to be somethin' I can do for her, isn't there?

Symme: Bet them Alliance fellas never had to go toe—to1tow with a woman the likes of Hilda before, eh? Cor, wish I could've been out there with you all, instead of stuck here keeping the peace—important though it may be.

Eudestand: More'n a few of our folk were at Falcon's Nest, hopin' to be a part of history...only to come back cllin' for the damned wyrm's head. <sigh>

Hilda: We've come a long way, me and the boys. From dirty Brume rats fightin' against the powers that be to respectable folk workin' openly with them.
Hilda: In the end, you do whatever it takes to ensure that you and yours survive. Fight when you've got to, make peace when you can. So aye, if there's nothing for it, we'll fight that damn wyrm. We've come this far, and we're not about to stop.

Vidofnir: ...Ah. Thou art concerned for my well1being? 'Tis naught compared to the still—gaping wound which divideth our peoples.
Vidofnir: Peace ever was a bitter draught for the merciless. To his dying breath, he will rage. We who do not join in the chorus will share in the misery. Such was his vow.
Vidofnir: But I too swore a vow—that the dream of peace shall be ours once more. No matter what trials may come, I shall be true to my word... and to my heart.

Speaking with Alphinaud outside Fortemps Manor (Cutscene)

Alphinaud: Yet again we walk an all-too-familiar path. I am reminded of when we first came to this manor. 
Alphinaud: Lost and uncertain, we were granted succor in our hour of need. We were saved—and now it is our turn to return the favor! 

Tataru: Hear, hear! Let no one say that the Scions do not repay their debts! 
Tataru: After all, what kind of people would we be if we forsook our friends? If we stopped looking for Yda and Palaymo, or if we gave up hope of bringing Minfilia back? 

Alphinaud: Though she knew it would cost her dearly, Minfilia reached out to us to deliver a message. She believed it was imperative that we understand the true nature of this star—of the rift between Zodiark and Hydaelyn, and of the Ascians' aspirations. 
Alphinaud: But for all that has been revealed, I cannot shake the suspicion that there is much we have yet to learn... 
Alphinaud: In any event, I think it time we step back from the fray and carefully consider our next course of action. It will not be easy to turn this tragedy to triumph, but we will find a way. We will. We will. 

Post turn in Cutscene

Krile: Of all the ways for it to end. 
Krile: Even before his transformation, I could feel the wyrm's hatred swirling about Estinien. The terrible, all-consuming rage... 
Krile: Enough to fuel a thousand-year quest for vengeance. It was all I could do not to run away screaming. 
Krile: But Ishgardians— Nay, all Eorzeans—are made of sterner stuff. They face danger and death on a daily basis, and understand what it takes to win a war. 

Y'shtola: Think not too deeply on Master Matoya's words. Her intent was but to steel our resolve.  
Y'shtola: That, and to remind us to look beyond these passing conflicts to trials greater still—to the truth which hides at the heart of this world. 

Krile: So that's your aim, is it?

Y'shtola: You disapprove?

Krile: Not at all! I believe it's traditional for the student to follow in the footsteps of the master. And you are so very alike.

Voiceover

Count Edmont de Fortemps: Change—that great, inexorable wave was upon us, and soon all of Ishgard would soon bend to its will. 
Count Edmont de Fortemps: For all our sins, for all our scars, the future for which we had long yearned was at last within our grasp. 
Count Edmont de Fortemps: But it would be bought at a heavy price. 
Count Edmont de Fortemps: For in those twilight hours did Nidhogg cry out for vengeance, and his brethern raise their voices for the final chorus of the Dragonsong war.

From the memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps
Heavensward: The Gears of Change

Cutscene

Papalymo: Caution, Yda—that is all I ask! Do not be so eager to place your faith in them. Not until we know more.