Open Arms, Closed Gate

Open Arms, Closed Gate

Quest giver

Alphinaud

Location

Kholusia (X:35.2, Y:27.1)

Quest line

Shadowbringers Main Scenario

Level

70

Experience

 216,000

Gil

 1,116

Previous quest

A Still Tide

Next quest

A Fickle Existence
A Meating Long Overdue
Redolent Refuse
A Feeling in the Belly
Songstress of the Sea

Patch

5.0

Links

EDB GT

“

Alphinaud is ready to take to the road once more.

— In-game description

Walkthrough

???

Steps

• Speak with Alphinaud.
• Search for the source of the scream.
• Rescue the manic madame.
• Aid the manic madame.
• Survey the scene.
• Speak with Alphinaud.
• Have a look around Gatetown. 0/3
• Speak with Alphinaud.

Journal

• Alphinaud is ready to take to the road once more.

Dialogue

Alphinaud: Assuming you have no objections, let us make our way directly to the city outskirts.
Alphinaud: If we time our arrival just right, you may be lucky enough to see why I have yet to set foot in Eulmore─despite my best efforts to do so...
Alphinaud: Come. From here, we must head west, and then cross a small bridge...
Alphinaud: Kholusia seems peaceful, does it not? Almost...familiar? I had a similar impression of the Crystarium. Even in this distant world, people are much the same.
Alphinaud: <sigh> To think that whenever a calamity struck the Source, a reflection such as this one─with all its culture and history─was being erased from existence...

(-Screaming Woman-): N-No! Get away from me!

Alphinaud: ...Over there!
Alphinaud: Quickly, someone's in trouble!

Manic Madame: P-Please, no...
Manic Madame: Oh, thank the fates, y─ Look out!
Manic Madame: My poor heart... Thank you, young sir/miss.

Alphinaud: Ah, there you are! In my haste, I lost my bearings... But I see you have the situation well in hand. Fine work!
Alphinaud: Are you alright, madam?

Manic Madame: Just a few bruises from where I fell. Nothing compared to what was in store for me before this brave soul came to my rescue.
Manic Madame: I honestly thought I was done for. My feet are not as swift as they once were, and I knew there was no one left to hear me scream. Not that I let that stop me!
Manic Madame: <sigh> I should probably leave my old house behind and queue up outside Eulmore with the rest of them.
Manic Madame: Doubt those fancy lords and ladies would welcome an old crone like me... Still, even a shack near the gate has to be safer than staying here!

Alphinaud: One would hope. Either way, I suggest you avoid wandering alone, lest you make the sin eaters' task any easier.

Manic Madame: Thank you again. You saved my life. Now, I'm sure a strapping lad/lass like you has little to fear, but I wouldn't linger long in this place. There's naught to be had here but cobwebs and memories.

Alphinaud: 'Tis as the lady says. Many in these parts have abandoned their homes to live in Eulmore's shadow.
Alphinaud: Should the sin eaters descend upon this region, there are precious few with the strength to fight them off...
Alphinaud: Speaking of which, what have you been told of these monsters?
Alphinaud: Ah, yes. Alisaie would be well qualified to speak on the subject.
Alphinaud: Compared with Amh Araeng, Kholusia is almost a haven... But as you saw, we cannot let our guard down. Had you arrived but a few moments later, the sin eaters would have claimed another victim.
Alphinaud: A brief history, then...
Alphinaud: 'Twas not long after the Flood swallowed the better part of the world that the sin eaters first appeared, some beastly, some beauteous.
Alphinaud: Yet regardless of their form, all seem incapable of speech, and all are driven by the same insatiable appetite for mortal aether. They are predators─and we are their prey.
Alphinaud: Kholusia suffers from far fewer attacks than most regions, but even so, the list of the sin eaters' victims grows longer by the day. A tragedy without end...
Alphinaud: Still, we have won a small victory this time, at least. Now, shall we press on?
Alphinaud: We need to return to where the road forks and follow the path that leads west...
Alphinaud: And here we are.

Begrimed Bloke: Mmm, do I savor it piece by piece, or gobble it all in one go...?

Preoccupied Petticoat: Ah, Eulmore, you taunt me with your promised bounty...

Alphinaud: Now you understand why my attempts to enter the city have thus far come to naught. The dubious privilege of residency must be won via a contest with ever-changing rules...
Alphinaud: They say this policy has been in place for the past two decades, ever since Eulmore's current ruler came into power.
Alphinaud: Yet from what I have seen, it does more harm than good. Not only does it distract people from our shared struggle against the sin eaters, it robs them of their self-sufficiency. I have tried to propose ways they could improve their lot, but my words invariably fall on deaf ears.
Alphinaud: The attitude is so entrenched now, I worry that─ Well, mayhap you should take a turn around Gatetown, and judge the situation for yourself.
Alphinaud: Go, take the measure of Gatetown. I shall wait here.

System: A large pot bubbles over the flame. Pale chunks─meol, you realize─float in the otherwise plain broth.

Begrimed Bloke: Still here, are you? Can't blame you for wanting a slice of Eulmore's pie. If you ask me, you should ditch that sour-faced brat and make a home for yourself here!
Begrimed Bloke: Gatetown's not much to look at, aye, but at least it's safe. And the meol is the best thing I've ever tasted!

Preoccupied Petticoat: Just look at it... Can you imagine a more beautiful city?
Preoccupied Petticoat: Every day, I dream of the life that waits for me inside those walls. Oh, will they ever pick me...?

Alphinaud: You've seen what Gatetown has to offer?
Alphinaud: These people can no longer fend for themselves. They've become dependent on handouts of meol, and believe Eulmore is the answer to all their woes.
Alphinaud: Yet no matter how I frame my encouragement, they seem unwilling─nay, unable─to conceive of any other way of life...