King of the Castle

King of the Castle

Quest giver

East Aldenard Trading Company Associate

Location

Kugane (X:13.9, Y:13.3)

Level

70

Experience

 0

Gil

 3,997

Previous quest

Stormblood

Patch

4.0

“

This employee of the East Aldenard Trading Company is relieved to see you.

— In-game description

Rewards

Unlocks

• 
  Kugane Castle

Steps

• Speak with the Sekiseigumi blade.

• Enter Kugane Castle.

• Report to the East Aldenard Trading Company associate.

Journal

• This employee of the East Aldenard Trading Company is relieved to see you.

• You are approached not with an offer of wares but a request for help. As this Ul'dahn merchant tells it, Kugane Castle has been overrun by outlaws, and they have taken hostages─several dignitaries, including the bugyo of Kugane. While the Sekiseigumi would normally be the first to act in the face of such a crisis, they dare not put the bugyo at greater risk. Rather than storm the castle, they plan to recruit a small unit of adventurers to sneak inside. The merchant bids you make for the aqueducts in the Rakuza District, and speak with the Sekiseigumi officer there to learn more of their rescue mission.

• The Sekiseigumi officer apprises you of the situation inside the castle. Its halls are now filled with lawless ninjas and samurai under the leadership of a merchant by the name of Kageyama. As the officer bids you confront this mercantile mastermind, he warns you of a mysterious bodyguard in his employ. You then ready your arms and proceed through the aqueducts to infiltrate Kugane Castle.

• After overcoming throngs of shinobi, you at last find Kageyama at the heart of the castle. As a smile creeps across his face, it would seem he was expecting your arrival, and the bodyguard Yojimbo soon steps forward to protect his client. Kageyama showers the rogue swordsman with gold, whose attacks grow more destructive with every swing. Yet for all his money, Yojimbo deems the price of your head beyond the merchant's reach. The bodyguard soon takes his leave and Kageyama collapses to the ground a man broken, his fortunes utterly spent. With the castle now secure, you return to the merchant from the East Aldenard Trading Company to inform him of the good news.

• Not long after you return to the Ruby Bazaar, the Ul'dahn dignitary who was held captive at the castle arrives to offer her thanks for your aid. Her introduction soon makes clear that she is in fact the niece of Lolorito, Syndicate member and chairman of the East Aldenard Trading Company. Tales of your heroism inspired her to see the world and write a book about her travels. Thanks to your efforts, she may continue her journey with a tale of your deeds to accompany her writings.

Dialogue

Quest Acceptance

East Aldenard Trading Company Associate: [Forename Surname]? Oh, thank heavens! I am in dire need of a capable adventurer and I can think of none better.  Local officials have been working desperately to keep this confidential, but there is trouble in Kugane Castle! It has been overrun by a band of outlaws! What's more, they've taken hostages─a number of nobles, along with the bugyo, Kugane's highest magistrate.  They're demanding the country's borders be closed off, insisting Kugane's efforts to establish ties with other countries is folly. Why, if they had their way, I imagine foreigners─or ijin, as they call them─would never set foot here ever again! Under normal circumstances, the Sekiseigumi would have taken steps to immediately resolve this crisis, but they dare not do anything to put the bugyo at greater risk.  To proceed would require a decree from the bakufu, yet I fear there is no time to send an envoy to the royal capital and back. Nevertheless, they have done their due diligence and delivered a missive.

Speak with the Sekiseigumi blade

Sekiseigumi Blade: ...You were sent by the East Aldenard Trading Company? Then there is still a chance. Permit me to apprise you of the situation. The castle is presently held by a group of criminals under the leadership of a merchant named Kageyama. We believe his demands to close off our borders, as ludicrous as this seems, are a vain attempt to eliminate what he sees as a threat from foreign businesses. If it were only him and his cohorts, I am quite confident my men and I could easily rout them on our own.  The problem, however, is his bodyguard. Our informants tell us he is a swordsman of great renown in the Hingan underworld. He demands exorbitant sums of money, defending his clients with seemingly inhuman displays of strength and skill commensurate with the price he is paid. Your task will be to contend with Kageyama and his hired blade in the heart of the castle. With all eyes focused on you, they will fail to notice my men's intrusion to rescue the hostages. It shames me to ask this of a civilian, but if we are to save those people, I can see no other way.