The Hidden Truth

The Hidden Truth

Quest giver

Serpent Marshal Brookstone

Location

The Fringes (X:9.2, Y:10.8)

Level

61

Required quest

Divide and Conquer

Experience

 25,250

Gil

 800

Next quest

Drawing a Blank

Patch

4.0

“

Serpent Marshal Brookstone is in need of a soldier.

— In-game description

Rewards

Unlocks

• 
  Aether Current

Steps

• Speak with Lieutenant Molkoh.

• Speak with the Ananta battlemaid.

• Speak with Lieutenant Molkoh.

• Interrogate the startled soldier.

• Aid Lieutenant Molkoh.

Journal

• Serpent Marshal Brookstone is in need of a soldier.

• The Alliance has recently taken hold of Castrum Oriens, and Serpent Marshal Brookstone is preparing for a reconnaissance of the area. He asks for your assistance, bidding you speak with Lieutenant Molkoh for further details.

• Lieutenant Molkoh seems more than excited to be in your presence. After regaining her composure, she explains to you the purpose of the mission. They have discovered records of Ala Mhigan prisoners dating back to the beginning of the Garlean occupation twenty years prior. However, a number of entries in the documents are listed only as “Whereabouts Unknown.” To begin your investigation into these missing prisoners, Lieutenant Molkoh suggests speaking with the Ananta, whose residency in the Fringes predates even the Ala Mhigans.

• You speak with an Ananta battlemaid who recalls the Garleans making prisoners of everyone they encountered, be they Ala Mhigan or even Ananta. While most were forced to serve in the imperial armies, a number of people were also taken to Bittermill. Lieutenant Molkoh now hopes to find some link to the past in the ruin of the abandoned hamlet.

• No sooner do you arrive than you find Lieutenant Molkoh being assaulted by three Garlean soldiers. You make short work of two of her assailants. Perhaps you can pry answers out of the third.

• The remaining soldier's eyes grow wide with fright at the sight of his fallen comrades and he soon flees. Lieutenant Molkoh seems to be injured, but hopefully her wounds are not serious.

• Lieutenant Molkoh is none the worse for wear, but she is perplexed by the presence of Garlean soldiers. She suspects something suspicious is afoot. Before you can proceed, however, she begs you a moment to rest.

Dialogue

Accepting the Quest

(If part of the Twin Adders GC)
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: Ah, [Rank] [Surname]? A moment if you would.

(If not part of the Twin Adders GC)
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: Ah, [Forename] [Surname] of the Flames/Maelstrom? A moment if you would.

(Both)
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: The Alliance has seen fit to charge the Twin Adder with overseeing the occupation of Castrum Oriens for the interim.
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: As an adventurer I realize it is your wont to attend to matters both great and small in all corners of the realm. Though it should go without saying that you must also uphold your obligations to the [Player's Grand Company], and the Eorzean Alliance.
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: Thus I would ask for your aid in a reconnaissance mission here in the Fringes. Pray speak with Lieutenant Molkoh when you are ready to receive a briefing. She will be overseeing the operation.

Optional

(If part of the Twin Adders GC)
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: Lieutenant Molkoh can be somewhat of a handful, but her heart is in the right place. I wish you well on your mission, [Rank] [Surname].

(If not part of the Twin Adders GC)
Serpent Marshal Brookstone: Lieutenant Molkoh can be somewhat of a handful, but her heart is in the right place. I wish you well on your mission, [Forename].

Speaking with Lieutenant Molkoh (Cutscene)

Tahla Molkoh: <gasp> Do my eyes deceive me? It can't be... But it is! [Forename] [Surname], the Griffin's Bane herself/himself!
Tahla Molkoh: Yes, the great hero who defeated the Griffin atop Baelsar's Wall, bringing his plans of conquest to a shuddering halt. I can think of no other title that so aptly befits your prowess.
Tahla Molkoh: A pity no one else seems to think so. Ahem, but enough of that. What brings the illustrious Griffin's Bane here to Castrum Oriens?
Tahla Molkoh: Serpent Marshal Brookstone has requested you assist in my investigation? This is such an honor! I'll do my best not to disappoint you.
Tahla Molkoh: Ah, goodness me, where are my manners? Tahla Molkoh, military records officer, at your service. I cannot offer much in the way of combat, but if you should have any inquiries regarding historical matters, you need only ask!
Tahla Molkoh: Now then, let me apprise you of our current situation. Shortly after taking control of Castrum Oriens, we discovered a number of confidential documents left behind by the Garleans─prisoner records dating back to the beginning of Ala Mhigo's occupation.
Tahla Molkoh: As you might have guessed, a great many were conscripted and sent away to subjugate new territories. A surprisingly large number were executed, as a reminder of what would happen should any step out of line.
Tahla Molkoh: What we weren't expecting, however, was a number of prisoners listed simply as “Whereabouts Unknown.” We thought perhaps they met some ill-fortune during their imprisonment, or even escaped, but we could find no other documents to suggest what became of them.
Tahla Molkoh: Be they living or deceased, it is now our duty to find them. Not just for our own records, mind you, but their loved ones as well. They deserve the peace of mind of knowing what happened here.
Tahla Molkoh: Would that this were a recent incident, though. It will be no easy task ascertaining their whereabouts after twenty years, but I believe I know where we might begin our investigation.
Tahla Molkoh: The Ananta have called these lands home long before even the Ala Mhigans came to settle here. And as luck would have it, the Resistance has established cordial relations with their people. Perhaps they remember something of what happened all those years ago.

(Optional)
Tahla Molkoh: I certainly hope the Ananta remember something of use.

Speaking with the Ananta battlemaid

Ananta Battlemaid: Ala Mhigan prisoners captured twenty years ago?
Ananta Battlemaid: Yesss, I remember. When the Garleansss gained their foothold here, they interned any and everyone. Ssstriders, Ananta─it mattered not. Most were forced to ssserve in the Garlean military, dispatched to other landsss from which they would never to return.
Ananta Battlemaid: If I'm not missstaken, the prisoners who remained were taken to a sssmall village to the south.
Ananta Battlemaid: I cannot sssay what transpired there, but the sssettlement was heavily guarded. I fear the worssst for them.

Tahla Molkoh: A settlement to the south? Why, that would have to be Bittermill. I recall records of its residents seeking asylum in Gridania when the Garleans first arrived. The place was all but razed to the ground. Let's begin our search there. Perhaps something of value still remains in the rubble.

Optional

Ananta Battlemaid: My sssisters were also among those taken to Bittermill. Only the heavens know what the Garleansss have done to them.

Startled Soldier: This place was supposed to be deserted!

Speaking with Lieutenant Molkoh

Tahla Molkoh: What...what are Garleans doing here?

Startled Soldier: They cannot be allowed to leave. Get them!

(Optional)
Tahla Molkoh: Only one remains now. Stay on your guard.

Interrogating the startled soldier

Startled Soldier: Uwaaah!

Aiding Lieutenant Molkoh (Cutscene)

Tahla Molkoh: Goodness, that smarts.
Tahla Molkoh: Perhaps I should have devoted more time to combat training. Though no amount of training would make me a match for the renowned Griffin's Bane. That was a magnificent display.
Tahla Molkoh: Garlean soldiers were certainly the last thing I expected to find in these abandoned and otherwise forgotten buildings. I managed to catch them unawares, but I'm quite certain this investigation would have ended poorly had you not arrived.

(If have not completed Stormblood)
Tahla Molkoh: Still, I find this quite curious. By all rights the Garleans should be too busy contending with the Resistance to waste time in a place like this. What were they doing here?

(If have completed Stormblood)
Tahla Molkoh: Still, I find this quite curious. The Garleans were said to have retreated from this area. What were they doing here?

(Both)
Tahla Molkoh: I'm afraid our search for answers has only raised more questions. If we are to make sense of any of this, we must search this place from top to bottom...after my heart returns to my chest.