Sanding It Down

Required items: 1   Bulging Gil Pouch
1   Fire-kissed Aethersand
1   Earth-cradled Aethersand
Experience: 0
Gil: 1,220
Previous quest: Legacy of Allag
Next quest: A Performance for the Ages
Patch: 2.1
Links: EDB GT

“

Rammbroes wishes to proceed with the shaping of the flawless crystals.

— In-game description

Rewards

The use of aethersand as key items in this quest foreshadowed it's introduction as an actual game mechanic Heavensward.

Rammbroes explains that four varieties of an extremely rare abrasive known as aethersand are required to polish the flawless crystals. Take the purse given to you by the dig supervisor and deliver it to Serendipity, the master of the Goldsmiths' Guild in Ul'dah. It is Rammbroes's hope that the presence of a celebrated adventurer will prompt the goldsmiths to redouble their efforts to procure the required materials.

Upon arriving at the Goldsmiths' Guild, you encounter an old friend: Biggs. By some strange coincidence, it appears that the Roegadyn engineer is also intent on purchasing what little aethersand there is to be had. After a somewhat one-sided negotiation, he relinquishes his questionable claim on the only available batch in exchange for a role in the forthcoming expedition. The fire-aspected aethersand thus secured, inquire as to whether Biggs might know where to obtain the three remaining varieties.

Biggs reveals that his partner, Wedge, has traveled to northern Thanalan to meet with a merchant rumored to be in possession of a quantity of earth-aspected aethersand. Make for Bluefog and seek the Lalafell, who should be accompanied by a hired adventurer bodyguard.

According to the adventurer hired to guard Wedge, she last saw her employer during a bungled attempt to retrieve some aethersand which had been stolen by bandits. Betraying scarcely a hint of shame, the bumbling bodyguard speculates that Wedge may still be trapped inside the abandoned Amajina mythril mine which the bandits call home. Make haste to the site and rescue Biggs's stricken friend before it is too late.

To your great relief, Wedge bears no scars from his recent ordeal. Unfortunately, he also bears no aethersand, having dropped it whilst fleeing from his pursuers. Search the mine and retrieve the precious mineral before the bandits stumble upon it.

You have succeeded in retrieving the lost aethersand. Return to Wedge and inform him of your success.

Wedge is plainly overjoyed to have the aethersand back, but when he hears of your impending expedition, he decides to surrender the precious mineral to you, reasoning that your need is greater. It is time to head back to Saint Coinach's Find, and deliver the fire- and earth-aspected aethersand to Rammbroes.

After delivering the two samples of aethersand, you regale Cid with tales of his indefatigable employees' most recent misadventures. When thoughts subsequently turn to the two outstanding varieties of aethersand, Rammbroes declares that he has made “arrangements” to procure them. Quite what form these arrangements may take is unclear, but his expression betrays no small amount of apprehension...