A Defector's Tidings

Quest giver: Alisaie
Location: The Dravanian Hinterlands (X:12.9, Y:36.4)
Quest line: Post-Stormblood
Level: 70

Experience: 10,800
Gil: 2,823
Previous quest: Soul Searching
Next quest: Seiryu's Wall
Patch: 4.5

“

The news from Ala Mhigo has left Alisaie in as state of nervous excitement.

— In-game description

Rewards

Choose one of the following options:

Steps

Speak with the Resistance guard in the Ala Mhigan Quarter.
Speak with Alisaie.
Speak with Hien at the Kienkan.

Journal

Dialogue

Accepting the Quest

Alisaie: I almost can't bear to hear what Maxima has to tell us...

Alisaie: But it can't be bad news, can it? Lyse would have said. Unless─ Agh, there's no point speculating. Lyse said she'd notified the guards of our coming, so we should head straight to the palace gate in the Ala Mhigan Quarter.

Krile: I'll be praying for good news. Learn what you can about Alphinaud's plight, and leave the search for our friends' lost souls to me.

In the Royal Palace

Lyse: I'm sorry to drag you halfway across the realm, but when Maxima mentioned Alphinaud, I thought you'd want to hear the news in person.

Maxima: Ah, we meet again...though I was hoping our reunion would be under more auspicious circumstances.

Alisaie: What happened to my brother? Where is Alphinaud?

Maxima: Never fear, my lady. Your brother was in fine health when I took my leave of him, and I have no reason to assume that has changed.

Alisaie: You assume!?

Maxima: If you will allow me, I shall endeavor to explain events.

Maxima: Our troubles began not long after we departed Doma. While crossing the Burn, we were fired upon by the Emperor's personal guard, and forced to make an emergency landing.

Maxima: As we stumbled from the wreckage, our attackers fell upon us again, and we would have perished there and then were it not for the intercession of a third party... A band of mercenaries whose leader claimed to pursue a vendetta against the Ascians.

Maxima: This “Shadowhunter,” as he styled himself, then escorted us out of the wastes to relative safety.

Maxima: Upon arriving back in civilization, I gathered my Populares colleagues and prepared to flee the Empire. Master Alphinaud, however, declined the invitation to join us, preferring to continue his investigation into the Ascian threat.

Alisaie: Well...at least he's not lying in a heap in the Burn.

Alisaie: Tell us more about these Ascian hunters. Who are they? And is Alphinaud still with them?

Maxima: He is. As to who they are, I am afraid I have nothing to tell you. Beyond the fact that they root out and destroy Ascians, they were unwilling to divulge anything which might serve to identify them.

Maxima: They would not even reveal their next destination...but Master Alphinaud asked to accompany them all the same.

Maxima: Since parting company with your brother, we've been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with the Emperor's guard. We made our way through province after province, finding the army busy “restoring order” wherever we went, until we finally arrived here in Ala Mhigo. I cannot thank Commander Aldynn enough for giving us such an unexpectedly warm welcome.

Raubahn: I'm not inclined to turn away refugees, no matter which land they call home. And if they can tell me how things lie in Garlemald...all the better.

Maxima: On that subject, there is much I would tell you. During the course of our journey, we heard tales that an entire rebel army had been slaughtered in the space of a single night.

Maxima: It would seem my former comrades grew tired of putting down uprisings in the conventional manner, and chose instead to bring a formidable new weapon to bear. Details were sparse, but the rumor alone was enough to dampen the flames of rebellion.

Maxima: I have also heard reports that several companies have withdrawn from their designated provinces and begun marching westward. It is my assessment that the Empire's forces are mobilizing for a large-scale military engagement.

Lyse: Westward? You mean they're getting ready to invade Ala Mhigo!?

Raubahn: We knew this was coming. But not that it would be so soon.

Lyse: We've barely even begun to shore up our defenses! They won't stop an invading army!

Raubahn: ...No, they won't.

Raubahn: Dispatch messengers to the Alliance leadership requesting reinforcements. And send word to our officers in the field to hasten completion of those border fortifications. Prepare to meet the imperials head-on!

Raubahn: No matter how quickly we act, we still want for time. When the enemy comes into view, our best recourse will be to open negotiations with their commander, and see that the ensuing proceedings take as long as possible.

Lyse: Would you and Alisaie head to Doma and let Lord Hien know about this? I'm sure he'll want to hear about Alphinaud too.

Alisaie: Consider it done. We'll send word when─

Player and Alisaie hear voices

Alisaie: You heard it too?

Alisaie: Well, at least we're both still standing.

Lyse: Oh, thank the gods─I thought we'd lost you for a moment there. Why does this keep happening!?

Alisaie: I wish I knew. Nothing we've tried has brought us any closer to an answer...

Alisaie: We'll keep working on it, but first we need to go and see Lord Hien.

Speaking to Alisaie

Alisaie: So, Alphinaud is safe─for the present, at least. Now all we need to worry about is a full-scale imperial invasion...

Alisaie: I'm actually glad Lyse tasked us with visiting Lord Hien─better to be dashing from place to place than sitting around stewing over things we can't change. To the enclave!

Speaking with Hein

Hien: Greetings, my friends. I was just discussing future endeavors with the members of our newly formed alliance.

Hien: The Kojin and the Confederacy you already know, and it was your own strength of arms that won us the cooperation of the Steppe tribes.

Hien: We have also been joined by our neighbors from Nagxia, and the indomitable citizens of Dalmasca...though the scattered nature of the latter's resistance will somewhat delay their official induction.

Hien: These proud peoples have united under a single purpose: to stand against the tyranny of the Garlean Empire.

Alisaie: I am glad to see your alliance is coming together so swiftly. As things stand, I fear we shall soon have need of your strength...

Hien: I thank you for bringing me news of Alphinaud. His fate is never far from my thoughts─and not only because he is our emissary. As for this sudden deployment of imperial forces, I agree that Ala Mhigo would be wise to shore up its borders with all haste.

Yugiri: Every report we receive from our shinobi indicates a massing of troops in the western provinces. It seems all but certain that the Empire is poised to bring its fist down upon Eorzea.

Hien: And I would help deflect that blow. But I cannot risk sending reinforcements just yet. We will remain vulnerable to airborne assault until our wall in the Burn is in place.

Alisaie: The all-important Allagan energy barrier.

Hien: The...energy barrier, yes. I thought to call it something more auspicious. A name drawn from the Four Lords of legend, perhaps─“Seiryu's Aegis” or some such. Well, just a thought.

Yugiri: The Ironworks engineers report that they have finished calibrating the generators, and are ready to proceed to the testing stage.

Hien: Have you time to attend the first test? You've seen the field which protected Azys Lla firsthand, and I would be interested to hear how you think ours compares.

Alisaie: I will come too, if you don't mind. Though I am no Y'shtola, I may be able to offer some insight.

Hien: Of course. Time being of the essence, it would be best if we made directly for the Burn. Yugiri, I leave you and Hakuro to bring the war council to a close.

Yugiri: Understood. Your mounts are saddled and ready, my lord. Ware the storms.