A Gnathic Deity

A Gnathic Deity

Quest giver

Ysayle

Location

The Dravanian Forelands (X:24, Y:19)

Quest line

Heavensward Main Scenario

Level

53

Required items

1   Hunk of Nanka Flesh

Experience

 49,140

Gil

 479

Previous quest

The Nonmind

Next quest

Breaking into Hives
The Hunter Becomes the Kweh
Chocobo's Last Stand
Treason and Plot
Yellow Stones
Vindictive Vath Vendetta
A Curious Herb 
How to Feed Your Dragon
Hungry for Seconds
A Taste of the Peculiar
A Lesson in Humility
Back in the Game
No Smoking Allowed
When Mother Calls
A Dragon and His Boy

Patch

3.0

---

Main Scenario Progress: 276 / 960 (28.8%)

   

Heavensward Progress: 35 / 138 (25.4%)

   

“

Ysayle seems troubled by the Gnath's war of expansion.

— In-game description

Steps

• Gather information from the Vath. 0/3

• Speak with the voracious Vath.

• Obtain a hunk of nanka flesh from a clearwater nanka.

• Deliver the nanka flesh to the voracious Vath.

• Speak with Alphinaud.

Journal

• Ysayle questions the Gnath's justification for committing the crime of summoning, drawing a distinction between their expansionist aims and her own hopes for peace. Alphinaud concludes that if the beastmen are truly only motivated by territorial gain, they must be unaware of the terrible price that their god's presence exacts from the land. Plainly, the creature must die. Citing the protection afforded her by the Echo, Ysayle volunteers to confront the primal, but Estinien is quick to point out that she lacks the means to call it forth. Speak with the inhabitants of Loth ast Vath, and learn more about the Gnath and their god.

• You have gleaned what knowledge you can from the hive's residents, but it seems there is one more inhabitant who is eager to share. Speak with the voracious Vath, and hear what he has to say.

• You approach the voracious Vath, and he hints that more information will be forthcoming should he receive a gift from the “generous hunters.” Seek out the clearwater nanka, and obtain a hunk of their flesh.

• You have obtained a hunk of nanka flesh. Return to Loth ast Vath and deliver the gift to the voracious Vath.

• Having hungrily taken receipt of the nanka flesh, the Vath explains how the thoughts and senses of every Gnath in the main colony are linked by the presence of the Overmind. Discuss the implications of this revelation with Alphinaud.

• You share your findings with the rest of the party, and Alphinaud summarizes what you have learned of Gnath society. Though Estinien is unimpressed with the Vath's meager knowledge of their own god, Ysayle believes that the elder's offhand suggestion -- that you surrender yourselves as sacrifices -- may hold some merit...

Dialogue

Optional Dialogue

Alphinaud: The beast tribes have ever summoned their gods out of necessity. That the Gnath should do so out of mere covetousness sets a worrying precedent...

Estinien: Even a wounded dragon is a dangerous opponent—these antmen did well to overpower one.

Accepting the Quest (Cutscene)

Ysayle: I call upon the power of a primal for the greater good...conscious all the while that I do so at grave cost to the land. I reason that it is a necessary evil, and willingly shoulder the burden of my sin. 
Ysayle: In suggesting that such crimes can be justified, you may argue that I presume too much─but you must surely see that I am aware of the magnitude of my transgressions. Not so the Gnath. They summon their deity for no greater purpose than to expand their dominion. 

Alphinaud: To a Scion of the Seventh Dawn─one sworn to eliminate the primal threat─the distinction you draw seems questionable at best. But the fact remains that my own grandfather risked unleashing the power of the Twelve in an attempt to prevent the Calamity. Thus, while I may not condone your actions, I at least understand them.  
Alphinaud: Not so the Gnath, as you so rightly put it. If they truly seek naught but territorial gain, I can only conclude that they are ignorant of the ruinous consequences of their god's insatiable appetite. The longer this primal is suffered to exist, the greater the suffering it will cause. It must be destroyed. 

Estinien: How lightly you propose the destruction of this god, Master Alphinaud─a being of whom we know naught. Has it occurred to you that you may be sending the Warrior of Light to her/his death? 

Alphinaud: No, I─ <sigh> ...You have the right of it, Estinien. 'Twould seem it is I who am guilty of presuming too much. 
Alphinaud: Pray forgive me, [Forename].

<How do you respond?>
< I do not fear my duty.>
<...>

Ysayle: Wait. [Forename] need not face this foe alone. Like her/him, I am blessed with the Echo's protection, and may do battle without fear of primal influence. Let me bear this burden. 

Estinien: Ha! Do you truly imagine yourself a second Warrior of Light? Remind me: how many primals have you faced, my lady? Not that it matters─we know not where this god resides, or how to challenge it. Unless you mean to pray until it appears? 

Alphinaud: Hm. Estinien makes a valid point. Let us speak with the Vath, and learn how best to secure an audience with their deity. In this, at least, I may be of assistance. 

Estinien: The young lord certainly appears eager to prove his worth... 

Optional Dialogue

Estinien: By the Fury... I would swear these beastmen know less about their god than I do.

Ysayle: The Vath greet mine every question with cryptic utterances. I fear I am no closer to understanding the tenets of their faith...

Alphinaud: There must be some way of infiltrating the main colony...

Gathering information from the Vath

Cibleroit: We are Vath. We are the Nonmind. We do not hear the Onemind's thoughts. We cannot predict their will.

Vath Storyteller: <click> <click> You wish to meet your god? Offer yourself as a sacrifice, and you will soon be brought before Him. We would mourn the loss of such generous hunters, however...

Vath Fleetfoot: <click> <click> Put this idea from your minds, generous hunters. If you meet with our god, then He will have your souls. Surely you are not so generous as that?

Speaking with the voracious Vath

Voracious Vath: You are generous hunters, yes? Many gifts you have brought, but not enough for all' Vath to enjoy. Maybe you could bring us just one more?
Voracious Vath: We are very fond of nanka flesh. Yes, the meat of a young nanka would make a fine repast.

Optional Dialogue

Voracious Vath: Nanka flesh loosens the mandibles, and makes it easier to talk. Just a bite of two would do...

Optional Dialogue

Alphinaud: The Vath tell me that their tribe is not accustomed to giving each individual a name. It seems they only grasped the concept after they began trading with the hunters.

Estinien: And what has that to do with their primal or their faith, Master Alphinaud? Let us glean the information we require, and be done with this place...

Ysayle: For once, I am in agreement with the dragoon. Speaking with these beastmen is an exercise in frustration.

Delivering the nanka flesh to the voracious Vath

Voracious Vath: We Vath do enjoy our nanka flesh. Have you been out hunting yet...?
<Hand Over Nanka Flesh>
Voracious Vath: Another gift for the Vath!? So unexpected! Mmm, yes, you will have more of the words you strange hunters hunger for. Listen, now. 
Voracious Vath: The senses of the Onemind are enmeshed by the Overmind─what one sees, all see; what one feels, all feel. 
Voracious Vath: Alert a single Gnath, and the whole hive is alerted. To reach our god undetected is all but impossible!

Optional Dialogue

Estinien: I do not envy the antmen their bond. Were every man's mind made known to his neighbor, Ishgard would not last a bell.

Ysayle: How strange must spoken language seem to those who once shared minds... 'Tis little wonder the Vath are by turns so obscure and transparent in their meaning.

Speaking with Alphinaud

Alphinaud: The Vath are wont to allude to certain concepts without explanation, but I believe I am beginning to grasp a few of the fundamentals. 
Alphinaud: From what I understand, the king-like “Overmind” sits at the center of Gnath society, and its presence somehow allows its subjects to communicate without need of word or gesture. 
Alphinaud: These Gnath─the ones who inhabit the larger hive─are known as the “Onemind,” and it was by their combined will that the primal was summoned. 
Alphinaud: Those who reside in this smaller hive, however, are the Vath─or the “Nonmind”─who, for reasons that yet escape me, seem to have been excluded from the telepathic bond which connects their Gnath counterparts. Thus are the Vath ignorant of the Onemind's thoughts and intentions. 

Estinien: ...And of the nature of their own god. In summary, we have wasted our time. 

Ysayle: Not so. Perilous though it may be, the Vath did furnish us with one certain method of approaching the primal: as sacrifices. Should we allow ourselves to be captured in the environs of the colony, the Gnath will bring us before their deity to make an offering of our souls...