Galfrid needs an adventurer to investigate suspicious activity in the Twelveswood.

Galfrid: Ah, Mortimer. By your tireless efforts, you have proven yourself a friend to Gridania. I believe you can be trusted with sensitive intelligence.
Galfrid: I would assign you a mission of considerable import, yet the need for secrecy prevents me from disclosing its details until you have pledged your participation. I am authorized to tell you only that it concerns suspicious activity in the Twelveswood. Say that you will lend us your aid, and I shall proceed with the briefing.
Galfrid: Good. Time is of the essence, so listen well.
Galfrid: You will by now have heard that a suspicious individual has been seen prowling the Twelveswood.
Galfrid: And you may also be aware that Ixali activity has risen sharply in the region of late. What you may not know is that this increase coincided almost exactly with the first recorded sighting of the aforementioned individual.
Galfrid: Suspecting a connection, we tightened our surveillance in hopes of tracking down our unknown visitor. Alas, our quarry is proving to be exceedingly elusive─almost as if he knows our movements ahead of time.
Galfrid: But where whole units have failed, a lone adventurer may yet succeed. Acting independently and covertly, you may be able to close in on our quarry unnoticed.
Galfrid: Fear and anxiety are beginning to take their toll upon the citizenry, Mortimer. For their sake, I ask that you aid us in this investigation.
Galfrid: You have my gratitude. With your help, I am hopeful we will shed light upon this mystery.
Galfrid: Begin your search at Lifemend Stump. It is there that the majority of the sightings took place.
Galfrid: Be forewarned: my people cannot offer you support, lest our quarry catch scent of our presence and evade us yet again. Proceed with caution.

???: Look! Someone’s already here!
Animated Pugilist: Oh dear. Is that a sword in the stump? Bad idea. Really bad idea…
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Is this our dark stranger?
Moogle: No, no, not this one. Not even close, kupo!
Animated Pugilist: Hm? You know him, Kuplo Kopp?
Kuplo Kopp: Well, not exactly, but we did once share a carriage. Isn’t that right?
Animated Pugilist: How are the readings?
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Same as the last. There is a disturbance here as well, and newly manifested at that.
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Kuplo Kopp seems convinced of your innocence. But if this isn’t your doing, whose is it?
Animated Pugilist: Ever since the Calamity, the forest’s been really sensitive.
Animated Pugilist: The slightest disruption to the aetheric flow…
Animated Pugilist: And this sort of thing happens!
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: It seems we have little choice…
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: You fainted. A surfeit of aether, no doubt.
Animated Pugilist: Hm? And what have we here?
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Our culprit, it would seem. An Ixal. And no ordinary Ixal, either─a chieftain.
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: That they would venture this deep into enemy territory… The beastmen may indeed be acting under orders.
Animated Pugilist: How are we feeling, then? Better? Good!
Animated Pugilist: Giant crystals? Can’t say I’ve seen any… Are you sure you’re feeling better?
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: …Understood. Over and out.
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Kuplo Kopp. Please bear word of these developments to Brother E-Sumi-Yan. We shall soon return to give a full report.
Kuplo Kopp: Understood! Over and out, kupo!
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Here is where we part ways. Till next time, take care!
Animated Pugilist: I think that sword might be a clue! You should definitely pull it out and take it back to the Bannock!
Animated Pugilist: You don’t suppose that adventurer could see Kuplo Kopp, do you!?
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: And this occurs to you NOW!?
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Yes. It seemed that way. Time will tell…
Animated Pugilist: Well, time will have to, because you won’t! You never tell me what’s really going on! Unless…you don’t know what’s going on either!
Short-tempered Thaumaturge: Bah! You’d like that, wouldn’t you!?

Galfrid: Mortimer! It is good to see you back!
Galfrid: One of our patrols sent word that you had been spotted doing battle with enraged treants. I am relieved to find you none the worse for the experience.
Galfrid: But tell me, what were you able to discover at Lifemend Stump?
Galfrid: A sword in the stump, and a dead Ixal? Hmmm…
Galfrid: I can say with absolute certainty that this blade is of Ixali origin. It is of a kind used exclusively in the beastmen’s rituals.
Galfrid: The Ixal rarely set foot in the Central Shroud, so tight is our guard over the area. What purpose could have driven them to take such a risk? I fear something is afoot…
Galfrid: What’s that? A dubious couple sporting peculiar spectacles? Hah hah hah!
Galfrid: So you have finally been acquainted with Yda and Papalymo! Lay your suspicions to rest─Gridania counts them among her staunchest allies. Both are scholars hailing from a distant land, and have been with us since before the Calamity.
Galfrid: Their garb may appear outlandish, and their exchanges baffling, but never once have they given us cause to doubt them.
Galfrid: Indeed, they often assist the Gods’ Quiver and the Wood Wailers in their work─much as I hope you will in the days to come, Mortimer.
Galfrid: Although our unknown visitor eludes us still, owing to your efforts, we have acquired important intelligence on the Ixali threat. You have my gratitude.
Galfrid: We are fortunate indeed to have a capable adventurer such as you aiding us. I pray you will continue to serve the people of Gridania in whatever capacity you are able.

Papashan is in dire need of your assistance.

Papashan: Marion, I have just this moment─ No! No, the time for concealment is past! The truth is, even before I had you deliver those pretzels, I was privy to some most unsettling news!
Papashan: …Which is the real reason I sent you to meet those Sultansworn.
Papashan: A young noblewoman from a very prestigious family has run away from home, and I have been ordered to see to her safe return.
Papashan: The Sultansworn you met earlier are assisting with the search. Alas, it seems they have found no trace of her.
Papashan: I apologize for not being frank with you from the start, but we must proceed with caution─should word of her disappearance spread, I fear others with less honorable motives may join the hunt.
Papashan: And should we allow her to come to any harm, not even a hundred beheadings would be punishment enough…
Papashan: That cannot happen, Marion. It must not!
Papashan: I need you to help me find her!
Papashan: Praise the Twelve, I knew I could count on you!
Papashan: I’ve instructed the others to expand the search, but Thanalan is vast and there are only so many of us.
Papashan: The young noblewoman’s name is Lady Lilira. I want you to go south and look for her in the vicinity of the Sultantree. Good luck!

Hooded Lalafell: O Sultantree…
Lilira: O Sultantree, hallowed spirit of my line, forgive my weakness. My failings have cost us dear…
Lilira: Show yourself!
???: As you command, O Lilira.
???: Forgive my selfish desire to assure your welfare.
Lilira: I don’t recall requesting an escort! Simply pretend we never met and continue on your way.
???: We both know I can do no such thing. It isn’t safe for you here alone.
???: It isn’t safe for anyone─not with this aetheric disturbance… It’s as though the dead are watching us…
???: And I’d prefer not to join them, if it’s all the same to you.
???: Ah, you must be the one that Papashan mentioned. Congratulations on finding our elusive young charge.
???: You’ll have to forgive Her Impetuousness. What she lacks in discipline, she makes up for in stubbornness.
???: You should return with us. The stationmaster will be eager to thank Lady Lilira’s protector in person.
???: Alas, the stationmaster will have to wait.
???: Dear Lilira, for my sake, please stay out of harm’s way.
???: As for you, dear friend─for Lilira’s sake─please stay in harm’s way!
???: Ah, coming around now.
Lilira: Would you mind telling me what that was?
???: If I only knew. A denizen of the void, at any rate.
Lilira: The voidsent? Here? But how?
???: The question isn’t “how,” but “who”─we’re not dealing with bookless bandits.
???: Don’t suppose the answer came to you in a dream?
???: No sooner did you fell the beast than you fell asleep. Too much aether, no doubt.
???: Interesting… I hadn’t considered the Crystal.
???: But of course… This changes everything.
???: Hm? Oh, just thinking aloud. At any rate, we haven’t a moment to spare. I must return and report this at once.
???: I leave Lady Lilira in your capable hands!
Lilira: How dare you pass me about like a swaddled babe!
Lilira: I shall return and tell them myself!
???: As you wish, Your Impetuousness.
???: I suspect we shall meet again before long.
???: Until then, do try and stay awake!

Papashan: Thank the gods you’ve returned! You had us all so worried!
Papashan: You do realize what would happen if a person of your noble stature were to be injured─or worse?
Papashan: Why, Her Grace the sultana would be beside herself with grief─and so would her subjects! I daresay they’d be weeping in the streets!
Lilira: But I have already given you cause to weep, Papashan…you and the people of Ul’dah…
Papashan: Please, Your─ You’re not to say such things! We will find it, I swear to you!
Papashan: It is not my place to make demands, m-my lady, but I beg you, please stay out of harm’s way.
Lilira: …I apologize for causing you undue worry, Papashan. I shall refrain from traveling unescorted in future.
Papashan: I cannot thank you enough, Marion!
Papashan: I understand you fought bravely to protect Lady Lilira from voidsent fiends.
Papashan: For your gallant service, you deserve all the riches in the royal vaults. Alas, a small token of my gratitude is the best I can offer.
Papashan: …Hm? A sarcastic man with a strange contraption strapped to his shoulder?
Papashan: I see you met Thancred. He’s a scholar who spends his days investigating oddities in the aether. Rather too fond of the sound of his own voice for my liking, but perfectly harmless.
Papashan: As for you, Marion─you’re just the sort of adventurer we need around here.
Papashan: I pray you show the same kindness to the people of Thanalan as you did to us today.

Staelwyrn, owner of Summerford Farms, wishes to inspect your equipment and thereby gauge your readiness for the tasks he has in mind.

Staelwyrn: I’ve a mind to set you a task, Croix, but before I do, I need to be sure you’re properly kitted out.
Staelwyrn: Pirates don’t care to parley with dandies, you understand. It might well be that the ones here have traded in their cutlasses for coulters, but they’re still rogues at heart.
Staelwyrn: I know a solid set of gear when I see it. Come back when you think you’re more suitably equipped.

Staelwyrn: Let’s have a look at you, shall we?
Staelwyrn: Oho! As long as you’re this well covered, I won’t feel any guilt throwin’ you to the sharks.
Staelwyrn: Erstwhile buccaneers are an ornery lot. They rage in love for the sea, and care little for the laws of the land.
Staelwyrn: But they respect strength, and by the looks of you, I’d say you’ll have little trouble gettin’ their attention.