Dragged through the Mud

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
==Journal==
* Baut intends to ruin the villagers' perception of him through a rumor of his own creation. Taking his ring in hand, he plans for you to go about town claiming he is the man responsible for the death of one of the village's holy men shortly after his arrival. Before setting the rumor to spinning, however, he suggests gauging the reaction of a single individual. The victim he has chosen is J'dyalani.
* You show J'dyalani the ring and relay to her Baut's rumor. Her feigned shock is short-lived as she is certain you would never do anything to damage his reputation. She asks you to remind Baut that, regardless of any crimes he has committed in the past, the people of Ala Ghiri are only concerned with the kind-hearted man he has shown himself to be since arriving there.
* Baut is disappointed to hear J'dyalani was able to see through his lie so easily. He asks you to speak with her once more, hoping she will help you convince the villagers with the truth rather than falsehoods. In the meantime, he will continue deliberating on his next course of action.
* In light of Baut's situation, J'dyalani concedes that speaking with a member of the Alliance could potentially solve their problems. You mention that he has been working with Brazen Brook to arrange his surrender, and she grows concerned that his arrest─and execution─are imminent. She insists on speaking with Brazen Brook at once, hoping to convince him to spare Baut's life.
* J'dyalani pleads for Baut's life, going so far as to offer herself in his stead. Brazen Brook can only answer her with confusion. He soon makes clear that they have no intentions of executing Baut. Rather, they need to question him regarding documents left behind by the Garleans after they fled Ala Ghiri. J'dyalani is pleased to hear this, and leaves to go share the good news.
* You return to speak with Baut, but find only a note in his place. J'dyalani's eyes grow wide with horror as you read aloud the note's contents. Still haunted by the past, Baut means to end his own life, and asks that you deliver his head to the Allied forces. You must move quickly if you are to save him.
==Objectives==
* Show Baut's ring to J'dyalani.
* Return Baut's ring to Baut.
* Speak with J'dyalani.
* Speak with Brazen Brook.
* Speak with J'dyalani.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Baut 	We'll need a good lie if we're going to change their opinions of me. Hmmm...
Baut 	I've got it! A holy man here in Ala Ghiri was slain shortly after my arrival, just before I took command. It was the former imperial commander who killed him, but you can tell people it was me.
Baut 	Take my ring as proof. Say it was a keepsake of his, and that I pried it from his cold, dead hands.
Baut 	They'll be so blinded with hate, execution will seem too good a punishment for me.
Baut 	Then again, if people see through the lie, it wouldn't do well for your reputation to be speaking so poorly of me.
Baut 	Maybe we should start with just one person, and gauge their reaction before we set the rumor mill to spinning. Try speaking with J'dyalani, and see if this gets her blood boiling.
Baut 	Would that I could see her reaction to the news, but she would never believe it coming from me. See how she takes it, then report back here.
 	
Jdyalani 	Hm? What's this about Baut?
Jdyalani 	How awful! The people of Ala Ghiri will be furious to hear of this. Why, they might even consider handing him over to the Allied forces...which is exactly what he wants, isn't it?
Jdyalani 	I haven't known you long, but I know an honorable woman/man when I see one. I refuse to believe you would try to smear his reputation and turn us against him. I can imagine why he might try, though.
Jdyalani 	When you return to Baut, you can tell him what I've told him countless times before: no matter what horrible deeds he may have done in the past, no one is beyond forgiveness.
Jdyalani 	Travelers come and go from Ala Ghiri quite often, but should they wish to stay, who they were before coming here doesn't matter.
Jdyalani 	We have no interest in the man Baut used to be, only the man he is now. Even if he was a murderer in the past, he's been nothing but kind to us since arriving here. The man we know has a gentle soul, and that is why we protect him.
Jdyalani 	No matter what he says, he cannot change our minds. We could never send such a kind-hearted man away to be executed by the Eorzeans.
 	
Baut 	How did she take the news? She was absolutely livid, wasn't she? Tell me everything.
Baut 	They only care about the man I am now? And what sort of man am I supposed to be, hm? My family is dead, I can't return to the Garleans...
Baut 	But that's not your concern. It seems it'll take more than a nasty rumor to sway their opinions of me.
Baut 	I'll have to think of something soon, though. It's only a matter of time before the Alliance decides it's done waiting.
Baut 	Could you try speaking with J'dyalani once more? Not to spread more falsehoods, but about persuading the townsfolk to let me turn myself in peacefully. Hopefully inspiration will strike by the time you return.
Baut 	I'm sure something will come to me. In the meantime, see if you can't persuade J'dyalani to help you speak with the townsfolk.
 	
Jdyalani 	Let me guess. Baut sent you again, didn't he?
Jdyalani 	He can conjure up whatever lies he likes, but he cannot change our minds. Though I suppose I can understand his worry.
Jdyalani 	<sigh> I'm loath to admit it, but entreating the Alliance could resolve all this. It could also make things much worse...
Jdyalani 	If only there was someone among them who knew what a kind and caring man Baut is. Perhaps then we could convince them to show him mercy.
Jdyalani 	Baut has been speaking with Brazen Brook in private about his surrender? Does this mean the Allied forces will soon come for him?
Jdyalani 	Let's go and speak with him, while there's still time.
 	
Brazen Brook 	Ah, you've brought company. What can I do for the two of you?
Brazen Brook 	An appeal on Baut's behalf? I'm not sure I follow...
Jdyalani 	Please, Brazen Brook, is there nothing you can do to have him pardoned? Or better yet, take me in his stead. Say I am his accomplice, and I will tell your superiors anything they wish to hear.
Brazen Brook 	Whoa! Calm down, miss. No one wants to help him more than I do.
Brazen Brook 	That said, he's still a soldier of the Garlean Empire. An imperial centurion at that. As a member of the Resistance, I have a duty to take him into custody.
Jdyalani 	You can't! The people of Ala Ghiri will not stand for his execution!
Brazen Brook 	What!? Who said anythin' about an execution?
Jdyalani 	But... The Garleans told us you kill all the soldiers you capture.
Brazen Brook 	For goodness sake, we're not savages. We're in the middle of assessin' the documents and supplies they left behind, and his testimony as to what we've found is sorely needed.
Brazen Brook 	Everyone's made it quite clear how his presence has improved livin' conditions here, so I suspect my superiors'll be fairly lenient. That's not to say he won't face punishment, mind you, but he's got to come in for questionin'.
Jdyalani 	I...I see... After so many years under their rule, the Garleans had convinced us you were no better, if not worse, than they were. On behalf of all the people of Ala Ghiri, I offer you our sincerest apologies.
Jdyalani 	Thank you for clearing up this terrible misunderstanding. Baut will no doubt be relieved to hear of this.
Jdyalani 	Let's go and share the good news.
Brazen Brook 	What sort of lies have the Garleans been feedin' them all this time? <sigh> I suppose it doesn't matter now. The people'll come around eventually.
 	
Jdyalani 	It seems Baut has left us a note?
Jdyalani 	Dear [Player Name],
The time has come to bid you my final farewell. Try as I might to focus on the present, the past still haunts me—my family calls. If you can find it within you to grant me one last favor, I bid you deliver my head to the Allied forces. I have enclosed instructions to this end.
Jdyalani 	No... No, he can't! [Player Name], we have to stop him!
Jdyalani 	deleted
Quest complete.	Quest complete.
Category:Gyr Abanian Sidequests in Final Fantasy XIV