The Butcher's Blade

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
==Journal==
* Raubahn and Arenvald relay to you worrying accounts from throughout Gyr Abania of several people transforming into beasts. Since the recent incident in Ala Gannha, rumors have been spreading that suggest those with familial ties to the Crania Lupi are the ones most likely to turn, which has only served to isolate them further and exacerbate their plight. As the former commander of the imperial unit that she herself annihilated, Fordola has volunteered to investigate the matter, with you assigned to accompany her to Ala Gannha.
* Raganfrid explains that the relatives of one of the Crania Lupi have disappeared under suspicious circumstances, with evidence suggesting the presence of beasts. You and Fordola decide to split up and scout the surrounding area for clues as to the missing family's whereabouts.
* You are confronted by a ferocious beast, though it reckoned without your considerable might and is swiftly defeated. Once the dust has settled, you discover a letter that the creature appears to have been carrying.
* The letter contains a short message from a member of the Crania Lupi to their mother, who almost certainly transformed into the beast that you vanquished but moments ago. You stow the letter away as evidence and continue your search.
* Once more, you are assailed by a beast, and as before, you are victorious. As the creature dissolves into nothingness, you notice what seems to be a ring, perhaps dropped during the struggle.
* Upon closer inspection, the ring appears to be a wedding band, complete with an engraving. With this personal effect of the recently deceased in hand, you make your way back to Ala Gannha.
* During her search, Fordola also slew a blasphemy, which bore a ring that matches the one you discovered, all but confirming the fates of the three missing family members. Raganfrid's lamentations are interrupted by a man named Evrat, the brother of one of the Crania Lupi who has benefited from the efforts of the Silver Griffins. His expression soon darkens when he notices Fordola, the person responsible for his bereavement, and he is quickly overwhelmed by a malevolent aura, one with which you are all too familiar. In mere moments, his transformation into a beast is complete, and he moves to strike a young girl standing nearby. Fordola arrives in the nick of time, taking a blow to the shoulder before cutting him down. When she attempts to check on the creature's intended target, the girl's mother demands that she keep away from her child. Fordola turns to leave, but as her injury has yet to be treated, Raganfrid bids you go after her.
* Catching up with Fordola, you find her clutching her wounded shoulder. Although she initially refuses your aid, you insist on putting your healing abilities to use.
* After treating Fordola's injury, she begins to speak openly about her personal struggles. Her feelings of regret and remorse come boiling to the surface, manifesting as a dark mist. For a moment, you fear she may transform into a beast in the same way as Evrat, but a few well-chosen words soon help her to regain control. She then asks that you wait with her while she recovers from her ordeal, during which time the normally taciturn soldier discusses her past.
* Returning to the Ala Mhigan Quarter, you report to Raubahn, who offers his thanks for your part in the investigation and for minimizing casualties. He goes on to explain that in order to escape the animosity they faced in Gyr Abania, several surviving relatives of the Skulls have relocated to Ul'dah. Fearing for their safety, Raubahn plans to discuss the matter with Nanamo, and he invites you to join him.
※The next role quest will be available from the blasphemy hunter upon reaching level 87 in any healer class.
==Objectives==
* Speak with Fordola in Ala Gannha.
* Survey the designated location and defeat any enemies that appear.
* Inspect the dropped letter.
* Survey the designated location and defeat any enemies that appear.
* Inspect the dropped ring.
* Deliver the possessions of the dead to Raganfrid.
* Speak with Fordola.
* Render aid to Fordola.
* Speak with Raubahn in the Ala Mhigan Quarter.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Liverationarmy 	We were hoping you'd stop by. I'll show you to Commander Aldynn at once.
Raubahn 	You're a welcome sight as always, [Player Name]/[Player Name]/.
Arenvald 	Aye, and a lot's happened since last we spoke. We Silver Griffins've been keeping busy.
Raubahn 	As have I and my men, but I'm afraid we've little to show for our efforts. Although we've been searching high and low for the blasphemy, we've seen neither hide nor hair of it.
Raubahn 	Unfortunately, everyone else has had “better” luck. We've received reports of lesser beasts throughout Gyr Abania, and putting them down is as important as hunting the blasphemy that got away.
Raubahn 	To complicate matters, rumors have been circulating that these beasts were the Skulls' kin. While this was true of the recent incident in Ala Gannha, we cannot have people jumping to conclusions, given what they might feel tempted to do.
Arenvald 	It has been suggested that we take these individuals into custody─for their own protection as much as the safety of others─but that would only isolate them even further and give credence to the rumors.
Raubahn 	The recent unrest has hindered the efforts of the Silver Griffins to no end. Therefore, I ask that you aid them in their endeavors, and see if there is aught that can be done.
Arenvald 	Also...you'll be joined by another volunteer. Try not to be too surprised.
Fordola 	I thought I felt my ears burning...
Fordola 	I said I don't need a keeper, but did they bloody listen? Did they bollocks.
Arenvald 	Come on, don't be like that. This is what you agreed to. Besides, you never know when you might have need of a healer, and there's none better than [Player Name].
Raubahn 	He's right. You've earned a measure of trust, and this shouldn't be taken to mean otherwise.
Fordola 	Thick as thieves are we now? Then there's no need for this sodding collar, aye? Hmph. We all know it's not coming off any time soon. But if this is how it's to be, then fine─so long as s/he keeps out of my way.
Raubahn 	I want the two of you to visit the Silver Griffins headquarters in Ala Gannha. Several relatives of the Crania Lupi have agreed to meet with them, and we could do with a measure of precaution.
Fordola 	If anyone so much as mentions the Skulls, I'll deal with it. Understood?
Fordola 	Let's get this over with.
Arenvald 	She's as much at risk of turning as anyone─maybe even more so. You don't need the Echo to see the weight she's carrying.
Arenvald 	She's still not got a handle on her own Echo, either. Sometimes the visions come without warning and with such force that it's all she can do to stay standing. There's no telling what might happen when she comes face-to-face with the family of her former comrades...so look out for her. Please.
Arenvald 	I wish there was more I could do for her myself...
Arenvald 	...But we've all got our own duties, and I'll see them through to the end.
Raubahn 	So must we all. Follow Fordola's lead─we're counting on you both─but be ready to step in, even if she curses you for it.
Arenvald 	Fordola's not the sort to ask for help, so make sure she doesn't get in over her head, would you?
 	
Raganfrid 	I'll admit, this is not quite what I had in mind...
Fordola 	...
Raganfrid 	I had a feeling Raubahn would send you, [Player Name], but as for her...
Fordola 	If you've got any complaints, take it up with the commander.
Raganfrid 	No...no, it's fine. Truth be told, ever since that day at the Royal Palace, I've been thinking...
Fordola 	Stop. You don't want to say it, and I don't want to hear it.
Raganfrid 	To the matter at hand, then... We Silver Griffins have been working to support the relatives of the Crania Lupi, but one family has gone missing. A mother and her parents, who lived together under the same roof.
Raganfrid 	One of ours paid them a visit, but they were nowhere to be seen, and when they went inside to check, they found the house had been torn to shreds. Thick gouges in the floor and the walls─made by a beast's claws, by the look of them.
Fordola 	You think they've turned.
Raganfrid 	Aye, that's the most likely explanation. Please, do what you must before anyone else is hurt.
Fordola 	There's no time to waste. I'll head west, you east.
Raganfrid 	...Arenvald tells me she's been trying to make amends in her own way.
Raganfrid 	I appreciate that she's not asking for what I can't give, but...I keep thinking to myself, “Where do we go from here?” And I honestly don't know...
 	
Fordola 	...What's done is done.
Raganfrid 	Were you able to find anything?
Raganfrid 	...Then it is as we feared.
Fordola 	I found and killed a third. It was carrying this.
Raganfrid 	A matching ring... I'll deliver these effects to their next of kin and arrange for a funeral─or as close to one as possible under the circumstances.
Fordola 	...
Raganfrid 	There's no changing the past. We'll always carry it, and the scars. But no matter who we were or what we did, we're Ala Mhigans. Then and now.
Raganfrid 	The Empire was our enemy then, and now it's despair. Good words and deeds will serve us best in this fight─weapons even an old man like me can yet wield...
 	
Raganfrid 	Thanks to the two of you, the missing villagers may finally be laid to rest. I and the other Silver Griffins will redouble our efforts to prevent any further tragedies.
Evrat 	I've finished checking the wares, sir! Everything's in order!
Raganfrid 	Good work. Take a rest, lad. You've more than earned it.
Raganfrid 	Keep this to yourselves, but Evrat's younger brother was a member of the Crania Lupi. He's exactly the sort of person we're trying to help.
Raganfrid 	Like many of the others, he was reluctant to talk to us at first. But after we'd gained his trust, we were able to help him find work. He's taken to it well.
Evrat 	It's her! The Butcher!
Evrat 	Traitors, all of us... Kinslayers deserving of hate and death... Hate and death...
Fordola 	Get back! Get back!
Clarell 	Stay away from her!
Raganfrid 	Fordola saved your girl's life!
Clarell 	I-I know, but...she's...
Raganfrid 	It happened in an instant. That poor lad...
Raganfrid 	But it had to be done, and without hesitation. Would've been much worse otherwise...
Raganfrid 	Could you go after Fordola and see to her wounds? I'll do what I can here.
Clarell 	She risked her life to save my daughter... Whatever else she may have done, I owe her for that.
Lylie 	I want to say thank you to the brave lady for rescuing me... Do you think I'll see her again?
Raganfrid 	We're not living a song or a faerie tale. These problems we struggle with won't be solved overnight. Nevertheless, we've got to do what we can to move forward as a people united, or we'll have to keep dealing with tragedies like this.
 	
Fordola 	I'm fine. Leave me be.
Fordola 	I said I don't need your help!
Fordola 	Bloody hells... If you're here to patch me up, get on with it. Quietly.
Fordola 	Gods, you're like a dog with a bone. Go on then, and make it quick.
 	
Fordola 	...A coeurl can't change its spots. And there's no washing the blood off my hands. Nor would I, even if I could.
Fordola 	Taking up Garlean steel was the first choice, but not the last. Like the first kill─the hardest. Every “choice” after that came easier and easier...until I stopped counting. Stopped caring.
Fordola 	You tell yourself it's right. It's for the greater good. You give the order, feel the ground tremble as the cannon fires, and when the dust settles...and your own men are buried beneath the rubble...and you tell yourself...you tell yourself...
Fordola 	Heh... Me too...
Fordola 	Aaah...AAAAAAGH!
Fordola 	Haaah... Haaah...
Fordola 	That man in the village... I saw his past. I'm the one who killed his brother!
Fordola 	I...I'll be all right. I just need a moment. Can you...wait with me?
Fordola 	Everything the Skulls fought for─the sacrifices we made, the things we did... In the end, it was all for nothing.
Fordola 	Sometimes I look back on the road I walked, and the bitterness I can still taste, and I wonder. If I'd grown up in another time, another place...would I have done the same to a different people? Was it always in me...to be me?
Fordola 	All I know is...everyone would've been better off if I'd never been born.
Fordola 	But I was. And I dragged others into a hell of my own making. I remember these two brothers in particular─childhood friends of mine. The older one enlisted with me, but the younger...
Fordola 	He would never have made it as a soldier. He was too kind. Too...good.
Fordola 	Ansfrid died at Specula Imperatoris, but his brother's still out there somewhere─not that I've got the courage to face him after what I did. I hope he's found the life he deserves...
Fordola 	Hrudolf!? He's alive!? But how?
Fordola 	Who!? Did you get his name?
Fordola 	Not all of the Crania Lupi at the towers died that day, though. I know from one of my visions that at least one survived. Hrudolf.
Fordola 	I'm glad he made it out...but too many others didn't. Too many others still need our help. I helped make this blasphemy, and by Rhalgr, I'll kill the bastard if it's the last thing I do.
Fordola 	...Anyway, that's enough out of me.
Fordola 	I'll be heading back to the city to make my report. I suggest you do likewise.
 	
Raubahn 	Welcome back. Fordola's already given her account, and I'd like to hear yours, too.
Raubahn 	So she almost turned into a beast herself...
Raubahn 	Hm. We'll have to take that into consideration before sending her into the field again.
Raubahn 	As far as the events in Ala Gannha are concerned, the two of you did well. Despite the appearance of several beasts, you were able to prevent any further casualties. However, this serves to confirm that those with connections to the Crania Lupi should be considered at risk of turning.
Raubahn 	Over the years, many of them have drifted away from the larger settlements and have taken to living in secret. Others made their way to Ul'dah as refugees, including some individuals of interest.
Raubahn 	As such, we'll be working closely with the Immortal Flames to locate and offer support to those refugees in particular.
Raubahn 	In fact, I plan to make the journey there for an audience with the sultana. Once my preparations are complete, perhaps you might accompany me? I'm sure she'll be glad to see you.
Liverationarmy 	I heard about what happened. If nothing else, at least you've seen with your own eyes what we're up against.
Quest complete.	Quest complete.
Category:Role Quests in Final Fantasy XIV