Stained in Scarlet

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
==Journal==
* X'rhun explains the Empire's plan to assassinate the deputy president of Garlond Ironworks, and outlines an idea to foil the attempt. After meeting with Jessie herself and hammering out the finer details, he promises to meet you on the terrace above Rowena's House of Splendors in Revenant's Toll.
* You rendezvous with your companions in Revenant's Toll, and although Jessie seems content to act as bait, X'rhun has reservations about placing her in the path of danger. Arya suddenly offers to disguise herself as the deputy president, and a new plan evolves around her unexpected suggestion. Meet X'rhun by the aetheryte in Revenant's Toll for a final briefing.
* You meet with your comrades, and X'rhun confesses how he is yet baffled by Lambard's betrayal of the Crimson Duelists for imperial coin. Resolved to bring him to justice, however, he bids you assemble by the southeast gate to begin your operation.
* Your mission to turn the cabal's ambush against them has begun. Follow Arya on the path to north Silvertear, and defend her from any attackers.
* You have foiled the first ambush. Continue onwards to the south, and rescue Arya from the cabal's attacks.
* After defeating the second wave of ambushers, you are contacted with further instructions from X'rhun. It seems the Crimson Duelist has dispatched the flanking group, and is certain that Lambard will soon be lured into the fray. Take up position by the airship near the Keeper of the Lake, and wait for the assassins' master to appear.
* Lambard steps from the shadows to finish the job, and X'rhun breaks from his own concealment to confront him. Despite X'rhun's superior skill in battle, however, the veteran red mage is overcome by Lambard's sinister powers. You and Arya leap to your fallen companion's defense, and fight a desperate battle against ancient magicks and forbidden arts. Together you succeed in defeating Lambard, and can now see to the gravely injured X'rhun.
* X'rhun is badly wounded, but it appears he will survive to fight another day. Speak with your mentor back in Revenant's Toll.
* Through the combined efforts of you and your fellow red mages, the plot to assassinate Garlond Ironworks' deputy president has ended in failure. In addition to Jessie's gratitude, X'rhun expresses his own thanks to you and Arya for helping him put right the wrongs of his past. Lambard and his cabal are no more, and your mastery of red magic has won a tangible victory for the good of the realm.
※The next red mage quest will be available from X'rhun Tia once you have completed the main scenario quest “The Far Edge of Fate.”
==Objectives==
* Speak with Arya in Revenant's Toll.
* Speak with X'rhun in Revenant's Toll.
* Join X'rhun in Revenant's Toll.
* Rescue Arya from her attackers.
* Wait for Lambard to appear.
* Wait at the designated location.
* Speak with X'rhun in Revenant's Toll.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Arya 	I don't understand it. I can cast white magicks in the proper manner, but the effects are so weak...
 	
Xrhuntia 	Lambard will be preparing to move on the Garlond Ironworks.
Xrhuntia 	According to the plans we viewed, they know that Jessie is scheduled to accompany a delivery to the Ala Mhigan Resistance. The ambush itself will be sprung on the outskirts of Revenant's Toll, as she makes her way to a waiting airship.
Xrhuntia 	It should be a simple matter for us to lie in wait in Mor Dhona, and take the ambushers─and Lambard─by surprise! Our success will, of course, hinge upon Jessie's cooperation, and I've arranged to meet her to hammer out the finer details.
 	
Xrhuntia 	Pray travel ahead to Revenant's Toll, and we will find you on the terrace above Rowena's House of Splendors.
 	
Arya 	I'm sorry, were you looking for me? I just felt more comfortable waiting in the corner...
Arya 	Oh! X'rhun and Jessie are here!
Jessie 	Right, I've heard all about this big plan to murder me. I'm surprised no one's tried it before, considering how the company starts to fall apart the very instant I leave the room!
Jessie 	Anyroad, I understand that you and Miss/Mister [Player Name] here are in charge of keeping me alive while I make my merry way to the airship. Is that correct?
Xrhuntia 	Lambard's been instructed to bring his entire cabal to bear on this operation. As long as they've no hint that we're onto their plan, then we stand a chance of wiping out the lot of them. I only wish we could manage it without exposing you to danger...
Arya 	Maybe we could...if I pretended to be Jessie.
Xrhuntia 	Dress you up as the deputy president? That...that's actually a rather clever idea.
Jessie 	Let's get the girl a costume, then. I'm not afraid to act as bait, but when push comes to shove I'll only be in your way. Hmmm, we'll need to do something about that hair...
Jessie 	There we go! From a distance, no one will be able to tell the difference. It's just...up close you're a bit short. Can we stretch you out by a fulm or so?
Arya 	Stretch me out!?
Jessie 	I'm only pulling your leg, lass─I appreciate what you're doing for me. If you're ever in need of a favor, I'll be happy to pay you back in kind!
Xrhuntia 	The Ironworks airship will soon arrive at the cliffside outside town. Arya will make for the vessel whilst pretending to be Jessie, and you, [Player Name], will act as her bodyguard.
Xrhuntia 	We still have a little time until the airship is scheduled to depart─make whatever preparations you need, then meet me by the aetheryte.
 	
Arya 	Jessie said that I would be more convincing if I appeared on the verge of “biting someone's nose off.” I'm not sure I even know what that means...
 	
Xrhuntia 	The time has come. The Ironworks airship makes ready to depart, and our battle with the traitorous Lambard fast approaches.
Xrhuntia 	There is, however, one thing I have never been able to reconcile: why did Lambard sell his soul to the Empire?
 	
Xrhuntia 	He was the Duelist's most brilliant scholar, and not the kind of man who would betray his homeland for vulgar coin. I was baffled when I heard the Empire had bought his loyalty...
Xrhuntia 	But no matter his reasons, the crime he committed was unforgivable! And we shall bring him to justice.
Xrhuntia 	Let us see the deed done, my friends. To the southeast gate!
 	
Arya 	I've been practicing my spells, but I wonder if I'm ready for this...
Oh, but I'd best not cast anything while I'm pretending to be Jessie!
 	
Xrhuntia 	This is it! Arya, take the path towards north Silvertear and keep up the pretense as best you can.
Xrhuntia 	The airship is waiting near the Keeper of the Lake, but we can be sure the assassins will make their move before you arrive. [Player Name], it will be up to you to protect “Jessie” on the road.
Xrhuntia 	Rather than let them flank us, I will intercept the large group meant to fall upon you from the south.
Xrhuntia 	You continue to surprise me with the potency of your offensive magicks, Arya. With the progress you've shown, I have little doubt you could hold your own against one or two of those mindless assassins.
Xrhuntia 	But I must ask that you do not engage in combat unless absolutely necessary─the goal is to lure Lambard himself into the fray, and our charade must be convincing. [Player Name] should be more than a match for his puppet underlings.
Arya 	I have no doubt of that! Right, then...off I go!
 	
Arya 	That was some battle! Are you ready to continue on?
Arya 	I'll go ahead, as before.
 	
Arya 	You make it look so easy...
Arya 	...Hello? Yes, [Player Name] has defeated every ambush so far.
Xrhuntia 	Very good. I've just finished mopping up the flanking group, and will take up position near the airship.
Xrhuntia 	We continue with the charade for now. Make to board the airship as planned─[Player Name] and I will conceal ourselves nearby until Lambard makes his move.
Xrhuntia 	He should have few of his puppets left, and will be forced to take action directly. That's when we strike─together!
Arya 	Did you hear all that, [Player Name]? Let's keep moving, then.
 	
Arya 	I don't see X'rhun, but he said he would be hiding nearby. You better hide, too, or Lambard will see through our ruse...
 	
Lambard 	...What have we here? An impostor? 'Twould seem I have fallen victim to a child's ploy.
Xrhuntia 	Your cabal is in ruins, Lambard. And this time you'll face the consequences of your crimes!
Xrhuntia 	But first I must know. Why did you turn coat for the Empire!? After all we had achieved together...
Lambard 	Ah, still the same simple X'rhun. The same tiresome idealism.
Xrhuntia 	...Your point?
Lambard 	How many lives did we save, you and I? And what did that truly accomplish? The ancient art of red magic is capable of so much more.
Lambard 	A red mage restricts the source of his mana, but accelerates the effect of his spells via the medium of his own physical form. And what would befall such a mage who then attempted the same techniques whilst channeling the vast aetherial energies of nature?
Xrhuntia 	A fool's endeavor. The wielder would be consumed!
Lambard 	Just so. And there we see the true potential of the art. Imagine the incredible powers we could unleash...were we not caged within these prisons of flesh.
Lambard 	It was in the wisdom of the ancients that I discovered the means to transcend our limits; a method to transform one's vessel and command ever grander magicks.
Lambard 	The price to be paid, however, was a costly one. Restructuring my body required years upon years spent in arcane slumber.
Xrhuntia 	...And was it worth it? To surrender that which makes you mortal?
Lambard 	I freed myself from my chains! I now command energies greater than any found in the black, or the white, or the red!
Lambard 	The Crimson Duelists were merely my first step towards greatness...noble sacrifices for a greater cause.
Xrhuntia 	You damnable fiend!
Lambard 	My art is unfettered by weak-minded taboos. You cannot best me with your feeble red magicks!
Xrhuntia 	Never once did I lose a duel to you. This day will be no different!
Lambard 	You always were the better fighter...
I've barely succeeded in giving you a scratch!
 	
Lambard 	...But a single scratch is all I need.
Lambard 	You see, as a consequence of my transformation, my strength lies not in harming your body but in draining your spirit. Once I have wounded you, your life force belongs to me.
Xrhuntia 	You─ <gasp>
Arya 	X'rhun, no!
Lambard 	Well, well...you yet draw breath.
Lambard 	But not for long...
I shall send you to Thal's realm with the answer to your question; my reason for joining the Empire.
Lambard 	My new form allows me to wield spells of a magnitude denied to ordinary mortals. But I must feed. If I fail to consume sufficient life energies, then I am afflicted with a terrible hunger.
Lambard 	My work as an assassin provides me with fresh prey, and an ideal environment within which to pursue my research. I am eternally grateful to Zenos for his rare and generous understanding.
Lambard 	You speak of achievements, but the constraints of red magic offered naught but frustration. And now after two decades of futile resistance is your struggle finally over!
Xrhuntia 	...My friends...you must flee!
Arya 	This is far from over!
Lambard 	Students of red magic, are you? Come, then. Show me how you resist the advent of your own destruction!
 	
Xrhuntia 	My comrades...
You are champions of the red......
Arya 	X'rhun! You mustn't try to move!
Xrhuntia 	I'm not dead yet, lass...though it was nice that you thought to avenge me.
Xrhuntia 	What a miserable pair we make. The last of the Crimson Duelists, staining the ground scarlet with our blood... And I cannot even claim this final vengeance as mine─that honor goes to my students.
Xrhuntia 	Ah, but there lies the difference between you and me, Lambard. Your puppets follow your commands without question, but they'll not carry on your legacy after you're gone.
Lambard 	Is that what twenty years of struggle has taught you? I admit, the sense of justice with which you infect others has delivered you victory. On this day, at least...
 	
Lambard 	But the fates are known for their spiteful twists of fortune. Take this Arya of yours...
Arya 	...I'm fine. It was a trying battle, is all.
Lambard 	Hm hm hm... Will this be the injustice which breaks you? A pity I will miss...your suffering...
Xrhuntia 	Lambard knew something, and it seemed to amuse him. Are you truly all right?
Arya 	I feel much recovered, honestly. We should return to Revenant's Toll!
 	
Arya 	That was a close thing, but we won in the end! I really must work on my healing magicks...
 	
Xrhuntia 	It's still an effort to remain upright, but I believe I'll live. Seeing how you countered the technique which felled me was a proud moment indeed! You and Arya make a fine team!
Xrhuntia 	I expect the deputy president will be along shortly...
 	
Jessie 	You have my thanks. Had you not uncovered this plot, I would almost certainly be dead by now. It's quite a sobering thought!
Xrhuntia 	'Tis [Player Name] and Arya who most deserve your gratitude─I was busy bleeding to death whilst the two of them vanquished the assassins' master.
Jessie 	Is that so? Well, then, feel free to send the bill for any expenses incurred on this operation to Cid himself.
Xrhuntia 	With Lambard's death, so too will his cabal of assassins cease to plague us.
Xrhuntia 	For much of my life, I have lived with failure: the loss of my homeland; my inability to help prevent the Calamity. But I chose to fight on in the face of these defeats.
Xrhuntia 	It has taken two decades to right the wrongs of my past. Yet finally have I managed a tangible victory for my home, and for Eorzea.
Xrhuntia 	You have made this possible.
Thank you, my students. My comrades.
Quest complete.	Quest complete.
Category:Disciple of Magic Job Quests in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Quest battles in Final Fantasy XIV