Snouts Down, Tails Up

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
==Journal==
* Hilda hands you a letter from Rostnsthal. The note informs you that the bandit leader's firearm is of Lominsan construction, and bids you travel to the maritime city to help investigate how the strictly regulated weapon ended up in the thief's hands. Make your way to the aetheryte plaza in Limsa Lominsa, and seek out your fellow instructor.
* Rostnsthal has narrowed down the potential suppliers to a single merchant─the very same trader who escaped the Hounds back in Boulder Downs. Find the black marketeer at the Anchor Yard, and aid Rostnsthal and Hilda with the interrogation.
* After a healthy dose of intimidation from Rostnsthal, the merchant reveals the existence of a hidden bandit camp at Providence Point. Travel to the Coerthas central highlands, and track down the bandit leader.
* You have located the bandit leader and defeated his beastly protectors. It is time to wring the full story from the cornered fugitive...
* After interrogating the bandit leader and learning the details of the theft, you become aware that the events leading to Hrunting's reclamation may have been deliberately orchestrated. Return to Ishgard, and raise your concerns with Ser Muscadain at the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly.
* Initially bemused by Hilda's unexpected visit, Ser Muscadain is nevertheless persuaded to release Hrunting to the manufactory for a more thorough examination. Her mission successful, Hilda bids you follow her back to the Brume.
* Though somewhat surprised by Ser Muscadain's accommodating attitude, Hilda seems pleased to know that Lord Stephanivien will be examining the blade. You have naught to do now but await the chief machinist's report, and prepare to act against the true instigator of this crime...
※The next machinist quest will be available from Hilda upon reaching level 70.
==Objectives==
* Speak with Rostnsthal in Limsa Lominsa.
* Speak with the black marketeer.
* Search for the bandit leader at Providence Point.
* Speak with the bandit leader.
* Speak with Ser Muscadain at the Congregation of Our Knights Most Heavenly.
* Speak with Hilda.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Hilda 	Where've you been, [Player Name]? I've been itchin' to open this letter from Rostnsthal, but he's addressed it to you. Come on, let's hear what he has to say!
Rostnsthal 	Mystery solved. I took a good look at Naldiq & Vymelli's stock, and the firearm's one of theirs.
Rostnsthal 	Limsa has some bloody strict regulations on the export of firearms, so our bandit chief must've had a back-alley supplier.
Rostnsthal 	Get your arse to Limsa Lominsa, and we'll find out who put that weapon in our thief's hands. I'll be at the aetheryte on the lower decks.
Rostnsthal
Hilda 	So he's on the trail, then? Good. Just let me get my gear and we can be off.
Symme 	Wha─ You're going with [Player Name]? Is that really a good idea...?
Eudestand 	I'm with Symme on this one, Hilda. If the leader of the Hounds starts pickin' quarrels on foreign soil, we could be lookin' at all sorts of trouble for Ishgard.
Hilda 	Ishgard's where the bloody trouble started! And since when have folk of the Brume been content to sit back and let others handle the dirty work!?
Hilda 	I'm goin' and that's the end of it. But I promise I'll be on my best behavior!
Symme 	Once our Hilda sights her target, she's not one to question pulling the trigger...
Eudestand 	There's no arguin' with Hilda when she gets like this. Usually we just try to watch her back, but that'll have to be your job while you're in Limsa.
Hilda 	Don't you listen to them two─I'm perfectly capable of bein' reasonable. And besides, I'm sure Rostnsthal'll be glad to have me along!
Hilda 	...What's that sour look for, then?
 	
Rostnsthal 	What in the bloody hells is she doin' here? I put your bleedin' name on the letter an' all...
Hilda 	I need to see this through; if I don't, then what're the Hounds good for? You'll just have to humor me.
Rostnsthal 	I was aimin' to avoid political complications, seein' as [Player Name] an' me ain't tied too tightly to any one nation... Yer just lucky I've a soft spot for fools what ignore the risks to make a point.
Rostnsthal 	Let's get to it, then. The bloke most likely to 'ave supplied that firearm is the same bastard what tried to buy the sword: our black marketeer friend.
Rostnsthal 	If we're lucky, he might 'ave an idea o' where the brigand's run off to. I've a mind to squeeze 'im until an answer pops out.
Hilda 	Aye, I'd like to have a word or two with that bandit leader, myself. He's a loose end what needs tyin' up.
Rostnsthal 	Then we're on the same page. Accordin' to me sources, we should find the merchant in the Anchor Yard─let's get over there an' get this business over with.
Hilda 	As far as I'm concerned, this ain't over till we've got that bandit in chains. And I hate leavin' a job half-finished.
Hilda 	Good day to you, master merchant. How about we have us a little chat, eh?
Rostnsthal 	Ye ain't gettin' away this time, matey. Best start talkin' afore I start cuttin'.
black marketeer 	W-Well, if it isn't th-the...the Hounds, was it? What can a humble peddler such as myself do for Ishgard's finest?
 	
black marketeer 	For a man in my trade, no commodity is more valuable than discretion! If I were to disclose such information, my customers would cease to trus─
 	
black marketeer 	I am but a humble merchant. Surely I would be more hindrance than help in such an investig─
 	
Rostnsthal 	If yer not feelin' helpful, then maybe I should pay a visit to the Yellowjackets an' mention the firearm yer valued customer was usin'. ...Or maybe I'll just skip straight to them as upholds the code.
black marketeer 	N-Now let us not be too hasty! Mayhap I can make an exception in this case, in exchange for your silence regarding my, uh, trade in exotic weapons.
black marketeer 	I believe the gentleman in question has a camp at Providence Point in the central highlands. That is where I would look.
Hilda 	Providence Point, eh? Well, it's a start.
Rostnsthal 	If yer playin' us false, I'll be back to feed the crabs with yer lyin' tongue. In fact, if I ever 'ear o' ye dealin' in stolen goods again, ye can add a few more body parts to that list. Nice doin' business with ye.
Hilda 	More of them guard beasts came at me, but I put 'em down easily enough. Rostnsthal's drills must be payin' off.
Rostnsthal 	These curs were trained. Seems our merchant was tellin' the truth about there bein' a camp 'ereabouts.
black marketeer 	Never accept a deal from a client you know naught about! But that woman offered me so much gold, I ignored my own rule.
<sigh> Mayhap it is time I retired from this business...
 	
Robberleader02908	What!? How did ye─
Bah, ye've signed yer own death warrant comin' here!
 	
Robberleader02908	Gods, no! Ye've killed me precious...
Hilda 	I came runnin' when I heard the shots, but it seems you had things well in hand.
Robberleader02908	Oh, bugger me, there's more of ye. Please, I'll do anythin' ye ask...just don't kill me!
Rostnsthal 	Stop yer blubberin', cur, we ain't goin' to kill ye...not just yet, anyroad. That'll depend on the answers ye give us.
Hilda 	Answers? What's he on about, [Player Name]?
 	
Hilda 	They wanted to sell it for coin, of cour─ Ah. But then why only steal the sword, eh?
 	
Hilda 	Wait, it weren't that black market bloke? ...Hm, I guess he'd have wanted more than just the sword, eh?
 	
Hilda 	Them other brigands we captured were bloody clueless. They only knew what the job was─not the who or the why.
Rostnsthal 	Meanin' the whole deal was made through this bastard. Start barkin', dog, an' ye might just save yer own 'ide.
Robberleader02908	We...we was pirates once─that is until the bitch Admiral passed her bloody law. Blokes like us, though, we ain't cut out for “honest” work.
Robberleader02908	We'd almost drunk through the last of our plunder when that back-alley peddler showed up with some overpainted wench. Said she'd a job for us.
Robberleader02908	All we had to do was filch a special sword from the Holy See. Hah! For the purse she offered, we'd have stolen the whole bleedin' vault.
Hilda 	And who was this woman?
Robberleader02908	Part o' the deal was we didn't ask no questions. Even the merchant didn't know her real name. It was odd, aye, but we needed the coin an' I didn't rightly care either way.
Robberleader02908	The job itself was easy as takin' a piss. She even paid for me to have a firearm to use, an' sent us down a route where we didn't see no guards─though the gods only know how she managed that trick.
Robberleader02908	All we did was follow her map, then shoot the locks on the vault. Walked in, grabbed the sword, walked out. Bold as ye please. The trouble came after the delivery was made...
Rostnsthal 	She gave the blade back to you.
Robberleader02908	Aye. She sent for me again the day after. Pushed the sword back into me hand along with a sack full o' coin.
Robberleader02908	Said she'd made a mistake or summat, an' that I should sell the damn thing. Well, I ain't fool enough to try fencin' a relic like that on me own, so I went back to the merchant...
Hilda 	You were fool enough not to properly burn your contract of sale. How do you think we found you the first time?
Robberleader02908	Contract o' sale? What in the hells are ye talkin' about? Ye think I'd leave a deal like that in ink for the whole world to see!?
Rostnsthal 	...Things are startin' to make sense now. There's just one little problem with yer story.
Robberleader02908	I've told ye the truth, I swear! It was that wench what put us up to it!
Rostnsthal 	Aye, that bit I believe. What catches in me craw is her reason for handin' back the sword. That was no mistake. An' us findin' that contract o' sale this bastard says 'e never wrote was no mistake neither.
Hilda 	No...we was led by the nose to reclaim Hrunting before it was sold. And the quickest way to learn the why of it might be to ask the blade itself. Would you mind cartin' this piece of offal back to Ishgard, Rostnsthal?
Hilda 	Come with me, [Player Name]. We need to pay us a visit to Muscadain, and convince him to take a closer look at that sword.
Hilda 	To be honest, I ain't all that eager to talk to that blue-blooded bastard, but I suppose we all have to make sacrifices. Let's head over to the Congregation.
Rostnsthal 	I'll take care o' this pissant; ye just concern yerself with inspectin' that sword.
Robberleader02908	If it weren't for that witch Merlwyb an' her shite-eatin' law, I'd still be sailin' free on the high seas...
 	
Muscadain 	Mistress/Master [Player Name], how may I...ah. You again. Was there some choice insult you'd forgotten to spit at me during our previous meeting?
Hilda 	Truce, Muscadain. I wouldn't be here if it weren't important.
Muscadain 	I see. So you believe that Hrunting may have been altered in some fashion before you were “allowed” to reclaim it?
Hilda 	It's a bit too bloody convenient, don't you think? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd rather look the fool than risk summat happenin' at the ceremony. We need to check that sword!
Muscadain 	I must admit, your passion confounds me. The blade is recovered and your Hounds have done their duty. Why bother pursuing such a faint suspicion? Why willingly endure the presence of a man you so clearly despise?
Hilda 	Oh, aye, I hate your bleedin' guts. But once we take on a job, we do the damn thing right!
Hilda 	[Player Name] gave her/his all to save Ishgard. How could I look her/him in the eye if I let our petty feud get in the way of my duty!
 	
Muscadain 	...Such pride. I've not seen this side of you before.
Muscadain 	It is as you say. If there truly is some flaw or trickery in the blade that disrupts the ceremony, the consequences could be grave indeed.
 	
Muscadain 	And yet there are rules in place which prevent me from simply handing Hrunting over to the Hounds. Furthermore, our resident blacksmith has already inspected the recovered weapon and declared it sound.
Hilda 	Even so, we should─
Muscadain 	Even so, I will call upon Lord Stephanivien to conduct an independent examination. A machinist may notice a detail that a blacksmith would overlook. I trust this can be accomplished with the requisite discretion?
Muscadain 	Very good. As far as the release of Hrunting is concerned, the manufactory is a sanctioned facility. The bureaucrats will be satisfied even should I secure the necessary permissions after the fact. I shall begin making the arrangements.
Hilda 	Well...that's that, then. Let's get back to the Brume and tell the news to Rostnsthal.
Symme 	Back then, are you? I don't rightly know what the story was with that sword, but Hilda seems happy with what we did...and that's good enough for me!
Eudestand 	Lord Stephanivien will get to the bottom of this, you see if he doesn't. Best thing we can do is get back to our drills and leave him to it.
Rostnsthal 	Keep one 'and near yer weapon, [Player Name]. Me gut says this business ain't over by a long shot...
Hilda 	Muscadain's not known for his love of the lowborn. I didn't expect he'd just... I thought I'd have to put up more of a fight, is what I'm sayin'.
Hilda 	Well, the sword's with the manufactory now, so I've no complaints─that's where I'd meant to take it in the first place. Now we wait.
Hilda 	But don't get too comfortable, [Player Name]. Things are sure to come to a head soon enough...
Quest complete. 	Quest complete.
Category:Disciple of War Job Quests in Final Fantasy XIV