Like Mother, Like Daughter

Conjurer class quest, level 25. 137th of 195 in play order.

Quest giver: E-Sumi-Yan, Old Gridania (X 6.0, Y 10.7).

Next: On to Little Ala Mhigo ›

Steps

Speak with Wulfiue at Buscarron's Druthers.
Speak with Sylphie.
Chase after Sylphie.
Speak with Sylphie.
Report to Brother E–Sumi–Yan at Stillglade Fane.

Journal

Brother E–Sumi–Yan requires your assistance in a matter concerning the young conjurer, Sylphie.
After disappearing from the guild without a word, Sylphie was later spotted by a party of conjurers in the South Shroud. Brother E–Sumi has requested that you travel to the area and escort the wayward child back to Gridania. Speak first with Wulfiue in Buscarron's Druthers to learn more of the young conjurer's present state of mind.
Wulfiue has explained that Sylphie, with her sensitivity to the voices of the elementals, must be troubled by the powerful disturbance discovered to the southeast of Buscarron's Druthers. Speak with Sylphie and see how she fares.
Upon reading her mother's journal, Sylphie has become convinced that conjury is to blame for inciting the wrath of nature. Fearing that the party of Hearers sent to cleanse the corruption are further angering the Twelveswood, the young conjurer sets off to stop them. Catch up to Sylphie before she stumbles into danger.
With a helping hand from nature, you have managed to cleanse the massive manifestation of corrupted earth. Speak with Sylphie and learn what the young conjurer is thinking.
After witnessing the battle, Sylphie has conceded that perhaps nature is not as frightening as she believed. Return to Stillglade Fane and report to Brother E–Sumi.
Having learned of her mother's honest, though misguided, motivations, Sylphie is now determined to embrace the power of nature. At long last, the young conjurer seems to have put her personal troubles behind her. The general mood of hope is dampened, however, by the revelation that the Twelveswood is suffering from some widespread and as-yet-unknown affliction. Return to your studies and seek greater mastery over your art in preparation for the day when Brother E–Sumi calls upon you once more. ※The next conjurer quest will be available from E–Sumi–Yan upon reaching level 30.

Hidden

Easter egg The Hearers' knockout lines play on their elements. Wulfiue

, who reads the will of air, 'can muster no second wind', and Joacin

, who masters water, sighs 'My well has run dry'.

Spoiler about later in the story

Foreshadowing Remember E-Sumi-Yan's worry that the 'mud pies' you met are not native to the Twelveswood, and that something beyond the Calamity is harming the forest.

Title reference The title plays on the saying 'like mother, like daughter', meaning a daughter takes after her mother. Fitting, since Sylphie

wants to give up conjury because of what her mother wrote in her journal.

Characters 6

Nolanel
Nolanel is at Buscarron's Druthers with Wulfiue and Joacin, chosen to cleanse the corruption in the South Shroud.
What you know from earlier quests 2
- #21 Trial by Earth: Nolanel has you fight a tainted earth sprite in corrupted soil near Treespeak Stables, so the land can heal. He praises Sylphie's gift for healing but is frustrated that she ignores nature. He calls you an attentive student.
- #26 The Nose Knows: Nolanel smells the sack and knows at once it holds chocobo manure. He praises the elementals and thanks you warmly, because it feeds his plants. He asks you to thank Vionne and advises you to wash your hands quickly.
E-Sumi-Yan
E-Sumi-Yan is worried. Sylphie has fled the guild after news about her mother, and he wants you to bring her back from the South Shroud.
What you know from earlier quests 6
- #4 Way of the Conjurer: E-Sumi-Yan explains conjury: magic for healing and protection that uses earth, wind and water. He has you vow to embrace nature, admits you to the guild, and sends you to cull creatures harmed by the Calamity. He gives you a hunting log.
- #21 Trial by Earth: E-Sumi-Yan sends you to Hearer Nolanel, praising his bond with earth. He shares Nolanel's worry about Sylphie, who refuses to study nature. He fears she may cause a dangerous imbalance and asks you to help her listen to nature.
- #28 Chasing Shadows: Papalymo wants Brother E-Sumi-Yan's help with the matter of the Ixali chieftain. He sends Kuplo Kopp to tell him what happened and plans to give him a full report in person.
- #44 Trial by Wind: E-Sumi-Yan is furious when Sylphie says she can cast Raise, and threatens to banish her if she tries it. He explains her mother healed without nature's power, blames himself as a teacher, and lets you join other guilds.
- #68 Trial by Water: E-Sumi-Yan finds Sylphie weak and scolds her. He explains that her healing uses up her own life force, just as her mother's did, and that it killed her mother. He vows to find a way to save her.
- #88 Sylphie's Trials: E-Sumi-Yan sends you to repeat the earth, wind and water trials while Sylphie watches. He believes she has her mother's rare gift of sensing nature. He reveals she changed her mind because you agreed to help, and asks you to keep guiding her.
Sylphie
Sylphie has fled the guild, upset by news about her mother, and conjurers have spotted her in the South Shroud.
What you know from earlier quests 4
- #21 Trial by Earth: Sylphie heals you with her magic and is a very gifted healer. She joined the guild shortly before you. She sees no point in studying nature and insists she only wants to heal.
- #44 Trial by Wind: Sylphie mocks your wind lessons. Her mother was a conjurer who healed without embracing nature, and Sylphie wants to be just like her. She proudly says she has learned to cast Raise, and is hurt when E-Sumi-Yan gets angry.
- #68 Trial by Water: Sylphie heals wounded soldiers near Josselin's Spire despite the ban and grows weak. Then her magic is gone. She fears she is repeating her mother's fate and may die. She defends her mother and asks to be alone.
- #88 Sylphie's Trials: Sylphie admits she mocked you and thanks you for helping. Watching you fight the sprites, she feels nature's power and hears voices crying out in joy. She wonders why her mother kept this side of conjury from her.
Wulfiue
Wulfiue is at Buscarron's Druthers with fellow conjurers, sent to purify a large corruption, and she was the first to spot Sylphie there.
What you know from earlier quests 1
- #44 Trial by Wind: Wulfiue admits you are her first student. She sends you to fight bees and then corrupted air at a spring near Sweetbloom Pier. She teaches that wind wears things down slowly, and worries some other force is at work.
Joacin
Joacin is at Buscarron's Druthers, one of three conjurers sent to cleanse the corruption in the South Shroud.
What you know from earlier quests 1
- #68 Trial by Water: Joacin thanks you for cleansing the water at the Hedgetree and teaches that water feeds the forest but can also destroy. When Maximiloix reports hurt soldiers, he sends you to Josselin's Spire and goes to find more healers.
Buscarron
What you know from earlier quests 14
- #115 The Trees Have Eyes: Ianna says travelers come to the tavern for Buscarron's ale and tales of adventure, as much as for the peace of the Shroud.
- #116 No Guts, No Glory: Auphiliot says Buscarron always did right by him, no matter his past. Auphiliot does not like anyone making trouble for Buscarron, even fish, and asks you to put your skills to work for him.
- #117 Occupational Hazards: Yoenne says Buscarron can seem rough to strangers, but he would be crushed if anything happened to one of his regulars. Irielle looks forward to his meat and mead.
- #119 Stash Saboteur: Auphiliot says Buscarron does not want the Qiqirn hunted down. He believes each battle avoided now saves another down the road, and he hopes for true peace in the forest. Burning the poison was his idea.
- #120 Spirited Away: Buscarron has heard talk of a sylph nearby, but cannot say if it is the elder. He says most folk cannot tell sylphs apart. He agrees to listen for news among his customers and invites you to stay.
- #121 Druthers House Rules: Buscarron gives you a tub of cold water to cool the drunk down without violence. He allows loud drinking but no fighting at the Druthers. He welcomes all who pay and behave, even Duskwight Elezen, whom many treat as brigands.
- #122 Never Forget: Buscarron found Teteroon, a Qiqirn, near death in the Shroud after the Calamity and nursed him back to health. Teteroon worked at the Druthers, then left for La Noscea. Buscarron wants his forgotten scarlet earring returned to him.
- #124 Like Fine Wine: Buscarron is moved to tears by Teteroon's firewater and hides it by blaming someone cutting onions. He agrees to keep it a year, though he hates to wait. He invites you back then to share the bottle.
- #125 Sylphish Concerns: When you report Garleans in the Twelveswood, Buscarron is shocked. He says imperials could never slip past the Wailers' spires alone. He suspects a Gridanian traitor guided them through.
- #126 Enemy Mine: Both the poacher and the Wasps flyer take Buscarron's worry seriously. They say if he is worried, things must be dire, and that he would not lie about such things.
- #127 Nouveau Riche: Buscarron hears that Laurentius gave himself up to the Twin Adder. He tells you of Laurentius's hard past and hopes he gets a chance to make amends. Then he shares news: the sylph elder has been found.
- #128 Into the Beast's Maw: Buscarron sends you to the Thousand Maws, an abandoned dungeon where Frixio was seen. When you return, he is relieved Frixio is safe, and he gives you a place of honor at the Druthers.
- #130 Shadows of the Empire: Auphiliot thanks you for driving off the Garleans on behalf of Buscarron and the people at the Druthers.
- #131 A Simple Gift: Buscarron sends Azeyma rose oil as a sign of Gridania's wish to unite. He says the Calamity weakened the elementals of the wood, so Gridanians and sylphs must work and fight together to keep the Twelveswood safe.

What happens in this quest spoilers for this quest

Nolanel praises how much you have grown and advises you to stay out of the wilds until balance returns. Though deeply rooted in earth magic, Nolanel is confounded by this corruption and apologizes.
E-Sumi-Yan: He says her mother avoided conjury out of love for nature. He tells Sylphie that hearing the elementals is a gift and she could become a Hearer. Mud pies, which are not native to the Twelveswood, trouble him.
Sylphie hears nature shrieking. Her mother's journal says conjury angers nature, so she vows to quit and tries to stop Wulfiue's group. Seeing the elementals help you changes her mind. She understands her mother now and could become a Hearer.
Wulfiue warns you away from the withered treant to the southeast. She says Sylphie's mother lived here and healed with conjury without guild training. She is skilled with air. In battle her strength runs out, and she thanks you for your help.
Joacin is skilled with water and says that sending three such conjurers shows how dire things are. After the fight, Joacin's strength is spent, and Joacin praises your strong bond with the elements.

Dialogue 63 lines

Accepting the quest

E-Sumi-Yan

Welcome, [name]. The tales of your deeds reach me even here in the cloistered heart of Stillglade Fane.

Glad I am that you have come, for I would ask your assistance in a matter of some delicacy. It concerns, yes, young Sylphie once again...

As you can no doubt imagine, the recent revelations concerning her mother have sorely troubled the poor child.

It appears Sylphie needed some time alone to sort through the whirlwind of emotions which now beset her. She has, in short, fled from the guild.

FR Or, il se trouve qu'elle n'est toujours pas revenue et cela me préoccupe beaucoup... ‘However, it turns out that she still has not come back, and that worries me greatly...’ English says she has fled the guild; French only says she has still not come back, which worries him.

Fortunately, a party of conjurers who were dispatched to the South Shroud to investigate another instance of corruption sent word that they have spotted our wayward Sylphie.

Considering the importance of their mission, I would not seek to distract the conjurers from their task. Thus, I turn to you to escort Sylphie back here to the guild. You are, I believe, one of the few people to whom she will listen.

FR Sylphie vient tout juste de s'ouvrir à la nature et je ne veux pas prendre le risque de la décourager en allant lui faire la morale. ‘Sylphie has only just opened herself to nature, and I do not want to risk discouraging her by going to lecture her.’ English: he won't distract the conjurers from their mission; French: he fears lecturing her would discourage her.

Pray travel to Buscarron's Druthers and speak with Wulfiue. She was the conjurer who first chanced upon Sylphie, and will be able to tell you more of how the young lady fares.

FR Vous devriez aller la saluer et lui dire qu'elle peut poursuivre sa mission en toute quiétude. ‘You should go and greet her and tell her that she can carry on with her mission with peace of mind.’ English: Wulfiue can tell you how Sylphie fares; French: you should tell Wulfiue she can continue her mission.

Speak with Wulfiue at Buscarron's Druthers.

Wulfiue

We meet again, [name]. I assume Brother E–Sumi warned you of the corruption my companions and I have been tasked with purifying here in the South Shroud?

The source of this extensive blight is found to the southeast─the shrill, discordant voices of the elementals shriek their dismay in the vicinity of the withered treant. I suggest you give the area a wide berth.

Considering the potential dangers, you might imagine how alarmed I was to discover young Sylphie wandering about this part of the Twelveswood. It seems that her mother─a woman who healed with conjury, but remained untrained by the guild─called this region her home.

Sylphie herself had her head buried in some manner of tome, but if she is as sensitive to the elementals' murmurings as I am led to believe, then the din within her mind must be driving her to distraction.

DE Sylphie hatte ihre Nase in irgendeinem Wälzer stecken, aber wenn sie so empfänglich für das Murmeln der Gebieter ist, wie ich glaube, dann wird der Lärm in ihrem Kopf sie sicherlich zu dieser Störung führen. ‘Sylphie had her nose stuck in some tome, but if she is as receptive to the murmuring of the elementals (Gebieter) as I believe, then the noise in her head will surely lead her to this disturbance.’ English: the din must be driving her to distraction; German: the noise will surely lead her to the disturbance.

Pray speak with the child and see that she is well. I would do so myself if our current duty were not so pressing. We will, in fact, be setting out at any moment.

Nolanel

[name], you have grown much since last we spoke of the mysteries of earth. Though you are no doubt capable of defending yourself, I must nonetheless advise you against venturing out into the wilds until such time as balance has been restored.

FR C'est dommage que vous ne puissiez nous accompagner dans notre expédition, j'aurais aimé pouvoir observer l'étendue de vos progrès. ‘It is a pity that you cannot accompany us on our expedition; I would have liked to observe the extent of your progress.’ English: he advises you not to venture into the wilds; French: he regrets you cannot join their expedition.

Joacin

Wulfiue divines the will of air, Nolanel is deeply rooted in earth, and I claim some small degree of mastery over water. False modesty aside, that we three were chosen to respond to this disturbance suggests that the situation is dire indeed.

FR Mais ne vous inquiétez pas, vous avez face à vous les trois plus grands spécialistes de la magie élémentaire du pays. ‘But do not worry, you have before you the three greatest specialists in elemental magic in the land.’ English: their being chosen shows the situation is dire; French: don't worry, they are the land's three greatest specialists.

Wulfiue

We are soon to depart on our mission. I am, however, relieved to know that you are here to speak with Sylphie and safeguard her well-being.

Speak with Sylphie.

Sylphie

Gods, it's so loud... Can't you hear it? Nature is shrieking in rage...

[name]!? Ah, I should've known that Wulfiue would tattle on me! And Brother E–Sumi sent you to take me back, didn't he?

This is where my mother used to live, you know. Right up until she...passed on, folk were grateful for the healing she offered.

And this is the journal she used to keep. There's an entry that explains how nature becomes furious when conjurers use their art; how there are always more people wounded in battles when “mortals abuse the power that is not theirs to take.”

FR Dans celui-là, elle explique clairement que les élémentalistes blessent la nature en utilisant leurs pouvoirs, et que plus ils se servent de leur magie, plus ils attisent sa colère. ‘In that one, she clearly explains that elementalists wound nature by using their powers, and that the more they use their magic, the more they stoke its anger.’ English: more people are wounded in battles when power is abused; French: more magic only makes nature angrier.

My mother refused to draw on nature, because she was scared of making it angry.

She wouldn't lie about such things, and I want to do what she would've wanted. I'm going to stop using conjury altogether!

Unnngh... I've never heard the voices this mad before.

I bet it's because Wulfiue and the others are overusing their art. We have to go and stop them!

Nolanel

Never has the earth so confounded me... I must apologize.

Wulfiue

Thank you for your timely assistance. With the origin of the corruption now neutralized, we should be able to cleanse whatever traces remain.

Joacin

You possess quite an affinity for the elements... That was most impressive.

Chase after Sylphie.

Sylphie

I... I can't believe nature actually helped us.

There was nothing scary about it at all.

I might still wonder if it really was safe for conjurers to borrow that power if I hadn't seen the way you wield it. Nothing could seem more...natural. I think it's time I went back to the guild.

FR Seulement... il y a toujours ce doute qui plane dans mon cœur. ‘Only... there is still this doubt hovering in my heart.’ English: seeing you dispelled her doubt about borrowing that power; French: the doubt still hangs in her heart.
JA でも、幻術士は、本当に自然の力を借りていいのかな……？ ‘But is it really all right for conjurers to borrow nature's power...?’ English: seeing you dispelled her doubt; Japanese: she still wonders whether borrowing nature's power is right.

There are a few things I need to collect first, so, please, go on ahead without me.

E-Sumi-Yan

Welcome back, [name]. And you also, Sylphie.

Speak with Sylphie.

Sylphie

Brother E–Sumi, I'm sorry I ran away like that...

Purify the corrupted earth!

Sylphie

Nature is angry with us... You mustn't use any more conjury!

We are only making nature more furious!

Even the creatures of the woods know this is wrong!

Now nature sends thunder and lightning against us! What more proof do you need!

Elementals!? Are they angry too!? We're really in trouble now!

They... The elementals are helping us!?

Nolanel

Never has the earth so confounded me...

FR Je retourne à la terre que j'aime tant... ‘I return to the earth that I love so much...’ English: the earth has never so confounded him; French: he returns to the earth he loves so much.

Wulfiue

I can muster no second wind...

FR Je ne veux pas mou...rrir... ‘No! I don't want to di...ie...’ English: a wind joke, she has no second wind; French: she cries that she does not want to die.

Joacin

My well has run dry...

Report to Brother E–Sumi–Yan at Stillglade Fane.

E-Sumi-Yan

I understand, child. Did you find the answers you sought?

Sylphie

Yes─thanks to [name]. She/He showed me that nature was nothing to be afraid of.

...I think I know why my mother refused to call upon its power─she believed the act caused suffering to nature itself.

E-Sumi-Yan

I see.

So it was her very love for nature that prevented her from drawing on its strength.

Tell me, Sylphie─has the fog of indecision now lifted from your mind?

Sylphie

It has, Guildmaster. I understand now why my mother chose the path she did.

E-Sumi-Yan

Full glad am I to hear that, for I must ask of you one more question.

Sylphie

Yes, Brother E–Sumi?

E-Sumi-Yan

When you first witnessed [name] cleanse a corrupted element, you mentioned hearing voices. How exactly did they sound?

Sylphie

The voices? Well...they sounded joyful, like a crowd letting out a sudden cheer. I really heard them, I swear!

E-Sumi-Yan

I am sure you did, Sylphie. This is a gift.

Conjurers may sense the power of nature, and borrow from its strength. But not all can hear its whispers.

What you describe are the voices of the elementals. You may very well possess the talent to become a Hearer.

Sylphie

A Hearer!?

E-Sumi-Yan

Of course, much relies on your studies of conjury. You have a natural aptitude, but have thus far lacked commitment. You must not neglect your training, Sylphie.

Putting aside such matters for a moment, I am curious to hear about the disturbance you observed in the South Shroud, [name]. I assume from the reports I have received that it was of a different magnitude to those which you have previously encountered. Am I correct?

Hmmm... This bodes ill. The creatures known as “mud pies” are not native to the Twelveswood. I wonder what relation this may have to the seemingly ever-increasing frequency of these disturbances.

Something beyond the damage wrought by the Calamity afflicts the Twelveswood. I shall commune with the elementals and seek to identify this threat.

[name], Sylphie, I may have need of you both before long. Until then, give yourselves over to the study of our art.

Ever shall the earth meet your footfall, and the wind guide your path.

FR N'oubliez jamais que nous sommes intimement liés à la nature et que si elle venait à mourir, nous disparaîtrions avec elle. ‘Never forget that we are intimately bound to nature and that if it were to die, we would disappear with it.’ English gives a blessing of earth and wind; French warns that if nature died, we would vanish too.