What Poor People Think

Main story quest #32, level 18. 102nd of 173 in play order.

Quest giver: Isembard, Eastern Thanalan (X 13.9, Y 23.6).

Next: A Proper Burial ›

Steps

Deliver Isembard's note to Ungust.
Speak with the commonfolk.
Speak with Ungust.
Report to Isembard.

Journal

Isembard aims to turn his investigation to the commonfolk.
Isembard has told you of someone who knows the most about the commonfolk and their ways. Seek out Ungust and show him the note Isembard has given you.
Ungust tells you that the commonfolk are as vigilant a folk as any, and more than most. Speak with them yourself to see if he speaks the truth.
In their terror, the commonfolk tell you little of use. Go speak with Ungust once more.
Ungust seems unconcerned about the growing list of missing people around Drybone. Report back to Isembard to see if he has any ideas on how to proceed.
Isembard believes that perhaps the people are holding their tongues because they have come to trust only in their gods.

Hidden

Lore Costa del Sol is also a place in this game: a stretch of Eastern La Noscea that a rich Ul'dahn, Gegeruju

, bought and rebuilt in the style of the south sea isles.

Spoiler about later in the story

Foreshadowing Keep Ungust's boast in mind: he says he 'played them all for fools' and got hard work out of the timid camp folk.

FF nod 'Costa del Sol' is a nod to Final Fantasy VII, which has a seaside town of the same name. Ungust

uses it to say Drybone is no holiday spot.

In-game text The item text says Isembard

wrote his

note in code. The dialogue never mentions this.

Characters 2

Ungust
Ungust is at the inn in Drybone, probably drinking away the day's earnings.
What you know from earlier quests 1
- #97 Into a Copper Hell: He accuses a poor refugee woman of stealing dodo meat and sneers at refugees. He offers to spare her if she serves him "in whatever capacity" he wants. He sets his bodyguards on you. When witnesses say she bought it, he backs down.
Isembard
Isembard wants to turn the investigation toward the commonfolk of Drybone.
What you know from earlier quests 2
- #100 A Wild Rose by Any Other Name: Isembard has no official title, but the camp's people look to him to lead. Minfilia sent word that you were coming and warned him about the Amalj'aa. He gives his word to help bring the victims home safely.
- #101 Unsolved Mystery: Isembard says the Amalj'aa murdered visitors to the Church of Saint Adama Landama. He asks you to bring back the bodies for a proper burial and thanks you. He feels the Amalj'aa cannot be acting alone and suspects another hand.

What happens in this quest spoilers for this quest

Ungust angrily recognizes you as the adventurer who threatened him in Ul'dah. Born in Drybone and raised in the Golden Bazaar, he brags about tricking locals into hard labor. He shrugs off the disappearances, saying the missing simply moved away.
Isembard sends you to Ungust with a note, calling him rough but the man who knows the locals best. He is not surprised Ungust was little help. He thinks the commonfolk speak freely only to their gods, so the clergy may know something.

Dialogue 15 lines

Accepting the quest

Isembard

What say we turn an eye to the commonfolk themselves? It may be among them that we find the reasons for these vanishings, Twelve forbid it be so.

There is a merchant by the name of Ungust who was born here in Drybone and grew up in the Golden Bazaar. A...rough character, but he knows the people here better than anyone else.

I'd wager he's at the inn, quaffing away the day's earnings. Here, I'll write a note for you to show him, else he's not like to speak to you.

Deliver Isembard's note to Ungust.

Ungust

Well, gods be damned! You're that bloody adventurer who threatened me back in Ul'dah! What in the seven hells do you want with me now!?

FR Je me souviens de toi... cette fripouille d'aventurière/er que j'ai rencontrée à Ul'dah ! ‘I remember you... that rascal of an adventurer I met in Ul'dah!’ English says the adventurer threatened him in Ul'dah; French says only that they met there.
DE Unsere Begegnung in Ul'dah hat mir gereicht, also schwirr ab! ‘Our encounter in Ul'dah was enough for me, so buzz off!’ English says the adventurer threatened him in Ul'dah; German speaks only of their encounter there.
JA げっ……てめぇはウルダハで会ったクソ冒険者……！ ‘Ugh... you're that damned adventurer I met in Ul'dah...!’ English says the adventurer threatened him in Ul'dah; Japanese says only that they met there.

“Dear friend... Missing people... Please help... Yours, Isembard.”

Folk around here are as wary as they come. They'll turn tail and run if you so much as pass wind nearby. Played them all for fools and coaxed some hard labor out of them, I did.

FR La vie ne leur a pas fait de cadeau, et ils ont appris à se méfier... ‘Life has given them no gifts, and they have learned to be wary...’ English jokes they flee if you so much as pass wind nearby; French says hard lives taught them wariness.
FR Je sais malheureusement de quoi je parle, des marchands tels que moi ont souvent exploité leur détresse par le passé. ‘Unfortunately I know what I'm talking about: merchants such as myself have often exploited their distress in the past.’ English has Ungust admit he tricked and worked them himself; French blames merchants like him.
DE Die armen Wichte sind so traumatisiert, dass sie schon Reißaus nehmen, wenn man sich ihnen nur auf zehn Schritte nähert. ‘The poor wretches are so traumatized that they take to their heels if one merely comes within ten paces of them.’ English jokes they flee if you so much as pass wind nearby; German says if you come within ten paces.
DE Könnte allerdings auch daran liegen, dass Kerle wie ich sie hier in der Vergangenheit nicht gerade freundlich behandelt und ordentlich rumgescheucht haben. ‘Could also be because fellows like me haven't exactly treated them kindly here in the past and have chased them around plenty.’ English has Ungust admit he tricked and worked them himself; German blames fellows like him.
JA フン、ここらの貧民は警戒心が強くてね、人が近づいたらビビって逃げちまうくらいだぜ？ ‘Hmph, the poor around here are very wary, enough to get scared and run off when someone comes near, see?’ English jokes they flee if you so much as pass wind nearby; Japanese says when someone comes near.
JA ま、俺みたいな奴が昔、騙して重労働させまくったからな。 ‘Well, that's because guys like me tricked them and worked them hard back in the day.’ English has Ungust admit he tricked and worked them himself; Japanese blames guys like him.

If anything, they're even more timid than before, what with all the disappearances. You can go talk to 'em yourself if you don't believe me.

Speak with Ungust.

Ungust

The folk around here are more timid now than ever before, what with all the disappearances. You can go talk to 'em yourself if you don't believe me.

Wh-What do you want from me!? I d–don't know anything, I swear! Please don't kill me!

FR Je ne veux pas qu'on m'enlève, je vous en supplie ! ‘I don't want to be taken away, I beg you!’ English begs not to be killed; French begs not to be abducted.
DE V-Verschlepp mich bitte nicht! ‘P-Please don't carry me off!’ English begs not to be killed; German begs not to be abducted.
JA だから拐っていかないでくれ！ ‘So please don't take me away!’ English begs not to be killed; Japanese begs not to be abducted.

I've nothing to say but this: Thal take who─or whatever's been feeding off us low folk.

FR Que le courroux de Thal s'abatte sur tous les Uldiens ! ‘May the wrath of Thal fall upon all Ul'dahns!’ English curses whoever is feeding off the low folk; French curses all Ul'dahns.
DE In Thals Hölle sollt ihr alle schmoren! ‘You shall all roast in Thal's hell!’ English curses whoever is feeding off the low folk; German curses the listener and their kind.

P-Please, miss/sir, just leave me be...

FR Vous autres aventuriers êtes comme tous les autres, vous ne pensez qu'à écraser un peu plus les miséreux comme moi... ‘You adventurers are like all the others, you only think of crushing wretches like me a little more...’ English simply pleads to be left alone; French accuses adventurers of crushing the poor.
DE Haben es jetzt auch schon die Abenteurer auf uns abgesehen? ‘Are the adventurers out to get us now as well?’ English simply pleads to be left alone; German asks if adventurers are now after them too.
JA ぼ、冒険者も俺達をいじめるんだろう。 ‘Y-you adventurers are going to pick on us too, aren't you.’ English simply pleads to be left alone; Japanese accuses adventurers of tormenting them too.

Ungust

Just as I told you, wasn't it? The whole lot of them are terrified.

There's been talk of folk getting abducted, but if you ask me, they simply up and moved on to a better place. This place isn't exactly Costa del Sol, if you know what I'm saying.

DE Ob sie's da finden, wag ich aber mal schwer zu bezweifeln. ‘Whether they'll find it there, though, I very much doubt.’ English jokes that this place is no Costa del Sol; German doubts they will find their luck elsewhere.

Report to Isembard.

Isembard

Welcome back, [name]. Have you learned aught of import?

I see... I suppose I should have expected as much from Ungust. Well, another thought occurred to me in your absence. The commonfolk are nothing if not fervent in their religious beliefs. Perhaps if they speak freely to their gods, then the clergy may know something of use.