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H'naanza15

The Rats in the Wharf

Map quest, level 3 (you can take it from level 1). 15th of 102 in play order.

Quest giver: H'naanza, Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X 10.6, Y 15.4).

Next: A Sheepish Request ›

Steps

  1. Slay wharf rats.
  2. Report to Baderon.
Journal
  1. H'naanza has a simple yet profitable task for an interested adventurer.
  2. Baderon is offering a bounty to any adventurer willing to cull wharf rats. Venture outside the Tempest Gate and slay five of the pests.
  3. You mercilessly slaughter five of the disease-infested rats. Report to Baderon at the Drowning Wench and claim your reward.
  4. An anonymous benefactor was behind the bounty, claiming that the constant scurrying of rats was driving him insane. Yet despite your efforts, Baderon suspects that the strange man will forever be tormented by the furry creatures.
Hidden
Easter egg The unnamed bounty-giver is a small version of Lovecraft's narrator. The noise of the rats drives him mad. Baderon doubts he will find peace. The bounty-giver is like the narrator, who is locked away and still hears rats.
FF nod Baderon uses the goobbue to show how big the sack is. This beast comes from Final Fantasy XI. It looks exactly the same in this game.
In-game text The Allagan tin pieces are 'currency minted in the Third Astral Era by the Allagan Empire', says their item text. These coins can still be traded for gil.
Title reference The title echoes H. P. Lovecraft's horror story 'The Rats in the Walls' (1924). In that story, the sound of rats running about drives the narrator mad.
Characters 3
  • Baderon

    Baderon, at the Drowning Wench, is offering a reward to any adventurer who kills at least five wharf rats.

    What you know from earlier quests 3
    • #1 Coming to Limsa Lominsa: Baderon registers you at the Adventurers' Guild. He says the Calamity, a disaster, blurred everyone's memories, even of the heroes called Warriors of Light. He shields you from a suspicious Yellowjacket. He is the only son of Lodewicus, the guild's founder, and left home young.
    • #10 Close to Home: Baderon sends you to touch the aetheryte, a travel crystal, to see Swozblaet with an old octant, and to visit the Arcanists' Guild. He blames the Calamity, or the ale, for his poor memory. He urges you to help people in need.
    • #11 Glory Days: Baderon laughs at the gift: he has hated aurelia umbrellas since his days as a sellsword, a fighter for hire, when even salt and a campfire did not help. Few sellswords keep all their fingers, so he earned the respected nickname "Tenfingers".
  • H'naanza

    H'naanza has a simple, well-paid job for any adventurer looking for something to do.

  • N'delika

    What you know from earlier quests 1
    • #13 Lost and Found: Behind her cheerful welcome, N'delika is an undercover Yellowjacket. Most people enter through the Zephyr Drift and Bulwark Hall, so she watches everyone for suspicious types. She promises to memorize the missing names and is proud of being a good judge of character.
What happens in this quest spoilers for this quest
  • Baderon pays you from a huge sack left by a stranger, who said the rats' scurrying noise was driving him mad. Baderon thinks the man was already a bit unwell in the head and doubts he can ever find peace.
  • H'naanza tells you Baderon is offering a reward to anyone who kills at least five wharf rats. Plenty of them lurk outside the Tempest Gate, so H'naanza urges you to hurry and take the chance.
What the Japanese, French and German versions say 6

Japanese

EN The Rats in the Wharf

JA 「迷子橋落ちない」, 'Maigo Bridge Isn't Falling Down'

The title twists the nursery rhyme 'London Bridge Is Falling Down'. Culling the rats keeps the bridge from rusting away.

EN 'An anonymous benefactor was behind the bounty, claiming that the constant scurrying of rats was driving him insane.'

JA 「甲冑師ギルドが製作した金属部品は丈夫なのだが、ラットの糞尿と潮風にさらされ続けているため、腐食は避けられないという。しかし、迷子橋は重要な輸送路であるため、橋の腐食を早めるラット退治は、多くの人の役に立っている。」, 'The metal parts the Armorers' Guild made are sturdy, but they are always exposed to rat droppings and sea air, so rust can't be avoided. Yet Maigo Bridge is a key transport route, so killing the rats that speed up its rust helps many people.'

There is no mad stranger here. The bridge, a key road to Red Rooster Stead, is looked after by H'naanza's Armorers' Guild.

French

Different

EN 'An anonymous benefactor was behind the bounty, claiming that the constant scurrying of rats was driving him insane.'

FR «Baderon vous a expliqué que les rivets et autres pièces de métal fabriqués par la guilde des armuriers sont très résistants, mais que les excréments des rats accéléraient leur détérioration. Le pont des Égarés étant un point de communication, l'extermination de ces rongeurs nuisibles est une mission d'utilité publique.», 'Baderon explained that the rivets and other metal parts made by the armorers' guild are very tough, but that the rats' droppings were speeding up their decay. Since the Bridge of the Lost is a key crossing, killing these pests is a public service.'

Here too, unlike in English, the rats must go because their droppings eat away the bridge.

Title

EN The Rats in the Wharf

FR «Un pont à ne pas rater», 'a bridge not to be missed'

The title hides a 'rat' in «rater», 'to miss'. The quest is about rats damaging that very bridge.

Speech style

EN 'Hmmm? Are you in need of some trifling task to pass the time?' · 'There's no shortage of the pests lurking outside the Tempest Gate, so you should hurry and take advantage of this opportunity.'

FR «Salut. As-tu déjà traverrrsé le pont des Égarés ?», 'Hi. Have you ever crossed the Bridge of the Lost?' · «Comme tu es un(e) aventurrrière/er, je suis sûre que tu ne verras pas d'objection à aller tuer cinq de ces rongeurs pour nous aider à préserver le pont des Égarés.», 'Since you are an adventurer, I'm sure you won't mind killing five of these rodents to help us save the Bridge of the Lost.'

H'naanza rolls her r's, even in her word for adventurer. The English H'naanza speaks plainly.

German

Different

EN 'An anonymous benefactor was behind the bounty, claiming that the constant scurrying of rats was driving him insane.'

DE „Obwohl die Metallplatten, die die Plattnergilde für die Brücke angefertigt hat, von ausgezeichneter Qualität sind, korrodieren sie unter dem ständigen Einwirken der scharfen Exkremente der Dockratten. Die Verrückte Brücke ist ein wichtiger Verkehrsweg, der unbedingt instand zu halten ist.“, 'Though the metal plates the Armorers' Guild made for the bridge are of excellent quality, they corrode under the constant action of the caustic droppings of the dock rats. The Crazy Bridge is an important route that must be kept in good repair.'

Same here: the droppings eat the metal plates that hold up this vital supply route. In English, the rats' noise is the problem.

Dialogue 6 lines

Accepting the quest

H'naanza

Hmmm? Are you in need of some trifling task to pass the time? Then I have just the job for you.

  • FR As-tu déjà traverrrsé le pont des Égarés ? ‘Have you ever crrrossed the Bridge of the Lost?’ English offers a trifling task to pass the time; French asks whether you have crossed the bridge.
  • DE Du kennst doch die Verrückte Brücke gleich hier hinter dem Sturmtor. ‘Surely you know the Crazy Bridge right here behind the Storm Gate.’ English offers a trifling task to pass the time; German brings up the bridge behind the gate.
  • JA 目の前に見えてる「テンペスト陸門」の先に、迷子橋っていう橋があるのを知ってるかい? ‘Do you know there's a bridge called the Lost Child Bridge beyond the "Tempest Gate" you can see right in front of you?’ English offers a trifling task to pass the time; Japanese asks whether you know the bridge past the gate.

Baderon is offering a reward to any adventurer who slays at least five wharf rats.

  • FR Mais Baderon m'a signalé que de plus en plus de gens se plaignaient de grincements inquiétants lorsqu'ils empruntaient ce pont. ‘But Baderon told me that more and more people were complaining about worrying creaks when they crossed this bridge.’ English says Baderon offers a reward for five rats; French says Baderon reported complaints about a creaking bridge.
  • DE Daraufhin hat Baderon eine Untersuchung angeordnet. ‘Thereupon Baderon ordered an investigation.’ English says Baderon offers a reward for five rats; German says Baderon ordered an investigation.
  • JA だが、最近、橋がガタつくと苦情が増えてるって、バデロンが連絡くれてね。 ‘But lately, Baderon let me know that complaints are growing that the bridge is rattling.’ English says Baderon offers a reward for five rats; Japanese says Baderon reported growing complaints about a rattling bridge.
  • DE In letzter Zeit aber häufen sich Berichte, dass die Brücke knackt und klappert. ‘Lately, however, reports have been piling up that the bridge creaks and rattles.’ German: the bridge creaks and Baderon had it investigated. English: he offers a reward for rats.

There's no shortage of the pests lurking outside the Tempest Gate, so you should hurry and take advantage of this opportunity.

Report to Baderon

Baderon

Ah, so ye slew a few rats! Good on ye, lass/lad!

  • FR Tu te dis sûrement que c'est barbant d'aller à la chasse aux rongeurs, mais figure-toi que tu viens de rendre un grand service à Limsa Lominsa. ‘You probably think it's a bore to go rodent hunting, but believe it or not you have just done Limsa Lominsa a great service.’ French says the rat hunt was a great service to the city; English just says well done.
  • JA ネズミ退治だなんて、地味に思えるかもしれんが、立派に都市の役に立ってんだから、胸張っていいぜ! ‘Rat extermination may seem humdrum, but you're doing the city a fine service, so hold your head high!’ Japanese stresses the dull job truly served the city; English just says well done.

This bloke comes through the other day and plops this 'uge sack the size of a bleedin' goobbue on the counter, sayin' any man what slays rats can 'ave somethin' from within.

  • FR En effet, le pont des Égarés relie la région de la métairie du Coq rouge à notre cité, ce qui en fait un axe de communication important. ‘Indeed, the Bridge of the Lost links the Red Rooster farm area to our city, which makes it an important route.’ English tells of a man leaving a goobbue-sized sack as a rat reward; French explains the bridge links farm and city.
  • DE Die Brücke ist eine für die Versorgung der Stadt höchst wichtige Verkehrsader - nicht auszudenken, wenn die Brücke einstürzen sollte! ‘The bridge is a vitally important artery for supplying the city - unthinkable if the bridge were to collapse!’ English tells of a man leaving a goobbue-sized sack as a rat reward; German says the bridge is vital for supplying the city.
  • JA 迷子橋ってのは、レッドルースター農場方面と都市を結ぶ重要な交通路だから通れなくなったら大問題なのさ。 ‘The Lost Child Bridge is an important route linking the Red Rooster Farm area and the city, so it would be a big problem if it became impassable.’ English tells of a man leaving a goobbue-sized sack as a rat reward; Japanese says the bridge links farm and city.

When I inquires as to why, all 'e says is the damn noise they make when scurryin' about is drivin' 'im insane. Ye ask me, though, 'e was already a bit touched. Somethin' tells me the poor lad'll never find peace.

  • FR Les pièces métalliques de la guilde des armuriers ont beau être très résistantes, elles ne sont pas à l'abri de la rouille, et les excréments des rats ont tendance à accélérer le travail des vents marins. ‘The Armorers' Guild's metal parts may be very sturdy, but they are not safe from rust, and the rats' excrement tends to speed up the work of the sea winds.’ English says the rats' scurrying noise drives the man insane; French says rat droppings speed up rust from sea winds.
  • FR D'où l'utilité de ton travail. ‘Hence the usefulness of your work.’ English says the poor lad will never find peace; French says that is why your work is useful.
  • DE Aber mit den korrosiven Exkrementen der Dockratten haben unsere Ingenieure nicht gerechnet. ‘But our engineers did not reckon with the corrosive excrement of the wharf rats.’ English says the rats' scurrying noise drives the man insane; German says the rats' corrosive droppings ruin the metal plates.
  • DE Nun ja, dank deiner Hilfe ist diese Gefahr nun gebannt. ‘Well, thanks to your help this danger has now been averted.’ English says the poor lad will never find peace; German says your help has averted the danger.
  • JA だが、ただでさえ潮風にさらされ続けてる上にネズミの糞尿まみれじゃ、錆びるなってのがムリな話だろ? ‘But on top of being constantly exposed to the sea breeze, if they're covered in rat droppings, it's impossible to ask them not to rust, right?’ English says the rats' scurrying noise drives the man insane; Japanese says rat droppings make rust unavoidable.