The Brightest Star

The Brightest Star

Quest giver

Searchingway

Location

Phaenna (X:27.2, Y:13.8)

Quest line

Records of Unusual Endeavors Quests
┗ Cosmic Exploration Main Quests

Level

10

Requirements

Disciple of the Hand or Land
Development Log 17 unlocked (all Phaenna infrastructure completed)

Experience

 855

Gil

 276

Previous quest

Go Forth, Brave Explorers

Next quest

A Manager's Discernment
Perspective Reflected
Pilot Wanted

Patch

7.31

Links

EDB GT TC

“

Searchingway wishes to laud you for your efforts on Phaenna.

— In-game description

Steps

• Speak with Namingway and have him accompany you.
• Speak with Namingway at Glassblowers' Beacon while he is accompanying you.
• Speak with Namingway at the Soda-lime Float while he is accompanying you.
• Speak with Namingway at Fusingway Vent while he is accompanying you.
• Observe from the designated vantage point while accompanied by Namingway.
• Speak with Searchingway.

Journal

• Searchingway wishes to laud you for your efforts on Phaenna.
• While you and Searchingway are discussing Phaenna's treacherous terrain, Namingway returns from making his rounds, confident that he has now named the entirety of the star. As with Sinus Ardorum, he invites you to take a tour with him, and Searchingway happily sends you on your way.
• The grand tour of Phaenna will start at Glassblowers' Beacon. Together, you and Namingway seek out a good, clear view of the area.

※You must be accompanied by Namingway to complete this task. Speak with him again should you become separated.

• Namingway expounds on how the sheltering properties of the Glassblown Grotto's dome gave rise to its name, emphasizing that it provides an ideal location for a base of operations. Fragile though the works of man and Loporrit may be, Glassblowers' Beacon has undoubtedly proven itself the atelier in which the initiative's future will be shaped, just as he anticipated.
• Your next destination is the Soda-lime Float, which─contrary to what the name suggests─is most certainly not potable. Within this stream of liquid glass are equally deceptive “fish” formed of glass and condensed aether, but lacking the qualities typically associated with fauna. For now, “arcane entities” appears to be the closest classification of these piscine impostors.
• To the southwest, it transpires that Fusingway Vent was named for yet another glassworking technique because, as with so much on Phaenna, the magma within contains nearly enough silicon to be considered molten glass. He further warns you not to dawdle in the vicinity of said magma, lest the vacillating temperatures take you by surprise and result in the melting of the soles of your shoes (or worse).
• You follow Namingway to the top of the Iridized Rise which, as he tells it, was named for the rainbow colors of its many glossy stairs. After speaking much and more of Phaenna's almost-plants, he reflects on the many questions that the star raises in his mind─questions that he entrusts to future generations to answer.
• Back at Glassblowers' Beacon at last, you are ushered to an unexpected final stop on your tour: the Phaenna Stellascope. This massive magnifying device has already enabled the Cosmic Exploration Initiative to detect stars beyond Phaenna, some of which Searchingway hopes may yet harbor intelligent life in spite of Meteion's dire proclamations. Thus does the initiative's attention turn to finding the ideal candidate for the Galactic Way's next voyage.

Dialogue

Searchingway: I'm grateful for your dedication to running to and fro on the initiative's behalf, [Forename]. You've gotten an eyeful of the terrain in only the metaphorical sense, I hope?

Q: What will you say?

> Fret not─I've yet to be impaled.
> When I'm working, I hardly notice the shards piercing my tender flesh.

Searchingway: That's, erm, good! Very good. Well done─much appreciated! Perhaps do see a chirurgeon, though.

Namingway: I must say, the sheen of this land borders on the blinding. Had I known, I might have asked Drivingway for one of their manifold pairs of sunglasses.

Searchingway: Welcome back, Namingway! From what I've read of the reports on my exotablet, you've certainly wasted no time crafting nomenclature for Phaenna.

Namingway: I confess, it has been a spectacular challenge to name an entire star from top to bottom─and maintain a unifying theme besides!─but at last, my work is done.

Searchingway: Don't go putting your feet up just yet, my friend. This is only our first destination!

Namingway: Yes, of course. Rest assured, I shan't let my dictionaries gather dust.
Namingway: You know, [Forename], I did so enjoy our tour of Sinus Ardorum. Might you join me on another edifying jaunt?

Searchingway: Doubtless you're keen to hear what Namingway's cooked up. Hop to it, then! I'll be here when you return.
Searchingway: Namingway's terribly proud of all that he's accomplished here. Humor him, won't you?

Namingway: Let us begin the tour here at camp and work our way out of the grotto!

System: You must be accompanied by Namingway and have him at your side in order to proceed with quest objectives.
System: Namingway has yet to arrive. Be sure he is at your side before attempting to continue.

Q: What will you do?

> Small talk.
> Part ways with Namingway.
> Nothing.

Namingway: Come along, [Forename]. Places to go, designations to discuss!

System: Are you sure you wish to part ways with Namingway?

Namingway: Has something more pressing arisen? Nothing to be done, then. I shall pass the time with Searchingway until your return.
Namingway: No other commitments, I hope? Then let us resume the grand tour!
Namingway: We were truly fortunate to find such an expansive formation to shelter us from Phaenna's harsh climate.
Namingway: Curious, isn't it, that something as delicate as glass could become both deadly threat and stalwart shield?
Namingway: This place puts me in mind of a gaffer's work─a vessel bespeaking both beauty and strength. That's why I call it the “Glassblown Grotto,” you see.
Namingway: And within, the primordial flame around which we gather to sculpt our own marvels...however fragile the works of man and Loporrit might be. A Glassblowers' Beacon.
Namingway: ...But this is far from the only spectacle our Phaenna has to offer. Let us venture westward, to that most ponderous of streams!

> Discuss phainoglass.

Namingway: That is no ordinary stained glass, but phainoglass, crafted from lustrous materials unique to this star.
Namingway: Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it can endure shard showers without suffering a single scratch─all while converting light into energy!
Namingway: Incredible, is it not? Phaenna's natural resources have proven tremendously valuable for their versatility!

> Discuss the lampmelt marble.

Namingway: Our scholars theorize that long ago, a vein of hot molten glass carved out this cavern before being driven back by geothermal fluctuations.
Namingway: As the main flow receded, it left behind deposits of molten silicates, which hardened into the twisted shapes you see before you.
Namingway: For its resemblance to the glass produced by lampworkers, the substance shall henceforth be known as lampmelt marble! We've no shortage of outcroppings here, if you ever wish to take a closer look.
Namingway: This translucent blue stream is the Soda-lime Float, flowing ever so slowly southward through Millefiori.
Namingway: Despite the appetizing name, however, I cannot recommend drinking from it! In terms of chemical composition, the “water” is itself essentially glass.
Namingway: Similarly, should you try to consume its fish, you shall find yourself with naught but a plate of glass pescatore! These impostors─“impesctors,” if you will─are in fact silicate globules animated by the dense aether flowing beneath.
Namingway: As a matter of fact, we have yet to discover any true “animals” on this star─only golems and other arcane entities.
Namingway: The impesctors themselves are difficult to categorize with confidence. Are they spirits? Elementals? Their very existence is a reminder of the vastness of nature, and the finity of our own understanding.
Namingway: ...And those were merely the easy names! Next, I say we heat things up. Southward ho!
Namingway: Behold the onyx ridge rising high above the fluorescent expanse: Fusingway Vent!
Namingway: The heat in this area is sufficient to melt glass, as the abundance of silicate magma attests. Hence the name.
Namingway: Temperatures fluctuate in the crater, and it is perfectly common for liquid magma to emerge from an apparently cooled crust. Do watch where you step─I should hate to see you lose your favorite boots. Or your favorite feet, for that matter.
Namingway: Jokes aside, I do hope you're enjoying the tour thus far, [Forename]. Our next stop offers the most spectacular scenery of all!
Namingway: Onward to my favorite place on Phaenna: the Iridized Rise. Come, come─there is shining, shimmering splendor to behold!

System: The following event cannot be skipped. You may wish to cancel any pending Duty Finder registrations.

Q: Observe the view from the Iridized Rise?

Namingway: The view is magnificent, you must concede. And replete with features ripe for the naming, besides!
Namingway: Naturally, I have given great thought to the term for each and every sight before you. You needn't hesitate to ask.
Namingway: Isn't it breathtaking how the staircase of color descends from here? It is precisely that rainbow from which the Iridized Rise derives its title!
Namingway: Our scholars estimate that this region was once home to a string of small ponds, each filled with liquid glass. As temperatures fell, they gradually solidified.
Namingway: Incidentally, the different colors would seem to indicate variations in the sediment between individual ponds. Ah, bliss! We Loporrits do so love our rainbows!
Namingway: Just as we have yet to discover creatures here that fall within our common definitions, so do Phaenna's flora seem, to our eyes, to exist just outside our understanding of what constitutes plant life.
Namingway: The distempered oak is one such species. Its explosive spikes do convert sunlight into energy, albeit through processes we have not yet begun to fathom.
Namingway: We know still less about how said spikes form. Is there some significance as to their being both branch and leaf? We must assume there is some connection to the tree's uniquely harrowing environment!
Namingway: Has the faceted grass caught your eye?
Namingway: On Etheirys, it's unheard of for naturally occurring crystals to take identical shapes, but these “plants” defy conventional wisdom.
Namingway: Our Sharlayan scholars posit that it's an effect of the star's unique aetherial properties. The topic has sparked a lively debate within the fields of botany and aetherology!
Namingway: Ah, I see you're appreciating the flowers of the myrrhine. Is it not lovely how the delicate petals almost resemble lace?
Namingway: At a glance, one would surely think them handcrafted, but I assure you, each bloom has pollen and seeds like any other species.
Namingway: How, then, do they reproduce without the assistance of animals? We can only assume the poor dears are entirely dependent upon strong gusts of wind.
Namingway: Rather resembles a fungus from Weddingway's Bower, doesn't it? But it is in fact a tree...after a fashion.
Namingway: It would perhaps be a cousin of the acacia, were it not made of a glass plate atop glass cane. Thus have I termed it the “display acanecia.”
Namingway: Our naturalists believe this unique shape may have evolved as a means to protect its soft, malleable bark from shard showers...but research is still ongoing!
Namingway: Have you taken in all the sights, [Forename]? If not, you're more than welcome to linger a little longer.

Q: What will you say?

> The splendor has been most thoroughly beheld.
> A little longer, then.

Namingway: And I'm delighted that it has. Why, your keen eyes alit upon all of my newly designated little darlings!
Namingway: You know, [Forename]...I expected the sea of stars to have no shortage of novelties, but I never dreamed our first destination would be so very unlike Etheirys.
Namingway: Here on Phaenna, something so mundane as glass has the power to surprise us, each new discovery more intriguing than the last.
Namingway: My mind fills with questions: whence came the strange shapes? The colors? The sounds? Why these, and none other?
Namingway: Glimpses of a design so grand I will never see the whole of it, even with a lifespan as lengthy as mine own.
Namingway: But someday, somehow, someone will know the shape of it! They'll follow in our footsteps, cradling the fragile things we leave behind.
Namingway: The more time I spend on Phaenna, the more I feel that this is the path Hydaelyn wished for Her children to walk.
Namingway: In the end, you and I may take but one small step...but the journey doesn't belong to us alone.
Namingway: ...Ah, but perhaps we should chart a course back to Searchingway before aught else. We have kept him waiting long enough!
Namingway: Certainly, my friend. We needn't depart until you're satisfied with the scenery.
Namingway: The best part of exploring foreign stars is finding these spectacular vistas! I take it you've had your fill?

Q: What will you say?

> Thank you. I feel enriched indeed.
> Perhaps just a little more...

Namingway: Another splendid tour in the books. You simply must recount it in detail for Searchingway posthaste!

Searchingway: Welcome back, you two. Did you have a long and riveting discussion about Phaenna's geography?

Namingway: Oh, it was positively scintillating! Together, we ruminated on the many glass-based discoveries the team has made thus far!

Searchingway: Glad to hear it. Yet I daresay your tour isn't complete without a visit to our crowning achievement...

Namingway: Our crowning achievement... Does that mean─!?

Searchingway: Indeed it does. Presenting...the Phaenna Stellascope!

Namingway: It's even grander than the Observatorium in Coerthas...

Searchingway: Using the Stellascope, we've already sighted several more stars possessed of aether in abundance. Stars I can show you right now!
Searchingway: Let me just press a few buttons here...

Namingway: Stunning─nay, stupendous!

Searchingway: Each glimmer you see here contains myriad possibilities...and we're going to explore them to the last!

Namingway: Phaenna is breathtaking enough─I can scarcely imagine what else is out there waiting for us!

Searchingway: We won't know without further analysis, but if there's a celestial current strong enough, we may yet find new life...new civilizations!
Searchingway: Granted...I've heard the stories. Of Meteion's journey, and the many stars she watched fall to despair.

Namingway: Yes, I myself learned of it not long after we were first brought into the initiative. A most lamentable tale.
Namingway: You were there at the “edge of existence,” were you not, [Forename]? Pray tell, what precisely did you see?

Q: What will you say?

> Memories of the long dead.
> Ruin...and despair.
> A series of bizarre life-forms patronizing a café. Also, soup.

Searchingway: The mere thought of it is heartrending.
Searchingway: Oh, yes, Jammingway told me of the Last Dregs and its unusual patrons! And Elysion, where past and potential take form.
Searchingway: Well, regardless of what others have seen, I still wish to make the journey. To grieve what was lost, and find my own meaning in it.
Searchingway: And do we not owe it to our fellow life-forms to hold on to hope to the last? What if they are out there?
Searchingway: Suffice it to say, our research teams are already debating the merits of correspondence versus non-interference.

Namingway: Searching for sparks of hope amid the darkness of despair... How poetic!

Searchingway: You bet it is! So we're going to use the Stellascope to comb every ilm of the horizon in search of our next galactic foothold.
Searchingway: The ideal candidate will be cocooned in celestial currents and hospitable to more than just plant-ish things. With luck, that's where we'll find what we're searching for!
Searchingway: I'll be in touch once we've settled on the coordinates. Until then, there's work to be done!

System: As you have completed 50 stellar missions on Phaenna, you are eligible to undertake an additional quest.
System: Seek out Mumukko to learn of ways you might further benefit the initiative.
System: Complete 50 stellar missions on Phaenna to become eligible to undertake an additional quest.
System: Check your exotablet for available missions and other means by which to contribute to the Cosmic Exploration Initiative.