The Primary Agreement

Quest giver: Hien
Location: Kienkan (X:6.1, Y:6.0)
Quest line: Post-Stormblood Main Scenario Quests
Level: 70

Experience: 10,800
Gil: 3,000
Previous quest: Conscripts and Contingencies
Next quest: Under the Moonlight
A Fortune in Salt
Patch: 4.3

Main Scenario Progress: 525 / 953 (55.1%)

Stormblood Progress: 146 / 162 (90.1%)

“

Hien is ready to proceed with the prisoner exchange.

— In-game description

Rewards

Unlocks

Castrum Fluminis

Steps

Speak with the Confederate skipper in the Glittering Basin.
Confront Tsukuyomi in Castrum Fluminis.
Speak with Hien.
Speak with Hien at the Doman Enclave.
Speak with Hien in the Kienkan.

Journal

Satisfied that all possible precautions have been taken, Hien declares that it is time to proceed with the prisoner exchange. Meet with your Confederate allies on the bank of the One River.

Determined to bring the conscripts home come what may, Hien goes through the contingency plan one last time. Roles confirmed, your party boards the Confederate ship, and you cast off for the imposing structure across the water...
※In the event that you leave Castrum Fluminis, you may re-enter by speaking with the Confederate skipper in the Glittering Basin in Yanxia.

At Castrum Fluminis, you meet with the Populares delegation, and as Hien and Asahi set about trading pleasantries, you wonder for a moment if your apprehension was unwarranted... only for Yotsuyu to appear. Declaring her intent to rule over Doma once more, she holds aloft a Kojin relic, and begins to draw upon crystals hidden within the surrounding supply crates, transforming at last into the primal Tsukuyomi.
With no hope of besting such a foe, Hien ruefully turns his attention to evacuating the Doman conscripts, leaving you to face Yotsuyu's vengeful avatar alone. Put Tsuyu from your mind, and strike true, for if you hesitate, Doma may never again see the light of day.
※Castrum Fluminis can be accessed via the Duty Finder.

Yotsuyu lies humbled at your feet, bereft of her celestial majesty. Rejoin your companions and discuss what is to be done with her.

Before you have even registered his presence, Asahi appears behind your defeated for and shoots her in cold blood, seemingly bend on finishing what you began. His triumph is short-lived, however, as Yotsuyu summons the last of her strength to run her hated stepbrother through. While the youth lies dying, you are treated to a vision of an encounter with Zenos, and are disturbed to see the "late" crown prince injured but very much alive.
Even as you ponder how to break the news of this troubling development, Maxima hails Lord Hien from afar, and for a moment it seems that the battle is not over. But to the relief of all present, it soon becomes clear that he has come to trade words and not blows. In the ensuing exchange, the acting ambassador declares his intention to honor the original agreement between Doma and the Empire, while confirming your worst fears: Zenos is alive. Suspecting Ascian involvement, Alphinaud offers to accompany Maxima back to Garlemald, and he duly accepts. And so you bid them farewell, your relief at salvaging a chance for peace tempered by a sense of deep foreboding...

Though Hien expected treachery, he is nevertheless stunned that Asahi would resort to summoning. After thanking you for delivering Doma from the wrath of Yotsuyu's avenging primal, he makes for the sekibune, eager to escort the conscripts across the river and into the arms of their long-lost loved ones.

Upon your return to the enclave, thoughts of Zenos's resurrection and untold Ascian devilment are briefly banished by scenes of joyous reunion. You are further distracted by the appearance of a shaven-headed Gosetsu, apparently resolved to devote his remaining days to pilgrimage. And just like that, you find yourself bidding farewell to yet another companion. Feeling somewhat bereft, you turn to see Hien standing before the Kienkan, staring into the distance after his departed friend...

Hien bids you join him in his hall, that he might express his gratitude with all due ceremony.

In time-honored fashion, you stand before Doma's young lord and smile as he thanks you with a bow on behalf of his people. Then, formalities observed, his manner softens, and he proceeds to share his thoughts on how Gosetsu came to show the broken Yotsuyu such kindness. Though the old samurai is forever changed and Tsuyu now no more than a memory, Hien concludes that their time together, however brief, offered a priceless respite from the bitterness of life.

Dialogue

Accepting the Quest

Hien: While we were putting our contingency plans in place, I left Hakuro in charge of organizing transport for the imperial prisoners. He will see they arrive at the appointed hour, leaving us free to rendezvous with our Confederate allies. Come, they await us on the riverbank not far from the castrum. 
Hakuro: As a former soldier of the Empire, I have been chosen to oversee the handover of our imperial prisoners. Whilst I am so occupied, I must ask that you provide steadfast support for Lord Hien.

Meeting with the Confederates

Alisaie: No matter what Asahi throws at us, we cannot let that monster have his way.
Alphinaud: Would that we had some hint as to the ambassador's intentions... Had we not prepared for the worst, I should be wary of going through with this at all.
Hien: The tower rather spoils the view across the river, does it not. I concede, we might perhaps have chosen a less ominous place to conduct the exchange...
Yugiri: My only concern is the safe return of our people. That is what my lord wishes, and that is what shall be done.
Rasho: Do not worry about the ship. It will be where it needs to be. And with Tansui at the helm.
Confederate Skipper: Your party is assembled, then?
Hien: Aye, and ready for what lies ahead, I trust. Lest there be any confusion, though... The tower across the water is to be the scene of the exchange -- that, and whatever else Asahi has planned. But regardless of the ambassador's intentions, we will bring our people home. Yugiri -- you are to evacuate the conscripts at the first sign of trouble.
Yugiri: Yes, my lord.
Alphinaud: We, meanwhile, shall cover their escape, and lend what support we can.
Rasho: Your ship awaits you at the castrum's loading docks. She will see you safely home.
Hien: Then all stand ready to play their part. Come! Let us be about it!

At the Exchange

Asahi: At last, the hour has come. The conclusion to these negotiations will mark a new beginning for Doma and the Empire -- a first step on the road to peaceful coexistence!
Hien: Indeed. We are ready to proceed with the exchange when you are. Forgive my curiosity, Ambassador, but is there a purpose to these containers you bring with you?
Asahi: Oh, the supply crates? They are filled with materials we hoped might be of use in Doma's restoration. I meant to gift them to you at our last meeting, but we had so much else to discuss...
Hien: How very generous. I confess, I had not expected such compassion, welcome though it is. ...But then I was also surprised by the news that one of our captives had delivered herself into your custody ahead of time -- a minor discrepancy I shall overlook in the spirit of the occasion. (Asahi shrugs)
Yotsuyu: Are you perhaps referring to me, Lord Hien?
Hien: Yotsuyu.
Yotsuyu: Orphan of the Naeuri, widow of Sashihai... ...And acting viceroy of Doma! You and your people are mine to govern; mine to punish!
Hien: Well, well. It would seem your shattered mind is mended. As per our agreement with the ambassador, you are free to return with him to the Empire. (Hien, firmly): Your authority as acting viceroy, however, is no longer recognized here.
Yotsuyu: (blows smoke from her pipe and laughs): My position is not for you to decide, little lordling. All who resist the rule of the Empire must be purged. Such was the order given to me by Lord Zenos himself! (Asahi grins) I will reign here in this putrid, pestilent swamp until the last of you has been broken! (Yotsuyu pulls out a disc and holds it to the sky). This land shall know no dawn. I will spew forth darkness and drown all in eternal night. And high above you I shall shine uncaring, cold and distant as the moon! (The supplies open up and are shown to be crystals)
Hien: What has she done!?
Alphinaud: Oh, gods... This is a summoning! (Yotsuyu flies up and light emerges from the disc. The moon is fully eclipsed. An Eikon appears with the visage of Yotsuyu as Tsukuyomi).
Asahi: A Doman citizen has called forth an eikon in direct violation of our primary agreement. (Asahi, firmly): The negotiations have failed. Abandon the captives, and make preparations to withdraw.
Maxima: (Maxima is shocked): But, Ambassador...
Asahi: (aggressively): Disobey me, Pilus, and you disobey the Emperor. Make preparations to withdraw-- now.
Maxima: (Maxima's eyes narrow) ...As you command.
Yugiri: My lord! You must fall back!
Hien: You ask me to run!?
Player: Leave this to me! / A strategic withdrawal! -> Leave this to me!
Hien: Bah... Against such a foe, I would be more hindrance than help. The field is yours! We will withdraw... but not without our countrymen. I want every soul accounted for. Every soul!
Yugiri: My lord! (Hien glances back as he runs)
???(Tsukuyomi): I knew you would not flee. I see now the strength which flows from that baleful light of yours. I am become Tsukuyomi, goddess of the moon and divinity of night. What power can compare to such celestial majesty!?
Tsukuyomi: I shall plunge all I despise into darkness! And within that black abyss, even your light shall flicker and fail. Come, let us cast the stalks and look upon the fate of Doma. I see a future in which the sun sets on this wretched land once and for all!

After the Battle

Yotsuyu falls to the ground, and then Asahi shoots her. Once to slow her down, and again until she begins to fade away.
Asahi: You really must learn to finish the job. 'Tis true that a gaudy mirror and a handful of crystals make for a feeble summoning, but even the weakest eikon is a god of sorts. A threat that must be put down.

Asahi: (grinning): My, my, such hostility! These beings are the sworn enemies of the Empire -- I merely did my duty as an imperial officer. (looking wide eyed, manic)  Will you surrender to anger, then? Slay an anointed emissary to avenge a fallen foe? (Asahi, expressively while the Warrior of Light clenches their fists) You cannot, of course. To do so would burn the bridges we have labored so hard to build!  Ah, but I'm forgetting: they're already ash! This Doman woman has seen to that! The Empire cannot ally itself with any nation that refuses to renounce summoning. I believe I was most clear on that point!

Asahi: (seething) It should have been mine.  The power he bestowed upon her... I should have been the one to govern Doma! I would have repaid his faith!  No one alive loves him more than I! (Asahi is kicking Yotsuyu's corpse): Instead, this harlot betrayed his trust!  Useless... piece of... filth!  Worthless whore! (Asahi is lifted off the ground by Yotsuyu's powers)

Yotsuyu: Thank you, dear brother... for this precious gift. Vengeance.  These people... our people... they ignore the corruption which festers beneath the surface. Cast aside that which is dirty and broken. Speak not of things which would disrupt their dreary little lives.  Like you, Asahi... always pretending not to see. You were the first... the first I swore to kill. (Asahi's teeth chatter and blood falls out his mouth onto Yotsuyu's palm)  Ahhh... such bliss. I had thought my hunger insatiable... but now... now I am satisfied. (Yotsuyu closes her fist, and Asahi reels in pain): You should feel honored, dear brother. I saved the last of my strength just... for you. (Yotsuyu's hand falls to the ground as does Asahi).  What's the matter? The witch of Doma will soon be dead.

Player: Gosetsu will mourn you. / Tsuyu deserved a kinder fate.
Yotsuyu: (painfully responding): Her happiness was never to be... Not in this world.  I wonder... Was the fruit as sweet... as he remembered...? (Yotsuyu fades away)
Asahi: Lord Zenos... (Asahi reaches forward, and Warrior of Light experiences a flashback)

The Vision

Asahi: Lord Zenos! I am at your disposal.
Zenos: Asahi. You were born of Doma, yes?
Asahi: Yes, my lord! I am honored that you would remember me. How may I serve?
Zenos: You are hereby appointed ambassador plenipotentiary, and empowered to speak with the voice of the Emperor. Return to your native land of Doma, and announce your intention to sue for peace.
Asahi: ...For peace?
Zenos: Once negotiations are underway, you are to locate the acting viceroy.
Asahi: She lives? That is to say -- I will, my lord.
Zenos: When you have found her, you will initiate a ritual to call forth an eikon. I will instruct you in the necessary steps. Yotsuyu's faith is unreliable. But as a child raised to believe in the kami, she will serve as a vessel for one of the Kojin's gods. She need only wish it to be so. The power will seem a gift, but the eikon's essence will consume her. (Zenos hands Asahi the disc). She will be no more than a husk, a slave to whim and desire.
Asahi: My lord, ever since the day you saw fit to save my miserable life, I have dreamed of repaying your benevolence. Upon my honor, I swear to devote myself wholly to your service. All that you command will be done, no matter the cost. B-But... I fear the subtleties of your plan yet elude me. From the reports I have heard, the champion who aids the Doman resistance would make short work of a single eikon...
Zenos: The eikon is merely a message. The pacifist teachings of the Populares spread through this city like a plague, and I would remind the people of the threat we face. You will be my chosen agent -- the hand which tolls the warning bell. The salvation of this world will not be won through the signing of treaties.
Asahi: Your chosen agent!? (Asahi salutes): I will not fail you, my lord!

The Vision Ends

Asahi: My... My master... Lord Zenos... He will come... for you. (Asahi reaches forward towards the Warrior of Light, then coughs and dies)
Hien: You have prevailed, I see!
Gosetsu: She is gone. Wherefore did the kami spare us only to inflict this pain...? (Gosetsu weeps)
Hien: Death shall not want for company this day. You spared us a worse disaster, but I fear our fledgling peace with the Empire was beyond saving.
Maxima: Lord Hien!
Hien: Maxima, is it not? I assumed you long fled.
Maxima: I entertain thoughts of escape even now. But our negotiations have yet to reach a satisfying conclusion. The ambassador insisted that the summoning spelled an end to our mission here, but it seemed to me there was more to the tale...
Player: I saw a vision of Asahi's past... / Zenos was behind this plot.
Maxima: I have heard tell of this power you wield. And in your vision, you witnessed Lord Zenos giving these orders?
Hien: But how can that be? Zenos is dead. He took his own life after the battle in Ala Mhigo. I saw his body with my own eyes!
Maxima: Forgive me, but Lord Zenos is very much alive -- he granted our party an audience prior to our departure. That he was gravely wounded is certain, but his recovery appeared to be proceeding apace.
Alphinaud: I am afraid I share Lord Hien's confusion. The man's death was confirmed and his remains interred. These are matters of public record.
Maxima: ...Hmm. I have no doubt you believe what you say. But what then is the explanation? That an impostor has infiltrated the innermost circle of the imperial court? The idea is inconceivable, absurd... but worthy of investigation nonetheless. Our movement can ill afford to have a highly placed pretender undermining our efforts...
Hien: Your efforts may yet bear fruit. Tell me, what is to become of our prisoner exchange? Though we have already taken custody of our conscripts, we have yet to release your imperial comrades. Do you still intend to collect them?
Maxima: Ah. Yes, as the late ambassador's second-in-command, it falls to me to speak on the Empire's behalf. And I am happy to confirm our intent to proceed according to the original agreement.
Hien: Then let us be about it. 'Twould be a pity to abandon such a promising beginning.
Maxima: (Maxima nods) Indeed. You have my thanks, Lord Hien. As soon as our people are secure aboard our airship, we shall depart straightways for Garlemald.
Hien: Tread lightly, Pilus. I sense treachery awaits you there.
Alphinaud: Might I accompany you to the capital?
Alisaie: Alphinaud! Have you gone mad!?
Alphinaud: Impostor or no, if Zenos was instructing Asahi on the finer points of ritual summoning, then experience tells us there is an Ascian waiting in the wings. Without our knowledge and expertise, our new friends will be hard-pressed to contend with a foe for whom death is but a minor inconvenience. They need our help.
Maxima: Were you indeed willing to share your knowledge of this enemy, we would not shun your counsel.
Hien: You truly mean to do this? In full knowledge of the danger?
Alphinaud: I have seen the Warrior of Light risk [his/her] life on countless occasions. Next to [him/her], I am scarce more than a distraction on the battlefield.
Alphinaud: But in the meeting room or the audience chamber, there I can make a difference. I can strike bargains, forge ties, and change minds. And where better to do these things than in the home of our old enemy?
Player: This is your moment! / I believe in you, Alphinaud!
Hien: 'Tis not for me to stop you -- but I would have you consider an alternative arrangement. Rather than braving the Empire as a simple traveler, go forth as an emissary of Doma. Such a position should offer you some measure of protection.
Alisaie: Go, then. You've obviously made up your mind. Just try not to do anything reckless, all right?
Alphinaud: I shall be on my best behavior. Farewell, my friends.

Leaving the Castrum

Hien: I knew Asahi was planning some manner of treachery, but a summoning...? Thank the kami you were here, my friend. None of us would have escaped Yotsuyu's vengeance had you not intervened.  She was a pawn, aye, but she still had a choice, and she chose to submit to the ambassador's plan. 'Tis little wonder Gosetsu departed in silence.
Yugiri: I gather he left the same way he came: alone aboard a rowing boat. As for the conscripts, most made it to the sekibune before the battle began in earnest, but the vessel yet waits on the riverbank for those who did not flee in time.
Hien: Then I suggest we put this doleful place behind us, and make for the enclave together. 'Twould be a shame to miss the joyous reunion!

Back at the Enclave

Hien: How often have I imagined this moment... Thank you for helping it come to pass. (All the rescued prisoners and Domans bow to Hien, and Yugiri/Alisaie/Warrior of Light/Hien bow back). 
Gosetsu: Ah, there you are. (Alisaie and Yuguri look shocked)
Alisaie: Gosetsu, your hair! (Gosetsu has shaved his head)
Yugiri: My friend... What have you done...?
Gosetsu: An old man who cannot raise his blade has no place in the service of a young lord. Thus did I decide to devote my remaining days to pilgrimage. I will walk this land, offering prayers of repose for all the souls who left this life in suffering.
Hien: ...All of them?
Player: Safe travels, Gosetsu! / Don't leave us, Gosetsu!
Gosetsu: A fulsome farewell makes for an enjoyable journey! / Gosetsu: This is no forlorn and final farewell! Send me on my way with a smile, my friends!
Hien: Scarcely have we said our good-byes to Alphinaud, and you leave us too. Ah, but 'tis well that my companions find their own way forward. I must endeavor to do the same.
Gosetsu: I have faith that you will find the best path for Doma without me, my lord. Pray forgive me this last act of selfishness, and grant me your blessing.
Hien: You have earned it. A thousand times over! Go in peace, my friend. I shall make of Doma a land where children laugh and none need live in fear.
Gosetsu: There is no better way to honor those who went before... And with that I take my leave! (Gosetsu bows and walks off)

Before the Kienkan

Alisaie: It will be far too quiet without Gosetsu around. I wonder if we'll ever see him again... Oh, speaking of reunions, have you spoken with Ihanashi? It turns out his father was among the returning conscripts.
Yugiri: Gosetsu relinquished his duties with a grace befitting a samurai lord. I only hope that I can fill the void which he has left behind...
Hien: Ah, Gosetsu... Fair journey to you, my friend.  A bittersweet occasion... but there is yet ample cause to be grateful! Pray join us in the Kienkan. I would thank you properly.

Finishing the Quest

Alisaie: With all of that out of the way, Doma should be able to look forward to a period of relative calm. As for us... well, we have an intriguing story to tell everyone back at the Rising Stones.
Yugiri: Lord Hien trained under Gosetsu from the day he was old enough to hold a sword. Though he smiled through all the farewells, none will feel his absence more keenly.
Hien: Our brothers and sisters are returned to us, and the dream of Doma's restoration is that much closer to being realized. It is a day that will live long in memory, and one that would never have dawned without the courageous actions of the Scions. On behalf of Doma and her people, we give you our deepest thanks. Lest you think me complacent, I assure you, I have not forgotten the dark cloud on the horizon. That Zenos lives is a source of grave concern -- mayhap the gravest -- yet there is little to be done but wait for Alphinaud to send word. Until then, I plan to devote myself to fulfilling the promise I made to Gosetsu, by building a nation in which none need live in fear.
Hien: <sigh> I confess, I miss him already. But the thought that he has at last found peace goes some way to softening the blow. I wonder, did you ever stop to ask yourself why he showed Yotsuyu such kindness? I believe the answer lies in past tragedy -- specifically, the death of his wife and daughter during the invasion. Though he hid it well, they were never far from his thoughts, and in Yotsuyu's childlike mien, I believe he saw not a fallen tyrant, but the little girl who was lost to him. After the loss of his family, Gosetsu devoted himself wholly to the service of his country. He suffered any hardship, strove beyond the limits of endurance without hesitation or complaint.
Hien: Though Tsuyu could never truly replace his daughter, I had hoped that with her at his side, he might live out the remainder of his days in relative contentment... Would that the kami had been so minded. Even now, I labor to discern any meaning in Yotsuyu's fate. To deliver her from certain death, with no memory of her sins, only to leave her at the mercy of her stepbrother? Can that truly have been their will? That I cannot tell you. The will of the kami is not for us to know. But what I do know is that for a brief moment, a girl known as "Tsuyu" lived among us... ...And that she brought with her a whisper of respite for a grieving heart.