The Songs of Distant Trees
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The Songs of Distant Trees
- Quest giver
- Searchingway
- Location
- Auxesia (X:28.7, Y:29.4)
- Quest line
Records of Unusual Endeavors Quests
┗ Cosmic Exploration Main Quests- Level
- 10
- Requirements
- Disciples of the Land or Hand
- Experience
0- Gil
309- Previous quest
The Forests of Paradise- Next quest
- His Gift, His Way
A Manager's Foresight Despite Our Rest Efforts Another Interstellar Field Trip - Patch
- 7.51
- Links
- EDB GT TC
Searchingway could not be prouder of the initiative's blossoming efforts.
— In-game description
Rewards
- 1 Budvi
Steps
- Speak with Searchingway.
- Speak with Namingway and have him and the Nagylvi bud accompany you.
- Speak with Namingway in the Core Shroud while he and the Nagylvi bud are accompanying you.
- Speak with Namingway in the Timberlodge while he and the Nagylvi bud are accompanying you.
- Speak with Namingway at Pileus Pergola while he and the Nagylvi bud are accompanying you.
- Observe from the designated vantage point while accompanied by Namingway and the Nagylvi bud.
- Speak with Searchingway.
Journal
- Searchingway could not be prouder of the initiative's blossoming efforts.
- While you and Searchingway are discussing the uniform greenery, Namingway returns, having assigned appellations to nearly all of Auxesia. In turn, Searchingway reports that the research team is almost finished restoring Grandma Laurel's core functionality. He proposes that the three of you check in with Dylise to see what she may have uncovered.
- You arrive at Grandma Laurel just as Dylise and her team were on the point of supplying it the aether needed to function. When she does, a voice reverberates in your head—and, unusually, everyone else's—and a plantlike entity is projected above. Speaking on behalf of the Nagylvi, the native civilization previously referred to as the Voyagers, this knowledge construct demands to know who dares disturb their slumber, and to what end. When Searchingway explains that the initiative's only intent is to learn of Auxesia, the Nagylvi offer a small terminal bud to accompany you and Namingway on what promises to be your most educational tour yet.
- As always, Namingway is eager to begin his grand tour. This time, however, you have the good fortune to be guided by a native with encyclopedic knowledge of all things Auxesia.
※You must be accompanied by Namingway and the Nagylvi bud to complete this task. Speak with either of them again should you become separated.
- Your first destination is the Core Shroud, or as a native would call it, Laynysel T-ay: central administration. According to your guide, the Nagylvi were born of plants and gained sentience through the star's ambient aether. Upon hearing how they came to sculpt the city from trees, Namingway decides to show them the Cosmic Exploration Initiative's own base of operations.
- In the Timberlodge, the Nagylvi bud recounts the exact process they once used to travel to other stars. You discover that, by alternating between two different relay points, they minimized the strain of the gravitational magicks employed, unwittingly sparing Auxesia the fate that ultimately befell Oizys. As the mood takes a dour turn, Namingway suggests you all visit Pileus Pergola for a much-needed change of pace.
- Just as Namingway suspects, Pileus Pergola was once important to the Nagylvi—specifically, as a sunbathing area known as Tolygya Xifya. However, that was before the societal decline brought about by the total depletion of Oizys jasper. In awe of the Nagylvi's resilience, Namingway invites you to Full Bloom Gardens situated on the city's edge.
- The visit to Full Bloom Gardens reveals even more intriguing details about Auxesia and the lives the Nagylvi once led. Namingway cannot help but broach a subject that has gone unaddressed: the matter of the Nagylvi's physical forms, which have yet to be discovered... Or have they? According to the terminal bud, those remaining on Auxesia rooted themselves into the earth and became one with the forest. In their newly immobile forms, however, they were powerless to prevent overgrowth consuming the star's remaining aether, and may well have perished were it not for the timely intervention of the Cosmic Exploration Initiative. As far as major revelations go, this is indisputably one to share with Searchingway.
- Searchingway is all but speechless when he learns that his crew of humble explorers has unwittingly saved the Nagylvi from extinction. The bud, however, insists that the true boon was your determination to learn more of them. It is great comfort—to many present, it would seem—that civilizations, too, may live on in others' hearts and minds. To that end, the initiative shall strive for ever greater understanding of the Nagylvi, and perhaps yet further exploration across the stars...
Related NPCs
Dialogue
Ah, there you are, Forename! All the greenery starts to blur together after a while, doesn't it? Have you learned your way around?
What will you say?
I know it like my own backyard.
I'm afraid I was rooted to my work.
Not to repeat myself time and again, but I'm deeply grateful you joined the initiative. We never would have made it this far without your contributions!
At last, I return! Vast as these ruins are, I do believe I have officially named everything.
Welcome back, Namingway. I saw your submissions on my exotablet, and suffice to say, they're already a hit with the crew!
Glad to be of service, as always. And I look forward to sharing my many discoveries!
In the meanwhile, we've been investigating the inner workings of Grandma Laurel.
There's a green crystal at her core, not unlike the Euhedron on Oizys.
In this case, however, the problem isn't a mere lack of aether, but also old age wearing down the components.
Thus, I asked Dylise and her team to make careful repairs alongside their analysis...and guess what?
Owing to the knowledge gained on Oizys, she says they're already nearly done! So, what say we pay our dear Grandma a visit, hm?
Oh, Grandma Laurel, what sage wisdom have you for us?
Right then, let's go inside and see how the team is faring!
Good timing, you lot! Now that we've fixed it up, we believe this arcane circuit can reactivate the core system—we need only supply aether of like signature. We were just about to give it a go.
Trunk network sleep mode disengaged. Redefining chlorophyll protocols.
Is that...a Voyager!? Did they just speak to us!?
What will you say?
Wait, that wasn't the Echo?
There must be some manner of magicks at play...
I can think of no explanation but that, in order to bypass the language barrier...this entity has attuned to our very minds.
Protocols active. Heed us, shatterer of slumber.
Through this synthesis of knowledge do we who chose peace speak unto you.
But to whom do we speak? To what end would you bid us part from ambrosial dream?
We, erm... We hail from stars beyond, seeking the wisdom of our forebears in cosmic sojourn...
...Whew, that is not easy. Essentially, we found your navigational chart on a gravity-torn star, and wanted to know more about you. Does that make sense?
Xy-elynowat, the wasteland. Long has it been since we were forced to abandon it... You have traveled far.
Tell us more! After you left, did you continue to voyage there regularly for supplies of ore?
And was it not that overuse of gravitational magicks which created the anomalies that exist there today? How accurate is my hypothesis?
...An impressive deduction, in harmony with the truth.
Such intelligence in itself is an unreliable indication, but your organic pulses bespeak no savagery.
This is well. Had you any ill intent toward us or our star, we would have been forced to take certain measures.
But if you seek only to know the forest, then we may grant you a guide. What is your answer?
Er...setting aside the troubling nature of your other statement, yes, I think that sounds lovely!
Wh-What's happening!?
Receive of us this terminal bud. So long as you show us no hostility, we will cooperate in kind.
More lifelike than a mammet, yet unmistakably inorganic. And you say it has all knowledge of the star?
Think of the impact this will have on our research! The bliss of corrections and corroborations... We simply must seize this chance!
I confess, I've seen quite a bit of your star already, and given names to all my favorite sights.
In fact, I was planning to take Forename here on a grand tour and tell her/him all about them, but...frankly, I'd rather hear your names!
...Our names? Then perhaps you would care to know what we call ourselves: Nagylvi.
The chance to speak to a Voyager...or is it many Voyagers? Either way, it's as if all my namedays have come at once!
We are a terminal of the trunk network. A branch briefly split from the great tree.
Oh, Forename, what a grand opportunity this is! Come, let us learn of the Nagylvi and their home!
Each bud is rooted, unseen, to the trunk network. All that is witnessed—every word spoken—flows as fallen rain through the forest.
A direct connection to the mainframe, I suppose? Splendid! There is not like to be a more reliable guide!
You must be accompanied by Namingway and the Nagylvi bud, and have them at your side in order to proceed with quest objectives.
Your companions have yet to arrive. Be sure they are at your side before attempting to continue.
What will you do?
Small talk.
Part ways.
Nothing.
This tour shall be all the more edifying for the presence of a proper expert!
We had not anticipated interstellar visitors, but nevertheless, we welcome you.
Are you sure you wish to part ways with your companions?
Duty calls you elsewhere, I suppose? Then we shall pass the time with Searchingway until your return.
Together with Namingway, we shall wait as long as needed.
Welcome back, Forename. Now this touring triad can set off in earnest!
If you have no other engagements, let us be on our way.
Wait...what's become of our leafy companion?
Let us remain at root until Namingway has returned.
A companion has yet to arrive. Be sure they are both at your side before attempting to continue.
Given the placement of Grandma Laurel, I inferred this to be the city center, hence “Core Shroud.”
Similarly, we called this region Laynysel T-ay. In your words, “central administration.”
Great minds think alike, then! I can imagine large crowds commuting up and down these streets...
Er...there was a sizable population of Nagylvi prior to your slumber, I hope? Did they all look like you?
Just so.
We were born of seed and soil. As eons passed, our roots grew, and the star's sacred power granted us autonomy.
You call this power “aether,” or “magic.” As our understanding of it blossomed, we shaped forest into foundation, city into civilization.
You would be right at home in the Twelveswood... But while we had our suspicions, it's almost unbelievable that this was constructed through purely arcane means.
Yet you are possessed of skills honed without the use of any sacred power. To us, that is the miracle.
Ah, but we Loporrits were blessed with talents by dint of our creation. Far more special are our contributors from Etheirys, like Forename! They began entirely from scratch.
This cultural exchange is off to a fascinating start, is it not? Next, let us show our new friend where we conduct our many operations!
Discuss the urban sprawl.
Our fair city, alive once more. It has grown in unexpected ways through your intervention, but not unpleasant ones.
It all looks so small from up here, doesn't it? Puts one in mind of an elder watching over their little ones.
That's what inspired the names of Grandma Laurel, the purposefully positioned towerlings, and the Family Netroot which connects them!
Family takes many forms in the cosmos. Our new generations would sprout every few turns of the sun, following the great pollination.
We Loporrits are mostly familiar with the life cycles of the people of Etheirys. I imagine much is different for botanical beings like yourselves... Scintillating!
Discuss Nagylvi technology.
This form makes traversal tiresome. If only we could wield our displacement powers...
We've been making use of the transport vessels and drones left scattered around—Timberdrones, I call them. Are they Nagylvi inventions?
Yes. We built roads to bridge the treetops, then developed vehicles to facilitate high-speed travel. Teleportation, too, was common.
Meanwhile, the flying Zysero-or cared for the trees, orbiting the city to bathe each in light in its turn.
Little wonder the city fell into disrepair without them. Good infrastructure requires upkeep—everything from street sweeping to floodplain management!
Here we are in the Timberlodge, local outpost for the Cosmic Exploration Initiative and point of origin for all our expeditions—be they on foot or by starship!
This served as a harbor for we Nagylvi as well. We would first teleport ourselves to one of the two moons, and from there, journey unto the stars.
Ah, of course! Alternating relay points would necessarily reduce the strain inflicted by the gravitational magicks...
...Explaining the absence of anomalies like those we found on Oizys!
Yes. As a result, we did not realize our sacred power could have such adverse effects.
When we alighted upon the wasteland star, we discovered a mystical stone, like unto the dew of a thousand thousand trees.
A mere pebble was enough to make the spirit flourish, allowing the sacred power within us to grow all the more.
And so poor Oizys's fate was sealed... As is ours, since I've decided we're off to Pileus Pergola next. I have more questions that want for answers!
Might this region hold some special significance to the Nagylvi?
Perceptive. Once, this was Tolygya Xifya, where we luxuriated in the sun's blessings.
But as the veins of dew-stone ran dry, we began to wither.
A choice was upon us: seek a substitute from another star, or suffer stagnation without the sacred power.
Some courageous few journeyed back into the great expanse, never to be heard from again. We are those who remain.
...Forgive me, I...I was rather hoping to cheer you up. But I think I see the full picture.
You were fighting for the hope of tomorrow, just as we did under threat of the Final Days.
And you know...no matter the outcome, I think that in itself is quite admirable.
...We are grateful for your kind words.
Last but not least, I say we take a moment to contemplate the fruitful union of city and woodland. To Full Bloom Gardens!
There's much to discover amid the green. Go on, have a look!
The following event cannot be skipped. You may wish to cancel any pending Duty Finder registrations.
Take in the view?
On Etheirys, it is quite uncommon to see paved roads so close to the murmur of fountains and forests.
Is there anything in particular that stands out to you, Forename?
To the south is the Rooting Towerling and massive growths of indicolite—larger than even the Euhedron on Oizys! A logistical nightmare to transport, was it not?
Ah...no. The Xy-elyna was much smaller when we harvested it from the wasteland. We did not learn until later that it grows with exposure to ambient aether.
Like the dew-stone, it was a vital resource upon which we grew reliant for the maintenance of our infrastructure.
The dew-stone, however, was used on most all occasions that we called upon the sacred power. Eventually, our stores were exhausted, leaving only a fraction deep within the city's core.
That explains the visible absence of jasper here. Its loss must have been a crisis indeed...
The great roadway that links each substructure is called the Emerald Nervure. Be sure to watch your step! Ha ha...
To us, this was simply Central-3. That which plummets is most often salvaged by the branches below.
Below, concentric rivers embrace the great tree, forming a wetland reservoir.
This may well be the most fascinating aspect of Nagylvi civilization: the interplay between natural resources and advanced infrastructure!
These gallant gantries are known as Auxesian waygates—I recall seeing similar structures in Garlemald. How were these used, I wonder?
To disseminate news and notices of congested areas to those in wheeled vessels. We regret that this is likely more mundane than you had hoped.
Not at all! It's quite futuristic, from our perspective. The city must have been breathtaking, back when you had the mineral resources to power it.
Behold the tri-lattice facades—named for the eye-catching windows, naturally! Were these your homes?
We called them G-onylin V-er, or “sunlit greenhouses.” Most served as residences, or facilities seeing daily use.
Just as I thought! The expedition team found them empty, so any further details you can provide would be much appreciated.
This blushing beauty is a dayspring dew tree, named for its resemblance to the seasonal blossoms of the Far East.
That is a Vilyg-apilyg, meaning “leaves of eternal spring.” Spring is—oh. That you know of this concept would suggest your star has seasons as well.
Auxesia has a temperate climate with nine distinct stages of spring. Throughout it all, the Vilyg-apilyg never sheds its leaves.
Those granny nickels are made of solid metal and, consequently, weigh a tonze apiece. In a city of green, the glint is harsh indeed.
We called them Myag-ygam Yd-y: “root silverfruit.” Though they would appear to have fallen from the trees, they rise up from within the earth.
During the time of our interstellar excursions, it was a rare source of workable metal. Yet even aided by sacred power, we struggled to sculpt with it.
Could it be that your arcane manipulation of plants inadvertently causes these metals to clump up? I should like to get an alchemist's opinion...
The words spoken unto this terminal are shared with the forest, but worry not, for they shall bear no judgment.
What of us nourishes your mind? How will you water us in kind? Already, your admiration of our roots and branches is pleasant as a spring breeze.
Goodness, we've learned so much! Have your burgeoning questions been tended to, or shall we request another sprinkling of insight?
What will you say?
My garden of knowledge has been thoroughly watered.
More insight is ever welcome!
Wonderful! I myself have greatly enjoyed the contrast between the names I coined and the Nagylvi originals.
That is well. Likewise, our first brush with extraterrestrials has been a novel experience.
Ah, yes, I expect such encounters are exceedingly uncommon. All the more reason to celebrate ours!
Incidentally—pray forgive the impertinent question, but...where do your bodies rest? Is there a facility we've simply yet to find?
Our...bodies...
Those who remain on this star chose to lay roots deep in the earth.
Entwined in sleep, we lift our arms to the sun, the rustling of leaves our hymn to the world. Can you not hear us?
You mean to say...the trees of Auxesia...?
Together, we endure through ages untold. No one exists among the many. There is only the forest.
And the forest sleeps, memories indistinguishable from dreams, fleeting as bubbles in a stream. The bud to which you speak, too, is part of the system that safeguards our slumber.
But even in our stillness, the forest grows, feeding upon the star's remaining power. Without our former bodies, we are powerless to prune it as we once did.
The very stasis by which we hoped to staunch our avarice sowed the seeds of our destruction. As millennia passed and engorged tendrils began to throttle the natural order, our systems failed—and we lay dreaming.
Had you and yours not arrived, one day we would have withered, and never even noticed we were rotting.
That, to us, would be the only true death.
Dear me, how dreadful!
Imagine our surprise to find instead the suffocating shroud trimmed back, relieving the undue strain upon the star.
Our once-forsaken city pulses with new life, our trees anointed with new names, and we...are happy.
In your coming, you have healed our home.
Then the long journey was worth every malm!
And with such wonderful traveling companions, too. Joy shared is joy doubled, wouldn't you say, Forename?
Speaking of which, I expect Searchingway will want to hear of this... Both of you, pray accompany me back to his side posthaste!
By all means, savor the verdant view! We shan't set off until you give the word.
Ah, what fun it's been to learn of Nagylvi nomenclature!
Any other budding inquiries ere we depart?
What will you say?
At last, I'm ready to leave.
I've cultivated a few more questions...
Silly me, I can't stop smiling... Where to even begin...?
Welcome back, you lot. Anything of interest?
Though our intent was to teach, we found ourselves enlightened.
Welcome back, my friends! How was it, seeing the sights with a native of Auxesia?
They had much to teach us about their history—and that was only the beginning!
What will you say?
Their terminology was no less interesting than yours.
Now tell him we're saviors of the star.
Yes, I had wanted to mention that especially! And also...
I'm speechless. To think our exploration of Auxesia was a matter of life and death for the Nagylvi themselves!
No researcher could ask for better results!
On behalf of the forest, you have our gratitude. But that you preserved us in our slumber isn't the half of it.
You sought to know of us. To entwine your roots with ours.
Wheresoever your path wends, henceforth, we go with you—until our canopy reaches across the stars.
May you share in the joy of it.
To humble explorers like myself and my comrades, such words are an honor indeed!
Yet it will take time to develop a full understanding of Auxesia's erstwhile civilization, half-buried as it is.
To that end, there's plenty more I would learn about your people. If we're to be stewards of your story, we must needs recount it with clarity!
Rest assured the research team will spare no effort, be it on Auxesia, Oizys, Phaenna, or any stars we may hope to reach in the future.
This journey beyond Etheirys has had a great influence upon my outlook as a scholar.
Working on the Ragnarok, my conviction was that a civilization could never truly outlive its architects.
Even as I desperately filled the Bibliotheca Historica, it was in service of our people's survival, rather than that of the knowledge itself.
But if, on some distant day, others might come to see us as we see the Nagylvi...
Perhaps that legacy is enough.
Hear, hear! And what Loporrit hasn't found something worth carrying back with them on this grand venture?
Whether it be a star's sordid history, a brilliant innovation, or a desperate dream—naught needs wither so long as we're here to tend the garden!
As a token of our budding connection, we offer this terminal to take on your journey. Through its eyes will we see pleasant dreams a while longer.
Very well. Might we entrust it into your care, Forename?
Ahem! I daresay our new traveling companion is in need of a proper name, yes? Let's discuss!
To restore radiance to a city, to breathe new life into the leaves... It feels as though we've achieved something truly special.
But the Cosmic Exploration Initiative has only just sprouted. Star by star, we'll one day lay roots across the universe!
As you have completed 50 stellar missions on Auxesia, you are eligible to undertake an additional quest.
Seek out Mumukko to learn of ways you might further benefit the initiative.
Complete 50 stellar missions on Auxesia to become eligible to undertake an additional quest.
Check your exotablet for available missions and other means by which to contribute to the Cosmic Exploration Initiative.
Furthermore, something appears to be weighing on Namingway's mind. Speak to Searchingway and perhaps you can be of assistance.
Please be mindful of your character level when exiting cosmic exploration zones.