QUICK QUEST SUMMARY

Trigger the quest at Windurst, view a cut scene with the Tenshodo at Jueno, steal an item (Bowl of Quadav Stew) from a Quadav at Beadeaux, go to Selbina and speak with a woman, trade the item to the woman, go to Jueno to obtain your Marauder's Knife.


Part 1: The Preparatory Stuff (Solo)

Warning: This is basically a "find item and trade to NPC" mission, but you can save yourself a lot of travel time if you do the steps in the right order. I lay things out here in an order different from how the game would have you do them. Technically, after going to Jueno and seeing the Harnek cut scene, you are supposed to go to Selbina and find out about the stew. Since you can steal the stew at anytime, it is better to steal it first, then go to Selbina. This allows you to finish the Selbina portion in one swoop without wasting time on excess travel.

Go to Windhurst Woods and talk with Nanna Mihgo at J-3. She explains that the Tenshodo have asked her to find skilled thieves for a special mission and that you fit the bill.

Your next destination is the Tenshodo shop in Lower Jueno (Neptune's Spire Inn at I-7). Just inside, find and speak with Harnek. It will launch a cut scene where various thieves are given envelopes and instructed to find someone. You are assigned to find a Galka thief in Selbina. Important: To trigger this cut scene with Harnek, you must already be a member of the Tenshodo. This can be done either by doing the Tenshodo Membership quest, or simply buying a Tenshodo Invite from the AH (Others > Misc). I think I did the quest, and then sold the remaining invite on the AH for about 1,500 gil. It's up to you, but if you do buy an invite remember you get an extra one when you finish the quest, which you can sell back to the AH, breaking you even. So do the quest if you want to profit, buy an invite if you want membership the quick and free way!


Part 2: Stealing the Bowl of Quedev Stew (Solo)

For this part of the quest you need to steal a Bowl of Quadav Stew off of either a Silver or Garnet Quadav inside Beadeaux. Travel to Pashow Marshlands and zone into Beadeaux, but do not wander off and get lost. All you need to do is stay near the big circle area at F-7 and use a ranged weapon to pull down your targets. Again, you must steal from Silver and Garnet Quadavs because Old, Copper and Brass Quadavs etc. do not carry it. Once you have stolen the stew, you are free to go.

Steal Tips/Ethics:

The best way to go about attempting the steals is to pull down a single Quadav from the upper ledge and steal from it, then use Flee to get safely back to Pashow Marshlands. If the steal fails, you can try again in five minutes. At level 40, these Quadavs can be very hard if not impossible to take down and you aren't advised to try and kill them along the way.

As far as the best time to steal, this is a disputed subject. The main theory I subscribe to is that it is best to steal from behind the mob, preferably while it is casting a spell. So for example you see a Quadav start to cast Paralyze, steal right as he is in the middle of casting it. If you have a partner, they can pull down a Quadav and then you can go behind it and steal. When I stole mine, I didn't put any care towards timing or position. I just grabbed one, stole and ran, and it took me about 5 tries. The method you choose is up to you.

Update 5/28/05: I just got an email with a pretty good suggestion about when to steal. The theory here (which is a pretty wide one among thieves I'm told) is that the chance of successful steal is greater if you attempt the steal while not engaged with the target. So then, you can walk up to a ledge and wait for a Silver or Garnet to wander nearby and then begin spamming your steal macro. Even though they are quite a bit higher up, you can indeed steal if you are close enough to where they are standing. Spide from Garuda is the player who reported this to me, and he says it only took him 2 attempts to get the stew. Maybe just lucky, or maybe he is onto something here.

I am a bit skeptical of this ledge method, for mainly the reason that it might take a while for the Quadavs to wander into position. It would be easy to waste a ton of time running around waiting for 1 attempt, while you have gotten in 5 normal attempts in the meantime. I do like the idea though, and say the best bet might be to try and get a ledge steal at first, and if the Quadavs aren't cooperating then just smack one down and go at it like you would normally. Spide also mentioned that a Black Mage sub is very useful here, since you can pull one down, sleep it and then steal from behind while it is locked in place.

There might be others in the area trying to do the mission where they need to kill Copper Quadavs near the entrance. If this is the case, a thief who keeps training dangerous mobs to the zone would greatly annoy them. Be friendly and advise them about what you plan to do, and see if an understanding can be reached. You really have no other option than to steal and run, so explain this to them. There also might be people near you for the airship mission. They will be camped at F-6 waiting for a NM to spawn. While I was there, a mage doing the airship mission was kind enough to heal me every now and then. If you run into trouble and can't get to a zone, and people are there, you might think about running to them for help.

Alternate Spot: If the area is simply too crowded to attempt the steals, you can try moving over near the tunnel at H-7. After stealing you can head for the tunnel (take a left at the intersection) and zone to Qulun Dome.

I suggest you do not attempt to steal the stew while noticeably below level 40. I did it at level 39 or 40 and it took me about 5 steals before I got it. If you tried to do it at 35 for example, you would probably need to steal more times, and the Quadavs would hit you harder etc. I say 38-40 is your best bet.


Part 3: Getting the Dagger (Solo)

Once you have the stew, it's off to Selbina where you need to talk to the woman behind the counter at the Shepherd's Muster. The Galka thief mentioned by Harnek will appear and tell you that he will do your deed if you prove yourself by bring him a Bowl of Quadav Stew. Since you were smart and stole the stew first, you can now instantly trade it to the woman behind the counter. The Galka thief will reappear for a cut scene and sign your envelope. Excellent.

Simply go back to Lower Jueno and talk with Harnek again. You now have a sweet dagger with DEX and AGI boosts!