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An Empty Vessel (Blue Mage Flag Quest)  

Realm:Aht Urhgan
Start Area: Aht Urhgan Whitegate
Start NPC:Waoud (J - 10)
Type:Job Related
Related Areas:Bhaflau Thickets
Min Level:30
Max Level:75
Rating
*****
(Average from 28 ratings)
Items Required:Dangruf Stone
Siren's Tear
Valkurm Sunsand
Last Updated: Thu Aug 20 05:58:37 2009

Contents [hide]

Summary

There is a rare treasure in the "Middle Lands" that Waoud needs someone to obtain for him...

Walkthrough

The background of the Immortal Lions, the blue mages of Aht Urhgan:

The Immortals are the personal guard and the highest ranking soldiers of the leader of the Aht Urghan Empire, currently Empress Nashmeira II. Decades ago Emporer Balrahn feared an uprising of the chimaera, which the Empire used at this time as soldiers and warmachines and had to see how weak his palace guard were, leading to the death of his beloved son. The alchemists which created the chimaera thought just a monster can defeat a monster, so they took the strongest palace guards and tried to make monsters out of them. But after some horrible mistakes where the guards (in lucky cases) died from the transplantations the alchemists decided to stop the biotechnological way and turned to the way of magic: They fused the soul of the monster directly into the spirit of the guards!

These new guards, which wielded a magic called 'blue magic', could embrace the beast within themself and the monster they defeated. Their azure blood drew strength from the enemies they defeated and added them to power of the Blue Mage - the price being horrible pain and the loss of their humanity.

An Immortal never died after a normal livespan. They died in ferocious battle succumbing to their beastly nature ...

So, what is the way to immortality?

Before you do this quest I suggest you visit the Quon continent to gather some items:

  • Dangruf Stone: go to (I-5) in Dangruf Wadi and search a shining spot there. It will give you the Dangrif Stone (may just happen during bright daylight).
  • Siren's Tear: go to (J-8) in North Gustaberg an un-equip all weapons, shields and ammo from you. You will find a ??? which gives you the Siren's Tear. But be careful, it is a very delicate treasure which will slip away when you fight!
  • Valkurm Sunsand: Go to the overturned ship at (H-9) in the Valkurm Dunes (shiver), wait for a sandstorm and then click the ??? to get this item.

Travel to Aht Urghan Whitegate and go to a guy named Waoud at the Heretic's Alley (if it is your first visit to Aht Urghan I recommend buying a map at the vendor in the port), where he stands on top of the middle buildings. Waoud is a diviner which has a rather unique way to tell your future. He will ask you 10 questions. If you anwer correctly, you will start "An Empty Vessel", the BLU flag quest. Here are the questions:

I. What is destiny?

II. Does the accomplishment of a goal require sacrifice and hardship?

III. You hold in your hands a forbidden scroll. Reading it will bring you untold wisdom, but cost all that you own.

IV. If the loss of one life would save ten thousand, would you offer yourself without hesitation?

V. Would you choose a tumultuous life where fame or fortune were attainable, or a tranquil life where both were forever beyond your reach?

VI. You stand on the precipice between life and death. Would you choose to live life as a beast if it would save you from falling into the shadowy abyss of the underworld?

VII. A companion in battle turns against you, raising a weapon to attack.

VIII. A loved one is afflicted with a terrible illness and has little time to live. You are asked to end that life by your own hand.

IX. You are in the midst of a fierce battle. The enemy lying at your feet was once a friend. His breath is ragged and weak.

X. A superior to whom you owe a great debt orders you to act in a way that violates your sense of justice.

The catch is this: there is no 100% 'correct' way to answer this question. When you answer the question think like a Blue Mage might answer - a ruthless beast without mercy but still honourable. For some people a certain set of answers work and for other people not. Perhaps the 'correct' way depends on the race and/or job you have while doing the divination ... but I'm pretty sure there are always 3 correct ways and the chosen way will determine the item you have to pay. For me 'take all bottom answers' worked, others say the right combination is 2-2-3-3-2-1-2-1-2-2

If you answer wrong, he will charge 1000 gil from you and you can do it again one Vana'diel day later. But when all the answers are right, he will see the symbols of the five serpents (Sky, Flame, Stone, Gale and Spring) and ask for no payment. Talk to him until he mentiones something from the Middle Lands (Mindartia / Quon) that he wants: either a golden sand, a red stone, or a blue jewel. Zone and wait a full Vana'diel day, then talk to him again and after that trade him the according item.

Waoud will send you to Aydeewa Subterrane. Go to the Bhaflau Thickets and then walk as far northeast as possible. There you will find the entrance to the Subterrane. Go right until you come to a room where many diremites crawl around. A ramp is there which leads down to a deeper cave where a great blue pool is. Step onto the pool ... and then decide ...

Do you want to get the power of an Immortal? If yes, take his hand...


To read the transcripts and see videos for this quest, see the An Empty Vessel Spoilers page.


Quest Series

This is part of the job flag quest series. Other quests of the series include:

This page last modified 2010-01-16 19:45:39.
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Act like a dog...
# May 06 2006 at 5:52 PM Rating: Decent
I thought what would a mad dog do?

Obviously i hadn't a clue..Being im not a dog.

Any how the quest was very easy (with sneak and inviso) Was harder for me getting the key item/s for travel to whitegate, lol.

conclusion..done first try, took about 25-30 min max not rushing and checking out scenery along the way.

Blu is a very fun job..which means it will get nerfed im sure..(sigh)

good luck adventurer's!
re
# May 06 2006 at 9:37 AM Rating: Decent
24 posts
Ok, I just did it twice, with two different characters that were different races. Each time I chose the third answer for every question and it worked.
BLU quest
# May 05 2006 at 8:51 PM Rating: Decent
I did it on my first try. Going in, I was thinking I'd have to do it over, but I got lucky and just had to go thru it 1 time. I had to get Sunsand, which is probably a good thing, because when I got to the boat, half a party had been killed. So, being a RDM, I raised them. Wished them luck, don't die again, and I went on my way.
answers
# May 05 2006 at 7:42 PM Rating: Decent
I did it on my first try, just answered what I would actually do! :) Hume from Bastok, whm/blm at the time

1. Forge it yourself
2. Occasionally
3. Read it.
4. Without hesitation
5. Tranquil life
6. Embrace humanity
7. Reason with him
8. Find a cure
9. Tend his wounds
10. Follow your sense of justice

good luck everyone! :)
Blue Mage Quest
# May 05 2006 at 7:27 PM Rating: Decent
OK, my second post on this topic. Before I begin, I would like to make a legal disclaimer. The information you are about to see is PURELY speculation. There is no scientific evidence to support this. It's just a thought from me and only me. This post in no way reflects the views of Square Enix, Allakhazam, or any other agency. In short, I'm just guessing, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

OK, here we go. I believe that the answers to this quest do not depend on a certain race, job, or nation. Instead, I believe that there may POSSIBLY be a set of answers assigned to each element day. Here is my thought process:

Reason #1: I took the post from this site that said that a specific combination of answers would work for folks from Bastok. No offense to the writer, but it didn't work for me (Rank 6 Bastokan White Mage). I also saw people from other Nations say that they used that combination and it DID work for them.

Reason #2: While I was doing this quest, 2 male Elvaans from Sandoria tried the same set of answers, at the same time. It worked for one and not the other. I believe this eliminates the race and nation options.

Reason #3: I was talking to a guy that was trying to finish his quest also. He said that when he finally answered the questions correctly, he used the EXACT SAME set of answers that he had used a few tries before. Needless to say (since he was doing it again) they didn't work the first time. The second time he tried them, he was given the cutscene which told him what item to find. My thinking on this is perhaps the first time he used those answers, it was the wrong day. He got lucky and used that set on the correct day the second time around.

Again, no proof of this theory. I have not gathered any information (except for the above mentioned) from any other post. If you would like to test this theory, I passed the "test" with all "3s" on a Windsday morning. I encourage others to post their correct answers and the element day that they passed. Perhaps it will help unlock the mystery, perhaps its just another Urban Legend in the making. Either way, please feel free to reply and let everyone know what happened for you.
Blue Mage Quest
# Jan 07 2007 at 11:34 PM Rating: Decent
not say any of these ideas are wrong, and when it comes down to numbers, races, days, moon, equations etc etc etc, I'm quit usless. but maybe its more has to do with acouple scattered wrong answers that needs to be avoided, and the trick is to not hit the rights answers but avoid the wrong 1's. like if each question has 2-3 right answers and ever other question, give or take, has a wrong one in it that causes you to fail the test. in all reality i have no idea, just did it today and got it right by using the order on the guild. so that just my 2 cents
Blue Mage Quest
# Sep 30 2006 at 11:10 AM Rating: Decent
26 posts
If 2 elvens tryed the same set at the same time doesnt that mean it was also the same day.. and if it was the same day then how did one elven get it and the other did not.. just wondering
RE: Blue Mage Quest
# May 05 2006 at 7:57 PM Rating: Decent
If two people tried the same answers at the same time and one got it and one did not, then how could it go by day? if each day had a set of answers then why did two people answering the same way on the same day get different results? sorry, but I don't think its by day. :(
RE: Blue Mage Quest
# May 05 2006 at 11:04 PM Rating: Decent
Good point. I never thought of that. Well, we know that's not it either then.
Blue Mage Flag NPC
# May 05 2006 at 4:01 PM Rating: Excellent
Since I ran around forever trying to find this guy, I thought I would try to help others. Sorry if this has already been posted by someone else. This Waoud guy can be found in Aht Urhgan Whitegate (where the ship will drop you off). His actual <pos> is (J-10) which is in the bottom right hand corner of the map near "The Pit" and "The Colosseum". He will be upstairs near this column thing that rises from the ground floor. Also, every time you try and don't answer correctly, he will take 1,000 gil from you for being dumb like me.
answers
# May 05 2006 at 9:02 AM Rating: Good
or just say yes to answering his questions, then answer option 3 every time, lol thats the easy way through it
Olduum Ring Quest
# May 05 2006 at 7:54 AM Rating: Good
***
1,085 posts

FYI: The Olduum Ring excavation point is right beside the pool in the Subterrane. You might want to work on two quests with one trip by starting the ring quest before you go to the pool.

The Olduum Ring provides you a teleport to the Leypoint in the Woodsland. The recharge time is 20 hours.
here are my answers
# May 05 2006 at 7:44 AM Rating: Good
*
92 posts
Here were my answers.
RDM/BLM San d'Oria

1. Forge your own
2. not if you try hard enough
3. Read it
4. without hesitation
5. Tranquil
6. embrace the beaast (picked fall/humanity first time)
7. brace for the impact
8. seek a cure (picked grant request first try)
9. tend to his wounds
10. follow my sense of justice
This sucks!
# May 05 2006 at 7:07 AM Rating: Decent
I've tried three times with different combinations posted here and all he says is something about the skyserpent. I'm a lv 57 drk from bastok. Maybe he senses the true evil inside me and I need to answer in an evil way! Muhaahaahaa!



Edited, Fri May 5 08:11:45 2006
Truth
# May 04 2006 at 10:10 PM Rating: Decent
I just read them and answered how I really felt. Got it first try :-D
my answers
# May 04 2006 at 5:58 PM Rating: Decent
My answers were as follows (I'm a PLD)

I. What is destiny?
Immutable

II. Does the accomplishment of a goal require sacrifice and hardship?
absolutely

III. You hold in your hands a forbidden scroll. Reading it will bring you untold wisdom, but cost all that you own.
Burn it

IV. If the loss of one life would save ten thousand, would you offer yourself without hesitation?
yes

V. Would you choose a tumultuous life where fame or fortune were attainable, or a tranquil life where both were forever beyond your reach?
tranquil life

VI. You stand on the precipice between life and death. Would you choose to live life as a beast if it would save you from falling into the shadowy abyss of the underworld?
fall and keep my humanity

VII. A companion in battle turns against you, raising a weapon to attack.
cut him down

VIII. A loved one is afflicted with a terrible illness and has little time to live. You are asked to end that life by your own hand.
seek a cure

IX. You are in the midst of a fierce battle. The enemy lying at your feet was once a friend. His breath is ragged and weak.
tend his wounds

X. A superior to whom you owe a great debt orders you to act in a way that violates your sense of justice.
follow my sense of justice
order of choices
# May 04 2006 at 12:15 PM Rating: Decent
i used the exact same order as posted up top and worked for me. just think its totally random but set up to be as sadistic as possible just to irritate all the poor souls stuck in the new laggy hangout spot lol. for the record. i tried 3 combinations before i used this posted one on the guide up top.
Elvaan, F, Sandy, lv. 60 Nin
# May 04 2006 at 11:45 AM Rating: Decent
Got it on the first try, but I see it's different for most:
1: Forge your own destiny
2:yes to sacrifice and hardship
3: Read forbidden scroll
4: Offer your life for 10,000
5: tumulutous, or chaotic
6: Embrace the beast
7: Cut them down
8: Grant request
9: End their pain
10: Follow orders
Elvaan, F, Sandy, lv. 60 Nin
# May 04 2006 at 8:00 AM Rating: Decent
Got it on first try, and have all 5 serpennt symbols. These were my answers:

1. Forge your destiny
2.yes, sacrifice and hardship
3.read it
4. yes to sacrifice myself
5.tumulous/chaotic life
6.Embrace the beast
7.Cut them down
8.Grant request
9. end their pain
10. follow orders
, but it seems it's different for lot's of folks...

NOW, I can seem to get the darn red stone from Dangruf Wadi, even in bright daylight at I-5. Any hints? Thanks, Peachyriver

RE: Elvaan, F, Sandy, lv. 60 Nin
# May 04 2006 at 2:05 PM Rating: Good
The stone spawns in two places. I-5 where you've been checking. As well as J-5 both really close to one another.
combinations
# May 03 2006 at 6:43 PM Rating: Decent
just tried this for my first time, the combination listed in this FAQ seemed to work with my Elvann red mage. although i dont know how it will effect everyone else, but hey just thought i let you guys know.
what i found that helped some
# May 03 2006 at 6:06 AM Rating: Decent
alright, i had posted these in a tread earlier before this on was added, they seemed to help some people so i thought i'd transfer them over
after reading some of these i'd also like to add that im from Bastok, lol

well, ive tried talking to the ******* sword 5 times, yes, thats 5 hours of my life wasted to the blu and i still dont have it. everytime i talk to him i choose different options and everytime he tells me something and then takes 1000gil. i hate this, why cant SE just do something that works? especially when he says "answer the questions truthfully" well ive answered them truthfully why the hell am i "wrong"
anyway i tried 2123122113, it doesnt work dont do it, i didnt write down any of the other ones i tried. the combo posted earlier works for the Dangruf stone. im going to try to find other combos for other stones and ill post them, hopefully u dont have as much trouble with this quest as i have
-Runestone

edited for spelling mistakes

Edited, Sat Apr 22 22:26:09 2006 by runestone

----------------------------
Welcome to oblivion.

alight guys, ive got this theory that SE said this was all random but in reality its probably got a patern to it, i talked to the guy again and this time i said 2312133123 and he wants me to bring him some sunsand. if u find that this combo also give u sunsand please post that it did so i can try and prove my theory, also if u find a combo that works for the sirens tear please post that too, thank you
-Runestone

also make sure to wait a day and to zone before trading him the stone he wants or else it wont work




edited more info ^^

Edited, Sat Apr 22 23:27:45 2006 by runestone

----------------------------
Welcome to oblivion.


alright, couldnt get anymore combos off people, apparently it was too much trouble for them to tell me the order they answered the questions, anyway its good to hear my info helped people, and from what i read on your posts it sounds like its more random then i originally thought.
-Runestone

----------------------------
Welcome to oblivion.
Theory...
# May 03 2006 at 5:34 AM Rating: Decent
***
1,105 posts
Got it on my second try. So, the answers differ from person to person, I see.

My first point is that I believe it's a point system. For example, one best answer is worth 3 points, another 2, and the worst one worth 1. Those aren't the actual numbers, but they show the idea. So that at the end, if your score is,say, 25-30, you have done it correctly. I believe this is true because odds are, people would not get ALL of the questions even after a few tries. So it must be flexible. If anybody would want to investigate this, feel free.

My other point is that it's based on your job. He says for you to be truthful. If you're a thf, for example, you aren't going to answer with sacrifice for others, and healing others, and helping others out. Your truthful answer will be a bit less merciful. It's in the job.

Now me, I was a white mage. All of my answers were about sacrificing myself, helping others, or having strong faith (it is assumed that white mages would have a strong faith in Altana, for example). Think "What would my job say"?

It's not what a blue mage would say, otherwise answers wouldn't differ. I have a Samurai friend who also seems to have noticed that trend when he did it.

Good luck, and remember, think your job.
PLD and BLM from SanD
# May 02 2006 at 5:54 PM Rating: Excellent
33 posts
Anyone know what the right answer combo is for SanD
PLD and BLM?

Thanks,
Rachellie
RE: PLD and BLM from SanD
# May 02 2006 at 10:41 PM Rating: Decent
One must Forge it themselves.
Not if you try hard enough.
Burn it.
Offer another.
Traquil life. (picked chaotic first timeand he recommended time off battle)
Live as a beast.
Cut them down.
Grant the request.
End thier pain.
Follow your justice.

Try this order and see if this works....
Things that aren't mentioned above...
# May 02 2006 at 12:33 AM Rating: Decent
First of you need to get the Boat pass from Faursels quest in jueno. Once you have that head to Mhuara where it alternates between going to Selbina and Aht Urhgan, careful of the mobs there on the ship if you are low level. When you arrive at Aht Urhgan, Waoud is located at J-10 on the second level near Gladiators alley, remember to buy the map from the guy next to a fish vendor near port. And now for the part im stuck on THE ABOVE ORDER DOEN'T WORK FOR EVERYONE, i just tried it and it did not work. I think i'll try Mark of Zahans order next...
Things that aren't mentioned above...
# May 02 2006 at 12:32 AM Rating: Decent
First of you need to get the Boat pass from Faursels quest in jueno. Once you have that head to Mhuara where it alternates between going to Selbina and Aht Urhgan, careful of the mobs there on the ship if you are low level. When you arrive at Aht Urhgan, Waoud is located at J-10 on the second level near Gladiators alley, remember to buy the map from the guy next to a fish vendor near port. And now for the part im stuck on THE ABOVE ORDER DOEN'T WORK FOR EVERYONE, i just tried it and it did not work. I think i'll try Mark of Zahans order next...
number of posible answeres
# May 01 2006 at 12:48 PM Rating: Decent
The number of possible answere combinations for this quest are 3 to the 10th power. This means that there are exactly 59,049 possible answere combinations. This with the fact that the "correct answere" for each problem varries with your carracter there are almost infinate amounts of ombinations, or close enough that it makes little difference. This means that to test combinations you would need 59,049,000gil. This with the fact that once you get a working set of answeres you cannot try more, makes it very unlikely that this quest will every be "Broken". The answeres are most likely set-up in a matrix format. The only way to truly "break" this is to discover the matrix. This would give you all possible "correct" combinations along with what item you would need. The desiners for this quest knew what they were doing. They made a very simple and straight forward quest almost impossible to crack. Combin all the data I have given you above with the fact that the matrix can be changed at anytime by the develepers. The quest will not be broken. All one can do is to keep the five spirits in balance with the mental mechanics of a Blue Mage in mind.

P.S. I have not done this quest. I have two carracters, neither above lvl 20. None of the facts stated are my own, but taken from other posts and expanded upon. (Characters are Birgitte and Glorfindel on the Shiva server)
RE: number of posible answeres
# May 05 2006 at 4:08 PM Rating: Excellent
59,049 possible combos? o.O

lol I got very lucky then. I guessed the correct ones on my second attempt. The first time I talked to the NPC I didn't even realize it was for the blu flag. I was just walking around trying to talk to everyone.
RE: number of posible answeres
# May 08 2006 at 2:29 AM Rating: Decent
It gets narrowed down though. For each question, there is only 1 incorrect answer. So its actually HARDER to get it wrong then right and only the truly unlucky miss it 2-3 times. As you can see, with 59,049 combos, most people get it first or second try... If it was only 1 is the correct answer each time, the quest would be alot harder and people would be failing far more often.
Bastok Answers
# May 01 2006 at 7:02 AM Rating: Decent
Me and some friends have ben doing some testing, and if your from bastok these will work for you

1.Forge
2.Absolutly
3.Read it
4.Without
5.Chaotic
6.Embrace the beast
7.Reason
8.Grant
9.Tend to
10.Follow

these are keywords in the answers you, you should know witch one to pick when talking to him.

remember these are for people from bastok if your from windy or sandy these wont work for you... GL


Edited, Mon May 1 06:56:43 2006
RE: Bastok Answers
# Jun 13 2006 at 10:06 AM Rating: Decent
im from Bastok.. and for me it didnt work.
RE: Bastok Answers
# May 01 2006 at 7:07 PM Rating: Decent
Quote:
Me and some friends have ben doing some testing, and if your from bastok these will work for you

1.Forge
2.Absolutly
3.Read it
4.Without
5.Chaotic
6.Embrace the beast
7.Reason
8.Grant
9.Tend to
10.Follow

these are keywords in the answers you, you should know witch one to pick when talking to him.

remember these are for people from bastok if your from windy or sandy these wont work for you... GL


My bf and I are both from Windy and used these answers. It worked fine. ^^
RE: Bastok Answers
# May 01 2006 at 10:41 PM Rating: Decent
Lol thats weird, we tryed these answers with 2 people from windy and they didnt work >_>
Mark of Zahak
# Apr 30 2006 at 12:30 PM Rating: Decent
Key Item obtianed upon unlocking Blue Mage Mark of Zahak: A symbol depicting the Serpentking, Zahak the two headed snake etc...

Upon reading this and asking around the server i have heard of nothing but the Sky and Flame serpent messages upon failing. If these are indeed the only 2 people having trouble passing by following set pattenrs that work for most may wanna attempt this as I did keep note of your answers if he senses flame change one of your more aggresive answers with a more passive answer. And vica versa for the sky serpent. worked like a charm for me. Good luck.

One must Forge it themselves.
Not if you try hard enough.
Burn it.
Offer another.
Traquil life. (picked chaotic first timeand he recommended time off battle)
Live as a beast.
Cut them down.
Grant the request.
End thier pain.
Follow your justice.

Edited, Sun Apr 30 12:26:51 2006
RE: Mark of Zahak
# May 02 2006 at 12:56 AM Rating: Decent
This order Seemed to work for me, someone else try it and see what happens. BTW Im Hume Female, rdm/blm from windy.
Would Won't Speak
# Apr 29 2006 at 5:07 PM Rating: Decent
I tried this and failed, He said something about the Sky Serpant. I waited one game day and now he just says stuff about dark galleies not glowing in infinate lights... What should I do???
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