Always a Bigger Fish

Cloud Strife: No way! That thing's just a machine.

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Master Wawalago is examining you with an expectant eye.

Quest description

Always a Bigger Fish is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

Journal[]

Wawalago excitedly explains that he's received a missive from Reyna, who is eager to share what she and her colleagues have learned from their inspection of the harutsuge sprags you successfully snared for her. Unable to contain his eagerness to meet the lovely lass with a passion for all things piscine, the guildmaster also states his intentions to steal away from the watchful eye of Sisipu and join you. Make your way to the Gods' Grip to see what manner of enlightening knowledge the fishing enthusiasts have gleaned.
Wawalago is moderately dismayed to be greeted not by the gorgeous Reyna but rather her colleague Ansaulme, but quickly puts aside his qualms to inquire as to Ishgardian anglers' latest findings. Ansaulme relates their findings, such as they are: to wit, that they could determine no anomalies with the waters of the Ruby Sea from the specimens you secured. When the guildmaster then surmises that this could only mean that the problem can be traced to their spawning grounds, Ansaulme is impressed by his powers of deduction, encouraging Wawalago to travel to the Far East to investigate for himself. As the guildmaster hems and haws, Sisipu appears, chastising him for his insensitivity to her true feelings and giving him her blessings to make the journey eastward. You make for the fishing village of Isari to gather what information you can in advance of the guildmaster's arrival in Kugane.
In Isari, an elderly fisherman by the name of Jisho shares with you an intriguing bit of history. Before the Garleans came, the Isari fishermen joined with their Kojin friends to hold a yearly event known as the Wadatsumi festival. The festivities involved catching fearsome sea beasts known as giant plesiosaurs and offering them in tribute to the kami of the seas, that calm might return to the oceans. Traditional religious practices, however, were outlawed twenty-five years ago when the Garleans came, and the bonds of friendship between Isari and the Kojin gradually faded away. You set off for Kugane to share this enlightening information with Master Wawalago.
Upon hearing your tale, Master Wawalago quickly deduces that the outlawing of the festival has resulted in an overpopulation of plesiosaurs, who doubtless are preying upon harutsuge hatchlings before they can reach full size. As such, it would stand to reason that reviving the festival would restore the harutsuge to the seas. Together with your companions, you make for the shores near Namai to catch yourselves some dafangshi, that you might present them to the Kojin in return for their cooperation in bringing back the festivities of old.
Wawalago encourages you to ensnare three dafangshi, the fish favored by the Kojin, that it might convince them to take part in the revived Wadatsumi festivities. Should you find the task too trying, he suggests you speak with your Kojin friends and learn what you might of their special technique of spearfishing.
Employing your spearfishing skills to their fullest, you manage to haul in three dafangshi. Wawalago expresses his admiration and bids you show them to Jisho in Isari, and secure his permission before then persuading the Kojin to take part in the festivities.
Jisho is delighted to see the dafangshi, and is nigh brought to tears at the thought that his humble village, which struggled so long under the yoke of the Empire, might at long last see its glory days return. As he calls upon the young ones to begin preparation, he bids you deliver the dafangshi to Tamamizu in his stead.
Ukimono is likewise overjoyed at your offering of the dafangshi, saying that nothing would give him greater joy than to restore a beloved tradition of his people's past. This will not happen overnight, however, as the young Kojin himself remembers little of the particulars of the celebration. While Ukimono and Govv round up willing collaborators in Tamamizu, you set off back to Eorzea with Guildmaster Wawalago, who intends to do further research regarding the festivities at the guild.
Back at Fisherman's Bottom, Wawalago restates his intent to research the Wadatsumi festival to the best of his abilities. He encourages you to make a foray to your favorite fishing hole in the meantime, so that you might be prepared to fish as you have never fished before when the occasion arrives.

※The next fisher quest will be available from Wawalago upon reaching level 70.

Objectives[]

Wait for Reyna at the Gods' Grip.
Gather information from the villagers in Isari.
Report to Wawalago in Kugane.
Join Wawalago outside Namai.
Catch dafangshi /Deliver the dafangshi to Wawalago at the Glittering Basin.
Show the dafangshi to Jisho in Isari.
Deliver the dafangshi to Ukimono in Tamamizu.
Speak with Wawalago at Fisherman's Bottom.

Script[]

Always a Bigger Fish script

Wawalago	Tip-top timing, [Player Name]! Reyna's mailed me a missive saying she's wrapped up her research into the shooting stars, and is ready to report the results she's reaped.
Wawalago	Finally, a clue to help us crack this confounding case! This is no time to tarry─get yourself to the Gods' Grip! Why, I think I'll even steal away from Sisipu's spying eyes and scoot on over there with you.

Wawalago	I've sent some extra guild work Sisipu's way to keep her otherwise occupied. Finally, my long-awaited rendezvous with the ravishing Reyna!

Wawalago	Ho there, [Player Name]! The ravishing Reyna should be arriving any moment now to regale us with our report.
Ansaulme	A thousand pardons, Master Wawalago, but I fear there has been a change of plans. My fellow fishing enthusiast has made for Kugane, and I am here to deliver our findings in her stead.
Wawalago	Ansaulme!? I thought you'd be busy keeping that barbarous brother of yours from running roughshod over the disconsolate denizens of your demesne.

Ansaulme	Indeed, I cannot stay for long, so allow me to share what we have found─which I fear is not as much as we had hoped. We studied the sprags [Player Name] caught in hopes of finding some clue as to what afflicts them, but we could identify nothing out of the ordinary. Nor is there any sign that aught is amiss in the waters they inhabit.
Wawalago	Well, that's a right relief, yet baffling and bewildering all the same. If all's well in the waters of the Ruby Sea, whither could the shooting stars have shuttled off to?
Wawalago	The other day, I had occasion to speak with an angler acquaintance from Radz–at–Han. As he told it, he's not seen any denizens of the deep matching the harutsuge's description in his domain either.
Wawalago	Which means that whatever it is ails and afflicts them, it's all but certain to be centered around their spawning grounds, striking them when they've scarcely hatched and winnowing their numbers before they can navigate their way westward.
Ansaulme	A remarkable deduction from one who has scarce left Fisherman's Bottom of late─if I have heard true. If only you could travel to the Ruby Sea and investigate for yourself, there is no telling what you might glean.
Wawalago	Would that I could whisk away just like that! But no, if I don't bolt back to my barrel─and briskly─and Sisipu comes to know I've been cooperating with a Sahagin, there's no telling how it'll torture and torment the poor girl.
Wawalago	That means more to me than you could measure, [Player Name]. And I'd like nothing more than to join you on your journey. And yet...

Wawalago	That means more to me than you could know, [Player Name]. And yet, Ansaulme's argument has a measure of merit...

Sisipu	Wawalago! You stubborn, self-absorbed, slack-witted...stupid-head!
Sisipu	For all your vaunted knowledge of fish and the seas, you don't know a godsdamned thing about your closest colleague and confidant! The last thing I want to see is you acting all weaselly and wishy-washy!
Wawalago	S-Sisipu!? How in the heavens did you─
Sisipu	I followed you, silly. Or did you really think you'd been evading my eyes and ears all this time? And of all the reasons for your ridiculous behavior...this is truly beyond belief!
Sisipu	Yes, my home was raided by the Sahagin when I was a child─this is true. But what sort of ignorant fool do you take me for? I know as well as anyone that there are kindly Sahagin in the realm who care only for protecting their clutch. Why would I begrudge you lending one of them your aid?
Sisipu	If you wanted to take a leave of absence, all you needed to do was ask! It's not like you do any work around the guild anyway!
Wawalago	Sisipu... Hah hah! To think I could be so thick-witted in taking in the thoughts of a lovely lass!
Wawalago	And with that, [Player Name], I do say it's time to set sail for Kugane. You'll be heartened to hear that I spent a spell in the Far East in my younger years. I'll be on my way in short order. In the meantime, might I ask you a minor favor?
Wawalago	Head over to Hingashi ahead of me and engage the local denizens in discourse. See if there's aught you can learn of any anomalies in the Ruby Sea compared to times past.
Ansaulme	Now that you mention it, Reyna spoke of a fishing village that once had dealings with the Kojin. I believe the village was called...Isari. I can make no promises, but it may be as good a place as any to begin your search.
Wawalago	Isari it is, then! Investigate the village and inquire with its inhabitants, and I'll see you in Kugane when you're through with the task!
Ansaulme	Good to see those two come to an understanding, is it not? In any event, I must return and see that my brother has not done too much damage in my absence. Safe travels, and may your journey to the Far East be a fruitful one!

Wawalago	Are you not excited, [Player Name]? An exhilarating expedition to the Far East awaits us! What marvels and miracles await us, I wonder?

Sisipu	Do not worry about me, [Player Name]. I have not met this Sahagin friend of yours, but I have no doubt that your endeavor is a worthy one. As for the guild, it's not as if I'm doing any more work than I'm always doing.

Youngman02898	I hear that in the old days, Isari fishermen would venture out into the open seas in hopes of hooking all manner of marvelous catches. Nowadays, there is little point in venturing far beyond the coastal shallows, where the vast majority of fish reside.
Youngman02898	Now that you mention it, I also recall hearing tales from my father of a festival held in years past, where we would welcome outsiders to Isari in a celebration of the art of fishing. Though of the details, I fear I remember little...

Lady02898	When I was just a little girl, my father would invite his Kojin friends to dine with us. They'd bring all manner of strange-looking fish from the depths. At first, I was hesitant to taste them, but I soon found out they were quite delicious.
Lady02898	But I was only a small child then, and my memories are hazy at best. Perhaps one of the older villagers may be able to tell you more?

Jisyou	Indeed, there was a time when our village had regular dealings with the Kojin, though there was much less grey in my hair when this was so. Yes, I daresay some twenty-five years have passed since then...
Jisyou	In those days, Isari was known for the Wadatsumi festival, a grand event held once each year. Isari fishers and Kojin alike would join together to ensnare the giant plesiosaurs that disturbed the waters and offer them in tribute to the kami of the sea, that calm might return to the oceans.
Jisyou	Then the Garleans came, and traditional religious observances were abolished. The Wadatsumi festival now a thing of the past, our once-close bonds of friendship with the Kojin faded over the years.
Jisyou	The Kojin particularly enjoyed a certain fish found only in the Glittering Basin of Yanxia─the dafangshi, if my memory serves. It was a regular offering of this delicacy that convinced them to join us in our festivities.
Jisyou	...But that was a long time ago, and our village has become much more insular since then. These days, there is scarcely anyone in Isari who remembers what a dafangshi looks like, let alone how to snare one.

Youngman02898	My parents tell me that travelers used to come to Isari from all over. But everything changed when the Garleans came...

Lady02898	It's been years since I've seen a Kojin. I do hope they're still happy and healthy, wherever they are...

Jisyou	I know not of any changes in the sea itself, but much has changed here in Isari since I was a younger man. Oh, to return to those days...but we must look to the future, not the past.

Reyna	So this is Master Wawalago. From the deep and manly tone of his voice over the linkpearl, I was expecting someone...taller.

Wawalago	Ah, to smell the soothing sea breeze with a buxom beauty at my side─this is the life, isn't it, [Player Name]? Oh, but I forget myself─did you find out anything of our fish in your foray to Isari?
Wawalago	A fishing festival that featured the feeding of giant plesiosaurs to the deities of the deep, you say? Give Wawalago a moment to mull that one over...
Wawalago	But of course! It's not a sullying of the seawater that's responsible for the shooting stars' plight, but rather the proliferation of a predator who preys upon them!
Wawalago	Allow me to explain and elucidate. I have some passing familiarity with this plesiosaur of which the man spoke. More fiend than fish, suffice to say it feasts on smaller fry with utterly fearsome ferocity.
Wawalago	When the festival was in full swing, Isari fishermen and their Kojin friends hunted the hunters, as it were, leaving smaller swimmers of all stripes─the harutsuge, for one─to persist and prosper.
Wawalago	Now that it's fallen out of fashion, the plesiosaurs rampage and run rampant, devouring the fledgling fish in the sea before they can reach full maturity. All we need do is restore and revive this tradition, and the situation is as good as solved!
Reyna	But from what [Player Name] says, that would require the cooperation of the Kojin. How are we to get them to agree, with not a single angler in Isari able to catch this “dafangshi” that they so favor?
Wawalago	Hah hah! A trifling task, my lovely lass. If the Isari are incapable of doing the deed, we need simply snare a dafangshi or two ourselves!
Wawalago	Surely this is well within the powers of puissant piscators like ourselves, is it not? Reyna and I will go and grab young Govv, and we will gather again in Yanxia!

Wawalago	Ready to get fishing, friend? Remember─a couple of these dafangshi are all we need to bring the festival back in fashion and see the harutsuge flourish!
Wawalago	...But there's one thing that worries old Wawalago. The old fisherman said there wasn't an angler in all of Isari who knew aught of how to catch one of them.
Wawalago	That got me to thinking─perhaps a simple line and lure won't suffice to snare one of the specimens we seek. And so I was listening to the locals, who shared some intriguing information in response to my inquiries.
Wawalago	The dafangshi are said to reside in the Glittering Basin, but it seems they're ever a cautious and chary creature, and few are the fellows who have actually laid eyes on the fish.
Wawalago	So I sought out the guidance of a grizzled old angler, who said that he was hunting for an ichthyosaur near the Sunken Junk when he espied a dafangshi in the distant depths.
Wawalago	If they're scared of swimming near the surface, diving deep and trying your hand with a trident like our friend Govv might afford you an advantage. In any event, seems searching near the Sunken Junk might be a place to start.
Wawalago	Speaking of spearfishing, Govv told me that the Kojin are known to favor that form of fishing as well. If you're finding yourself at a loss, it might behoove you to beat a path for Tamamizu and broach the subject.
Wawalago	And with that, I'd best be getting off to the Glittering Basin as well! Godsspeed and good luck in reeling in those dafangshi, and I look forward to greeting you when you've triumphed in the task!

Reyna	Oh, [Player Name]. I'm sad to say I haven't gotten a single bite yet. Do you suppose it's my lure or my bait?

Govv	Pssshhh... I can feel them lurking just out of sssight. I ssswear on my trident, they will be mine!

Wawalago	From the gleam in his eye and the grip on his trident, I gather Govv's got a good thing going there. Speaking of tridents, I hear the Kojin of Tamamizu know a thing or two about spearfishing.
Wawalago	From the gleam in his eye and the grip on his trident, I gather Govv's got a good thing going there. How fare you in your fishing efforts?

Wawalago	Fine fishing, [Player Name]─yes, these are dafangshi, beyond a dram of a doubt! They made themselves manifest while you were engaging your eyes on other fish, you say? Curious comportment, indeed...
Wawalago	Anyroad, I'm relieved to report that Govv's spearfishing has also proved a spectacular success. With this, we should have enough to reel in the Kojin─figuratively speaking─and entice them to engage with the Isari anew.
Wawalago	So let's carry our catch back to Isari and convince the villagers to let us carry on with the plan we've contrived. Here's hoping they're just as delighted with this development as we are.
Wawalago	If I might trouble you with a trifling task, [Player Name], I'd ask you to go alone. After all, Isari's only just been freed from the fetters of the Empire, and its residents are surely only still acclimating themselves to the arrival of outsiders.
Wawalago	For my part, I'll stay behind and see if I can't spear myself a few more dafangshi for our Kojin friends. Though we have ourselves quite a haul already, the more the merrier, eh?
Wawalago	Why don't you wander back to Isari and share our catch with that Jisho chap? You can journey to and join us in Tamamizu when you're through.

Wawalago	Pray pay a call on Jisho in Isari, have him inspect our catch and inquire as to his interest in reviving the festival of what's-its-name. I'll be in Tamamizu awaiting good tidings.

Jisyou	I would like nothing more than to revive the Wadatsumi festival, but the Kojin will never entertain our plea. Not without an offering of dafangshi, at least...

Jisyou	Why, these─these are dafangshi! You went all the way to Yanxia to catch these for us?
Jisyou	I have no words, friend. You are far too kind, and a far more worthy fisherman than I. To think that I would live to see the day when Isari emerged from the shadow of the Empire to reclaim the glory of our past.
Jisyou	I will round up the young ones. We must begin preparations for the festivities at once!
Jisyou	In the meantime, pray deliver the dafangshi to the Kojin in my stead, and with my fondest regards. This should go far toward reforging the bonds of friendship that our peoples once shared.

Jisyou	I must admit to some apprehension, but I have no doubt that the offering of dafangshi you have caught for us will be the first step in rekindling our friendship with the Kojin.

Wawalago	So Jisho and the Isari fishermen are fixing to bring back the festival as well? Fantastic!

Reyna	Govv's managed to spear a healthy haul of dafangshi for us. There's no way the Kojin will refuse such generosity!

Govv	Pshhh... The Kojin were mossst impresssed with my ssspearfishing skillsss. I have no doubt they will join the fessstival with usss.

Ukimono	Welcome back, friend. Govv says you come bearing a gift from the village of Isari? Dare I hope that it is what I think it may be?

Ukimono	Why, I've not seen a haul of dafangshi like this in...I know not how many years. It would be my honor to join you in reviving the festivities of old.
Ukimono	There is, however, but one rub. I am ashamed to admit this, but I am somewhat younger than my appearances might suggest, and my knowledge of the Wadatsumi is limited at best.
Ukimono	All I ask for is time─time to seek the wisdom of my elders, and bring my brothers and sisters around to your cause. Worry not─there are many here in Tamamizu with fond memories of the olden days.
Govv	Pssshhh! If there is anything I can do to help, you need only ssspeak the word! I will do anything to sssee the shooting ssstars─the harutsssuge─return to the seas as soon as posssible!
Wawalago	I, too, will do aught I'm able to see that this festival is a smashing success. First things first, I'll head back to the guild and gather all the knowledge I can glean.
Wawalago	Yes, I daresay that right on my desk sits a comprehensive compendium on fishing festivals from Eorzea to the Far East. There's bound to be something illuminating writ within!
Reyna	Then for my part, I'll head back home and see if Ansaulme has anything enlightening to share. Besides, he'd never forgive me if he found out we were having so much fun without him.
Reyna	[Player Name], why don't you head back home with Master Wawalago. And Govv, you seem to be on good terms with the Kojin─why not help recruit more of them to the cause? Till we meet again, my friends!

Ukimono	I promise you it will not take long to convince my brothers and sisters of the worthiness of your cause. Pray afford me just a measure of time.

Govv	Pssshhh... I have grown clossse to the Kojin here. I will do what I can to persssuade them of the worthiness of our cause.

Wawalago	Back so briskly, are you? I'm happy to have your help, of course, but I daresay you're more than deserving of some rest and relaxation after all your toils and travails.
Wawalago	What say you practice your piscatorial skills while I pry further into the particulars of this Wadatsumi festival. After all, when the time comes, you'll want to be ready to fish and fish as you've never fished before!
Quest complete.