Online:Druid Gastoc

Druid Gastoc Daily Job Broker
Home Settlement	Vastyr
Race	Breton	Gender	Male
Health	39,959
Reaction	Friendly
Other Information
Faction(s)	Stonelore Circle

Druid Gastoc

Druid Gastoc is a Breton daily job broker and member of the Stonelore Circle who can be found in Vastyr.

Related Quests

•  A Wailing Wood: Rescue hirelings from dangerous valley.
•  The Moth Study: Gather some moths for study from the Valley of the Watcher.
•  Recovered Relics: Defeat a chimera and gather druidic relics.
•  Shrines on Shaky Ground: Defeat a chimera and restore Stonelore shrines.
•  Sunflower Stamina: Gather giant sunflowers from a dangerous valley.
•  Three-Pronged Approach: Defeat a chimera and gather chimera components.

Dialogue

With your first visit to him, he will have a unique greeting before you start one of his quests:

"A traveler bold enough to approach Gastoc without a hint of fear? Now that's the sort of mettle I'm looking for!
And if you're looking for work, I've got as much gold to give you as Galen's got troubles."

With subsequent quests, he will instead say one of the following:

"You came back! I was hoping I hadn't scared you off for good."

"Good to see you again, friend. Please tell me you're seeking work today. I could use someone as dependable as you."

"There's no shortage of work on this island. We always seem to have some new plight. Are you here to help?"

"What phenomenal timing! Something new just came in. Any interest?"

Either way, you will reply with one of the following:

How can I help?

I'm looking for work.

Is there any work?

Is there work available?

Are you in need of a hand?

Coming back after completing the task:

"When you're the one I've sent out on a job, I don't even feel like I need my lucky spriggan totem with me.
Which is good, because I seem to have misplaced it somewhere …."

"You're back! I did, as they say, cross my fingers for you."

"Ah, you're back. My day always brightens when you approach."

"Ah, back at last! I was starting to get nervous for you."

If there's no more daily quests to be offered at the moment:

"Out of jobs today, friend. All I've got to offer for now is my company."

"Just as the tide goes out, so too goes any more work I might offer. But come back tomorrow, and something else is sure to wash up!"

"I've got nothing else for you today, friend.
Unless you've seen a spriggan totem lying around somewhere? I try to practice whittling when it gets slow. It's rather tough. It may just look like a…piece of wood. Never mind."

"No monsters left to kill today, my friend. You might instead kill some time at the Jaded Ornaug just around the corner."

During and after the quests, you have the option of asking Druid Gastoc questions:

Why are the druids helping the city?

"Vastyr and all its inhabitants are part of this once untamed island, for better or worse. We Stonelore druids seek harmony through common ground with one another, but the same can't be said of the other circles."

Do you think the other druid circles will ever seek harmony with you?

"Will fire ever create instead of destroy? Will the tides ever change their rhythm? Mountains may flatten waiting for such a change.
But it's not impossible, my friend. Nothing ever is."

Quest Dialogue

A Wailing Wood

"By the tide, am I glad you asked. I've got an urgent job from the north side of Galen, best handled in a group.
A forest wraith has taken a group of hirelings under House Mornard captive, but there's still time to save them."

What can I do?

"Head to the Valley of the Watcher. The captives are bound in roots that feed off their life essence, but this tincture should weaken them enough to slough right off.
And don't forget, you'll still need to contend with the hostile wraith!"

I'll take care of the forest wraith and rescue the hirelings.

After you accept the task, you can ask Druid Gastoc questions:

"This is what happens when those who spend too much time on Galen get too comfortable with the dangers that lurk here.
Mind that you don't repeat that to the mother that begged me to save her son, if you go speak to her, but it's true."

Tell me about the forest wraith.

"Have you ever used an axe to fell a tree? Used that wood to craft armor, maybe a weapon itself?
Imagine if, upon your first stroke of the axe, the tree you were aiming for struck back. That's what forest wraiths are."

Are they spirits or trees?

"When needs call for it, spirits of the forest can facilitate druid magic to meld man and tree. Some among us willingly submit to such an honor.
What results is a twisted guardian that has the strength and spirit of both, but the wisdom of neither."

What should I know before facing one?

"If you hear its scream, ready your weapon at once. After that, beware of shifting ground and deceptive magic.
Once a wraith has identified you as a threat, there is no convincing the angry spirit that pilots these beings otherwise."

Speaking with him after completing the task:

I defeated Timbershade the forest wraith and rescued the hirelings.

"And I've just finished drying the client's tears from my robes. Her son had to pull her off of me!
I hope you'll excuse me if I show a bit more restraint in showing my thanks to you!"

The Moth Study

"I've got a request from a fellow Stonelore druid today. A task of high importance, best tackled in a group.
Deep in the woods of Galen, ever-elusive phoenix moths emerge from cocoons of burning ember. I need you to gather some."

Why do I need a group to collect some moths?

"My friend Druid Calysa has an interest in studying the moths that have emerged near the Valley of the Watcher. Unfortunately, the place is haunted by a dangerous forest wraith. What do you say to taking care of both the wraith and Calysa's request?"

I'll collect the phoenix moths and deal with the forest wraith.

You can then ask Druid Gastoc some questions:

"Druid Calysa is a dear friend of mine. I want to do everything I can to support her research.
Go ask her about it, if you like! She always gets so passionate when she has the chance to talk about her work."

Tell me about the forest wraith.

"Have you ever used an axe to fell a tree? Used that wood to craft armor, maybe a weapon itself?
Imagine if, upon your first stroke of the axe, the tree you were aiming for struck back. That's what forest wraiths are."

Are they spirits or trees?

"When needs call for it, spirits of the forest can facilitate druid magic to meld man and tree. Some among us willingly submit to such an honor.
What results is a twisted guardian that has the strength and spirit of both, but the wisdom of neither."

What should I know before facing one?

"If you hear its scream, ready your weapon at once. After that, beware of shifting ground and deceptive magic.
Once a wraith has identified you as a threat, there is no convincing the angry spirit that pilots these beings otherwise."

Returning to Druid Gastoc after completing the task:

The forest wraith is dead. Also, here are your moths.

"Excellent! These sure look like prime … specimens.
Look, I don't know much about Calysa's research. But I'm sweet on her, and I knew getting these moths would make her happy, and when she's happy, I'm happy. So again, thank you."

Recovered Relics

"Apparently, the Firesong Druids have unearthed empowering relics made by the Druid King himself.
That's bad enough news on its own, but now the relics are being used to empower a chimera and twist its will to carry out their bidding."

What can I do?

"You'll need to dispose of the chimera after recovering the relics. It pains me to ask that, but we have no other choice.
But the Firesong got this far on account of their numbers. You'd do well to work with a group and drive them back!"

I'll defeat the chimera and recover the druid relics.

After you have accepted the task, you can ask some further questions:

"You have my thanks, traveler! Y'ffre guide your safe return.
You know, if I were the Druid King, I'd have started with a much simpler combination of animals. Like a guar and an ornaug. Guarnog? Hmm. That's pretty good."

Tell me more about the chimera.

"I've been lucky enough to never encounter one face to face … to face, to face. Much like certain druidic circles I could mention, chimera are fiercely territorial. But that's simply how they were created."

Who created them?

"All chimera that roam the land today were created by the Druid King himself. They guard and protect sacred places or important relics.
While we Stonelore revere them and their purpose, it's clear that the world is outgrowing them."

Even though the Druid King created them, you're fine with people killing them?

"Think of it more as pruning than killing. There's no campaign against the creatures, but they have outlived their original purpose and lived too long in a fraught existence."

So you consider it a mercy?

"Of sorts. The way I see it, chimera are a living reminder that while there's power in unity, there's not always harmony."

Sounds like you could be talking about your druidic circles.

"Hah! Or your Three Banners!
All I know is that having three heads seems like it'd be a tormenting existence. I've only got one, and I can barely keep it on straight!"

Once you return to complete the quest:

I have the relics, and the chimera is dead.

"Splendid work, my friend! Better to see the chimera's end than let it toil forever under control of the Firesong.
That aside, if I had to contend with three heads … I think I'd rather be dead."

Shrines on Shaky Ground

"Do you feel the rumbling beneath our feet too? I was worried it was something I ate until we received reports of a nearby chimera. It seems the restlessness of Y'ffelon sent the beast into a frenzy."

What sort of frenzy?

"Its rampage destroyed Stonelore shrines specifically meant to protect Vastyr. The Firesong moved in, and now the creature is under their control.
We're hoping someone can get a group to defeat it and restore the shrines. Is that someone you?"

I'll defeat the chimera and check on the shrines.

You can then ask Druid Gastoc some questions:

"Fix the shrines up as best you can, would you? We'll send some Stonelore initiates that way later to make sure they're properly communing with the earthen spirits again."

Tell me more about the chimera.

"I've been lucky enough to never encounter one face to face … to face, to face. Much like certain druidic circles I could mention, chimera are fiercely territorial. But that's simply how they were created."

Who created them?

"All chimera that roam the land today were created by the Druid King himself. They guard and protect sacred places or important relics.
While we Stonelore revere them and their purpose, it's clear that the world is outgrowing them."

Even though the Druid King created them, you're fine with people killing them?

"Think of it more as pruning than killing. There's no campaign against the creatures, but they have outlived their original purpose and lived too long in a fraught existence."

So you consider it a mercy?

"Of sorts. The way I see it, chimera are a living reminder that while there's power in unity, there's not always harmony."

Sounds like you could be talking about your druidic circles.

"Hah! Or your Three Banners!
All I know is that having three heads seems like it'd be a tormenting existence. I've only got one, and I can barely keep it on straight!"

What's the purpose of these shrines?

"Mount Firesong is as indifferent to the life on this peninsula as … well, the Firesong druids are.
But where the Firesong seem incapable of listening, the shrines allow communion with earth spirits to keep Vastyr safe from the volcano's wrath."

Do the Stonelore worship at these shrines?

"Some among us do. Or they would, if not for the rampaging chimera. That makes things difficult, as you can probably imagine."

Returning to Druid Gastoc after completing the task:

I repaired the shrines and killed the chimera.

"Excellent work! So long as the shrines remain intact, the druids should be able to make amends with the earthen spirits. And it'll be safe now that they aren't avoiding a rampaging chimera.
Take this payment with my gratitude, traveler."

Sunflower Stamina

"Sometimes, things align in the strangest ways, don't they?
I need you to kill the forest wraith haunting the Valley of the Watcher. While you're there, I'd ask you to collect some of the giant sunflowers that have sprung up in the glade there."

Are these two things connected somehow?

"The size of the sunflowers may be due to the wraith's presence, but who's to say? The point is, the wraith is dangerous and needs to go.
And someone in House Mornard wants a sample of these massive sunflowers for … personal purposes. Can you help?"

I'll eliminate the forest wraith and return with the sunflowers.

After agreeing to help, you can ask Druid Gastoc some questions:

"As always, I'd recommend taking on this foe with a group.
That said, the request from within House Mornard asked for discretion, so just … keep the details of this job among yourselves, will you?"

What are the sunflowers used for, exactly?

"Nobles get all kinds of ideas in their heads about rare ingredients with properties that give them a … different meaning of the word stamina than you are probably used to.
If I can accommodate these requests, I try not to ask too many questions."

Why are you willing to help with this sort of thing?

"Willing! Hah! Please.
Not every request from House Mornard calls for threat of life and limb. But we try to respect even the more frivolous ones for the sake of diplomacy. Even if just to spare the lives of some poor, defenseless hirelings."

Tell me about the forest wraith.

"Have you ever used an axe to fell a tree? Used that wood to craft armor, maybe a weapon itself?
Imagine if, upon your first stroke of the axe, the tree you were aiming for struck back. That's what forest wraiths are."

Are they spirits or trees?

"When needs call for it, spirits of the forest can facilitate druid magic to meld man and tree. Some among us willingly submit to such an honor.
What results is a twisted guardian that has the strength and spirit of both, but the wisdom of neither."

What should I know before facing one?

"If you hear its scream, ready your weapon at once. After that, beware of shifting ground and deceptive magic.
Once a wraith has identified you as a threat, there is no convincing the angry spirit that pilots these beings otherwise."

Returning to Druid Gastoc once you have completed the quest:

The forest wraith is dead, and I've retrieved the sunflowers.

"Excellent work! Take this payment with my gratitude, traveler."

Three-Pronged Approach

"Have you ever heard such different accounts of the same event that you're sure someone's lying?
Well, we have some Stonelore initiates that were attacked … by a chimera. Now, our resident healers say their wounds aren't responding to treatment."

Can they be healed?

"Our healers can prepare a treatment with an alchemical component taken from each head.
There's no telling what condition the chimera will be in when you and your group defeat it, so search the grove for sheddings instead. Understood?"

I will defeat the chimera and return with the samples.

You can then ask Druid Gastoc some questions:

"Nuzdef, one of the wounded initiates, is nearby. Speak to him before you go if you'd like his account of what happened. Maybe it will help you in facing the chimera.
He fared better than the others … but think twice before telling him that."

Tell me more about the chimera.

"I've been lucky enough to never encounter one face to face … to face, to face. Much like certain druidic circles I could mention, chimera are fiercely territorial. But that's simply how they were created."

Who created them?

"All chimera that roam the land today were created by the Druid King himself. They guard and protect sacred places or important relics.
While we Stonelore revere them and their purpose, it's clear that the world is outgrowing them."

Even though the Druid King created them, you're fine with people killing them?

"Think of it more as pruning than killing. There's no campaign against the creatures, but they have outlived their original purpose and lived too long in a fraught existence."

So you consider it a mercy?

"Of sorts. The way I see it, chimera are a living reminder that while there's power in unity, there's not always harmony."

Sounds like you could be talking about your druidic circles.

"Hah! Or your Three Banners!
All I know is that having three heads seems like it'd be a tormenting existence. I've only got one, and I can barely keep it on straight!"

You can then speak with Druid Gastoc once you have completed the task:

I've killed the chimera. Here are the samples for your healers.

"You have no idea how grateful our healers will be for this. And our wounded initiates, even more so.
It's outcomes like this that are the exact reason we Stonelore seek harmony! Everyone fares better when we work together."