credits to Magnesium02

====Talk to Frailoise====

"A way to convince the pirates to work with the 'Cudas? Hah! If I knew the answer to that, I would be Admiral! Alright, alright. I suppose one way to win a man's heart is to lure him with his most basic of desires. Promise him a sword to bleed his enemies, coin to sate his lustful cravings, and a hearty meal to fill his belly, and he'll follow you through all seven hells and back. 'Twas supposedly the same tactic used by some great Admiral long dead. There are records of the Bismarck being commissioned by the man to prepare enormous quantities of bread and stew to feed all the mouths that had joined a new fleet called the Maelstrom."

''You have spoken with a Barracuda informant. (1 of 5)''

====Talk to Arnegis====

"Lookin' t' rile up th' pirates, eh? Then light a fire under their bloody arses and strike 'em straight 'twixt their rosy cheeks while th' iron's hot! Ships, I tells ye. Ships'll get their briny blood a-boilin' like naught else could. There was once a grand fleet people called the Maelstrom. So many ships, they said, every twelfth man was made a captain. And 'twas the shipwrights o' Naldiq & Vymelli's what built every last one of 'em. That is how you'll get the pirates in bed with ye, and ye can tell th' whole damned city old Arnegis said so!"

''You have spoken with a Barracuda informant. (2 of 5)''

====Talk to Ferdilaix====

"Ferdillaix: No. You need not speak, my friend, for the Navigator has foretold your coming. You seek a way to enlist the cooperation of the city's pirates in preparation for the coming cataclysm. Your...employer is wise to see that one cannot stand against many, and is willing to reach out to those she has for so long considered enemies. However, without compromise, she will not succeed in winning these proud men to her side."

"And what better compromise to offer those who have stained their hands with a lifetime of sin than the opportunity to wash their souls clean of their mistakes? Absolution, in its simplest, purest form. As even today the Holy See of Ishgard grants absolution to those knights who take up arms against the Wyrmking's horde, there was once a time when the Admiral of Limsa Lominsa would forgive and forget the crimes of all those who would join the Maelstrom─the legendary fleet which unified the city-state against her enemies, and saved the nation from utter destruction. Perhaps you should remind your employer that ofttimes solutions to present-day problems can readily be found in the past, if only one is willing to look there."

''You have spoken with a Barracuda informant. (3 of 5)''

====Talk to W'hahtoa====

"Tryin' to worm yer way into the captain's good graces by learnin' more 'bout what makes him tick, is ye? Well, you ain't the first to try, nor will ye be the last. But I'll tell ye right now─a bottom-feedin' scrag like you ain't got nothin' he wants. A lifetime of raidin' and pillagin' has earned the captain more loot than a man can fathom. From gold to silks, weapons to jewels, there ain't a prize the chief hasn't made his own. That is, except for the one item that has eluded him for decades─an airship."

"Now, I ain't implyin' that he's ready to abandon the sea for the skies. No, no, just the opposite. See, it ain't wings the captain wants, but engines. Aye, he dreams of a day when the Astalicia can once again ride high on the waves of the Deep. But in case you hadn't noticed, the imperials ain't handin' over airships to any old bloke who asks, no matter how nice-like. And there ain't a single crew in the whole damned city-state what would last longer than a quarter bell in a firefight with them machines. So, unless you have some way of convincin' that coward of an Admiral to unify the city, ye'd be better off findin' a place to hide than wastin' yer time sussin' out the captain─'cause no amount of words'll save ye from war."

''You have spoken with a Barracuda informant. (4 of 5)''

====Talk to Z'onggo====

"Information on the city's pirates? I only know what I see, but lucky for you, I see a lot down here at the docks. Recently, the area has been teeming with scrags wearing Salthound colors. Why, just last night, one of my netsisters caught a lad half-drowned in the Barrel. Said he was looking for food... All it took was a warm meal, and the grateful boy was soon spilling his guts about how, while his captain sups on the finest Lominsan delicacies, his crewmates have barely enough coin to buy a bowl of slop from the pier stalls, forcing the poor souls onto the streets to find a way to fill their own bellies. And if the lad's to be believed, it's not just the Salthounds who are suffering."

"How I see it, the Admiral need only dangle a jingling purse in front of these starveling scrags and they'll abandon ship before their captains can say “arrr.” Some are quick to claim pirates have no loyalty, but I say they are the most loyal men and women in the realm─provided you know where their loyalties lie. Actually, that puts me in mind of a story my old pa used to tell me. According to him, there was this Admiral who assembled a massive fleet called the Maelstrom long, long ago. If memory serves, he lured the pirates into joining the fleet with the promise of more gil than most of them had ever seen. Hmmm...I wonder if the same trick might not work now. 'Course, I'm just a simple puller feeding fish from the docks, so what would I know?"

''You have spoken with a Barracuda informant. (5 of 5)''

====Talk to Ginnade====

"Welcome back, (Your Name). What were you able to glean from your conversations with the five contacts? I see... Each directly mentioned, or at least hinted at, the Maelstrom..."

"None can deny our pirates' appetite for battle or their cunning on the battlefield, whether it be on land or sea. Yet without direction, that unbridled power will serve no end, and our state will surely fall. Ah...but perhaps we are investing too much hope in a cause that is as good as lost. Perhaps it is the aid of adventurers like you that the Admiral should be seeking.Ahem. Yes. Your assistance is appreciated, adventurer, and shall be duly noted in our records. Till sea swallows all."

Completing the quest now gives you

• 200 experience points and
• a dodoskin pot helm.