A Very Grentchie Wintersday

Overview
Summary
 * 1) Speak to Vehemus to learn how you can assist Grenth.
 * 2) Ask around for some termites... There must be some out there somewhere.
 * 3) Ask around for some gunk... There must be some out there somewhere.
 * 4) Ask around for some garlic... There must be some out there somewhere.
 * 5) Ask around for a pair of unwashed socks... There must be some out there somewhere.
 * 6) Return the four ingredients to Vehemus.
 * 7) Meet Vehemus and the Grentch outside of Lion's Arch.
 * 8) Travel to the Ascalon Settlement with the Grentch and destroy all the Wintersday gifts from Dwayna. 7...0 of 7 Wintersday gifts remaining.
 * 9) See Vehemus for your reward.

Obtained from
 * Old Nickoles in Lion's Arch (during Wintersday festivals)

Reward
 * 5,000 XP
 * Peppermint Shield
 * Armor: 8
 * Gingerbread Focus
 * Energy +5

Dialogue
 * "Each year during Wintersday, the gods Grenth and Dwayna clash to determine whether darkness or light will reign following the coming of the new year. Although Dwayna has many followers, there are some of us who understand that this is a season of somber reflection, a time to pay tribute to death, which is, after all, a necessary cycle of life. The call of Grenth has gone out, seeking all those who wish to serve the Merciless One to ensure his rise above the goddess of light for the coming year. Will you answer Grenth's call?


 * Accept: "I hate all this merry-making. I'm for Grenth!"
 * Reject: "You really need to lighten up."

Intermediate Dialogue 1 (Vehemus)
 * "Now you must help me create one of Grenth's unholy winter servants... a Grentch, a person whose heart has been shrunk three sizes. Grentches know only death, fear, and hatred, and their only goal is to create as much mischief and misery as possible.


 * Take this vial and place within it the four ingredients I need to concoct my special potion. The first ingredient you must gather, termites, shouldn't be difficult to find. Ask around for them. There must be some out there somewhere."

Intermediate Dialogue 2 (Fisherman Finnius)
 * "For more years than I can count, I've spent my days here on this dock, casting and reeling, casting and reeling. Some days the gods are kind to me, and I bring in plenty of fish, other days they ignore me, and I go home empty handed. Those are hard days, but that's the life of a fisherman. Over all these years and through three disastrous marriages, only one constant has remained... this wooden dock. She's been a good friend, a good listener. But these blasted termites have begun gnawing away on her beams, and I fear that soon she'll collapse into the ocean below.... If it's termites you're looking for, I'll give you all you need; my poor dock is overflowing with them."

Intermediate Dialogue 3 (Gunk Farmer Urme)
 * "You is looking for gunk? Then you is coming to the right Urme! I be the greatest gunk farmer in all of these swamps, I is. You is very lucky, Urme is just making a very large batch of gunk he is not be needing all of! I is giving you gunk for free because you is nice person, but you is not telling anyone I give it free. Urme not want everyone to expect free gunk, then Urme would be out of job!"

Intermediate Dialogue 4
 * Necromancer Skorzena: "Pathetic, sniveling useless nobel! Stop this caravan and turn your attention to me, your guide to the afterlife."
 * Nobelman Daltain: "You're that Necromancer who has been attacking the caravans! They say you show no mercy... Guards! To me! Make a circle around me!"
 * Necromancer Skorzena: "Your guards will be of little use to you. Their souls shall be ushered to the Underworld, just as yours shall."
 * Daltain Guard: "Dwayna protect us! It isn't my time to meet Grenth!"

Intermediate Dialogue 5
 * Daltain Guard: "These abominations cannot be stopped!"
 * Nobelman Daltain: "Fight harder, I say, or I shall tell my father to fire you! Of course, you'll be dead, but still...!"

Intermediate Dialogue 6 (Necromancer Skorzena)
 * "I gather Vehemus has sent you on one of his little scavenger hunts? That man is incapable of doing anything that involves getting his hands dirty. What is it you need? Garlic? You're in luck: it just so happens that I have some garlic right here. Now, leave me to my work. Grenth will be most pleased to have more souls to welcome to the Underworld this day, and should you not move quickly enough, I may just decide to add you to the list...."

Intermediate Dialogue 7
 * Villager Gessel: "Hey! Someone has stolen my precious, yet unwashed, socks! Stop, thief!"
 * Dreier Dane: "Mercenaries! You'll never catch me! I am a leaf on the wind! I, Dreier Dane, the infamous clothing bandit of lore and song, cannot be captured! I know why the caged moa sings!"

Intermediate Dialogue 8
 * Dreier Dane: "Curses, you've left me no place to run! Perhaps it is time that I, Dreier Dane, the infamous clothing bandit of lore and song, reconsider my choice of occupation!"

Intermediate Dialogue 9 (Dreier Dane)
 * "Do not blame me, blame society! I grovel before you, a lowly, mangy dog. My wife, she is sick; my thirteen children, limbless and afflicted with the dreaded whooping vapors. My cat, she has kittens, and... not buying it, are you? Look, can I talk to you thief to mercenary for a moment? All that I have will be yours if you leave me be. Of course, all I have are these unwashed socks, but free me, and they are yours! Gloriously filthy socks they are, blights on the stocking industry, but perhaps they might be of use to you. Socks are rare in these lands, and these are... okay, please, I'll shut up, just don't hurt me. Pain makes me break out in cuts, bruises and open wounds. I'm terribly allergic to it."

Intermediate Dialogue 10 (Vehemus)
 * "Praise be to Grenth! Surely his eyes are upon you. Two final steps remain. First, I must speak the sacred words that will bring the potion to the point of potency. "Stink! Stank! Stunk!"


 * Now go wait outside Lion's Arch. I will trick one of the people of this city into drinking the potion, which will shrink the dupe's heart three times, transforming the useless citizen into a blessed Grentch! I will send this new Grentch to meet you outside the city. From there, you will travel due north with the Grentch to the Ascalon Settlement. There Dwayna has left a bounty of gifts for the culmination of Wintersday. You will find these gifts, and together with the Grentch, you will destroy them! Should you and your Grentch complete the task, return and tell me so that I can pass on this glorious victory to our merciless lord himself. May the unholy blessings of Grenth go with you!"

Intermediate Dialogue 11
 * Grench: "It's time to wreak havoc, it's time to spread fear, it's time to make all of the gifts disappear. So take me to where I might find those filled with light, the Dwayna supporters who are merry and bright. Let us make mischief, oh such fun we shall find, ruining this holiday for the sweet and the kind!"
 * Grench: "They say 'tis the season of love and goodwill, I say 'tis a season of making you ill!"

Intermediate Dialogue 12 (Vehemus)
 * "The potion was a success, and a brand new Grentch awaits your command. Head north to the Ascalon Settlement! Destroy every gift, token and keepsake! Leave no present behind!"

Intermediate Dialogue 13
 * Grench: "Nothing but this will give me great joy: to see Dwayna's childen weep o'er broken toys."
 * Grench: "I can tell that we're close, to gift-givers we're near, the stench clogs my nose and it stuffs up my ears."

Intermediate Dialogue 14
 * Grench: "Servants of Dwayna, come close and pay heed, I've presents for all of your Wintersday needs!"
 * Grench: "No joy, no light, no sweet merriment, it's Wintersday joy that I'm here to prevent!"

Intermediate Dialogue 15
 * Grench: "I bring merciless blessings from Grenth below, you simpering, melting, weak men of snow!"

Reward Dialogue
 * "You have served Grenth most faithfully, . Here is a token of his... appreciation. The work you have done today will surely help our merciless lord sway the balance of the battle to our side. I shall go let loose this Grentch upon the citizens that it might spread sadness and discontent. I'm looking forward to it."

Walkthrough
None of these items will actually show up in your inventory, you just need to talk to the specific NPC to get them:
 * Fisherman Finnius by the dock on the beach in North Kryta Province has the termites.
 * Gunk Farmer Urme is south-east of Temple of the Ages, has the gunk. Just follow the path across two bridges, and he will be to the right, in the swamp.
 * Necromancer Skorzena has the garlic. She and her Elite Guards will be battling the Nobleman Daltain and his guards in Watchtower Coast (just north from Beetletun). You can help her or sit back and watch. As soon as Nobleman Daltain is dead you can talk with Skorzena to get some garlic.
 * Dreier Dane steals some unwashed socks off Villager Gessel who is located just outside of Bergen Hot Springs. You will need to chase down Derier until he stops running, and then he'll hand over the socks.

Once all the items are acquired, talk to Vehemus then leave from Lion's Arch to pick up the Grentch and destroy the presents (7 total) in the Ascalon Settlement; click on a present to destroy it. Destruction of the Brrrls (5 guarding the presents, 3 at the north gate) is optional. If the Grentch dies along the way, the quest can still be completed sucessfully.

Trivia

 * The termites, gunk, unwashed socks, and garlic are a reference to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", in which it is stated that the Grinch has "Garlic in his soul" and "Termites in his smile", and that his "heart is full of unwashed socks" and his "soul is full of gunk". The lines to complete the potion "Stink, Stank, Stunk" are also lines in a song describing the Grinch. Vehemus' potion also shrinks the person's heart "three sizes", another reference to the Grinch.