I haven played ffxi since feb 2011. But I recall alot of the side grab x item quests. For example.... The rarab hostel tarutaru needs you to grab a stone so she can use it as a pickling stone, to make her little tavers signature food rarab tails (a pickled onion). (no mini cs wasn't involed in this quest)

seciound (sp it beenm a while) needs to you to get him bat wings. The reason he needs them is he feels a darkness is coming and uses the wings to protect him.

I do not recall which tarutaru is which but the cornette tarutaru is doing research on the mandragora, an odd plantlife all over vanadiel. And pays you for items found on them to aide in his research.

Those are not epic stories, but stories about these people and their place in the world. Which is part of the lore of the world of vanadiel.


The sidequests in ffxiv also serve this purpose.