Kriegstadt Patrol Quest

In the darkness of Wildwood, a woman and her children are stranded out in the cold, having been kicked out of their home. What she needs is a hero (well, a low hero) to serve the law when her own town's authorities can't or won't. Lowheroes with a sense of justice--and of course a shiny badge to prove their worth--would do well to investigate her predicament.

This quest is available to lowheroes (it must be finished before 101) who have already been similarly employed in Midgaard.

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This is the fourth in the chain of Patrol quests. You will need the badge from completion of the Midgaard Patrol Quest to do this one. This quest is for heroes between level 1 and 100.

Here is one way the quest can go:

Visit the council clerk.

Visit the merchant's home.

Ask various people -- including the man in the merchant's home, the farmer, and watchmen -- about the night of the disappearance.

If you found a torn page in the merchant's home, ask Muriel about the night of the disappearance then, when she volunteers to tell you more about an object, give her the page.

Ask the warlock about the night of the disappearance. Give him the page. Kill him.

Visit the clerk, who will tell you to go find the merchant.

Walk to Saint of the Blade Temple room which has the merchant imprisoned:

This tall, well dressed man stands out against the decrepit slaves and
their gnomish captors. He is most likely the latest "inductee" from a
nearby village. At first he tries to avoid notice, but his mood
brightens when he sees you.

"At last!" he whispers, "Finally, a friendly face in this terrible
place. I was led astray here by someone I thought was a friend, but
you're here to lead me back home, yes? I'll follow if you beckon."

The man patiently waits for your response, then grows hesitant;
perhaps worrying that he spoke too much, too soon.
The lost merchant is in perfect health.

Walk out of the area and back to Kriegstadt.

Walk the merchant over to his wife and family (just out of town north, then 1e and a few south). 100xp and an item.

Give the item to the clerk. 2013xp and this cryptic clue about another quest:

The council clerk says 'When you have some more experience under your belt, perhaps you may be of service to the King's chamberlain. His messengers have been pestering me about a fugitive for some time now.'
The council clerk says 'Believe me, it will be a mercy to hear no more from him...'

It appears that if you kill the wrong person -- e.g. if the warlock was not the right person to kill this time around -- the merchant will look different:

 The man stands out against his fellow slaves, with his clean, fine
 clothing; but his face betrays the same broken mind that all the other
 captives have. His captors must have had enough time to finally break
 his will. His only remaining hope is that someone will end his
 suffering.
 An enslaved merchant is in perfect health.

He won't be beckon-able, and there will be no xp reward for turning in the item dropped after his death. This ignominious end produces the insignia "Honorary" watchman of Kreigstadt (note scare quotes).

This is not Sasha or Wolfie:

 Madam Muriel says 'I see an unscrupulous visitor accepting money from a templar knight.'
 Madam Muriel says 'I see the culprit sneaking into the victim's home... waiting...'
 Madam Muriel says 'The attack was silent and quick. None but the merchant and his assailant knew of it until the next morning.'
 Madam Muriel says 'As the merchant was bound and dragged into the maw of the nearby cave, this knot ripped off his bindings.'

This is not the warlock:

 Madam Muriel says 'The merchant was betrayed without warning, in a crime of passion; but the fates refuse to reveal themselves fully.'  
 Madam Muriel says 'Bring me a tangible artifact of the event, and I will divine what I can.'
 You give a burned page to Madam Muriel.
 Madam Muriel says 'I see a singleminded individual, desirous of the merchant's wealth.'
 Madam Muriel says 'I see the culprit confronting the victim, yet without intent of violence.'
 Madam Muriel says 'The argument broke out suddently, and the perpetrator's rage boiled over uncontrolably.'
 Madam Muriel says 'As the merchant was bound and dragged into the maw of the nearby cave, this burned page was left behind, unnoticed.'

 A warlock says 'This page is from a book of arcane knowledge, you might say, but one so pathetically below my skill that it barely qualifies as mystical.'
 A warlock says 'I wouldn't be caught dead carrying the tome THIS came from...'
 A warlock says '... and I've been caught dead doing some very interesting things.'

This is the schulz:

 You give a gold coin with an ugly face on it to Madam Muriel.
 Madam Muriel says 'I see the crime as it unfolded, but the players remain unclear...'
 Madam Muriel says 'I see a singleminded individual, desirous of the merchant's wealth.'
 Madam Muriel says 'I see the culprit hiring thugs to bring about the merchant's doom.'
 Madam Muriel says 'The confrontation was sudden and raucus. The victim could not resist his many assailants.'
 Madam Muriel says 'As the merchant was bound and dragged into the maw of the nearby cave, this coin was left behind.'
 The schulz says 'Ah, I see you've acquired one of our hamlet's distinctive coins! An excellent decision on your part, if I may say so.'
 The schulz says 'You see, in Kreigstadt it is valued just as highly as gold, but not as unwieldy to carry around, and naturally less prone to theft by...' the schulz narrows his eyes '... sinister  passersby.'
 The schulz says 'And of course, it can be exchanged for its current value in gold at any time. In reasonable quantities, naturally. Attempting to "cash out" so to speak, would be... detrimental to  the currency as a whole.'
 The schulz says 'But don't worry, because the more gold we can acquire to back the currency, the less the currency will be affected by the whims of our more selfish citizens.'
 The schulz exclaims 'Don't believe what those entitled merchants like Ulrich will tell you. This is nothing short of a financial revolution!'
 The schulz beams with pride.
 The schulz says 'Now, if you'd like to invest in hamlet currency, I can offer you a very competative rate of exchange.'
 (despite a red-herring clue elsewhere about a smell of brimstone, the schulz apparently hired henchmen with the coin)

…

 The man stands out against his fellow slaves, with his clean, fine
 clothing; but his face betrays the same broken mind that all the other
 captives have. His captors must have had enough time to finally break
 his will. His only remaining hope is that someone will end his
 suffering.
 An enslaved merchant is in perfect health.