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DF2014:Quester
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
 | This page contains information only relevant to DF 0.44.01 and newer. Most or all of this information does not apply to previous versions. Older saves from previous versions in the DF2014 release cycle are still compatible with this version. |
Questers are foreign representatives of civilizations, families and other such entities, that have been sent off to various missions. They are essentially non-player adventurers acting on behalf of their parent entity, slaying some beast or retrieving artifacts the entity has laid a claim to.
In Fortress mode
Questers behave much like agents, only in less-covert ways, usually acting as a warrior of some kind. They will arrive as visiting mercenaries to your fortress, inquiring about an artifact's whereabouts at your tavern and chatting with the locals or other visitors. If you don't have that artifact, they will use the rumor system used by diplomats and other visitors to find out where to go next. If you do have it, and its presence is confirmed (because, say, one of your dwarves mindlessly opens their mouth about it), one of the following may happen:
- They may openly demand that you hand it to them. Failure to comply may result in one of the dire consequences below.
- They may leave, sneak back in and attempt to steal it. If discovered, they may run away or fight back, depending on their temperament
- The Human Axeman Ethro Lideejed was spotted sneaking around! "I'll live to fight another day!"
- They may leave... and come back with an army to persuade you.
Depending on the quester's parent entity, failure to comply with a quester's demand may eventually escalate the situation, until a full-blown siege occurs.
Note that if everyone knows about your fortress holding an artifact, questers may simply directly sneak in and try to steal it, without going through your tavern. If you don't have a tavern, they will directly attempt a theft, or demand that you hand it to them without confirmation. If you don't have it, you may tell them so, or you can just pick a fight, if you were looking for an excuse anyway.
In Adventure mode
You may interact with questers you encounter (e.g. helping them by giving them what they seek, or looting their equipment as they report back to their parent entity), or become a quester yourself. Accomplishing quests increases your reputation, though keep in mind that several actors may lay a claim to the same artifact, so satisfying one party will necessarily alienate the other. Alternatively, if you've successfully retrieved an artifact, and it happens to be very useful (such as steel equipment of the highest quality) nothing prevents you from keeping it for yourself and disappearing.