Feedback on Quest: Lord Macsen [SPOILERS]

As inscrutable as this quest is, it hints at a larger story. I would be ok with it if I could trust that the larger story is going to be explained somewhere. Starting a story you can never resolve (even though the quest does end) is extremely frustrating. As I continue to look around Aerie, I hope I find more to the story, but I highly doubt I will. Please prove me wrong!

And as always there may (and hopefully are with this quest) things I missed. Please add them if so!

The quest which I am calling "Lord Macsen" has four simple steps with four optional steps:

1. Talk to the guard Patrick Rodgers
2. Talk to Lord Macsen
3. Optional: Talk to Venatus
4. Optional: Talk to Neus in Longfall Woods
5. Retrieve "document"
6. Optional: Talk to Venatus
7. Talk to Lord Macsen
8. Optional: Talk to Venatus

1. Talk to the guard Patrick Rodgers
- I only found this quest because I was poking around Aerie trying to "help" everyone. I found Patrick Rodgers sleeping in the guardhouse near the southeastern entrance (Little Xenos). For some reason, I just decided to click on him to see what would happen. I was surprised to be greeted with, "Pardon me, but you look like Vyrin. You fit the description. If you are Vyrin, I have something important for you, but first I need confirmation. Please tell me what people call you." Ok, first, if it was so important, why did he wait for me to find him? Far, far better if this quest could begin with a guard running up to you at some point when you enter Aerie. Second, how is telling someone your name confirmation? Maybe if he hadn't said who he was looking for at first! Third, this greeting is absurd considering that I wandered into a guardhouse and woke a guard from sleep. It would have been more natural for him to attack me and raise an alarm! Perhaps the door to the guardhouse should be locked at night. Or there should be another guard on watch?
- When I share my name (and in response to help), Patrick says Lord Macsen wants to see me "right away", I guess, not so much since I had to find Patrick to make it happen...
- Patrick says in response to "Lord Macsen": "I'll mark down that location for you." Is it assumed that we are always carrying around a map? Why don't other NPC's do this? To me this is more of a quest mechanic than something NPC's would actually do.
- BUG In response to "job": "I'm an Aerie city guard out on patrol." Yes. that bed looks like it needs patrolling...
- BUG In response to "stories": "You've traveled across the stars to come here and I imagine that is just the beginning of your tale." Comma required after here.
- In response to "Blood River", an awkward sentence of questionable meaning: "I wonder if it was traumatic for you, if you have been accustomed to battle and death." Do you mean, "since you are accustomed to battle and death"?
- BUG In response to "interesting": "Aerie attracts a lot of visitors between merchants, sailors, pilgrims and now outlanders." Between is always between two things.
- BUG In response to "amazing": "Most sailors have exaggerated tales they love to share over drinks, but you can see in the eyes of a few who have come across a rare kraken. " Consider the second clause... you can see what? Or is it true that you can only see in the eyes of those who have seen a Kraken? Reword.
- BUG In response to "stories" Patrick say "traveled", with one "l". In his goodbye he says "traveller" with two "l"'s. Again, American or British - assuming American so always one "l".

2. Talk to Lord Macsen
- Another entry into Aerie Castle where the guards let me go everywhere. And again, another Lord who has no guards close by. If some in the city are concerned about the elves as they say, wouldn't they advocate for not letting an elf (Venatus) wander around freely in the castle either?
- The game prompts me with: "I should offer to help Lord Macsen." This is not the level of handholding in other quests. It seems forced. Doesn't the game always suggest you offer to "help" to see what happens?
- BUG In response to "Longfall": "The relationship between the humans and elves of Longfall has become strained, at best." Whoever did the writing loves to separate off little phrases at the ends of sentences. It gets redundant. I've bitten my tongue so far in the dialogue, trying to make allowances that all those commas could indicate pauses in speaking. With this one, however, I draw the line. Sounds totally unnatural to pause.
- BUG In response to "Aerie", more extra commas: "Humans dwell here, primarily, but the City of Truth is currently open to all people..." Take out the first comma.
- The journal entry after this step is:

Macsen only tells me that I should look among the elves of Longfall for the document. In response to "rumors" he tells me there is a family of survivalists there, but he does not imply that they have the document. Besides, if that details is important, it should not be buried under the response to "rumors", it should be part of the main dialogue keywords.
- BUG In the journal entry, the last word needs to be plural, "survivalists".

3. Optional: Talk to Venatus
- Another thing I just so happened to stumple upon was Venatus waiting outside Lord Macsen's study. I'm glad I did because he actually adds color to the quest.
- BUG In his greeting, "I beg your pardon, but the walls are thin and I overheard Lord Macsen ask you to seek a courier in Longfall Woods." Comma after thin is necessary.
- BUG His generic name should be "traveler" again, not "traveller" if we are using American spelling. Can you do a replace all in the SotA name and dialogue database?
- BUG In response to "Longfall Woods": "Longfall Woods is several days journey to the north." Am I just supposed to pretend when I can travel there so quickly in real and game time? I don't think that's good dialogue.
- BUG In response to "Longfall": "But, I fear that spirit of cooperation is leaving the region." Get rid of that darn comma!
- BUG In response to "Lord Macsen": "When I heard you talking to Lord Macsen. well, he seems a nicer fellow than I was led to believe." Period should be a comma after Macsen.
- Venatus is apprently there seeking a copy of his marriage certificate, but I couldn't trigger any dialogue to explain why, or even why that makes sense... do elves register their marriages in Aerie? There is no response to "marriage" and there should be. As I said at the beginning, a half-told story is exceedingly frustrating, like a piece of music that ends in the middle without resolution.

4. Optional: Talk to Neus in Longfall Woods
- Surprisingly, talking to the survivalist family is completely optional. If you search, you can find Lord Macsen's document without talking to anyone. Not sure this should be the case.
- After the traps leading up to the survivalist "compound", you would expect more hostility from Albia, Neus, and the horde of children. They are grumpy, yes, but don't seem to mind that you made it past the traps.
- BUG In response to "document", Neus says: "Regardless, its in our basement and you're not allowed in our home." its should be it's.
- And Neus et al. do let you walk all over their home and take things.
- BUG In response to "elves": "But, someday we'll be stronger," Extra comma strikes again after "but."
- These elves fancy phrases at ends of sentences set off by commas, like everyone else. I tire of pointing it out.

5. Retrieve "document"
- The basement hatch is unusually large compared to its normal size. Why? I guess elves need more space than humans OR the game is trying to make it obvious to check the basement. The latter would make me cry a little, for obvious reasons, and not happy tears.
- The document itself:

- BUG No need to capitalize humans and elves.
- Are the undersigned different from the nobility of Aerie?
- This doesn't seem like a lot for something that seems important. Could it be expanded to provide more context for the quest? Please?
- I hope at least some of these exist in the game. It would be great to be able to talk to them, but sadly, I fear they don't exist.

6. Optional: Talk to Venatus
- Changing dialogue by Venatus as the quest progresses is good to see. This adds a little depth to an otherwise thin story.
- BUG In greeting: "But, not too busy to see you, I sense." No "buts" about it - the commas after "buts" should go.
- In response to "Lord Macsen": "Lord Macsen seemed brusk with you." I doubt using the alternate spelling of brusk was intentional. Better spelling is the original: brusque.


7. Talk to Lord Macsen
- Compare the greeting, to what Lord Macsen says with the keyword "document" (remember this doesn't have to be triggered right away.
Greeting: "Hello, outlander. Do you have word yet of my missing document?"
"document": "You're... alive? Hm. Unexpected. At any rate, I'm sure you don't have the document. ...You do? I don't believe you. Give it here."
Either should be adjusted slightly to seem more aligned. Either the greeting should say something like, "You probably have not gone to retrieve the document yet." Or in the other, add "still" before "alive".
- After turning in the document, the dialogue shuts down (again with no chance of being able to read it except in the chat box). The game prompts you what to do next since it seems Lord Macsen has dismissed you: "I need to give the endorsement document to Lord Macsen again and clear up all confusion." That's really kind of poor. This is not something that you should know automagically, and so it disconnects you from the quest.
- Also, it says, I need to try again, to "clear up all the confusion." If only that would.
- BUG The "knowledge journal" only gets to the point of getting rejected and that I need to turn in the document again. No last entry.
- BUG Second response to "document: "No doubt you're expecting an actual reward for your role in ruining my plans? Fine. Give to me the endorsement document and you'll get your pittance." Comma please after document.
- BUG He says you ruined his plans and you get NO explanation how. Because unless you get some additional explanation from some other character I don't know, this is key info that you will never discover. Did he want me killed? The elves killed? Something else? Why would turning in the letter change anything? He can simply hide it again!
- BUG His goodbye is always, "Fortune favor us, outlander." Sounds very beneficent considering how hostile he is.
- BUG The response to "meeting" does not update and still references waiting for my return.

8. Optional: Talk to Venatus
- So Venatus adds value again! After the completion of the last step, Venatus offers you another quest. So this commentary will continue in the review for the quest "Venatus and Patrator."
- To see the review of the next quest, click here.

Overall, there are glimmers of some depth in this quest since there is interplay with Venatus. However, because of the confusion generated by not knowing what the heck just happened, I am going to say the quest "needs substantial improvement." When you start to tell me a story, finish it. Especially when the story is central to everything going on across Longfall! I wish I could trust that the story would be completed somewhere else, and although I am hopeful I will be pleasantly surprised, I fear this story is left unfinished.