Think I may have broken my quest...& journal feedback

So when I started playing a while ago I spoke to Stanley in Soltown and he gave me a letter to take to someone in someplace called Ardoris, which I had no idea where it was at the time. For a few weeks I carried this letter 'round, figuring I'd get around to it at some point. Then at some point I emptied the contents of my inventory into my bank - you know, Known Issues, Player Events book, various maps etc. Then at some point later I got myself a house and put a bunch of stuff in boxes there. I'd been to Ardoris plenty of times by this point, but never had the letter with me so figured I'd get around to it later. Then I switched houses a couple times so things ended up in the bank more than once.

Well, today I've decided I'm going to sort out this quest.
I've gone to my bank -- no letter from Stanley
I've looked through every chest, trunk, container, etc. at my house - no letter from Stanley.

Under current tasks in my Journal, it says I should go see Cugel in Ardoris and tell him I have Stanley's notes.
Not having Stanley's notes, I went back to Stanley to see if I could get them again. He told me all of the same things and asked me to take his notes to Cugel, but didn't actually give me any more notes.

SO I went to Ardoris and talked to Cugel, who asks me what news from Stanley, but I can't progress the dialogue, presumably because I don't have the necessary item which seems to have just vanished. I completely blame myself for the mismanagement of such an important document but now it seems I can't progress the quest at all.


In my current tasks, I'm supposed to go to Aerie and ask about a dagger (that I don't have), deliver a letter to Cugel (that I don't have) and deliver an amulet to Brigid in Resolute (which I've done, but its still in my active tasks. In my knowlege journal, it actually SAYS I've delivered the letter to Brigid, though there's no task for what I'm supposed to do next.


So, after all that, two questions:

1. Is there a way to fix this, or should I be very cautious if ever accepting a quest that I best do it IMMEDIATELY or risk breaking it forever?

2. Does anyone else find the journal somewhat un-helpful? I've got pages of notes about various things, no idea what any of it pertains to and sometimes I've completed things that its still telling me I need to do. There doesn't seem to be a way to figure out what I need to do -now- or, what. I've also got entries for what research has shown me are much further steps along the quest (ie Malice dungeon stuff is finished) and then, final entry from today, a duplicate entry from Stanley telling me to go to Ardoris with the letter that he didn't give me?


Help...

 

You don't have to complete quests right away, but many beginner quests are only useful to complete at the beginning of the game because they give you a small amount of gold and experience that only a beginning avatar is in dire need of. When you complete the quest later on after you have levelled up, the experience you gain is negligible. I think players shouldn't be able to remove quest items from their inventory, so as not to lose them. I think there are already some quest items that can't be removed. The "good" news is, in 17 days the entire game will be wiped and you can (=must) start all over again. Then you can complete the quest as intended.

The journal is composed of two parts: a "Current Tasks" and "Knowledge Journal". These two sections have different purposes. The "Knowledge Journal" is supposed to be a kind of diary of the avatar's experiences in New Britannia. Ideally, it should read like a book and be a good memory refresher. The "Current Tasks" section is supposed to list the avatar's open objectives (any quests given) and should be useful to know what to do next. Tasks that have been completed should be removed from this section in my opinion.

Apparently there are still some issues with the Current Tasks journal that have to be ironed out. It would be helpful if you reported your experience in the bug forum.

 

More or less what I figured; I was trying to get an idea of what the quest would entail in preparation for the coming wipe.
Wasn't sure if there was a way to recover lost quest items ..its not something I would have destroyed, knowing it was needed, but its nowhere to be found, sadly.

I think the biggest issue is when I started, I had no inkling of where Aerie or Ardoris were and spent the first good while in the Soltown vicinity. By the time I did venture further, I never had the items with me, etc.
Perhaps making quest items non-bankable, as you say, would encourage you to step right along.

 

I think most of the Soltown quests are bugged right now. I talked to Stanley but there were so many around i couldnt get to the next mission. Same with the refugee camp quests across the road. Even the old man in the Inn isnt working right and another npc is standing on top of him and wont work right. I did all this before the wipe so i know what to do but nothing is working. Even Charlotte Gray is missing from the elf site at Solace Bridge. I think for a while i will just run back and forth from scenes and work up skills and such as much as i can....although with Everyone doing the same ones its a bit taxing. I will figure my niche sooner or later. Just hope my hubby doesnt get frustrated when he starts. LOL

 

@Belladona Rose You can do the quest - in SPOnline. In MPOnline, the other players interrupt your personal conversation too much to be able to do it.

 

Some items are game are flagged as quest items that you can't sell.

I think the game needs to be better about quest items. Make it so you can't accidentally leave them somewhere. You can't just drop them in a container, but also because you're forced to carry them, they should weigh nothing.