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The Ransom

The Ransom is a quest.

Details

Property	Description
Giver	Merchants
Membership	Male only
Requirements	Any level
Summary	Deliver a gem ransom to a kidnapper, find where the victim is held and rescue them from a dungeon.

Objectives

Use the location names in your quest journal. Follow map markers when they are available.

Step	Objective	Optional
1	Take the ransom the gem to the kidnapper at the quest building in the named town within the time limit shown in your journal	No
2	Kill the kidnapper's thug and find out where the victim is held	No
3	Rescue the victim from the quest dungeon	No
4	Return to your quest giver in the quest building	No

Choices

Decision	Choice
The kidnapper waits for the ransom the gem.	Pay the ransom
The kidnapper waits for the ransom the gem.	Pay it as a friend of the Thieves Guild
The kidnapper waits for the ransom the gem.	Refuse, and get the victim back without it

Outcomes

Added gear requires a successful quest payment and a qualifying outcome. Quest mail alone does not count as payment.

Outcome	Gold multiplier	Gear choice
You brought the victim out of the quest dungeon yourself, and the ransom was never paid.	125%	Yes; one reward tier higher
The victim is home, though the gem is gone.	100%	Yes
You paid the ransom as a friend of the Thieves Guild, and the victim came home.	100%	Yes
You paid the ransom, and the victim came home.	100%	Yes
The victim never came home.	No added payment	No

Outcome	Change type	Target	Change
You brought the victim out of the quest dungeon yourself, and the ransom was never paid.	Faction reputation	The Merchants	+2
You paid the ransom as a friend of the Thieves Guild, and the victim came home.	Faction reputation	The Thieves Guild	+3

With Questlines enabled, these outcomes control the added rewards. Gold multipliers apply only to gold the quest actually pays. A gear choice offers a weapon, armour and jewellery; keep one. See Quest rewards and loot for rarity, payment and online reward rules.

Possible quest foes

Foe	Group size
Rogue	1

These are the script’s possible foe groups, including conditional encounters. They are not all guaranteed to appear together; repeated attacks and ordinary dungeon enemies can add more. Follow a foe’s reference for its combat rules before choosing weapons.

Scripted gold

Payment	Base amount (gold)
Gold payment	5–25

These are the script’s unscaled payment ranges, before the outcome multiplier and any party split. A payment still requires its quest objective or branch; the listed payments are not automatically awarded together.

See Quest reference for offer requirements across quests.

Online, a failed outcome does not apply its faction-reputation penalties. Legal-standing changes and choices made during the quest are separate.

Sources (18)