Quest Issue: a captured erudite vs. an erudite prisoner (and low faction turn-ins triggering agro)

[loramin]

Currently, an erudite prisoner (in the Warrens jail) will take a bronze shackle key and thank you for freeing him from his captors. However, a captured erudite (the female standing next to him) will just eat the key.

https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/...tml?quest=1241 does list the quest as being for "An Erudite Prisoner" (not "A Captured Erudite") ... however, reading the comments, it seems like players often confused the two, but were able to complete the quest with both.

For instance, a quote on that page implies that a player was able to give the key to both non-Kerran prisoners:

I am an erudite necro, not liked by the kerran prisoner, but the first time i hailed all the 6 prisoners, only 3 would ask for a key, the kerran and the 2 erudite. Then i proceeded to kill the jailmaster, who dropped (i think by chance, but who knows?) 3 keys. I tried to give a key to every prisoner who asked, but the kerran scuffled at me. So i decided to kill him for refusing such an opportunity, along with the 3 other cat

(I have a note about that "scuffling" at the end.)

Similarly this (2002) post, https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/...0509642902&p=1, on the captured Erudite page, claims:

It is a pleasure to see members of this foul and egotistical race chained and helpless. But as I contemplated killing it two things struck me. Firstly it would speak to me without trying to kill me unlike most of it's it's arrogant kindred and secondly that live study of such creatures might teach me something useful. As it turns out I learned that talking to Erudites is annoying.

(At lvl 15 I believe the jailor is a viable solo camp the cell is a safe place to sit and heal and releasing the captured Erudites adds a small bit to the xp. In any case all together it makes for good xp and fast leveling in what is an under hunted area. I like the Warrens it's actually an interesting place with alot of variety.)

Another post from https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/...tml?quest=1241 implies that the quest works for both erudites:

There were no faction changes for turning in the keys to either of the Erudite prisoners.

Similarly this post mentions the quest working on prisoners:

No faction, no money. Just a little bit of experience. But like the other guy said, you only have to walk about 30 feet to free the prisoners. What did you expect?

There's also this from https://web.archive.org/web/20020301...tml?quest=1241

wonder if an enchanter could get good enough faction for the kerran prisoner to respond positively to being freed..? In any case, it seems to me that things here were left undone. Freeing the different prisoners ought to give factions just like it does in Crushbone. Anyone know the email address for sending in info on bugs to be corrected?

Finally, there's the fact that when Verant has a prisoner ask for help in their text (as the captured erudite does: "I would be immensely pleased if someone would free me from these shackles"), there's generally a quest to free them ... and the fact that the jailer drops up to three keys (which is just excessive if there's only one mob they can be given to).

Oh, and one more thing: I re-activated Loramin 1.0 on live (after all these years) and went to The Warrens. While Toxx has been completely remade, both Paineel and Warrens seem to be the same basic zones (I've been leveling in Warrens a lot lately, and the mob placements on live seem identical to P99's).

However, when I turned a key into the captured erudite on live, I completed the quest. (She didn't despawn, but I think that's just some weird live thing to make questing easier.)

Given all of the above, it seems like A Captured Erudite should take the key and award minor XP/faction, just as An Erudite Prisoner does.

P.S. While doing the above research, I also found a post from https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/...tml?quest=1241 (from 2004) that suggests completing the quest with low enough faction (but high enough level to prevent the mob from agroing you) results in the NPC agroing instead of rewarding the player (or "scuffling" as my first quote mentioned) ... although (confusingly) they also claimed both mobs conned indifferent:

I am 16 lvl Ranger of Tunare, conned indifferent to each, gave each key in rapid succession. After starting cat and female erudite attacked. Did this twice. The male never attacked.
In addition if you rest in their cell before giving the keys, the cat and female attack as well, though not conned as enemies. indifferent I believe.
BTW gave keys to all 3 in a hurry on way out for xp
anyway.
If you release them, they will chase you (or me, anyway) to zone. too weak to take them on.

Similarly this post suggested such behavior was classic beyond just the Warrens:

In other words if you are below dubios with erudite prisoner, but too high level to be agroed on, doing the quest (key) will agro them. I seen this happening with many KOS mobs..

However, when my level 17 Dark Elf Erudite gave a key to the kerran, she didn't react at all (ie. she didn't attack me), and of course, the same was true of the captured erudite. Perhaps this is a separate classic bug, that quest mobs should agro when your faction is low enough (but your level prevents them from attacking outright)?

P.P.S. Shout out to Dolalin's https://search.eqarchives.org/ for helping me find stuff.

[Passenger]

- https://web.archive.org/web/20030121...e=35&id=393229

Keys
Neseriya | 3/19/2001 4:58:02 PM

Kill the Kobold jailer, then return the silver key to the female erudite in jail, she talks about getting a key to get out of some handcuffs. I would guess you give the other key to the other erudite in the room.

All I received was a little I mean a sliver of exp (even though the jailer was blue to me) from giving the key to her, she didn't give me anything either.

Submited by: Dazzler Twodirks Ver On: 3/22/2001 5:02:25 PM

The quest is obviously broken.
There's no faction hits for freeing or killing them.
There don't vanish like the Crushbone slaves do when freed.
Erudites would have killed the Kerran not buffed him as well.

Submited by: Anonymous On: 3/27/2001 1:36:42 PM

I did not notice any different types of keys. The Jailer drops randomly 1 to 3 keys. Don't bother giving to the cats, they say they will not help you. The Erudites say thank you and you get some experience.

An amusing side note-

If you are killing the prisoners and they run out of the jail...
The kobolds don't care. And if they can run out of the jail, why do you need to bother giving them a key?

Submited by: Kalvarini On: 6/21/2001 6:50:17 AM

At 15th level I killed the Jailer who was a white con to me. On handing a bronze key to one of the Erudites the following happened:
I got some thanks
I got no faction adjustment
I got no money
I got no exp even though it said I did
the prisoners are still prisoners.

Kalvarini 15th Season Singer of Bristlebane

I think the silver key referenced in the first comment is still the bronze shackle key. The player was likely describing its appearance.

[nilbog]

Fixed, pending update