Heartbeat Quests are unique to Prophesy of Pendor. They are periodically given out by the village elders or the stewards of your fief, who send messengers to your party (i.e. you don't actually need to be anywhere near the fief to get a quest). There are many different varieties, and even if you receive the same quest more than once, the same answer will not always be the correct one, nor the outcome. Similarly, the most expensive option is not always the best one.
You can refuse a heartbeat quest, but this will result in a loss of morale and honor. You can wait a fairly long time before going to accept the quest from your fief steward (there is no time limit to accept the quest), but if you wait too long, you'll lose relation with the fief in question.
A list of ongoing heartbeat quests can be found in the Reports page ("View location income report").
There are 18 heartbeat quests, and here are they listed:
- (M'lord/M'lady), there is a mercenary company here requesting to speak with you - Mercenaries arrive at your castle or city and will ask for 10,000 denars. If you give an extra 2000 you may receive extra troops. These mercenaries include Mercenaries, Barclay, Mettenheim, Veccavia, Jatu and Singalians.
- Our wells are befouled and may have been poisoned! - cleaning it or treating your people will boost relation if successful. Finding the culprit will reduce your relation with the lord who sent him
- The Snake Cult is spying on us! - capture the spy, save the children. Donating 2000 denars for an orphanage decreases your relations with the Snake Cult by 2, increases renown and honor.
- We've captured a Heretic! - hand them over to Knights of the Dawn (boost relation with them but reduces relation with Knights of Eventide), check if they are truly a heretic (boost relation with Knights of Eventide, but reduces relation with Knights of the Dawn).
- We need to review some petitions for new trade routes. - merchants arrive, let them trade but not undercut your merchants for a prosperity boost to your town.
- We have had a fire (M'lord/M'lady)! - You can pay for it to be fixed or get the steward to solve the matter at hand on his own.
- It is about the shrine, (M'lord/M'lady) - The Order of the Dawn demands a shrine to be erected for their god, demanding that the other shrines be torn down. The outcome varies.
- (M'lord/M'lady), we have a refugee problem. - Refugees have come to your fief. You may choose to send them away, incorporate them into your fief or give them food and send them away.
- Rats, (M'lord:M'lady)! We have a terrible infestation of rats.
- We have had unusually heavy rains and some flooding (M'lord/M'lady).
- We need to hire the local Witch, (M'lord/M'lady)!
- Two of the village clans are fighting again - they've sworn blood feud against one another.
- We have a situation with horse thieves here, (M'lord/M'lady)!
- Wolves! We are besieged by an enormous pack of ravening wolves!
- We are stricken with disease.
- There are thieves among us! They're robbing everybody!
- It concerns the castle (M'lord/M'lady)! Repairs are urgently needed.
- Deserters, dangerous ones, (M'lord/M'lady)! - Pendor have its own way to deal with scum like this (Boost town relation, lose a tiny amount of moral troop)