Skip to content

Ransom Negotiations

When a hero is captured, the two Lord Commanders (victim and captor) negotiate a ransom. Gold is exchanged, the hero returns home, and the victim's penalties lift.

Who Negotiates?

Lord Commander only (the faction Commander or a seated town Lord Commander). A faction with no seated Lord Commander cannot negotiate.

Where to Negotiate

Open the Faction Stone menu at your home base:

  • Captor's perspective: Hero Ransom entry → make demands
  • Victim's perspective: Hero Ransom entry → counter-offer, accept, or decline

Both sides see a shared live status line showing the current offer and time remaining.

Ransom Flow

Captor's Turn

  1. Demands a ransom in Gold (0–10,000)
  2. Waits for victim response

Victim's Turn

The victim chooses one:

  • Accept — pay Gold immediately, hero comes home, penalties lift
  • Counter — offer a lower amount; Gold is held in escrow (unavailable for daily upkeep)
  • Decline — refuse the offer; escrow is refunded, talks clear

Negotiations Continue

If the victim counters, the captor can:

  • Accept the counter — escrow is paid over, hero released
  • Re-demand — set a new, hopefully lower demand

Three counters per side maximum. After three counters, the standing demand becomes take-it-or-leave-it. A decline does NOT reset the counter tallies.

Key Rules

  • No side can move twice in a row — must alternate
  • Escrowed Gold is unavailable for daily upkeep — intended tension
  • Window = remaining captivity — unpaid rations shrink the auto-return timer
  • No deal = hero auto-returns after 72 hours (or sooner if rations unpaid); escrow refunded, captor gets nothing

Deal Fails If...

  • The cell door is broken (rescue)
  • Hero goes home by other means (rescue escort)
  • Server resets (escrow refunded, no downtime catch-up)

Compensation

Nothing is owed to the captor if negotiations fail — the captured faction simply gets their hero back. The captor's only reward while holding is the gold drop multiplier (passive).