While gone he's busily stomping creatures and all kinds of nonsense (which you don't actually witness). If he's lucky enough to survive his ordeals, he returns to the fortress, which a collection of skill gains, some loot (perhaps a wagon's worth if he's really lucky!), and most importantly of all, an epic tale! After this he becomes a noble and starts to demand stuff, and the only labour he's interested in is more adventuring. Also perhaps a large party is thrown upon his return.
Maybe he could even return with an artifact? Maybe epic creatures have a tendency to track said adventurer back to the gates of your fortress and try to root him out? All kinds of cool stuff! Well, at least I think it would be cool...
EDIT: An adventurer could mess with the diplomacy of your civilisation too! Maybe he pissed off the nearby humans by sacking a church? Maybe he murdered a goblin chieftain?
[ December 03, 2007: Message edited by: DaveLawson ]
[Edited for typo.]
[ December 03, 2007: Message edited by: Nesoo ]
quote:
Originally posted by Nesoo:
<STRONG>And, as with your own adventurer(s), he could run in to some bad luck and you'd hear from the next caravan that arrived that he was slain by Insert Name, a minotaur. :)[Edited for typo.]
[ December 03, 2007: Message edited by: Nesoo ]</STRONG>
...at which point you promptly commission the next adventurer who comes along to go out and avenge the first adventurer's death.
They would visit your shops, buying and selling, and recruit some of your drunks (peasants) who would "emigrate." A sufficiently skilled adventurer might be able to recruit one of your military dwarves.
Every once in a while an adventurer might decide to retire at your fortress.
I haven't considered antisocial adventurers, but they would be fun too :)