So on Steelbeard's treasure hunt, getting to the final stretch where Patty is kidnapped by Romanov and then you meet Romanov at the entrance to the treasure chest cave, you get the option to fight him or go in and solve the "puzzle" then get the key to Patty's cell. I did the noble thing and got Romanov the treasure map, and he gave me the key to Patty's cell and then wandered off towards Harbour Town. I rescued Patty and headed to Town and Romanov isn't at the secret entrance.

I don't have any earlier saves. I've tried patching and console mucking-around to try and unbreak this quest, but no joy. Any known fixes?

Thanks.

I'm not that far into my current replay to have the answer immediately to hand, but often NCPs move at a snails pace compared to the player, so try leaving the area, doing something and returning. Also, have you gone inside the cave?

When I did that quest, I actually found Romanov's dead body lying next to the campfire on the beach! Maybe check that?
I assume it was a glitch, but I like to think that Patty killed him herself before I got there...

Thanks guys. I actually used the console to cheat and "goto Romanov", he and his buddies were spawning infinitely over the ocean, high up in the sky, dying instantly, then plunging a mile down into the sea, then respawning in the sky. Happily I was able to walk around in the sky and observe this amusement for some time, but I couldn't loot their falling corpses.

I tried "goto Patty" to get me out of the sky, but couldn't get any other dialogue options, so I did another "goto Romanov" out of desperation and lo and behold, he and one of his men were now on the beach!

So I guess the fix is: cheat. Try "goto Romanov" a few times and maybe the game will finally put him in the right place.