Bug Tussle (Formerly the Shallain Freehold)

The Dalelands are by far the most frequented by adventurers in the Realms, owing to the large number of ancient ruins, accesses to the Underdark, and hidden treasure caches. There’s always something to do or to find here. Of all the cities, towns, and hamlets in the Dales, perhaps the least famous is Bug Tussle.

I currently reside in a tower I'm building in the Dagger Hills, an inhospitable tract of land between Shadowdale and Dagger Falls, and I've had several occaisions to visit...though I must confess to having reluctance to do so often. The town is the creation of several members of my old adventuring company, from whom I've become estranged. I admit that though nearly everyone else in the Realms is welcome there, I am given the coldest of shoulders...but tolerated none the less.

Bug Tussle is not so much a town as it is a small collection of buildings situated on what used to be the Shallain Freehold along the Dagger Hills Trail. It is, technically, located in Shadowdale, though it most often appears on maps of Daggerdale, owning to its being so close to the SE edge of Dagger Hills.

The Shallain Freehold was home to around 20 kinsmen who held a loose union of family farms in the area until 1363, when they were overrun by a swarm of giant insects which swept down on the farms and devoured the crops, livestock, and several of the farmers.

At precisely that time, the party of adventurers I mentioned previously, The Hopeful Seven, were headed to Shadowdale after an extended campaign in the Underdark. Laden with treasure and smarting from many wounds, they emerged from a cave not far from White Crag, and headed southeast toward the freehold to seek supplies and aid in exchange for trinkets. They arrived to see the town in ruin and the farmers fighting for their lives against the giant insect swarm.

The Hopeful Seven didn’t hesitate to join the defense of the farms, and after a tremendous battle, won the day. Success against the insects, however, came too late to save the most of the Shallain farms. What the insects hadn’t destroyed was obliterated in the many fireballs launched by the party’s wizard, Alzador.

The adventurers felt such compassion for the ruined farmers that they purchased almost all of their devastated lands at a prices several times the value of the land before the coming of the insect horde. Having spent most of their fortune in this generous act, and not having the heart for further exploits, they retired as a group and decided to start a town. They named it in honor of the battle they’d fought there: Bug Tussle.

Some of the original Shallain family farmers took the money, but continued to work their farms as tenants. Each year they are allowed to keep their entire crop in exchange for a small portion of the profits contributed towards the general town fund, established for the upkeep and protection of Bug Tussle. Over the years, two of those farmers have since bought back their farms.

Most of the businesses in town are owned by the individual members of The Hopeful Seven, and cater primarily to tourists and transient bands of adventurers. The way stop was officially opened for business in 1365.

This "town" is not recognized as such by the Mourngrym (Lord of Shadowdale), or most anyone else. Residents of the Dales outside Bug Tussle still refer to it as the Shallain Freehold, hoping that the fame of the town never spreads far. The residents, however, are adamant that it is, in fact, a real town.

OOC: Anyone who calls it by the old name (other than the remaining Shallain family farmers), will suffer an increasing charisma penalty of one point per reference to the Freehold after the first time they’ve been corrected.

Most residents of the town are members of The Seven, of course, or residents who have become loyal to them as a result of the adventuring company’s acts of kindness, bravery, or largess. Despite being indebted to the Seven for getting rid of the giant insects, most of the farmers in the area look down on them and avoid coming to Bug Tussle. It has the atmosphere of a town populated by carnies. Bug Tussle's main clientele are unsavory elements looking for a short cut between Dagger Falls and the North Ride, as well as novice adventurers eagerly seeking action in the Dagger Hills.

The Seven, though somewhat legendary, are frequently held up to dissatisfied farm children as the kind of bad end even successful adventuring will lead to--best to stay at home and tend the crops! Bug Tussle does provide a convenient source of supplies for the farmers in the northern section of this dale and an interesting rest stop for travelers on the minor trail between Shadowdale and Daggerdale. The Seven are also a source of help when the farmers of northern Shadowdale need assistance and the trip to the village of Shadowdale proper would take too long.

The Fighter’s Own Tavern sells a wide variety of spirits, beers, wines and ales, and sponsors regular sporting events and monster baiting for prize money. There is an open air flea market across the street that attracts the kind of merchant who can’t afford a store—something like a perpetual yard sale—and all in the shadow of what, for all practical purposes, is a house of sanctified prostitution. This is the Church of Divine Pleasures, a temple to Sharess.

OOC: Given its out of the way location and devotion to carnal delights, you might call Bug Tussle the Las Vegas of the Forgotten Realms.

To the Southwest of Bug Tussle is a deep wood full of gnolls and black orcs, as well as other nasty creatures which sometimes venture out to steal a cow or several chickens. These woods were once part of Cormanthor, but the trade route between Tilverton and Voolar, as well as the Farmer's axe have cut the trees back.

To the North and West are the most rugged stretches of terrain in the Dalelands--the Dagger Hills, rife with monsters and the territory of the Orcs of the Dripping Fang. These orcs are an offshoot of the Broken Anvil Tribe and inhabit the crumbling ruins and catacombs beneath the White Crag.

Besides the townspeople, farmers, and monstrous denizens, there are a few human shepherds and the occasional miner looking to strike it rich. There are also lots of bandits in the area who come down out of the hills to raid travelers on the roads and trails between Shadowdale and Daggerdale.

Spreading out between Cormanthor and Bug Tussle are the majority of Shadowdale's other farmlands, providing an easy and safe route along the road to Voonlar. To the North, East, and south--past the farmlands--are the main body of woods of Cormanthor. This ancient forest is home to a few remaining elves and far more monsters than you want to shake a short sword at.