The Fighter's Own Tavern

The adventures I'm about to describe began with a visit I made to Bug Tussle, where a business transaction took me to the Fighters Own Tavern. I thought it might be prudent to give a general description of the tavern before beginning the story.

Despite the tavern’s name, it is a haven for all travelers, not just warriors, although they certainly are the target demographic. This is a favorite haunt of sword swingers to boast of their exploits and plot new ones.

This isn't an establishment I frequent often, as it is owned and operated by Galen (CG hm F16/B9), who led the adventuring company to which I once belonged. We parted on...less than amicable terms. However, he wasn't in that evening, which helped with my digestion immensely.

Galen, in his day, was one of the greatest fighters in the Realms. He often had terrible tangles with his brother Morgan (LG hm Paladin 18), but it has been quite some time since the two have locked horns. Morgan is not a frequent visitor to Bug Tussle

Galen still goes adventuring, though not as earnestly as once he did. He is rather content to run this tavern which caters to fighters, but will serve anyone. He has a fine selection of wines, ales, and spirits from all over the realms. Galen also brews his own brand of ale and distills a sour tasting whiskey. He will also quite happily purchase beverages brought to him from afar in order to encourage others to buy his product and spread the good will among merchants of spirits.

Galen employs a verbeeg giant named Garunth as his bouncer. He met Garunth in battle several years ago, but rather than either one meeting his end, the two became friends united against a common enemy. Garunth sleeps in the town meeting hall when it is not being used for meetings. He is friendly to all but those who have crossed him, and he never forgets an insult or injury. If he tells you that you’ve had enough, you’d better listen. He is missing half of one leg and one hand. The former being replaced by a wooden peg (which is enchanted) and the latter with a gigantic mace head.

The tavern is treated like a second rate amusement park, and there is a lot of gambling. There are constant dagger throwing contests, card and dice games, and drinking contests too. There are regular sporting events held in the makeshift arena out back, which are heavily bet upon, with the winner taking a handsome purse provided by Galen from the proceeds.

Once a week there is a prize fight there for an admission price and people are allowed to bet on the outcome. Often these fights are part of the training young fighters can get from Galen for a tuition fee. These are not usually to the death, and even if a death accidentally happens, Too Bad Jim is on hand to revive and heal the fallen if they have purchased an "insurance" policy ahead of time.

Sometimes the fight is against Garunth, and sometimes against individual patrons for a local championship title, and sometimes against a summoned or captured monster. Galen never allows monster vs. monster exhibitions, however. He feels that is immoral. If the monster is not killed before the summoning spell ends, it is considered the winner.

Once, several years ago, a troll was summoned to the ring and defeated three fighters before the dweomer faded which sent it back to its home in the Underdark. Somehow that troll found its way back to the tavern and caused quite a turmoil until it was able to convince Galen that it only wanted a job. The troll, Bertrum by name, now regularly fights in the ring at the Fighter’s Own, making a very good living by collecting the prize money when he wins. He lives in the Bug Cave and has a day job there as its janitor. Sometimes, especially if the tourists are of a higher level or if someone is taking the tour for a second time, Martin will tip him extra to slip in behind the last tourist and give them a real fright by attacking them.

There are rooms to be had here, but they are pricey for what you get, which isn't much. Galen doesn’t want to cut into Groot’s business, but there are many fighters who won’t sleep in a fine inn and the town would rather they stayed under a roof than out in someone’s lawn.

Food here is better than average, but a far cry from what you could expect at the Church of Divine Pleasure or Hairfoot's Barefoot Inn. Meals are served on pottery and you pay twice the cost of the item if you break a dish.

Menu and Prices
Breakfast, plain 5 cp
Breakfast, elaborate 2 sp
Dinner, plain 5 sp
Dinner, elaborate 1 ep
Supper, plain 3 sp
Supper, elaborate 7 sp

Common Drink (per pint)
House Ale 2 sp
"Imported" Ale (out of town) 1 ep
"Exotic Ale” (from beyond the Dales) 5 ep
FO Beer, small 5 cp
FO Beer, heavy 1 sp
Mead 1 ep
Mead, special brew 15 sp
Wines (by the pint) 1 sp (worst) 1 pp(best)
FO Whiskey (per gill) 1 gp
FO Bourbon (per glass) 1 sp
Brandy 1 ep
Maker's Mark 3 gp
Liqueur Elixir 5 gp
Absinthe 1 pp

Galen once visited The Yawning Portal in Waterdeep, and when he had the opportunity to build a bar of his own, he based it on that model--including what he calls The Undertavern Dungeon composed of caverns discovered below the tavern site. Well, to be more precise, the location for the tavern was based upon proximity to the caverns, which had been discovered during the fight with the giant bugs.

Exactly as in the Waterdhavian bar, in the back room is a "well" which never functioned for the purpose of drawing water. Through the well and below the tavern are a series of catacombs. For a gold piece Galen will lower you into the well, but charges 10gp to haul you back up. The fees are clearly posted on a sign in this room.

Usually only one person at a time may descend into the tunnels, but if two or more wish to go, the fees go up by a multiple equal to the number of the party to a limit of 5 persons. The Undertavern is hardly a fraction the size of the great maze of the Ruins of Undermountain. More than 5 people at a time could easily overcome what challenges there are in this small sized homage.

The money and equipment of those who don't make it out remains in the tunnels for the taking. Whatever you find you can bring up, so long as you have the 10gp to pay the toll. It is well known that that the Fighter's Own’s master safe is hidden down there with all of Galen’s amassed treasure. It is also well advertised that the lucky one to find it and escape may keep all that they can find and carry out. Galen himself, or rather, Bertrum, restocks the caves with random treasures and resets the traps on a regular basis.

Even though smaller in scale than the infamous catacombs below Waterdeep, the Undertavern is not for the timid or ill-prepared. It is full of dangerous traps and many monsters. There is a rumor that there is a one way gate down there through which these dangerous beasts wander in and are unable to return. People tell new students whom Galen is training that getting in and getting out of the Undertavern Dungeon is the final exam, but in fact, Galen does not allow his students into the tunnels, anyone who would participate in something like this for sport he isn't interested in wasting his time training. He also will not allow anyone down the well who is drunk, or whom he believes has a death wish.

After the contestant is lowered into the well, the rope is pulled up and the lid is locked down tight. The contestant is told that when they want back up, they just have to pull on the chain, which will ring a bell in the tap room. When the bell rings, the door will be flung open and the rope thrown down to them. If they don’t have the 10 gold pieces when they reach the top, Garuth lets go of the rope and the poor delver drops back into the pit to try to come up with the exit fee. Not everyone goes down with the 10 gold pieces already in hand...and these are the ones for whom Galen has the most contempt.

Regulars enjoy sitting around telling familiar tales of this or that adventurer who in need of training, excitement, or money went below, or “through the well”, and what became of them. Or the money they’ve made by betting cleverly. Of those who don’t come out, less is said. The Fighter’s Own makes all who go below sign a release absolving the business of any wrong doing should the worst befall them. They also have to sign an agreement which assigns permission to allow their corpses to be animated for the purpose of protecting the treasure below from future contestants. It is only this permission which allows Too Bad Jim, a Chaotic Good cleric to create the undead guardians below.