In this guide we discuss the noble art of tavern brawling. We dissect an actual brawl in the picturesque seaside fishing village of Driftwood. Peopled by charming Dwarven emigres, administered by the fair-minded Magisters of Rivellon, Driftwood is a seemingly idyllic location for a holiday home. Nestled on the western edge of Driftwood, The Black Bull Tavern has a 5 star Tripadvisor rating and represents an ideal location for a freewheeling encounter with colourful local characters.

In the blue corner are our heroes:

• Corvid the Black, elven Death Knight, recent champion of the Fort Joy Arena of the One.
  
• Ifan ben Mezd, decorated Divine Order soldier and friend to small animals and children.
  
• The Red Prince, fabled playboy and exiled noble of the House of War.
  
• Fane The Eternal, savant, mystic, traveller and heir to Hubert's crown.

In the red corner are the opposition, including the following:

• Garvan the Trader, murderer and swindler.
  
• Prudence the Barkeep, demon-possessed mother.
  
• Barstan Tungs the Bard, mouthpiece for hire.
  
• Lovrik the Barman, pimp and thug.
  
• Stewart the elf, failed Magister.
  
• Safa the Drunk, elven Goth.
  
• Assorted riff raff who should be out hunting Sourcerers instead of drinking in a hive of scum and villainy.

Starting things off is as easy as finding a likely / drunken suspect then and applying one or two rapid swings of your Source Hammer to get things moving.

Here we have chosen to gang up up on a 'friendly' trader named Garvan who murdered his business partner and subsequently laughed when challenged on his behaviour. Garvan is not the cleverest of killers; he has a thing for the house stew, little realising that the secret ingredient is Magister Harrick.


Note the following:

• The patrons of the tavern turning upon those who spilled their pint / spoiled their evening. A wide variety of weaponry is immediately in evidence, up to and including a longbow.
  
• The seemingly innocent serving wench Prudence (mother to 'famous surgeon' Kniles) who reveals her true nature as a demon ninja.
  
• Fane's superb demonstration of the Worm Tremor -> Phoenix Dive combo for heating up a mob encounter.
  
• Corvid's practical implementation of Battle Stomp as a close quarters control method.
  
• Ifan and The Red Prince administering a terminal beating to the murderous trader Garvan.

As the Scots say, it's a right auld rammy!


Here Corvid demonstrates the combo of Bull Rush followed by Whirlwind, hammering no less than six Entangled opponents in quick succession. In the background the remaining heroes line up to administer their own combos of Bouncing Shield, Ricochet and Elemental Totem against the closely packed brawlers.

Enter the lovable Red Prince as he prepares to rock everyone's world:


The deadly combo of Adrenaline -> Battering Ram -> Earthquake leaves nobody in doubt of his skills as a lover.

A few brief thrusts and it's all over. All that remains is the cleanup job and the spirit of the dead Magister Harrick, wondering why she couldn't have met our heroes before she ended up as an ingredient in the stew:

A closing summary of the lessons demonstrated here:

• Be careful how you deal with murdering scum as it can get messy.
  
• Numerical superiority does not win battles but it does make for more XP.
  
• Tripadvisor ratings for The Black Bull Tavern should not be taken at face value.
  
• Don't order the stew.
  
• DOS2:DE is excellent fun for the discerning gamer.