Typical Tavern Quest

Description

After reaching level 3, The Council of Loathing may send you to The Typical Tavern to solve a bit of a rat problem. You will not receive this quest until you have completed the Spooky Forest Quest.

Tasks

• Speak to Bart Ender in The Typical Tavern about his rat problem.
• Fight your way through the Tavern Cellar until you discover the rat faucet.
• Turn off the faucet, and return to Bart for your reward.

Reward

• 3 flagons of Typical Tavern swill
• Before finding the faucet you will encounter Those Who Came Before You, rewarding you with the shiny ring and a few class-specific items.
• Once you turn off the faucet, you can continue exploring the Cellar to encounter Baron Von Ratsworth in his mansion. Defeating him will grant you a rather nifty item (depending on the current setting of any of the Monster Aggravation Devices, there are two other possibilities). Note that he can be quite difficult to defeat, as his stats scale to yours.

Council Text

On initial visit:

We've received word that the owner of The Typical Tavern, in The Distant Woods, is having a bit of a rat problem. I'm sure he'd reward you if you took care of it for him.

On subsequent visits:

The owner of the Typical Tavern is still bugging us about his rat problems. Perhaps you could help him?

Bartender Text

On initial visit:

"Howdy, Adventurer!" says the jovial man behind the bar. "I'm Bart. Bart Ender."

"Nice to meet ya, Bart. I'm <Player Name>," you say. "The Council says you need some help with something."

"Yup. We've got a bit of a rat problem, y'see. Whole cellar's just thick with 'em. I mean, sure, there are always rats down there -- rats are a crucial part of the fantasy tavern ecosystem. Our problem is that there are too many rats. I need you to figure out why there are so many of 'em, and put a stop to it somehow." he replies.

"So there are... rats... in the cellar... of the tavern," you sigh, "and I have to kill, what, like, ten of them?"

"This isn't a simple matter of 'kill ten rats,' buddy. You need to track 'em back to their source and put a stop to it, whatever it is. Here, lemme unlock the trap door for you. Careful. It's dark down there."

On subsequent visits:

"Hey, if it isn't ol' <Player Name>. Had any luck finding the source of those rats? We're all counting on you!

"If you get thirsty, feel free to order a drink."

After turning off the rat faucet:

"Rat faucet got left on, eh? That was probably Luanne. She was always doin' ditzy stuff like that. Right unfriendly to the customers, too. That's why I fired her and divorced her.

"Anyhow, thanks for your help, <Player Name>. Here -- by way of thanks, have a few drinks on the house!"

You acquire 3 flagons of Typical Tavern swill

Notes

• The only enemies you will encounter in the cellar are rats, which can be troublesome because of their ability to dodge. They can drop the rat whisker and the rat appendix.
  • Depending on how much you have increased Monster Level, there are three varieties of rat: the drunken rat, the bunch of drunken rats, and the drunken rat king.
• The necessary faucet adventure and the Baron Von Ratsworth adventure are randomized per player per ascension. Their locations follow the pattern described here.
• On October 15, 2005, this quest was significantly changed. The original quest details may be found here.
• On March 24, 2009, the rewards of this quest were changed. The previous quest details may be found here.
• On October 22, 2010, this quest was significantly changed again. The previous quest details may be found here.

References

• The rat faucet is a possible reference to the Frank Zappa album Waka/Jawaka, whose cover shows two faucets, labeled "hot" and "rats."
• The quest as a whole is a reference to how, in many role playing games, one of the first quests is to kill a number of rats.
• "Rats in the Cellar" Is a popular Aerosmith song.
• "I Think I Smell A Rat" is also a song sung by The White Stripes, and is featured in their album "White Blood Cells".