You’re riding through the Bohemian countryside, your armor is clanking, and you're probably thinking about the high-stakes political intrigue of 15th-century Europe. Then, suddenly, you’re drugging a prize-winning bull with laxatives and stealing a maypole because two villages can't stop bickering.
Welcome to the Battle of the Frogs and Mice.
If you've spent any time in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (KCD2), you know that Warhorse Studios loves a good historical deep cut. This quest line isn't just a random piece of filler content. It’s actually a brilliant, hilarious homage to an ancient Greek parody poem called the Batrachomyomachia. Seriously. The name literally translates to "The Battle of the Frogs and Mice," and while the original was a mock-epic poking fun at Homer’s Iliad, the KCD2 version is a mock-epic poking fun at the absolute absurdity of small-town feuds.
The Feud Between Tachov and Zhelejov
The whole thing kicks off in the Trosky region. You’ll find yourself caught between two tiny settlements: Tachov and Zhelejov. Honestly, these people hate each other for reasons that are basically lost to time, but mostly they’re fighting over a pasture.
Before you even get to the "battle" itself, you have to slog through the prerequisite quests: Mice and Frogs.
In Mice, you’re working for Innkeeper Prochek in Tachov. He’s got a massive chip on his shoulder regarding Old Olbram over in Zhelejov. You’ll end up doing things like brewing a Lullaby Potion—which, let's be real, is basically a medieval roofie for livestock—to put Olbram’s favorite white bull to sleep. Then you paint the poor thing. It’s petty. It’s ridiculous. It’s exactly what makes KCD2 feel like a real world inhabited by bored, spiteful people.
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Then there’s Frogs, where you flip the script. You help Olbram get his revenge by stealing the Tachov maypole. You have to navigate a midnight rendezvous between two lovers, Henik and Manka, just to get the guards out of the way.
Why the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice" Matters
Once you’ve finished playing double agent for these two grumpy old men, the quest Battle of the Frogs and Mice triggers. This is the grand finale. Both villages decide they’ve had enough of the pranks and meet in the disputed pasture for a "big scrap."
Most players just charge in and start swinging. You can side with Tachov, side with Zhelejov, or try to be the voice of reason. But here’s the thing: if you just pick a side and start knocking people out, you’re missing the "best" ending and a pretty slick achievement called Truce.
How to Actually Fix the Mess (The Peace Path)
Ending the feud peacefully is way more complicated than just hitting a peasant with a mace. It requires Henry to actually use his brain, which—depending on how you play your Henry—might be a tall order.
- Talk to the Bailiff: Instead of heading straight to the pasture to fight, you need to go to Troskowitz and speak with Bailiff Thrush.
- The Troskowitz Chronicle: You’ll need to investigate the town’s records. This involves a scholarship check or some light breaking and entering into the Rathaus.
- The Latin Phrase: You’ll find a specific phrase: Fecit, ordinem in regione ope clavi ferrei.
- Find the Scribe: You need Scribe Gaibl to translate it. If you pick the right dialogue, he explains that the border of the villages is marked by an iron "border nail" driven into a tree.
- Hunt the Nail: You have to go to the pasture, find the right tree (south of the road), and locate the physical evidence of the property line.
Finding that nail is the only way to stop the bloodshed. When you show up at the pasture with the Bailiff and the proof, the villagers realize they’ve been fighting over nothing. Or rather, they realize the law is finally watching.
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The Problem With Siding With a Village
If you choose the path of violence, you lose reputation. A lot of it. Side with Prochek, and everyone in Zhelejov will treat you like dirt. Side with Olbram, and you can forget about getting a cheap room at the Tachov inn.
The rewards for fighting are mostly just Groschen and the satisfaction of seeing a "Quest Complete" notification. But the peaceful path feels like the "canon" Henry—the man who is trying to bring order to a chaotic Bohemia.
A Masterclass in Side Quest Design
Why is this quest so highly regarded among KCD2 fans? Because it doesn't treat you like an idiot.
In a typical AAA RPG, a quest like this would just be a series of map markers. Go here, kill 5 mice, return for 50 gold. In Battle of the Frogs and Mice, the game expects you to pay attention to the environment and the lore.
The references to the Batrachomyomachia are the icing on the cake. The original poem gave the frogs and mice grandiose names like "Crumb-snatcher" and "Puff-jaw" to contrast their tiny size with the epic scale of their war. In KCD2, Warhorse does the same thing by framing a petty land dispute between two dirt-poor villages as a monumental historical event.
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It’s self-aware. It’s funny. And it’s deeply rooted in the actual history of the region, where land disputes like this were settled by "border nails" and local bailiffs rather than grand royal decrees.
Key Takeaways for Your Playthrough
Don't rush this one. Seriously.
- Check your skills: You really need a decent Speech or Scholarship level to get the peaceful ending. If you’re playing a "low-INT" Henry, you might be forced into the brawl.
- Save often: The herding mechanics for the sheep (during the pranking phase) can be a bit wonky. If you're trying to lead sheep over laundry to ruin it, be prepared for some frustration.
- The Double Agent Route: You can actually do most of the objectives for both sides before the final confrontation to maximize your rewards and XP. Just don't get caught.
What to Do Next
If you've managed to secure the truce, you’ve done more for Bohemia than most lords. But the Trosky region still has plenty of secrets.
Go back and talk to Bailiff Thrush after the quest; sometimes there’s a bit of extra dialogue or a small reward for your detective work. Also, keep an eye out for other quests involving the local nobility in Troskowitz, as your reputation boost from the Battle of the Frogs and Mice might make those interactions a lot smoother.
Next, head toward Kuttenberg if you haven't already. The city quests are a completely different beast—way more politics, way less livestock—but the "detective" skills you learned while hunting for that border nail will definitely come in handy there.