Quest Line · Original Adventure · Daggerheart
One-shot
A memory-eating troll has taken residence under the Sablewood Bridge, demanding memories as toll from all who wish to cross. What began as curiosity has become crisis—a dozen merchant wagons are backed up on the northern road, travelers are growing desperate, and the troll refuses coin, goods, or violence. The party must uncover why the troll hungers for memories and decide whether to destroy her, negotiate passage, or restore what was taken.
Players should create characters with reasons to travel the Northern Trade Road or respond to requests for help. This adventure works best with a mix of social and combat capabilities.
Content warnings: Memory loss, grief, body horror (mild), potential character death. The troll's appearance may disturb some players—discuss comfort levels beforehand. Players will be asked to describe precious memories their characters might sacrifice.
Choose the option that best fits your table:
Hook 1 — Merchants' Plea: The party encounters Davra Ironwheel, a merchant whose caravan has been stopped for three days. She offers 50 silver pieces if they can clear the bridge. "The creature won't take coin. She wants stories... our memories. My driver gave her one just to test. Now he can't remember his daughter's name."
Hook 2 — Personal Stakes: Someone the party cares about crossed the bridge days ago and hasn't returned. Investigation reveals they paid the toll but wandered into the Sablewood afterward, confused and lost, having forgotten their destination entirely.
Hook 3 — Official Commission: The Waykeepers' Guild posts a bounty: 100 silver to restore passage across Sablewood Bridge "by any means necessary." The situation threatens regional trade, and tensions are rising.
The party arrives to find chaos contained by exhaustion. A dozen merchant wagons stretch along the northern approach to Sablewood Bridge, a sturdy stone structure spanning the Coldwater Rush. Drivers sit in sullen clusters, sharing food and frustration. The bridge itself appears undamaged, but no one crosses.
What the Players See:
Key Interactions:
The merchants are divided. Some want to rush the bridge in force. Others suggest building a ford upriver (a week's work minimum). A few have already sacrificed memories to cross but returned when they realized they'd forgotten why they were traveling.
Investigation (Difficulty 12): Characters examining the bridge discover:
Talking to Victims: Three people paid the troll's toll:
None can clearly describe what memory they gave—only that the troll asked them to "speak it true" and touched their foreheads.
When the party approaches the bridge with clear intent to negotiate or cross, Grandmother Grike emerges. She's massive—twelve feet tall, skin like river stone, hair of wet moss, eyes that swirl with silvery light. Unlike the ravening monsters of legend, she moves with deliberate grace.
"You wish to cross," she says, voice like gravel tumbling in current. "Then pay the toll. One memory. Precious, true, and wholly yours. No coin. No lies. No blades."
Negotiation (Difficulty 13-15 depending on approach):
Grike will answer questions but deflects inquiries about why she needs memories:
Insight (Difficulty 14): Grike is not malicious but profoundly lonely and sad. She touches her own temples frequently, as if checking something is still there.
Possible Player Choices:
1. Pay the Toll: A character can offer a memory. The player describes a cherished memory—a moment of joy, love, accomplishment, or connection. The GM and player collaborate on what exactly is lost. The character can cross but will occasionally experience gaps in their past.
2. Refuse and Attack: Grike has no wish to fight but will defend herself. She has roughly 30 HP, armor 2, and uses powerful grapple attacks (Difficulty 14 to resist) that allow her to drain a memory on her next turn as a last resort. She flees into the river if reduced below 10 HP.
3. Investigate Further: Perceptive characters notice Grike keeps touching a leather pouch at her belt. If asked about it (Difficulty 15 or with successful empathy), she reveals the truth.
The Truth:
Grike's daughter—a smaller troll named Pebble—died years ago in a flood. Grike is losing her own memories of Pebble to time and grief. She collects others' precious memories hoping to understand how to hold onto her own. The pouch contains Pebble's baby tooth and a river-smoothed toy.
"I am forgetting her laugh," Grike admits if approached with compassion. "The shape of her hands. The way she said my name. I thought... if I studied how others remember joy... I could keep her."
The party's choices determine the outcome:
Ending 1 — The Gift of Remembrance:
If the party shows compassion and someone offers to help Grike remember, they can propose an alternative. A character skilled in art, music, or storytelling can work with Grike to externalize her memories—create a song, carving, or written testament about Pebble. This requires a Difficulty 16 skill check (give advantage if multiple characters contribute).
Success means Grike realizes memories can be preserved through creation, not collection. She releases all the stolen memories—travelers suddenly remember what they'd lost—and allows free passage. She begins carving Pebble's story into the bridge stones and asks travelers to sometimes share their own stories of lost loved ones. She becomes the bridge's guardian, not its gatekeeper.
Ending 2 — The Bargain:
If the party negotiates, Grike might accept a different toll: each traveler shares a memory but doesn't lose it—they simply tell their story aloud, which Grike listens to and treasures. This satisfies her need for connection. The backup clears slowly as people cross by telling tales. Trade resumes, though crossing takes longer than before.
Ending 3 — Violence:
If the party fights and defeats Grike, she flees into the Coldwater Rush. The bridge is clear, but the stolen memories aren't restored—Grike took them with her. The party earns the merchants' gratitude but must live with knowing they drove away a grieving mother rather than helping her. Rumors later surface of a troll downstream, still collecting memories.
Ending 4 — The Sacrifice:
If the party cannot or will not help, they can cross by paying memories as toll. This is the darkest ending—they solve the immediate problem for themselves but leave others to suffer. Grike continues her collection, the backup grows, and eventually violence erupts between desperate merchants.
Grandmother Grike: Ancient river troll, twelve feet tall, skin like wet stone. Collects memories in a desperate attempt to hold onto her dead daughter's. Not evil—grieving and lost.
Davra Ironwheel: Dwarven merchant, practical and frustrated. Cares more about her profit margin than the troll's motives, but won't risk her drivers' minds unnecessarily.
Marten Quick: Human guard who paid the toll and forgot his sword training. Ashamed and frightened. Will beg the party to get his memories back.
Olyssa Greenbottle: Halfling traveling merchant who forgot her business partner. Becomes obsessed with wondering if she actually had a partner or if the memory is false.
Wren: Young human who forgot where home is. Devastated and suicidal. Needs immediate compassion or will attempt to drown herself in the river.
If the bridge is cleared peacefully:
If memories are restored:
If the bridge is cleared through violence:
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