What Happened Last Session
Victory and Grief
The party fled the excavation chamber with Astrid unconscious and Bargon barely standing. Quick looting yielded mysterious blue bottles and a valuable green scarab, but Hagen’s charred body remained buried beneath the rubble alongside his Axe of Nine Eyes. There wasn’t time for proper recovery—survival demanded immediate retreat.
As they navigated the secret passages back toward safety, the party discovered something they desperately needed to see: the Void Hag’s scorched corpse. Hagen’s accidental sulfur explosion had succeeded. The ancient entity that commanded the deep trolls lay dead in the excavation chamber. But their moment of relief shattered when they found a surviving deep troll crouched beside the hag’s body, crying in grief.
When Saving Becomes Killing
The mourning troll spotted Carmin and Zahlie and charged. Its claws struck with brutal efficiency—8 damage to Zahlie, then smashing through a door in relentless pursuit. Bargon attempted a shield wall defense, but the troll’s double claw attack dropped him to 0 HP.
In the chaos of retreat, Zahlie attempted to stabilize her fallen companion. She rolled a critical failure. Instead of saving Bargon, she accidentally stomped on his throat, killing him instantly. Dolitan deployed the Orb of Darkness to blind the pursuing troll, creating a sphere of impenetrable darkness that bought the party their escape—but they had to leave the magical orb behind.
The Price of Survival
The eight-hour trek back to Dvergheim proved grueling. Torch management became critical as Dolitan’s new cursed crossbow prevented him from carrying any light source. The dwarven guards met them at the barricade, taking Astrid to medical care where she recovered. The party told the dwarves that Hagen and Bargon had “sacrificed themselves for your kingdom.”
King Snorgin Thrain Ironheart received them in his war council chamber. The party reported killing the Void Hag and multiple deep trolls, with one troll remaining. The king acknowledged he should have warned them about troll regeneration, but kept his word about the magic weapon rewards. He commissioned his finest craftsmen to create weapons, ready in one week, and put out a call for dverg volunteers.
Rest, Revelations, and Rewards
During the week-long rest, the party engaged in carousing, spending 300 gold to gain experience and make connections throughout Dvergheim. Astrid broke church taboos and gained a powerful enemy—Nor, a Level 7 Dwarf Priest—but also befriended a city guard. Zahlie leveled up and unexpectedly married a dwarven woman named Runah (gaining both a wife and a 30gp dowry). Runah, a skilled thief, chose to join the party rather than stay behind. Carmin leveled up through dedicated training. Crixbin became haunted by a tricksome ghost but gained an ally in Grod, a dwarf priest. Dolitan leveled up and gained crossbow mastery.
When the week concluded, King Thrain presented the commissioned magic weapons: a vicious bastard sword for Carmin that cuts through any material (but curses swimming), a charming warhammer for Astrid with a female voice that deals double damage to demons and turns blood to rose petals, a staff for Crixbin effective against undead, and a polite crossbow for Dolitan with a British accent that beheads on critical hits (but extinguishes any light he carries).
Ben’s new character Brassbellow Brittlenose—a clumsy but confident dwarf fighter known for training accidents—joined the party alongside Runah and Grod.
Looking Ahead
The party accomplished their primary mission: the Void Hag is dead, confirmed by her scorched corpse in the excavation chamber. Hagen’s accidental sacrifice eliminated the ancient entity that had commanded the deep trolls for hundreds of years. But the cost was steep—two companions lost, the Orb of Darkness abandoned in the mines, and Hagen’s Axe of Nine Eyes still buried under rubble. One deep troll remains, mourning its “Mother” and undoubtedly hostile.
The party has grown stronger through loss. New allies join the expedition: Runah brings thieving skills and high charisma, Grod provides priestly support in a city with no temples, and Brassbellow adds another fighter despite his reputation for accidents. Magic weapons now arm the party, each with personality and power—but also curses and complications. The divine severance continues unabated, eight days and counting, with no sign the gods will return to answer prayers or restore lost spells. The unsealed vault beneath Dvergheim holds secrets the party never explored, and whatever other horrors might be sealed there remain unknown. But first: recover the lost equipment, kill the final troll, and perhaps—finally—give Hagen a proper burial.
Sometimes the hardest battles are fought with trembling hands over fallen friends, and the cruelest wounds are the ones we accidentally inflict ourselves.