Riddles and daring
The Bridge Troll’s Toll
Grumblejaw the troll has claimed the only bridge over the Rushwater, and his toll is impossible: "one bag of gold, or one true treasure." Nobody in the village has either, and the heroes must cross before dark to bring medicine to a shepherd on the far side. The river is fast, the sun is sinking, and Grumblejaw does not budge for tears.
The impossible toll
Set the sceneGrumblejaw is enormous, mossy, and bored. He sits with his great feet in the river and recites the toll without even looking up: "Gold, or one true treasure. No treasure, no crossing." Behind you, the sun touches the hilltops. The shepherd’s medicine is in your pack, and it must arrive tonight.
Ask the tableGold you don’t have — but what might count as a true treasure? What do you try?
If they're stuckGrumblejaw yawns hugely and mutters, "The last one who crossed told me a riddle I still can’t solve. THAT was almost worth something." His ears perk up when anyone mentions games.
Riddles with a troll
Set the sceneGrumblejaw agrees to a contest: three riddles. If the heroes win, they cross free. If they lose — he keeps something from their packs, his choice. He grins, and you notice his teeth are the size of fence posts. He goes first: "I have a bed but never sleep, I run but never walk. What am I?"
Ask the tableA river! (Let them get it.) Now it’s your turn — what riddle do you ask a troll who has sat by a river for a hundred years?
If they're stuckAny real riddle a kid knows works — and Grumblejaw is terrible at anything about the modern village: bread ovens, socks, birthdays. He has never once had a birthday.
✦ Roll for itIf a riddle battle ends in a tie, settle it with one roll each — highest wins. On a troll victory he takes something from a pack, but stares at it puzzled, which matters later.
The secret crossing
Set the sceneMaybe you won. Maybe you lost and stormed off. Either way, a kingfisher whistles from a willow and shows you a secret: upstream, an old fallen pine crosses the river — narrow, slick, and creaking, with the Rushwater roaring white underneath. It is fast. It is also very much not safe.
Ask the tableThe light is nearly gone. Do you risk the log, or go back and face Grumblejaw again?
If they're stuckA rope, a steady friend’s hand, or crossing on hands and knees all help — heroes who help each other should get an easier time of it.
✦ Roll for itCrossing the log is the roll of the night: on a 1–3 the log cracks and drops a hand-span, someone’s pack strap snaps, and the medicine bottle goes skittering toward the edge.
Why the troll guards the bridge
Set the sceneFrom the far bank you see it: Grumblejaw wades under his bridge and gently pats a single loose stone, whispering to it. The truth comes out if anyone asks — trolls are born from bridge stones, and this bridge is his mother. He guards her because floods keep stealing her stones, and gold is the only thing heavy enough to hold the footings down.
Ask the tableGrumblejaw isn’t greedy — he’s scared. Knowing that, what do you do?
If they're stuckThe riverbank is covered in heavy stones. A wall of them, stacked by many small hands, holds better than gold — and no one has ever once offered to help him.