I have always found it difficult to come up with one-nighters but this one was a success.
Abel and Otfried have stayed awake after the gravin’s departure, the others have gone back to bed. The landlord offers his sincere apologies for the previous night and lets them stay another night free of charge. The companions happily agree.
Sometime during the morning Gotrak Mittnachson arrives with two other dwarfs, Rurin Silverbeard, a venerable rune-priest & his son Rorin Rurinsson, the beardless dwarf. Both are looking for an ancient heirloom of Gazul (the protector of the dead). They have encountered the dwarf pit fighter on the road and hired his services. The reunion with Gotraks former companions is merry and everyone catches up on past events. Rurin is an old dwarf with white hair, short arms and a facial tattoo around his right eye, Rorin is a pot-belly dwarf with no beard but a large moustache. He carries a long staff with a severed hand of some kind of creature affixed at its end, he uses it to find the location of the heirloom.
Sometime later, Lothar wakes up and joins the others. Drinks and conversation mark the rest of the day.
The following morning the adventurers discover that their wizard apprentice is missing. A dagger is planted in his bed, pinning down a ransom note: “If you want to see your friend again, come to the old ruins to the west and bring 100 gold Pieces. Signed, a wronged party.”
After taking the child back to camp, they discover it is a boy with large, pointy black toenails. A discussion ensues whether or not to kill the infant but since no one is sure that it is a chaos mutation, they decide to bring the baby along.
The heroes move to the rescue and a vicious fight ensues. Meanwhile Rorin and Rurin are getting very excited. Rorin shouts to his father:”Da’ It’s here! We finally found it” and the runepriest starts chanting, working his powerful rune magic.
The valley is surrounded by a company of Dwarf Quarrelers, led by one Lofur Garnakson, agent of High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer. He has been tracking the two wayward dwarfs as they were expressly forbidden of seeking the Icon of Gazul. Lofur states that the heroes have been lucky in defeating the corrupt guardian. Should they have failed in doing so the results would have been disastrous.
After some words it becomes clear that the heroes were duped and misinformed into the mission by the duo. Lofur agrees to pay Gotrak his fee and thanks the heroes again for their valiant actions.