The party is traveling for whatever reason and comes across an empty village that appears to have been overrun by [insert a plausible humaniod tribe]. A few bodies of civilians and perhaps one [insert humanoid] dead.
Skill Checks will uncover the following:
Healing:
Passage of Time:
DC 10: The bodies have been dead perhaps two days.
Autopsy / Examination of the Bodies:
DC 10:Â The wounds were primarily made by [insert some weapon not typical to humanoids chosen]. Example if you use orcs and they normally use axes then these wounds appear to be mostly stab wounds from swords or spears perhaps. This works best if your players have already encountered such axe wielding orcs and can notice this on their own rather than being spoonfed the information.
DC 20: Some of the bodies wounds look to have been inflicted while the bodies were laying down in the spot they fell.
Perception:
Tracks:
DC 10: There appear to have been maybe 8-12 members of the attacking party judging by the tracks.
DC 15: A series of wagons came through the village after the battle perhaps only hours after the battle which occured no more than two days prior to the party showing u.
DC 20: Someone has gone to trouble to hide the path the attackers came in from and it’s impossible to see where they entered or left and only the fact that it was hidden in some fashion is apparent.
The party could collect some resources here if they wish to rob the dead. Barrels of flour and onions and garlic hanging by the weave from rafters, apples stored in baskets in the root cellars, plenty of common clay or perhaps tin dishes and the like, some slabs of bacon and that kind of thing. Also mention some farming tools, specifically shovels and toss your players a karma point or two if they take the time to bury the dead.
If the party continues on and pursues the wagon which should be going in the same direction they were going in anyway, they’ll come across a wagon train that appears to be a small circus with some bears and semi-fantastic beasts in caged wagons. Â The personell will consist primarily of what will be introduced as roustabouts, the heavy lifters with perhaps one acting as a lion tamer or whatever and a female that dances and a couple of others.
The ringleader is actually the woman ‘dancer’ who is in charge of this slaver’s party. THe caged wagons hold the women and children of the village, the ones they deemed suitable to take. Â Through the use of ritual magic the bodies of the villagers are hidden by an illusion of wild animals and are drugged to prevent any noise. Â The body of the orc (or whatever you chose) was also a villager and another ritual has set a long term illusion on it of an orc that will survive typical perceptions without revealing what it actually is.
The party will have a few clues as to what the actual ‘circus’ is made of.  Perhaps a faint whimper barely heard on the air?  A bloodstained sword (or whatever) that matches the wounds of the villagers. Maybe a dress that’s tossed on a pile that matches the cut and coloring of the villagers. A child’s toy found along the path to the circus.
THe party might just suspect the circus of having stolen goods from the village as they passed through it. Or perhaps they might think something darker is going on.
The slavers are never unarmed and always suspcious of things that are going on. One doesn’t become a successful slaver without a little brains, guile and paranoia. Because really most people are out to get them.
I could provide some stats for slavers here but it’s very level based and anythign I provided wouldn’t work well. Â My recommendation is find the closest humanoid in the MM and just fluff it to be a slaver.
D
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