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50 Rural Encounters

1-2 PCs come upon the body of a man, stabbed,stripped of weapons, cloak, and boots, and leftdead at the side of the road. He has a letter tuckedinto his stocking informing him that a distantrelative of his in a nearby town has died and lefthim his entire estate.

3-4 Inhabitants of the village take PCs to be anInspector + their retinue from the Capitol (this

explains their odd clothing and behavior) and treatthem accordingly. The real inspector is about aday’s ride away. 

5-6 A young man or woman, filthy, covered in smallcuts, naked save for a fox’s tail tied around theirwaist, comes panting over the hill toward the PCs,and hides behind some nearby trees. A group of nobles on horseback appears a minute or so laterand, with a chuckle, ask PCs if they have seen a foxpassing through.

7-8 A group of young boys are fishing at a placid lake. They wave lazily to the PCs, just as two squamous,humanoid arms break the surface and drag oneunder.

9-10 A fire-and brimstone preacher is giving animpassioned sermon in a hastily-erected tent to a

large crowd. The sermon has some bearing on oneor more outer characteristics of at least one PC.11-12 A group of angry peasants are burning the local

duke in effigy, shaking farm implements andcursing his name. The crowd will encourage PCs to

 join in. An agent of the Duke’s is hidden nearby,taking down names and descriptions.

13-14 PCs come upon the body of a young woman, butcloser inspection reveals that she is playingpossum. She scampers away, whistling, at which aparty of d6+6 hideously inbred cannibal hillbillies,led by her oldest brother-husband, attack.

15-16 PCs are waylaid by a masked Highwayman andd6+4 accomplices. He will attempt to kiss thehands of any females present.

17-18 A group of d8+4 figures dressed as religiousmendicants approach, their heads bowed in solemn

prayer. If the roll on the d8 was even, they drawback their hoods, produce shortswords frombeneath their robes and attack.

19-20 A travelling carnival has set up on the outskirts of town. They are (1-2) a bizarre and sinister cult of degenerates and necromancers (3-4) Fae creaturesin disguise (5-6) mere Carnies.

21-22  The local duke’s army is drumming up new recruitsin the town square. Their methods are brutal andinsistant, and will extend to any able-bodied PCs.

23-24 A magistrate is hearing cases brought by well-to-dolocal peasants. At the sight of the PCs, bothparties offer compensation if any of them willrepresent them in a trial by combat.

25-26 Rival adventuring party (roll on table or supply yourown) appears at the next crossroads, heading in

the same direction as PCs.27-28 PCs encounter an NPC from a past adventure or

character background in the stocks in the townsquare. The details of the NPC’s crime can be obtained from passers-by.

29-30 A group of villagers are celebrating a fertilityfestival, featuring much drinking, dalliance, and theparading of an ithyphallic mannikn made of strawthrough the nearby fields. PCs are encouraged to

 join in.31-32 A group of travelling players are putting on a

performance in the village square, costumed as the

PCs. They are performing an episode from theiradventures, though misrepresented. If the deedwas noble and valorous, it is depicted as trecherous, cowardly, and bloodthirsty, and vice-versa.

33-34 A hunting party is being assembled in the townsquare. Three village children have been killed inthe last week by some half-glimpsed monster. Thecreature was sighted less than an hour ago by a

local woodcutter. The villagers plead with the PCsto join the hunt, though some of the younger mengrumble about involving outsiders in their affairs.

35-36 A mountebank has set up his wagon in the villagesquare and is loudly proclaiming the virtues of hisnew “miracle elixir.” Will call out to one of the PCsto assist in the demonstration.

37-38  Two men are hurridly loading barrels of moonshineinto an already loaded wagon. After percievingthat the PCs are not, in fact, the Sheriff’s men, theywill offer a barrel or two to the PCs before one of them hops in the driver’s seat and takes off. It isextremely potent, flammable, and illegal underlocal sumptuary laws.

39-40 A funeral procession winds its way to the outskirtsof the town. A persistant banging can be heardfrom within the coffin, but this is ignored.

41-42 A Witchfinder and his retinue arrive in the vi llageshortly after the PCs. The suspect they arepersuing closely resembles one of the party, andthey will shadow them closely until confronted.

43-44 PCs find themselves in the middle of a shootout(bows, crossbows, throwing hatchets, etc.) betweentwo families involved in a generations-long feud.PCs are enjoined to declare for one side or theother. Neutrality will be met with incredulousoutrage.

45-46  The whole town has turned out to watch thehanging of a notorius local brigand, who bears anuncanny resemblance to a respectable NPC of pastacquantance. Upon seeing the PCs, he will greetthem by name, shout a cheerful “See you all inhell,” and leap from the platform with the noose

around his neck.47-48 2d8 mounted bandits have arrived at the village

first, and busy themselves with slaughter, rapine,and pillage. They will pause in these activities atthe approach of the PCs and will either attack (if they outnumber the PCs at least 2-1) or attempt toflee.

49-50 A poacher runs past the PCs, dropping a large sackat their feet as he leaps a fence and dashes intothe undergrowth. A few minutes later, agroundskeeper and 1d4 assistants appears fromthe same direction. He is interested in the poacherand takes the sack to be the PCs property. Thesack contains 2d8 freshly killed eels. If eaten, theyare quite tasty and the eater can speak andunderstand the speech of water-dwelling creatures

for 3 days after ingestion.51-52 A group of minor demons are engaging in a misical

contest at the crossroads with lute, hurdy-gurdy,bagpipes, tabor, and harp. They will ask the PCs to

 judge the contest, and the winner will present thePCs with a coin bearing its sigil, which can be usedto summon it to fulfill a single favor.

53-54 2d4 Shrouded bandits spring out and attack PCs.At the first sign of resistance they flee. Any injuredor captured member of the band wi ll revealthemselves to be a member of the localaristocracy, that the PCs were mistaken for

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50 Rural Encounters

someone else, and that this was a prank that wenthorribly, horribly wrong.

55-56 PCs meet with an outlandishly-dressed foreigntraveller on the road. He is affable, charming, andseemingly gullible, and does not quite understandthe local exchange rate.

57-58 PCs arrive to find villagers in a mad, hallucinatorydaze. Ergot in the wheat is the culprit, but

witchcraft is, of course, a viable second hypothesis.59-60 A wizened figure in a tattered robe has been nailed

to a tree with silver nails. The placard around hischest reads “For Vile Necromancie.” The man’seyes open wide and he screams.

61-62 PCs arrive in the midst of a wedding party. Thefare is plentiful, simple, and tasty, and the ale isserved with generosity. Unless the PCs find a wayto screw this up, the evening ends well for allinvolved, and the PCs are sent on their way in themorning with free provisions.

63-64  The skies open up, and the rain comes down intorrents. The nearest shelter is the half-rotten ruinof a fortress. It is haunted, and the ghostlyinhabitants will offer information about thesurrounding area (150 years out of date) inexchange for a few drops of human blood left in apewter dish in the mess hall.

65-66 PCs hear shouts from a group of laborers diggingup a barren field to lay a foundation. Uponinspection, their digging has unearthed a bronzedoor set into the ground at an angle.

67-68 PCs pass a roadside graveyard, startling 2d4 ghoulsat their meal.

69-70 PCs arrive at a small monastery populated byogres. These have renounced their old ways, andoffer shelter for the night, though any wounded PCsmust remain in the storage shed, as the smell of blood will arouse old appetites and undo the workof religion.

71-72 A toll-bridge straddles the river at its narrowestpoint, guarded by a colorfully-dressed man whohails the PCs and announces that they cannot cross

without answering a riddle. The riddle itself iscompletely nonsensical, and the man has no magicpowers of any kind, and can be dispatched in theusual manner.

73-74 PCs find themselves surrounded by d6+10 outlawswith swords and longbows. If they convincinglydeny allegiance to the local duke, they are brought(blindfolded) to the outlaws hideout and receive anoffer to join their band. If they refuse, they aremerely feasted and entertained, before beingreturned to the road in the morning.

75-76 A small boy sits on the fence by a grove of treesplaying a flute. Will demand payment for his music(name an outrageous sum). If the PCs refuse, heplays louder, and the trees uproot themselves andlumber slowly but inexorably toward them. The

only way to stop them entirely is to break the flute.77-78 A young girl in a white smock, garlanded with

flowers, stands in the middle of a field, surroundedby other peasant farmers. Her eyes are glazedover and she walks as if in a trance toward a figurein an elk-skull mask wielding a dagger.

79-80 PCs arrive in the midst of a fair. Competetion forprizes is fierce, and they will be assaulted on allsides with demands to taste an endless array of 

 jams, pies, cheeses, ales, etc. Offers of bribes willbe constant and not particularly subtle.

81-82  Two rival brewers are competing for the prize at afestival, demand PCs do a taste-test as neutralparties. Finding in favor of one will earn the violentemnity of the other.

83-84 PCs hear giggling and splashing up ahead, and spya trio of water-nymphs bathing in a nearby stream,their garments left on rocks. These garments, if successfully stolen and worn against the skin make

the wearer proof against drowning.85-86 PCs pass a rotted corpse hanging in a gibbet by the

side of the road. A scrap of parchment nailed thereproclaims the name of the arresting magistrate andthe identity of the corpse (a friend, relative, or pastassociate of the PCs).

87-88 A violent, impassioned scene breaks out in thevillage square, starting with threats andaccusations, leading to attempted murder and/orrape. PCs attempting to intervene will discoverthat they are weilding stage weapons. Theparticipants disperse, grumbling, and a man in aneatly-trimmed goatee will loudly complain thatthese ignorant shitkickers wouldn’t knowexperimental theatre if it bit them on the ass.

89-90  The PCs unknowingly violate some unwritten codeof conduct in the town, and a lynch mob soonforms.

91-92 1d6 tough-looking village lads, eager forexcitement and opportunity, offer to join PCs.

93-94 A crowd has gathered around a makeshift stage,where a series of bare-knuckle matches is takingplace. Betting is frantic, pickpockets are rife, andthe purse to be won is tempting. The localchampion is heavily favored.

95-96  The village is holding mayoral elections. Sincecitizenship is determined by baptism at the villagechurch (an office the local cleric is willing toperform), the PCs can theoretically cast a legalvote. Factions representing both candidates siezethe opportunity with both hands.

97-98 PCs arrive to find village in mourning, with a youngwoman in black being escorted down the road. It is

explained that the local lord has taken her as hislatest wife, and none of the 14 women previouslychosen for this honor have been seen again.

99-100 Passing farmer offers to give unmounted PCs a rideon his haycart to the next town over in exchangefor stories from afar (more than 30 miles away).