Need help with adventure

[papa_laz]

The PCs have arrived by ship at a small slavers outpost and are seeking to journey inland. However it comes to their knowledge that slave caravans heading to larger cities have not been operating as of late, due to random dissapearance of the caravans. Im thinking that the PCs will be victim of the same threat if they attempt to travel to other towns, and thus they will need to solve the mystery before they can leave. What could be happening to the caravans? And why isn't the slavers guild sending assistance?

For those of you have played Fallout (all my PCs have), this is a copy of the 'dissapearing carvans' quest in The Hub, so I would like to avoid anything as obvious as a Deathclaw.

Thanks

 

[pogre]

Depending on the level of the party you could have the caravans being abducted by dragon-worshipping tribesmen. They are feeding the slaves to the dragons.

The slaves could be freed by raiders led by a Spartacus type character. The horde is preparing to confront the slave holding cities.

Land Sharks are eating them - a roving band of land sharks is terrorizing the caravan routes.

They are being captured by gnoll raiders and being sold to Drow in the Underdark.

Have not played Fallout so I am no help there.

 

[WillieW]

The PCs have arrived by ship at a small slavers outpost and are seeking to journey inland. However it comes to their knowledge that slave caravans heading to larger cities have not been operating as of late, due to random dissapearance of the caravans. Im thinking that the PCs will be victim of the same threat if they attempt to travel to other towns, and thus they will need to solve the mystery before they can leave. What could be happening to the caravans? And why isn't the slavers guild sending assistance?

Anti-slavery religious fanatics, secretly led by a lunatic Paladin hiding out in the hills. The Guild isn't sending assistance because of rumours of what might be lurking in the general area of the disappearances.

The slavers are being "re-educated" in a re-opened salt mine. Working day involves lots of salty fun, punctuated with religious idealogy lectures, beatings, and occasional grusome "examples" being made.

PCs get the chance to join this merry congregation (as reluctant converts, of course, chains and all), have the moral conundrum of freeing the slavers or simply planning their own escape. Villians include the bijou hoarde of zealots, the Paladin, and whatever lurks in the mine that caused its closure in the 1st place (and kept the Guild away). Lot of salt to sell afterwards as a reward.

 

[diaglo]

taking willie's idea and running a little with it...introduce a new monster.

it's gaze turns people into pillars of salt.

save vs. salt instead of petrification.

and the rain washes the bodies away....


edit: the only evidence may be the poor or damaged vegetation around the area where the salt was first deposited.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

The slaves have been 'righteously' sentanced. They are a bunch of murderers and other vicious criminals - in most countries they'd have been put to death. A really bad case managed to escape, has freed some of the other caravans and is preparing to assault the slavers complex and take it for his own.

They could well have allied with some other threat. Possibly one the players know from before, or one you intend to introduce later...

Possibly some faction from the kingdom has an interest in this happening. A rival guild/noble house has sent equipment, soldiers, demons, etc.


Ought to mess with players expectations that all slavers are 'evil' and all slaves are undeservingly opressed?

 

[Wycen]

Anti-slavery religious fanatics, secretly led by a lunatic Paladin hiding out in the hills. The Guild isn't sending assistance because of rumours of what might be lurking in the general area of the disappearances.

Heh. Essentially you beat me to it, though I was going straight off game experience.

In my weekend group's game, they decided to take on the town slavelord. Slavery is legal in the Empire. Among the various "illegal" things the party did, (DM felt it was funner to let the party burn half the town down then try to use garrisoned Imperial troops to intervene ) was attacking a slave caravan to free the slaves and kill the slavers.