Getting rid of those pesky forest squatters

[Grogg of the North]

Suppose you're the evil dude in head of a lumber company. You want to expand deeper into a large forest full of darkwood. The problem is, there's a small clan of squatters in your forest! Now, you've been slowly bringing in mercenaries to your town for some time now under the guise of protecting your lumber camps from monsters. Goodness knows there's plenty to be afraid of in those woods. You could use those hired soldiers to just clear out those elves and humans sitting in their hovels. But that's probably going to attract the PC's attention, they have family in that camp, and then you'd have to deal with that band of murderous cut-throats. There has to be an easier way!

My current thought is to have the mercenaries go out into the mountains and find the wyvern's nest. The PCs have spotted the wyvern in the distance a few times but it has never interacted with them. I'd have the mercenaries steal an egg or two and bring it to the forest camp and leave it. The wyvern tracks down the missing egg and an angry momma does her thing. Plausible deniability on the part of the evil lumber company. Unless the PCs discover his top secret folder labelled "My Evil Plan".

Other factions include:
A group of fey in the woods. They've split into two camps. The first is friendly with the mortal settlers though they dislike the logging. The other has decided that all of the mortals must be dealt with and broken away from their peaceful family.

There is a necromancer roaming about the mountains searching for dark and mysterious artifacts. But he's more concerned about his secrecy and making sure no one tries to stop him than anything else.

A tribe of kobolds that the PCs previously put their boots to. The survivors of which fled from the PCs after tossing down their weapons.

Random monsters in the forest, hills and monsters. (Use your imagination!)

What would you do if you were the evil head of a lumber company? You live out on the frontier. The nearest city is weeks away. And your company is the de facto government for this town. Thoughts?

 

[Lackofname]

If the PCs didn't have family among the squatters (who they'd trust), I'd just get the town so riled up to want to remove them for you. Y'know, frame them for bad things.

Barring that, monsters are the solution.

Steer local wild monsters towards the camp. The wyvern is a good idea, as is say driving a monster out of its den and forcing it to go somewhere else, dropping food closer tot he camp, etc.
Getting the "all mortals suck" fey to want to remove the locals (see: framing).

The one thing that really rang my bell was getting the necromancer to create an intelligent undead that can create more of its kind. A vampire, ghouls--shadows would work but they're not very intelligent, and would get out of control. The key here is get the undead to spread, then get the necromancer to command them to leave (or the PCs to remove them). Bribe the necromancer with a map to something in the mountains.

Either way, once those squatters have suffered great losses, point out they will really struggle to go forwards, so offer to pay them to set up fresh somewhere else.

 

[zarionofarabel]

What would you do if you were the evil head of a lumber company? You live out on the frontier. The nearest city is weeks away. And your company is the de facto government for this town. Thoughts?

Poison the PCs, or murder them as they sleep, or just have the entire mercenary band attack and kill the PCs. Once the PCs are dealt with, raze the squatters settlement to the ground and slaughter them all!

You said I was evil right?!? Like with a capital E! Mwahahahahaha!!!

 

[Dioltach]

Take out forest insurance. Burn down the forest.

Alternatively, send an old man into the nearest tavern to hire a group of heroes to "protect the town from the evil monsters disguised as peaceful forest dwellers".

 

[MarkB]

Foment dischord between the settlers and the extermist fey group. Leave evidence to each side that the other is picking off their members.

Either nature will take its course and the fey will take out the villagers, becoming weakened themselves in the process, or else the PCs will be drawn into the conflict and will go take on the fey on the villagers' behalf. While they're busy with that, the mercs can go in and either wipe out or forcibly relocate the settlers.

 

[Tonguez]

1 Hire the PCs to deal with the bandits in the forest who have been raiding and killing good decent folks (ie the PCs are no longer likely to oppose your scheme, as they are working for you to carry out the scheme)

2 get the anti-mortal fey riled up about the PCs actions

3 plant evidence that the squatter camp is behind the bandit raids and murders. Bonus points if you can tie the necormancer to the Squatters too (zombies help defend the squatters camp?)

4 Let the Players put ideas together and come up with there own scenario of whats going on and then run with it

 

[Eltab]

Liking the griffin egg plan.
Owlbears would keep PCs busy too.

Plant evidence near the village that the Eldreth Veluuthra (elf racial superiority group) has moved in. Kill a few humans by bowshot. Then send an envoy to the village offering protection if they move a bit closer to your camp (and out of your path). Play this right, the humans and the elves will move to separate villages; you can squash either half more easily than the whole - see Kevin Costner's Robin Hood for the scene dealing with the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest.

"My Evil Plan" is written in elvish and appears to be by the EV boss.

 

[Nytmare]

If this were a Western, the big bad rail company/oil baron would divert and dam up the river, or poison the town's livestock.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Why is running a lumber company evil?

The simplest solution is to simply ignore the squatters and harvest the trees. If the squatters offer violence to the legal owner of the timber rights, the law is on the 'evil dude's' (seriously?) side. They are squatters, after all.

 

[Drazen]

Why is running a lumber company evil?

The simplest solution is to simply ignore the squatters and harvest the trees. If the squatters offer violence to the legal owner of the timber rights, the law is on the 'evil dude's' (seriously?) side. They are squatters, after all.

It's all a matter of perspective.