Events while travelling

[lokiqc]

Hi

I've had a really bad week so far and thus didn't have time to prepare something fo tonight.

The heroes (7th level) have to travel from the Dales to Cormyr where they hope to find the main villain of the campaign (he's there alright).

So far their main enemies have been the Zhents and drows an the main villain is a Zhent. He's in Cormyr building up a cult to his fould god.

Now, I just need some ideas on what could happen during travel.
It can be something totally unrelated to the campaign main plot. I really don't want to say "Well you've been on the raod for x days, now you're in Cormyr"

They will probably travel with a caravan, so I was thinking about having someone murder one of the merchants and try to set up the heroes.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

 

[diaglo]

Dungeon Magazine now brought to you by Paizo Publishing.

try the Deadfalls side trek adventure.

 

[Faraer]

Dawn Ibach's article "Roads & Rivers" (Dragon #275) is a useful summary of the usual non-monstrous travel encounters. Ed Greenwood put a lot of merchant-caravan lore into his novel Hand of Fire: plenty of intrigues possible with that setup.

 

[Marimmar@Home]

There's always the good ol' monastary where the monks have been replaced by doppelgangers or lycanthropes that attack at night (This strange as it may seem always fools my players.) Also caravans tend to be waylaid by brigands and robber-knights. Some villagers encountered along the way could be preparing to burn a witch or a good humanoid which would lead to some role playing while negotiating with the villagers.

~Marimmar

 

[Larry Fitz]

A roadside inn where the patrons are not quite what they seem. Lycanthropes, dopplegangers, cultists of a god of murder and deceit, a polymorphed and feebleminded mindflayer ('Ol Chuck? Yeah he's mostly harmless, just drools on hisself and makes funny faces at dark elves and wizards...") and the bartender is a powerful creature of good trying to give subtle hints to the PC's without drawing too much attention to itself...