Sidenote: I have also added these encounters to the old
random encounter thread.
The prisoner
A carriage with two horses passes, carrying a cage with a man in it. Two guards from a nearby town/city are carrying the prisoner to a crow's cage out on a hill. They mean for the man to die there under the hot burning sun. When the prisoner sees the players he pleads with them to set him free, offering his services if they do.
The bandit camp
The players see some smoke in the distance. If they approach, they stumble upon a small camp with a group of 6 armed people who claim to be a traveling caravan of merchants, but they are in fact bandits. The players have caught them off guard, and the bandits do not want a confrontation with an armed group of capable adventurers. So they will try to lie their way out of the situation, and hide the fact that all of their merchandize is stolen. The players may notice that the bandits are a bit on edge, that they are very well armed, and that their goods are very varied and are all valuable items. Only if the players become too nosy, will they attack. Their leader is well spoken and friendly, and will try his best to not rouse any suspicion. If the players offer to accompany them, he will kindly refuse their offer, assuring them that they are quite capable to hold their own.
The injured bear
The players hear the distressed growls of a wild animal nearby. A bear is caught in a trap and heavily injured. If the players want to set the beast free, they should be carefuly in handling it, or they'll get mauled. If they are able to comfort the animal and set it free, it retreats into the forest. They earn an ally that will come to their help at a later point. Alternatively, they can wait for the hunter who set the trap, who claims this bear attacked and killed a boy. He is however mistaken. The hunter will not be happy if the players tampered with his trap.
Go no further!
Near a path, the players encounter an old sign in the forest/jungle that reads "Go no further!", and a skull has been drawn underneath the text. If the players ignore the sign and proceed, they'll notice that the path is partially washed out. The ground is sloped as if there has been a recent mud slide. The players should be careful not to loose their footing, or risk a tumble down a steep 20 ft. decline. There is an overwhelming sense of dread here. The trees and plants here are dead, and bare branches tear at their clothing. There are faint footprints leading further down the path, indicating that other travelers have taken this path before. As they proceed further, they will encounter some old items belonging to these travelers: a backpack, a shoe, a belt, an empty scabbard, a waterskin. Eventually they stumble upon a horrific graveyard; countless skeletal remains of the travelers, their arms and feet sticking out of the mud. These people didn't sink. It looks as if they were pulled into the mud while struggling in vain. While the creatures that attacked these travelers are no longer present, there is an opportunity here to have this threat make a reprise later on in the campaign.
The carcass in the tree
The players stumble upon the half-eaten remains of a deer dangling from a tree. If the players visit this location at night, they may encounter the predator that hoisted it up there, returning for another snack. Alternatively, the carcass may attract scavengers.
