Help me brainstorm ONE session

[RealCheese]

So my players are on their way to a market-town in the northern viking and werebear/werewolf populated country in my setting. I want to introduce them to a few different plothooks for OTHER places in the world while there, as they have been only in the north so far. BUT, what I need is some sort of event that can keep them occupied for a session so that I can wait and see what plothook they bite on before I waste too much time preparing for all of the plothooks i have in mind.
So long story short, help me figure out something that can happen and will fill one session of 4-5 hours in a viking-inspired market-town.

Only idea I have so far is that some of the richer merchants are setting up some sort of arena combat for them to bet on and the players could join for a round or two and earn some money (and some exp) but honestly... I feel like that idea is a little stale.

[Brendanicus]

Every 20 years, the spawn of the Great Beast (Be it a remorhazz, Dire T-Rex, or what have you) emerges in the area. The players compete with other hunters and warriors all seeking to test their mettle, possibly with monsters along the way.

When the players enter the town, the guards at the gate tax them heavily. When they enter the city, they find things rather oppressive, with local guards frisking them, requesting that they hand over a few "unauthorized" magic items and the like. It turns out that the Jarl has fallen under the thumb of an evil dragon/beholder, and is squeezing the citizens in a desperate attempt to assuage the beast's greed.

Refugees from a plague/war/monster/disaster have set up a camp outside a distrustful city that won't let them in. Assuage tensions between the refugees and citizens before things come to blows.

The viking town promptly burns all of their dead, because those that die quickly turn into zombies. Find out the source of this foul necromancy.

An apothecary wants players to quickly deliver medicine to a plague-struck village, but the village is a few days away and there is a blizzard coming. Hope your players like raiders and Winter Wolves along the way. If your players are high-level enough, the blizzard could be a sign that the Frost Giant Tribe/White Dragon is about. Perhaps there is further questing in the sick village.

Rumors abound that the early frost is due to a Talos Cult hidden in the mountains.

[Dimcair]

When the players enter the town, the guards at the gate tax them heavily. When they enter the city, they find things rather oppressive, with local guards frisking them, requesting that they hand over a few "unauthorized" magic items and the like. It turns out that the Jarl has fallen under the thumb of an evil dragon/beholder, and is squeezing the citizens in a desperate attempt to assuage the beast's greed.


It turns out that your greedy PCs are unwilling to give away any magic items and rather die fighting. They might not even make it in the City

Just a assumption for some groups of PCs^^

[GiantOctopodes]

So my players are on their way to a market-town in the northern viking and werebear/werewolf populated country in my setting. I want to introduce them to a few different plothooks for OTHER places in the world while there, as they have been only in the north so far. BUT, what I need is some sort of event that can keep them occupied for a session so that I can wait and see what plothook they bite on before I waste too much time preparing for all of the plothooks i have in mind.
So long story short, help me figure out something that can happen and will fill one session of 4-5 hours in a viking-inspired market-town.

Only idea I have so far is that some of the richer merchants are setting up some sort of arena combat for them to bet on and the players could join for a round or two and earn some money (and some exp) but honestly... I feel like that idea is a little stale.

Viking themed? Have the town attacked! Give them a heroic little one shot where they help defend the town and slay the bandit leaders or somesuch (or help burn it to the ground, whatever floats their boat). Those are always a good time and manage to occupy time quite nicely without feeling like the session's on rails.

[KorvinStarmast]

So my players are on their way to a market-town in the northern viking and werebear/werewolf populated country in my setting.

With the werebears and werewolves featured, in this setting silver for silver edged weapons and arrows etc is in high demand.

The silver trade has been disrupted, with recent shipments disappearing without a trace.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to discover who is doing this and restore the silver trade: nobody will load silver for this area into their caravans, barges, or ships. (Are you coastal? )

Of course, the culprit is the local jarl, who fell in love with a female werewolf one drunken night and has been having an affair with her. Rather than taking over the town, she uses her influence on him (which included the love bites / hickies that turned him into a lycanthrope -- before we go any further -- please, NO jokes about doggie style :smallfurious: -- we are trying to keep this family friendly ) to slowly change the emphasis of the Viking town's trade, culture, etc. She's playing the long game, intending on eventually infiltrating and taking over this town and then the region. She has dreams of being a queen ... what, a lady can't have ambition?

Meanwhile, a werebear faction has other designs on the region. Their leadership council is arriving at the conclusion that the generations old truce with the werewolf clans is worth breaking ... though they are unaware of what this were-bitch is up to.

Of course, someone in the town is working the smuggling angle, since the price of silver just went up again ...

[Shining Wrath]

Festival! An annual celebration is taking place, with a variety of contests: archery, wrestling, boxing, dancing, singing / instruments, tests of knowledge, and whatever else you can think of. Each contest is sponsored by a different merchant or noble, and the rich folk are competing to put on the best show at their venue and thus give respectable prizes.

Gives the party an opportunity to pick up some coin while using their skill rolls (for the most part). And if they want to compete in many events, they'll have to split the party. Throw in some random encounters with drunk Vikings, pickpockets, and the like to make splitting the party a little unsafe but not lethal.

Also, doing well in the contests makes party members sorta-famous, which may mean someone with a plot hook seeks them out; "I need someone to undertake a dangerous mission, and anyone who can dance like you dance can succeed where others have failed".

[Ardantis]

I like the way 7th Sea handled the Norse, by splitting them up into two groups. In a merchant-town such as yours, they may live together in the same community:

The cosmopolitan Trader's League, operating out of a major city, are the godless merchants who buy and sell wares from all over the world (connections to larger world), and are like the Dutch trading empire from history. They have tossed aside their Nordic culture in exchange for city life, and are despised by the Traditionalists who rule the countryside. Their wealth and political power, however, make them impervious to the backlash of their own people.

The Traditionalists, living in the country, are very magic attuned (evocation specialists) and live tribally in the wilds. They use rune-magic and worship a pantheon of Nordic gods. They are like the Vikings of history, and they violently oppose the efforts of the Trader's League to modernize their lifestyle.

The Trader's League treats the were-creatures as beasts and monsters.

The Traditionalists treat the were-creatures as totem-beasts, and venerate them.

When a local caravan goes missing, the Trader's League prepares a war-party while the Traditionalists prepare a diplomatic envoy to the were-people. PCs get to choose one and compete with the other to rescue the caravan.

(Spoiler- the werewolves captured the caravan. If the PCs choose Traditionalists, they need to enlist the aid of the werebears through ancient pact to negotiate with or raid the wolves to rescue the caravan. If they choose Trader's League, they have to deal with both the werewolves and werebears either through stealth/duplicity or open combat.)

Sounds like a solid one-shot.

[RealCheese]

Everybody is giving me awesome ideas! Thank you so much everyone!

What I think I am going to do is this:

The Northern Lights (our heroes selfdubbed party-name as they have been helping out in a mostly dwarven mining town and a mostly human fishing village, both located in the deep north, for their first few levels.) will arrive at Tradesmeet to a band of rough looking men with wolf pets just camped out outside of the city. As they have a wagon full of goods to sell (the reward from the fishing village as the poor folk did not really have money to give but were very grateful to The Northern Lights.) I expect them to go to the market (which is most of town.) where they will see a man resembling these roughians loudly declaring that he will require 2000 gold or his men will sack the town. If they kill him the roughians will attack the city, I'll bolster the heroes numbers with some guards and maybe a single veteran.
If they let him leave, I will have the merchants try to hire the heroes to dispose of him and his bandits, they will be offered 1000 gold and the use of some men to go seek him out in his nearby camp.
Ofcourse some of the badguys are werewolves, but most will be human thugs and regular wolves.

[KorvinStarmast]

Trader's League vs Traditionalists

The Trader's League treats the were-creatures as beasts and monsters.

The Traditionalists treat the were-creatures as totem-beasts, and venerate them.

When a local caravan goes missing, the Trader's League prepares a war-party while the Traditionalists prepare a diplomatic envoy to the were-people.

PCs get to choose one and compete with the other to rescue the caravan.

(Spoiler- the werewolves captured the caravan. If the PCs choose Traditionalists, they need to enlist the aid of the werebears through ancient pact to negotiate with or raid the wolves to rescue the caravan. If they choose Trader's League, they have to deal with both the werewolves and werebears either through stealth/duplicity or open combat.)

Sounds like a solid one-shot.
Wow. Love this one. Great one shot adventure. *two thumbs up!*

[NotVeryBatman]

A Druid or Beast Master Ranger could be committing heinous murders/assaults in the outlands framing the local lycanthropes.

A local lord or fey could be organizing a Wild Hunt.

Sea Monster attacks town.

Or wreckers could be using illusions to founder trade ships for plunder/salvage.

[gullveig]

Get your d20, here comes lots of possibilities...


RANDOM SWORD & SORCERY ADVENTURE GENERATOR (http://www.swordsmen-and-sorcerers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ASSHrandom-adv-gen.pdf)

[Ardantis]

Thanks Korvin!

Love the story that was ultimately decided upon. Gotta involve those lycanthropes!