RPG Blog Carnival – Aftermath of . . .

Fair warning, some of the following might be distressing to some as they are descriptions of what is found after an attack on people and animals.  If such would bother you, please stop reading now.

On the Marsh Road:

The scent of death and blood is partly masked by a strong bleach-like smell that lingers in the air.  The two wagons are overturned, their contents scattered.  The oxen that were used to pull the wagons are dead and partly devoured by something.  The number of flies and other insects is less than one might expect but still numerous.  A few vultures circle lazily overhead having taken wing when the characters approached.

What can be found on closer examination:

• There are signs of a fight, a broken spear, a discharged crossbow, and fragments of mail armor.  But no bodies of people.
• The wagons have been torn open by something strong, the bulk goods, mostly grains and root vegetables along with some lumber, have been left but anything of higher value has been taken.  Careful investigation will find the makes of large claws on some of the pieces of wood.  The axles of both wagons are intact and if righted they could be moved.
• The oxen have been mostly consumed by something with big teeth and bigger jaws.
• The water and blood in puddles along the road are stained yellow and are caustic to the touch.

As time goes on more insects and carrion eaters will arrive to take advantage of the feast.

What is this the aftermath of?  Check later in this post.

The Empty Village

A small village, composed of twelve small and one large building (have, round houses, whatever is appropriate to the local area), it is unsettlingly quiet.  One scrawny dog sees the characters and runs to hide.  A few buildings have a small amount of smoke from fading cooking fires emerging.  The road through the village is churned up and muddy.  Most of the entrances to the building are open.

What can be found looking around the village:

• The dwellings have been quickly and savagely ransacked, all valuables and easily portable food have been taken.  There is an indication of a struggle or altercation in some of them, even the occasional small amount of blood.
• The bodies of several adults and a few dogs were dumped unceremoniously in the large building.  Looking closely, wounds indicate that they died fighting.  But there are no weapons to be found.
• In the churned and muddy road, there are signs of all sorts and sizes of feet, many of them marching in single file.
• As time goes on, a few other animals, obviously belonging to the village (chickens, pigs and such like) will return.

What has happened here?  Where have the villagers gone?

What would you have had attack the wagons?

I built the aftermath above around a dragon that could breath chlorine (quite poisonous) gas.  Large by comparison to people but not very large as dragons go.  It had demanded tribute from the wagon drives, one panicked and shot it with a crossbow, carnage ensured.  The dragon looted what it could, including the bodies of the drivers, gorged itself and then left with the treasure.

For the village, how did you parse the mystery?

I see it as the aftermath of a raid by slavers, who killed those who resisted and swept up the rest, forcing them to carry the food that would feed them on the march into captivity.  The footprints in single file were of coffers of newly chained people walking behind each other.  Not a pretty or happy situation but, perhaps, one the player characters can rectify.

The idea in both cases is to give the characters, and the players, an idea what they might be facing in the future by looking at the information available so that they can make informed plans.

Notes:  Building off the idea for this month’s RPG Blog Carnival theme of After the Dragon . . . going quite literally for the first one.

Image from PublicDomainPictures.net and is in the Public Domain.