D10 list: on road non combat encounters
The herd of deer blocks the road, their felted antlers stark against the clear sky. They're massive, nearly the size of an elephant each. They pull up great strips of grass as they graze, surveying you with a lazy gaze.
You hear them before you see them: a troupe of travelling singers. Their four part harmony echoes sweetly through the hills. When you finally see them, they're still singing. Four dwarves with beards braided thick with all manner of items - flowers, feathers, sea glass beads, coins, more you can't determine - raise their hands in greeting to you.
It's dusk. You've just started watching for a place to camp when the lights catch your eye. At first, you think they're merely fireflies, but it quickly becomes apparent they are something out of the ordinary. The pattern they make, in a wide array of colors, is beautiful to behold.
The lone traveler is dressed in tattered robes of deep blue. They are older than you expected for someone alone on the road, so far from any town. They carry a heavy pack. 'It is an offering,' they tell you, 'to a goddess almost forgotten'. You notice they carry nothing else.
The man is bandaged and sports a fresh black eye, but he waves off your attempts at help. 'I've had enough of adventurers for a lifetime, in my line of work. I'm retiring. You work for enough wannabe despots, you end up like this. Time to go home.'
The parade of people stretches out for at least a mile. Children walk with livestock, those in finery with those in rags, grandmothers and young bucks, a varied group. One woman explains they had to evacuate their village. 'Not a one lost or left behind, and us fifty miles out already,' she boasts. You wonder how far they intend to travel.
The band of adventurers is travel-worn. Their armor is well-used, their packs expertly packed. They'll gladly share a campfire with you, telling tales of their adventures.
The ghostly figure appears in broad daylight, wavering like a mirage in the desert. It is a young man in harlequin clothes. He sits, writing a letter in a language unknown to you. In minutes, he fades away.
The merchant's cart is laden with cookware, mostly. There are a few odds and ends tucked between metal cauldrons and wooden spoons. Perhaps you'll find a hidden treasure.
The ostrich-drawn chariot speeds by you with barely a shout to warn you. It is followed closely by two riders on horseback, then a pair of massive dogs pulling a cart. Straggling behind, a palanquin carried by two men tries to keep up.
all d10 lists
