Rumor Mill

[Akuji]

So, I have a campaign world in which the PCs are expected to do a lot of exploring of uncharted territory. The territory in question is tropical in latitude, and covers pretty much all types of hot terrain(desert, jungle, volcanic, etc.), as well as mountains, plains, forests, and the like.

My main mechanic for spurring exploration is that the authorities have heard stories and rumors about certain things, and send the PCs to go confirm or deny these rumors. Problem is, I am having trouble thinking of enough interesting rumors. So I thought I'd ask here, to see if anyone can help me come up with some good ones. I'll give some examples as a basis, though they can be much more detailed than mine.


Here there be dragons.
Prismatic rain reported.
Rumors of a giant waterfall.
Stories of a hollow mountain.
Legends of an ancient necropolis.


*edit: I'm looking more for the sort of rumors that some drunk adventurer said in a tavern, and nobody gave any credence to until other, unrelated people started reporting the same thing.

[TroubleBrewing]

There was an "Adventure Hook" thread not too long ago. See if you can dig that up, it should help a lot.

[Eldan]

Sober dwarf spotted near Fellwood.:smallwink:

[Cyrion]

Take some hints from real-world rumors that have spurred exploration:

There's gold in them thar hills!

You know, I bet if we go THIS way, we can get to China... (Worked both over land and over sea)

We need more wood (or gold, or gems, or slaves, or...). I bet there's more wood (or gold, or gems, or slaves, or...) over there.

[Seonor]

There is a Beast in Pirate's Bay (http://youtu.be/XYD9vWPuigc).

[Flob]

Let's see, there are rumors of...
A new volcano
A small/large army
The tomb of an ancient warrior containing vast riches
An ancient clan of druids planning to take down the "urban" world
A meteorite fell to the ground containing interesting new metal
Crazy old wizard
Rift to Hell/Abyss/Etc.
New/ancient type of magik (probably more powerful for some reason)
Technology ('cause a lasergun wouldn't ruin your campaign in the slightest)

That's what I got for now, I might come up with some more later.

[Eldan]

Crashed Spelljammer.
Visiting Arcane.
A new god making itself known to the world.
Famous hero is looking for members for his expedition to the North Pole.
And of course the all-time classic: [Famous person] has an affair with [Other Famous Person]/[Has a sexual fetish not tolerated by mainstream society]

[Bobby Archer]

A lost island/civilization has risen out of the sea.
A new star is supposedly marking the way to...something.
A far-off city has been mysteriously depopulated.
Every thousand years, a city/tower/mountain appears for a single day, only to disappear with everyone inside.

[Zaydos]

A portal connected to Athas or Orthos (the Harmonium's home world)
A formian hive
The mayor is actually a wererat
The town's water supply is tainted, infecting people with X (or transforming them into X)
It is said that a body placed within this circle rises the next morning with strange powers.
Minotaurs are pillaging the surface; secretly they are illithid/drow/duergar slaves.
Githyanki raiders/githyanki are attempting to set up a cretche on this world.


Crashed Spelljammer.
Visiting Arcane.
A new god making itself known to the world.
Famous hero is looking for members for his expedition to the North Pole.
And of course the all-time classic: [Famous person] has an affair with [Other Famous Person]/[Has a sexual fetish not tolerated by mainstream society]

You are as always awesome. Spelljammer :smallbiggrin:

[Eldan]

A local fey, until know known for seducing young men and returning them a few days later, has changed her tactics and is now kidnapping old women.

[Tvtyrant]

Rumors that there is an altar that "cures" evil in a mountain.
A new cosmological theory is spreading and irritating the clergy.
"The Orcs are coming!"
The Sahuagin have found a vein of adamant and are storing bars of the stuff in a cave.
A portal to the elemental plane of mineral opens in the middle of a nearby town.
Why are the young men disappearing and where did these unfamiliar women come from?
A Shadowstaff was found by a miner and the whole town is killing each other over it.
An Erineyes has found a loophole that will let it return to celestia, but it needs your help.
The town mayor is always able to scry how the season will go with perfect accuracy, and now demons are looking for his "crystal ball" which is one of Miska's eyes!
A Cleric of Pelor is raising a black dragon to be good, and now good and evil dragons are trying to kill both of them.

[Geigan]

[Local mountain] and [river with source in mountain] have awakened, and do not seem to like each other.

A local wizard seems to have crossed rabbits with [extremely dangerous magical beast]. Now they're breeding like, well, rabbits and the countryside is full of em.

It's rumored that the local [region signature animal] have been getting up and walking like men.

The local gold mine's entire vein turned black as midnight. Noone knows why.

The sun has gone out in [nearby village].

There's a talking owlbear head in [nearby village inn], on their mantle.

This town is crazy and secretly worships [evil deity or other being]. They chop up their sacrifices and feed em to ya in your drinks and food. Damn tasty though.

[Local wizard] hasn't been seen in weeks, but his tower has been flashing at night with all sorts of strange lights.

Rumors abounds of new plague. Apparently it forces you to dance until you fall down dead.

[Kislath]

Folks a few towns over are reportedly terrified by a being they call "the Jester," a small, peculiar "man" living the woods who tells passersby jokes so funny they die laughing. Literally.

[EccentricCircle]

a man walked out the jungle half dead with fever, claiming to have found the lost city of gold. no one would have believed his ravings but for the ingot cluched in his hand...

I'm currently running this game. its a good one.

[Eldan]

A local wizard seems to have crossed rabbits with [extremely dangerous magical beat]. Now they're breeding like, well, rabbits and the countryside is full of em.

"Oh man! This beat-rabbit! It's incredible! It's killing me!"

Sure it wasn't a bard? :smalltongue:

Sorry, couldn't help my self.

[Geigan]

"Oh man! This beat-rabbit! It's incredible! It's killing me!"

Sure it wasn't a bard? :smalltongue:

Sorry, couldn't help my self.

Ah typos, giving amusement to so many while infuriating grammar nazis. Win-win I say.:smalltongue:

Edit: There fixed.

[Nigel the Hobo]

The classic fountain of youth/strength,wisdom
Floating hills/mountains that weren't there yesterday
Perfectly flat mesa that everyone in the area knows and loves now has an opaque dome over it
Rockfalls systematically fall in one spot ever few days or so

[NNescio]

A local wizard seems to have crossed rabbits with [extremely dangerous magical beast]. Now they're breeding like, well, rabbits and the countryside is full of em.

Behold the Beast of Caerbannog! A creature so foul, so cruel, that no man yet has fought with it and lived! Bones of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So, brave adventurers, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth.