Winter at the abandoned lodge... need ideas!

[Nightskies]

A party of 1 PC and 10 NPCs. The player is an experienced RPer and my wife. The setting is a homebrew campaign based on the Pathfinder world in all aspects.

The PC is a lvl 3 Meistersinger- basically a ranger-like bard. The character has a strong interest in magics. She is accompanied by a lvl 5 evoker who is awkward and unreliable, a dedicated lvl 3 illusionist, a stoic lvl 3 fighter from a hostile country (unbeknownst to the others except the evoker and PC), a lvl 4 stables expert and enthusiastic traveler, a lvl 2 inventive son of a noble, a lvl 4 charming veterinary expert, a lvl 3 rambunctious female warrior officer, and 3 commoners all lvl 2 or 3. The illusionist, fighter, and horseman expert are contending potential romantic interests of the PC. EXP progression is slow, with the focus on story events and character interaction, with limited combat (running away almost half the time).

For notable possessions:

they have a ring of arcane signets, an all tools vest, a ring of good health (+5 vs diseases and poisons and improves overall health over time), a handkerchief of form change (allows the user to change one part of themselves by simply imagining and wiping it over the part they wish to change, such as a hand into pincers or the face to another's, does not emulate special abilities such as poison stingers), a few +1 weapons and armors and about 1100 gp.

They are what remain of a once young and prosperous northern colony, thanks to her efforts. They've come a long way since that summer disaster. The land where they are now is settled, but the people here do not trust these foreigners. Now as the leaves of fall begin to drift off their branches, they've decided to fix up and furnish a cleaned out lodge in the woods to survive the winter. Within a day's walk are the ruins of a capital city, desolate and barely inhabited by humans. It has a pair of mage towers, unfriendly toward each other. The closest thorp has a ranger which had warned them of the coven of hags at the edge of this forest, near the neighboring marsh.

Over the fall and coming winter, I intend to have one of the romantic interests be targeted by a hag, though she should be prepared for that. Their plan is to return to their ruined colony when the next ship is scheduled to arrive in the spring. The NPCs have a few things of their own to do over the winter with which the game can progress, just not enough. I don't want to have to resort to "a couple of months later", since the highlight of the game is story events and character interaction. My creative muscle is wimping out for a while now, and I've delayed the game long enough. Lend me a few ideas-?

The fey have played a significant role in the background, but I'm not coming up with anything to bring them to the front. Perhaps someone from the mainland country that founded the colony could find them and bring up an issue. Maybe there's something unusual about the hags? What to do, what to do...?

[Joyd]

Here's a few ideas -
0) One or more of the NPC characters goes missing and has to be located. (This could be anything - they could be trapped somewhere, or off investigating something in secret, or whatever.)
1) The evoker is recruited by one of the mage towers to try to swing the lodge crew to their side of the rivalry in exchange for supplies and magical aid, but a few of the others insist on remaining neutral.
2) One of the commoners has a child, and the newborn requires medical attention. The NPCs disagree about the best course of action. (Alternately, one of the NPCs could get in an accident and be at risk of losing a limb, if you don't want to bring threats to children into the game.)
3) A traveling show's caravan breaks down near the lodge. Among its inhabitants is an old rival of the PC, who in addition to making things hard for her attempts to get the illusionist and/or horse expert to join them as they leave.
4) While outdoor alone late one night, one of the NPCs experiences a "vision" that convinces him or her that the group should abandon the lodge and make for a safe location elsewhere to avoid disaster. The "vision" is actually trickster fey or other creatures who wish to loot the lodge or take it for themselves using mundane tricks and illusion magic. If the characters don't heed the warning, the creatures begin to torment that NPC with their tricks, leaving ominous symbols where he'll find them, stealing his personal items, or framing him for misdeeds.
5) After visiting the lodge one night, the ranger, an archmage from one of the towers or another significant non-lodge NPC is found murdered. (Or beaten and robbed, if you want the NPC to remain around for later.) Some locals blame the PC and her friends. Could tie into #1 if the victim PC is from the rival mage tower.

[Richard Leonhart]

it's a goblins holiday, goblin children will come knocking at the door and ask for a gift of books with the saying "book or beat", she doesn't have any books, or won't give any they'll all pull out saps and attack her till she looses conscience but will let her live.
every adventure should include goblins.

p.s. the trick is, she has to diplomacy the NPCs to donate books if she hasn't got any, and if they attack and she kills at least one the parents will come and put the house on fire and hunt everyone, she has to realize that she has to deal nonlethal damage too.

[Nightskies]

Nice ideas! I appreciate it, +1's.

[pipedreamsam]

Some of the fey mysteriously begin kidnapping people for no apparent reason. The fey unbeknownst to the PC and NPC's have actually been charmed by the hags and are gathering sacrifices or as they called them "Ingredients" for their latest diabolical concoction. Maybe one of the NPC's gets taken or perhaps it is just some helpless commoners.