Background: The PCs are part of an Anti-slavery group in a nation where slavery is the standard. In this nation smaller races are born into slavery and thought of as nothing more than property. Other races can become slaves to pay off debts or as punishment for their crimes (which they are often innocent of)- These forms of slavery often have terms such as an end date or payoff.
Encounter: The group has been given information that a shipment of slaves are bound for a nearby city and they plan to jack this caravan and free the slaves.
Thoughts so far:
One of the slaves is a girl being taken to a royal/aristocrat type in the city they are traveling to in payment for a crime of her brother. Once "freed" by the party she has an emotional breakdown because her freedom means that her family will have to pay for his crime.
One of the slaves will fight against the party, as that's what his masters would expect from him. I will make it obvious that this guy is a slave opposed to a guard. I'd like to give them a reward if they subdue this guy without killing him. -I was thinking of having him attack bare handed and provoking attacks of opportunity before stepping back and grabbing a chain as an improvised weapon to fight them...
Looking forward to your ideas, thanks.
Can you provide more detail as to specifically what you're looking for? From my side it actually looks like an exceptionally solid encounter already, and I would be concerned that adding anything more to it would probably detract from the story you're already trying to tell...
Ideally the girl will lead them on further adventure as they now need to save the rest of her family driving them deeper into enemy territory. There is also something special about her that the royal/aristocrat guy she was being sent to will actually come after them (opposed to other escaped slaves that the government only sorta goes after).
I'd like to come up with some reward for not killing the other slave that isn't a simply "he joins your team as a possible cohort" or something equally as boring. At this point he was on his way to fight in arena or something similar, but that is subject to change.
I have no details about the bad guys though (one boss type, others are all faceless mooks at this point). There are other slaves that they are saving with no real details (I was thinking 5 total slaves).
Also this is the opening encounter of the campaign. I like to throw in as many hooks as I can find to see which ones catch hold.
Hooks for each PC should help. Relatives, distant cousins, adorable pets, etc. as slaves. Maybe the "Bruiser" is one of those relations?
I'm also trying to come up with an invite letter to get players into the atmosphere prior to the first session.
What if the betrothed was the source of the letter? She knows something about the PCs (i.e., through mentors, trainers, or family) and pleads with them to intercede via the letter(s) she sent somewhere somehow before the caravan left.
How much notiriotity does the party have? Like do the slave nations know about their group at all? Or are they just starting out?
The party is just starting out, if the group is talked about is very much a distant rumor.
Ok then maybe you could introduce a reappearing villian an awsome slave bounty hunter who just happens to be with this group but bearly escapes and make it his mission to find and stop the party.