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They'll be living in a mountainous area, high in the hills, but not on a mountain, per se. There's a crazy canyon that cuts through the village, which has bridges arching over it, and most of the buildings are decent sized multi-story affairs, in an almost gothic style, but with a fantasy flair. Some details will be worked out more once I decide on the main race - they do keep slaves, perhaps two or three races. Mongrelmen will likely be one.
The area will be for lvl 7-8 characters, so almost any monstrous humanoids (up to CR 4, maybe 5) should be possible contenders. This allows for multiples in an encounter, and class levels and/or templates as I see fit.
For what it's worth, I plan on using a ratfolk merchant npc there, so they shouldn't be too inimical to him.
Ogres. Their description literally says calling them pillaging monstrous cannibals are tame compared to the truth... You could also adapt Morlocks to live on the mountains. Those things are creepy.
For the description you give, I would recommend derro. They have the alien abduction/horrible experimentation theme going for them (except they're not aliens, and they come from the underground). Mongrelmen would be a good fit for the derro because of the derro's fondness for fleshwarping and multilation However, derro are just humanoids, not monstrous humanoids as per the type. So I'll try to think of some alternatives.
Given the description you're giving, I'd almost suggest gargoyles, but they're generally fairly stupid so it would be hard to imagine any kind of advanced civilization for them. (Perhaps they could have the advanced template representing a higher evolved specimen?) Or maybe they're one of your slave races along with mongrelmen.
If you wanted to make your community seem mundane (if a bit eerie) and play mind games with the players, then doppelgangers might be a good way to go. You might have it seem like part of the town is doppelgangers, only to later reveal the cruel truth that they are all doppelgangers.
Other contenders might include Serpentfolk, contemplatives (Bestiary 4), hags, morlocks (with an advanced template or as a slave race), and maybe even yeti, as the Pathfinder take on yetis leaves them as pretty mysterious beings.
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Some great suggestions there! I've definitely considered broadening to include humanoids, and derro are a favorite. The goblinoids are a fun bunch, too, and it's always possible to change them subtly to make it really work. Ogres really aren't completely outside of the realm of possibilities - I've done a very canny ogre chief, before - a druid - but it would be a rare bunch in this civilized a setting. Serpentfolk were actually my first thought, with some degenerates as muscle. Hmmm...maybe some derro and some serpentfolk? I have plans for some morlocks, too. Undoubtedly, there will be gargoyles! :)
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LOL! Barbarella rocks! Hmmm...soulbound dolls...I could definitely use some...derro toys, y'know!
Now...what would bring derro and serpentfolk together, on the surface, yet? I'm starting to think there are just a handful of serpentfolk that are non-degenerates...
Maybe they lost their home...it's a crazy place in the world, so that works...and you never know what to expect from derro. If I can figure out what the derro are up to...
Ettercaps, with only a single finger/claw at the end of their arms, so they need their slaves to feed them. Psionicly controlling spiders of ALL sizes. The bridges across the canyon can be spidersilk. The dried husks of criminals can dangle by the gates entering the city as a warning against malefactors.
Neogi, with enslaved umberhulks, tieflings, and githyanki.
If you're considering broadening it to include goblinkind and ogres, I would recommend going with hags as your devious masters, since they have a natural leadership role of goblinoids, ogres, trolls, and the like. If you wanted a male equivalent to them, you could style templated satyrs (base CR 4) as an "Old Scratch" type of primal evil you might see in a witch's Black Mass.
A strangely non-bloodthirsty small village of hags...who rein in their darker impulses in an underground 'nursery' of cowed humanoids enslaved and bred like livestock as punishment for some long ago offense (whether real or imagined is up to you). They avoid showing their true appearance to outsiders, and lean eerily neutral, with a sizable portion trying ascetic philosophies for self-control.
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Ok - I'm thinking hags with a goblin chief and his unusual clan - he's a suzerain oversized goblin Sor10 with a hobgoblin slayer8 for a cohort...
I'm really warming to this! I can still use a derro or three, and even a serpentman and retinue. The hags would have a few stout ogre bodyguards - fighters, maybe. There are a lot of trees about, great for spiders and a lurking ettercap or two, and gargoyles will make for great spies and added muscle for the hags.
Is the type the key aspect? Aranea are pretty great for "creepy", since they have that "almost-human-but-not-quite" form, but they're technically Magical Beasts.
Ogres. Their description literally says calling them pillaging monstrous cannibals are tame compared to the truth... You could also adapt Morlocks to live on the mountains. Those things are creepy.
1st Villager: Do you know what that thing could do to you?
2nd Villager: Yeah, it'll grind your bones for its bread!Shrek: Well, actually, that would be a giant. Now, ogres - oh, they're much worse. They'll make a suit from your freshly peeled skin. They'll shave your liver, squeeze the jelly from your eyes. Actually, it's quite good on toast.
A village of intelligent undead that are pretending to be human. Maybe ghouls? At first, everything seems normal but then they get just a little creepier and creepier as things go on.
Maybe a normal village / settlement but one where a large number of people are infected by Cacodaemonia (a disease from a specific type of daemon which allows the cacodaemon to telepathically communicate with the infected individual). As the infected villagers start hearing noises, evil acts start to occur (caused by the cacodaemon but blamed on the infected person).
A Fungus Queen infests humanoid victims with spores and when that victim dies the fungus animates their dead bodies under the Queen's control. Really freaky.
If you want to go with third party content, check out the Clockwork Parasite or the psionic ability Parasitic Possession.
If you wanted a male equivalent to them, you could style templated satyrs (base CR 4) as an "Old Scratch" type of primal evil you might see in a witch's Black Mass.Or just an unpleasant guy with huge kneecaps.
nnnnn...maAAAster...
Just go with humans. Give them a banjo and take away about half their teeth. Nothing scarier than that.
If you're going goblinoid, I would suggest the barghest as the boss. They need to feed on humanoids to get more power.
Also, don't forget worg-riders!
But hags are another one of my favorites.
Or make them transform into avian-folk, goat-folks, spider-folk, etc.
If you are willing to add a stream to a deep underground lake, you could use deep ones and deep one hybrids. They would be very unexpected and unsavory.
Meenlocks were the first monster I thought of, but we were told to provide monstrous humanoids, not aberrations. Also, meenlocks are more of a "group" baddy.
Meenlocks are probably my very favorite D&D monster.
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When I first saw the title of this thread, my first thought was "Mothman!" It just wouldn't likely work given that you're trying to make an entire city with them - but you could include one somehow!
Nightgaunts are another great thing to have flittering about somewhere.
Maybe there are multiple factions of creepy monsters? Maybe some of the monsters are scared of some of the other monsters???
Driders would feel right at home here. Slap the Young Creature Template on them, and they're CR 5 (probably remove their 3rd level spell known, too). Not mechanically Monstrous Humanoids, but it wouldn't be a far leap to flavor them so. They have a Climb speed, which suits the denizens of this area, and taking Slaves is practically their m.o.
Argh - so many great ideas - trying to just iron it out has gotten a bit problematic. Hmmmm.
My suggestion might be to go with a theme that best suits this situation, and then save some of the other ideas for adventures further on down the line. If you would like, you can always throw in hooks to further adventures for said other ideas that don't get used for this adventure. You could do this via various items signaling the presence of these other beings (such as letters of correspondence). Or perhaps a one-off encounter within the adventure that signals that your main foe for this complex has allies elsewhere. (The token serpentfolk or derro, for example, could be allies or trade diplomats from other monstrous organizations or settlements the hags are allied with, for example.)