Strange Pilgrims on the Road

In this encounter, the players meet a group of religious pilgrims at a crossroad, who happen to be traveling the same direction. The leader of the group, a strangely intense charismatic older person, asks the party to travel with them awhile to exchange news and share company.

Talking to them the party learns that they are a group of religious pilgrims, either traveling to a holy site, migrating to a new land, or wandering in search of the promised land where they can practice their faith in peace. If the party travels long enough with them, they camp together and get a glimpse into their strange ways at smoke-enshrouded gatherings late in the evening.

This encounter can go different ways, depending on what you want to get out of it as the Gamemaster.

• CG - party is actually religious pilgrims, and may need help getting through a difficult area ahead, be it a war zone, monster-infested land, or something else.
  
• CN - they're actually theives, masquerading as pilgrims, but pretty friendly. May try to filch something from the party, but will probably try to be discreet. May do some robbing in a town along the way, putting the party in a difficult position if they catch wind of it or the pilgrims are accused of the thefts.
  
• CE - the cult is a group of theives, lead by an assassin. They may be on the way to an important job, or just nomadic by nature. They may try to make a sacrifice of the party to their dark gods, or may later assassinate someone important to the party, like a NPC who has hired them. A great way to introduce a recurring villain.