Hook: Birds drop dead in the city center at dawn for several days in a row, exactly when the sun peeks over the horizon.

What’s Going On: The city’s grain supply has been tainted with scarab eggs by a rogue element trying to start a war between this and a neighboring nation.

Twist: The bird bodies become incubators for scarab larvae that emerge from the birds as fully formed, predatorial beetles.

Reveal: They come across a member of this rogue element trying to taint an emergency supply of grain sent by the capital.

Opposition

• Beetle swarms.
• Beetle eggs.
• Jumped Conclusions.
• Rogue Element.
• Corrupt Officials.

What’s Next

• This rogue element is not done with this one attempt. If they were revealed, they’ll try open instigation of battle. If they were not revealed, they’ll try to inspire anger towards the other nation again.
• Corrupt officials might still exist in the government. They’ll try and cover up the events and their involvement.

Games That Fit

• Mouse Guard
• Bulldogs
• Call of Cthulhu